Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 504 The Unethical Magistrate
"Lord Zhang, this..."

Lu Liang looked troubled. He had seen people get something for nothing, but he had never seen anything like this.

Ask him to produce 10,000 shi of grain? That's 10,000 shi of grain, not 10,000 shi of sand.

Zhang Yu said leisurely, "What? Your Lü family is so wealthy and powerful, yet you can't afford this little bit of grain? This is for you to cover the cost, not for us to take your grain. Once the relief grain from above arrives, you will naturally pay it back..."

"The people are suffering from the disaster. You local bigwigs can't just sit idly by and do nothing, can you?"

Lu Liang had a doubt in his heart. He said it so easily. Not to mention whether the higher-ups would actually issue relief grain, what if all the grain that was issued ended up in Zhang Yu's pocket? Could he really get it back?

Seeing that Lü Liang remained silent, Zhang Yu said quietly, "Patriarch Lü, you can rest assured. I will try my best to waive your family's grain tax. I will also help you out if you sell grain at high prices... With this heavy rain, not only our county but other prefectures and counties have probably been affected as well. How could your Lü family lose money in business?"

"That old fox..." Lu Liang thought to himself, "Will our Lu family lose money this time? But Zhang Yu will definitely make a fortune from this."

After thinking for a moment, Lü Liang nodded slightly and said, "What you say is absolutely right, sir. I will go back and send someone to procure grain, but it will probably take a few days..."

This county magistrate has connections in the prefecture, and it is said that he comes from a famous Taoist temple, so he is really not someone to be trifled with.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu chuckled and said, "Then Boss Lü, you'd better hurry up and prepare the grain as soon as possible so that you can sell it to the disaster-stricken people."

A hint of unease flashed in Lü Liang's eyes. Why not just have him send over the money from selling the grain first?
Feeling frustrated, Lü Liang got up to take his leave.

"Wait a moment……"

Zhang Yu waved his hand and took out a square wooden box from a wooden box next to him.

"Take this. It's an elixir I refined. It will prolong your life."

Lü Liang quickly took the small box, feigning delight, and said, "Thank you for the pill, sir."

He dared not consume that elixir; who knew how Zhang Yu had refined it?

He would rather spend a lot of money to find an alchemist elsewhere to refine elixirs than eat this stuff.

However, on the surface, he still had to pretend to be grateful.

Zhang Yu waved his hand, "Mr. Lü has things to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer. I'll invite you to my residence for a banquet another day."

"I'll take my leave..." Lü Liang quickly bowed and left the study.

Lü Liang thought to himself, apart from that incident, he hasn't been busy at all, has he?
Outside, the heavy rain continued.

Lu Liang had mixed feelings. He had previously thought that this heavy rain was a good thing, as he could use it to make money.

Right now, he can't wait for the rain to stop.

This world… Lu Liang shook his head slightly and sighed in his heart. It’s hard to be a good person, and the black-hearted people are all blacker than the last.

Lü Liang hurried away, stepping through the deep rain.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he turned his head slightly and saw three different figures standing on the courtyard wall not far away.

In the blink of an eye, it had vanished again.

Lu Liang's eyes narrowed suddenly. Could it be that he was seeing a ghost in broad daylight?

However, considering that this is the county magistrate's residence, it's unlikely to be haunted.

He shook his head and quickly quickened his pace to leave.

In the study, Zhang Yu sat leisurely, sipping warm, fragrant tea. "Rain is good, the heavier the better..."

The heavier the rain, the more severe the disaster, and the more likely he is to request relief from higher authorities.

Suddenly, Zhang Yu sat up straight, stroking his chin, and said, "There's still a lot of grain in the yamen's granary; we can take some out and sell it..."

Zhang Yu's eyes gleamed. Just because official grain was difficult to embezzle didn't mean it was impossible. With a little maneuvering, he could still gain benefits for himself.

"It's a real pity you're not a shrewd merchant." A cold, clear voice drifted over.

Zhang Yu, who was deep in thought, suddenly looked up and saw three people standing in front of him.

Zhang Yu was immediately startled; he hadn't even noticed that an outsider had entered his study.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass on this official's residence..."

Zhang Yu opened his mouth to reprimand him, but faced with Lu Zheng's cold gaze, his tone immediately softened.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Dafeng County is suffering from floods. Many farmlands and villages have been submerged, and some water conservancy projects have been damaged, but no officials have been seen carrying out disaster relief."

"I was going to the county government office to inquire about the situation, but the office was not open and no one was in charge, so I had no choice but to visit the magistrate's residence."

"Just now, I saw someone come to visit my residence. I have sharp ears and keen eyes, so I heard it clearly and saw it clearly."

Lu Zheng spoke in a low, menacing tone, his gaze towards Zhang Yu sharp as a sword.

Zhang Yu felt extremely uncomfortable, never expecting that his conversation with Lü Liang had been overheard by these three outsiders.

Zhang Yu couldn't help but say, "Judging from your appearance, you don't seem to be cultivators from my Dafeng County, do you? The affairs of this county are none of your concern..."

"Zheng!"

A long sword appeared out of thin air, its tip pointing directly at Zhang Yu's brow.

The sword energy that burst forth from the longsword was only an inch away from Zhang Yu's forehead.

A sharp aura enveloped his entire body, making Zhang Yu freeze in place, not daring to move an inch.

"You, you guys..."

Seeing the long sword hovering in front of him, Zhang Yu was shocked; this was a technique beyond his capabilities.

"What does this matter concerning this county have to do with us?"

Lu Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Zhang Yu with a cold gaze.

Zhang Yu couldn't help but swallow hard, and stiffly said, "Although the affairs of this county have nothing to do with the three of you, it is a blessing for Dafeng County that you are concerned about the local area..."

"My cultivation is lowly; I never imagined this torrential rain would be so severe. I will immediately send people to provide disaster relief..."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu subconsciously tried to move his body to create distance between himself and the suspended longsword.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "You intend to escape?"

Zhang Yu stiffened and quickly said, "How could that be? I am the local official, an official appointed by the imperial court. How could I abandon my post?"

Zhang Yu's eyes darted around, and he said, "I see that you are all cultivators. May I ask which school you belong to? I am a Taoist from Tongshan Temple in Yuezhou..."

Zhang Yu introduced himself, fearing that the young man in front of him might actually attack him if they disagreed.

Lu Zheng remained calm. "Since you are Taoist priests, and now you are officials, how can you exploit the local people like this? Are all the people of Tongshan Temple like this? I will have to pay you a visit later."

Hearing Lu Zheng's words, Zhang Yu's heart skipped a beat. It was clear that Lu Zheng didn't care about his identity or background at all.

If this matter really escalates to the Tongshan Temple, he'll probably be removed from the list of Taoist priests.

It's good that I'm no longer an official; there are other opportunities in the future.

But if you are removed from the Taoist register, you will truly become a homeless dog.

Zhang Yu's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Oh dear, why did it have to come to this, why did it have to come to this..."

(End of this chapter)