I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 131 Getting stronger with old age
After seeing off Lu Su, who was about to embark on missions to various feudal lords, Liu Miao finally arrived at Qianwu County.

Lu Kang, Liu Miao's angel investor, always rode in the same carriage with Liu Miao whenever they went out, and this trip to Wu County was no exception.

Seeing that Lu Kang, this fearless old man, was staring blankly at the scenery outside and had even hidden his face behind the carriage frame, Liu Miao couldn't help but laugh and said, "Does Lu Zhongyi also feel homesick?"

Lu Kang knew Liu Miao was teasing him, but he was too lazy to pay attention to Liu Miao and just kept taking in the scenery of Wu County.

“When I was young, I was recommended as a filial and incorruptible official and went to Hebei to serve as a county magistrate. After that, I served as the prefect of Wuling, Guiyang, Le'an and other places. Finally, I was ordered to go to Luling to suppress the bandits Huang Rang and others. After that, I stayed in Luling and dared not go home.”

"Now that I think about it, it has been twenty years since I last came to Wu County. Not to mention the local people, even in the Lu clan, there are probably very few people who would recognize me."

Twenty years ago, when Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao and their ilk were still studying, Lu Kang was already a prefect with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain).

Now, twenty years have passed, and the sea has turned into mulberry fields. No wonder Lu Kang is so melancholy.

"It's always good for fallen leaves to return to their roots. Once Lu Zhongyi stays here for a while, he won't feel this sadness anymore."

Liu Miao didn't have much affection for Wu Commandery. From the moment he entered its territory, his strongest feelings were only twofold—

Ping and Shui are abundant, just like the Yuan family.

The terrain of Danyang County is at least high in the southwest and low in the southeast, and even near Jinling there is Zhongshan Mountain as an undulating feature.

Wu County, however, is flat as far as the eye can see, with only occasional protrusions visible in the distance. Beyond that lies the vast Taihu Lake and its surrounding waters, shimmering and sparkling under the sunlight.

"Wu County is truly a land of plenty!"

Lu Kang, however, had little affection for his hometown: "It's no better than other places."

"Why?"

"Without mountains and rivers to rely on, and Jiangdong being a remote place, the scholars and common people here always have a petty mentality and lack the boldness of the northerners. Is this why the gentry of Wu County only want to protect themselves and not expand into the surrounding areas?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Miao was delighted!

"It seems that Lu Zhongyi doesn't truly not miss his hometown, but rather that many of his old friends from his hometown have been looking for you recently, asking for your help?"

"If that's the case, Lu Zhongyi can just tell me directly. Would I refuse such a request from Lu Zhongyi?"

The scholars of Wu County are now living in constant fear, if not in a state of peril.

Lu Kang and Gu Yong's places must have been crowded with scholars who came to them through connections, either seeking a good job or just hoping for a peaceful life.

However, neither Lu Kang nor Gu Yong had mentioned these things to Liu Miao's face, so Liu Miao brought them up on his own initiative.

"If I ask, will Zhongshan agree?"

"It depends on the situation; we'll have to conduct an assessment eventually."

"That's not right."

Lu Kang lay on the carriage. The closer they got to their hometown, the more listless he became, no longer the tough guy he was when he was outside.

"Jiangdong has its own system now. If someone is truly talented, why shouldn't they be employed? If someone is not talented, what good will it do to recommend them?"

"Moreover, I have seen those who were recommended commit crimes in the past few decades, which implicated their recommenders. I haven't been back to Wu County for twenty years, so how would I know who is good and who is bad? If I really recommend a good-for-nothing who makes a mistake, wouldn't I be ruining myself?"

Lu Kanggang shook his head immediately after speaking: "I don't care about myself, but if it brings disaster to my descendants, then it's my fault."

"Tsk!"

Liu Miao exclaimed in admiration, "To be honest, Lu Zhongyi, I had already decided that if you came to me to plead for me, I would fight you again. I didn't expect you to be so enlightened! It seems that not everyone is a thief who stays alive even when they're old!"

Liu Miao then counted on his fingers—

"Lu Zhongyi, were you born in the first year of the Yongjian era?"

"Yes, that year Emperor Xiaoshun had just ascended the throne, and it was also the time when Ban Yong, the son of Marquis Dingyuan Ban Chao, led his army to fight against the Northern Xiongnu."

Liu Miao then asked, "Was Gongji (Lu Ji, Lu Kang's youngest son) born in the fifth year of the Zhongping era?"

"Ah."

Looking at Liu Miao, Lu Kang already guessed what Liu Miao wanted to complain about.

"Be good!"

Liu Miao exclaimed in surprise!

"You were born at the age of sixty-two? How did you manage that?"

Lu Kang sneered, but his face was full of pride!

It's truly something to be proud of that she was able to give birth to a son at the age of 62!

Liu Miao patted Lu Kang on the back and said, "So that's how it is. So, Lu Zhongyi, you're thinking about Gong Ji and the others now?"

“Boyan will soon be able to stand on his own, and by the time Boyan grows up, Gongji will be almost an adult... The prosperity of the Lu family should just be left to nature, which is why you don’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble?”

Lu Kang didn't respond, which clearly meant he tacitly agreed.

"Lu Zhongyi, you'd better live a few more years, or you'll die before Boyan is old enough to be recommended."

