Confucian and Taoist scholar

"Alright, alright, I'll have someone arrange it right away!"

Li Yuan was all smiles and quickly instructed his subordinates to make the arrangements.

Li Yuan said, "It's rare for you to come back; you should share the joy with the people. Everyone misses you very much..."

Li Yuan ran to the desk again, "Let me finish this official business first, then I'll take you for a walk in the city."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "No rush."

While handling official business, Li Yuan said, "I heard that the new country you established in the north is quite remarkable..."

The deeds of the Taiping New Kingdom had already spread throughout Anguo, and even ordinary people knew about them.

Many scholars took Lu Zheng's deeds as an example.

If it weren't for the fact that the new country is so far away from the peaceful and prosperous land, many people would want to go to that legendary place.

As the magistrate of Kaiyang County, Li Yuan received a lot of detailed intelligence from the imperial court, so he was extremely curious about the new kingdom of Taiping Domain.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "If there's a chance in the future, we can take the magistrate there to have a look... But speaking of which, the difference between Kaiyang County now and that place isn't that big..."

In terms of development, although Kaiyang County was reformed a few years ahead of schedule, it was ultimately limited by the dynasty, too small in size, and lacked productivity... It still lagged behind the regions of the new kingdom.

After chatting for a while, Li Yuan finished his business and it was time to leave the office.

Li Yuan couldn't wait to take Lu Zheng out.

Inside the county government office, many officials came over to greet Lu Zheng.

Many of them were familiar faces to Lu Zheng, while there were also some unfamiliar officials, and even some demons and ghosts among them.

Kaiyang County is much more tolerant now than before, and many practitioners and demons have come to its territory.

Of course, these people were all under the jurisdiction of the government, engaged in various professions, and abided by the law.

Kaiyang County is a key area of ​​concern for the imperial court, with countless experts secretly stationed there. Anyone who wants to cause trouble here should probably think twice before acting.

After meeting with the officials, Lu Zheng left the county government office together.

At this time, the open space outside the county government office, along with several nearby streets, was crowded with people, and some constables were maintaining order.

These people all came to watch as Lu Zheng returned.

Many people were still coming from all over the city; it was almost the entire city that had turned out.

Everyone was filled with excitement and joy, their eyes shining brightly. This wasn't just a casual gathering; they were all hoping to catch a glimpse of Lu Zheng.

This shows how highly Lu Zheng was regarded in Kaiyang County.

As Lu Zheng walked out of the county government office, he saw a huge crowd of people nearby.

Faced with excited faces and burning eyes.

Lu Zheng smiled back and raised his hand to greet them, "Fellow villagers, it's been a long time."

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted in enthusiastic cheers that lasted for a long time.

The clamor of voices was deafening, shaking heaven and earth.

So much so that even the statue of a certain sage in the county's Confucian temple rippled slightly.

"He's back?"

An old man's voice came through faintly; it was none other than the Half-Saint of the An family.

The fluctuations from the icon quickly subsided, and everything returned to normal.

Several years have passed, but the public's love for Lu Zheng remains as strong as ever.

Lu Zheng walked over to the crowd and greeted them warmly, trying his best to make sure everyone could see him so that no one would feel disappointed if they couldn't see him.

People in front made way for each other, while those behind crowded forward, unwilling to leave.

Li Yuan and the others followed beside Lu Zheng, all expressing their admiration that Lu Zheng truly had the same pure heart as before, always keeping the people in his heart.

Li Yuan couldn't help but think that it would be truly unjust if such a person couldn't become a saint.

As Lu Zheng walked along, he saw many new faces and a group of children huddled together, all staring at him with curiosity.

These children are all wearing the same clothes; they are students at the school.

There was also a furry child, a baby ape covered in hair.

Li Yuan said, "This child is Lan's child, you should remember him, right? You were the one who sent them here to settle down... This child is intelligent and passed the school's assessment, so we let them study together... As the sage said, 'In education, there should be no discrimination!'"

Lu Zheng smiled and spoke a few words with the group of children before continuing on his way.

Soon, he saw several familiar faces.

Lu Zheng stepped forward to greet them, "Brother Zheng, Madam Zheng, I didn't expect to see you here."

Before me stood Zheng Yu, the master painter I had visited in Hongzhou City years ago, and his family.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yu quickly replied, "Oh dear, Mr. Lu is so successful now, this old man can't possibly accept that... I brought my wife here to settle down a few years ago, it's wonderful here, much better than the city..."

Not long after his missing son returned, his family moved to Kaiyang County to settle down.

After all, here demons and ghosts also have the opportunity to obtain an official identity.

His son, who had become a ghost, no longer needed to live a life of secrecy.

Beside Zheng Yu, a young man with a completely different appearance bowed deeply to Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng smiled and nodded, "This is good news. At the banquet later, brother, let's have a couple of drinks..." Zheng Yu, hearing this, blushed with excitement and said, "Yes, yes, yes..."