“Zhongshan, don’t you know that it’s taboo to say these things in front of an old man?”

"It's okay, you can't beat me anyway."

"..."

Lu Kang turned his head away and looked out the window again.

"Zhongshan, don't you think something's wrong?"

"What's wrong?"

“The sons of noble families can live a life of ease and comfort, generation after generation.”

"I now understand the talents of Boyan and Gongji, so I will definitely support them in the future. But if their offspring are not talented enough, do you think they will still support their offspring?"

"definitely."

Liu Miao gave Lu Kang no room for chance.

"Nonsense! Not everyone is like you, still able to have children in their sixties! Most people start paving the way for their offspring in their forties, so they can take over their lives. Otherwise, what's the point of the next twenty or thirty years?" Liu Miao's words were so blunt that Lu Kang subconsciously asked a question he would never normally ask—

"Does Zhongshan think that the Lu family will become the next Yuan family of Runan?"

To everyone's surprise, Liu Miao immediately nodded: "Yes! I definitely will!"

The Lu family were his angel investors!

Not to mention that not only is Lu Yi a formidable man, but his son will be an even more formidable man in the future. The Lu family can prosper for three generations, which is much more powerful than the Yuan family of Runan in the future!

"..."

Lu Kang stared blankly at Liu Miao, but quickly smiled contemptuously, then turned around and looked out the window again.

"No, what, you don't believe me?"

Lu Kang watched as people outside toiled in the fields, driving their oxen forward to transport cartloads of rice back home...

“Zhongshan, I haven’t returned to Wu County for twenty years. Many things have changed, but one thing has remained the same.”

"What? Did you run into your old flame?"

Liu Miao also moved closer to Lu Kang and looked out of the carriage with him to see if there were any elderly widows.

"These people who toil in the fields have always been like this."

Lu Kang is nearly seventy years old and has witnessed countless changes in the world, but the one thing that remains unchanged is the people who work hard in the fields every year.

“Zhongshan, if the Lu family becomes the next Yuan family of Runan, it will probably perish very soon, won’t it?”

"That's for sure!"

Liu Miao took it for granted.

"But don't worry, Lu Zhongyi, they definitely won't die at my hands, and they're unlikely to die at the hands of my descendants either. The most likely scenario is that our descendants will be killed by someone else, and maybe we can even be buried together. Then our two families will still be neighbors!"

"..."

Lu Kang: "Does Zhongshan want to see this happen?"

"Do not want to."

"That……"

Lu Kang hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"So, you shouldn't worry about the affairs of future generations."

"As long as the reporting system exists, this kind of thing will not stop."

Liu Miao couldn't help but feel a headache coming on when he thought about what he was going to do next.

"First of all, Wang Lang's advice was to revise the laws and regulations, which is a troublesome matter."

"Secondly, Yuan Huan should thoroughly improve the three chiefs and equal land system, rebuild customs, and rectify people's hearts."

"Then, Liu Yao will also be in charge of the school's affairs, such as establishing systems and selecting teaching materials... Ugh! What a hassle!"

Lu Kang immediately sensed something was wrong when he heard the last part: "Isn't this all being done by other people?"

"Doesn't Lu Zhongyi know that I'm the kind of person who gets tired even if I lie on the couch all day? Just thinking about these things gives me a headache."

"..."

Fortunately, Lu Kang was quite tolerant of Liu Miao and ignored Liu Miao's complaints: "Zhongshan still hasn't answered the question about the recommendation system."

"take an exam."

"Ok?"

Liu Miao suddenly burst into laughter for no apparent reason, and he laughed quite happily.

Clearly, people never feel tired when they're doing bad things! Thinking about how countless people would worry about exams in the future, Liu Miao felt from the bottom of his heart that working harder wasn't unacceptable!

"The reason why the recommendation system can allow people to build up their families into noble families for generations is simply because morality cannot be quantified, which creates loopholes to exploit."

Liu Miao pointed to himself and Lu Kang: "For example, if I asked Lu Zhongyi now, 'Who is more moral between us?' would Lu Zhongyi necessarily be able to give an answer?"

Lu Kang immediately replied, "Yes! It's me!"

"..."

Liu Miao silently changed his choice: "What if it were Boyan and Gongji instead?"

Lu Kang was finally less decisive this time.

"That's right. Morality is something that cannot be quantified, so it cannot be used as a standard for judgment."

"If we consider the questions, there will be right or wrong answers, then there will be scores, and with scores, there will be a distinction between high and low, wouldn't that allow for differentiation and selection?"

Liu Miao stretched and loosened his increasingly stiff waist: "So, instead of worrying about this, Lu Zhongyi should try to figure out if he can have another child! If you can still have children at seventy, wouldn't that be much more impressive than having four generations of high-ranking officials?"

For some reason, Lu Kang's mood seemed to improve considerably.

Liu Miao had many plans for what would happen next.

Liu Miao already had a way of dealing with matters concerning aristocratic families.

If that's the case, then what do I still have to worry about?

"Zhongshan."

"Ok?"

"Those scholars from Wu County sent many gifts before. Should I return them?"

"No need! Lu Zhongyi can just put them all in my treasury! He can also indicate which family sent the most, and I'll go visit them later."

"I knew it……"

(End of this chapter)