He thought Lu Zheng had achieved great things and their feelings had faded after so long without contact, but Lu Zheng still treated him the same as before.

Watching Lu Zheng walk off to meet the other members of the public, Zheng Yu couldn't help but say to her husband and son beside her, "I knew it! He's got real talent... and it's only been a few years..."

Back then, Lu Zheng was just a spirited scholar who dared to stand up to the powerful clans in the city and fight for the interests of the people of Hongzhou.

How many years has it been? Lu Zheng is already working for the benefit of the people.

Zheng Yu rubbed her cheeks, feeling like it was all a dream, but hoping that even if it was a dream, it would last a little longer.

Lu Zheng circled around almost half of the county, making an appearance for all the residents.

It had gotten dark, and the whole city was brightly lit.

The government has already sent people to arrange the banquet and celebration in an organized manner.

Kaiyang County has become more prosperous in recent years. During major festivals, the government holds large-scale celebrations to celebrate with the people.

This impromptu celebration was organized very quickly.

Upon learning that Lu Zheng had returned, all the restaurants and eateries in the city, big and small, were even more eager than before to prepare for the banquet.

Many business owners were even willing to contribute funds and jointly proposed to hold a grand banquet for three days and three nights, inviting people from nearby villages to also attend, which would not be considered extravagant.

Li Yuan led Lu Zheng to the largest restaurant in the city, where a group of people warmly welcomed him.

Before even entering the restaurant, Lu Zheng noticed that his portrait was still hanging on the main door, and it looked like it had been there for quite some time.

Li Yuan, who was standing next to him, explained with a smile: "Now every household here has your portrait. They say you are the reincarnation of a saint, and they worship you to bring good fortune and ward off evil spirits... It's even more effective than the talismans drawn by Taoist priests."

"Rumor has it that a scholar travels with your portrait, and the demons and ghosts he encounters are all terrified of him..."

"It is said that some high-ranking officials in the capital are afraid of your name, and seeing your portrait will keep them awake for days and nights..."

"They're all corrupt people, they're afraid of you!"

Li Yuan shook his head and recounted some strange and unusual stories about Lu Zheng, which were all fairly normal.

Lu Zheng could only smile and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Lu Zheng said softly, "I don't have that much ability to protect everyone in the world. If you really encounter any difficulties, you still have to rely on yourselves..."

Lu Zheng paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "When I'm in Kaiyang County, you can come and find me in person. When I'm not here, you can find Magistrate Li or any other official... that will definitely be more effective than this painting."

Lu Zheng still hoped that the people would be more practical, as praying to gods and Buddhas was of little use.

However, seeing the looks in the eyes of the people around him, Lu Zheng felt that his words had no effect.

The local people remained enthusiastic, and seeing this, Lu Zheng didn't say anything more.

Upon entering the restaurant, Lu Zheng did not instruct Li Yuan to arrange any luxurious private rooms. Instead, he had his seat arranged in the main hall so that he could join the crowd in the festivities.

The others naturally had no objection to Lu Zheng's request.

Li Yuan stood aside, pondering to himself that he still had a lot to learn.

Before long, banquets were set up in the nearby shops and streets.

The entire city's residents gathered here for a lively celebration.

During this time, many people came to see Lu Zheng.

Li Yuan and his officials were somewhat nervous, fearing that someone might suddenly run out to complain to Lu Zheng about their grievances or file a complaint.

This was even more serious to them than the shortcomings found when officials from the imperial court came to inspect the area.

Fortunately, nothing like that happened, and the atmosphere remained cheerful and harmonious.

Lu Zheng and Li Yuan discussed the recent development of Kaiyang County and put forward many constructive suggestions.

Having managed so many regions in Taiping Domain over the years, Lu Zheng has accumulated considerable practical experience.

Time passed slowly, and the atmosphere in the entire county town remained lively.

Suddenly, Lu Zheng sensed something and stopped talking.

He looked at Li Yuan and the others and said, "You guys continue, I'm going for a walk outside..."

"Good good."

Li Yuan could tell that Lu Zheng seemed to have something on his mind, so he readily agreed.

Lu Zheng walked lightly and soon arrived at a street.

When the people who were attending the banquet saw Lu Zheng arrive, they all greeted him warmly.

Lu Zheng smiled and responded to each person, then went to the outermost table on the street corner and looked at the people who were having a meal.

One of the middle-aged men was happily munching on a chicken leg.

Seeing the look Lu Zheng gave him, An Taixuan rolled his eyes.

"You're being unfair, young man! You're treating the whole city to a feast, but you didn't even invite me..."

The people sitting at this table are all important figures from Tai'an City.

An Jing also came here. When she saw Lu Zheng coming, she even moved aside to make room for him.

Lu Zheng didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly next to An Jing. (End of Chapter)