The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#742 - Is Luo Changshi so easy to deal with?

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The fake Zhao Zong and the Registrar Luo didn't chat for too long in the council hall.

After a cup of tea, Registrar Luo hurriedly took his daughter down the mountain.

Lu Jing was a little guilty, worried that his trick of substituting one thing for another would be discovered. He didn't even dare to see them off. Only after they had gone far away did he find the fake Zhao Zong, who was busy changing clothes and planning to go back to continue cooking, and asked him about what had just happened.

"This… Registrar Luo shouldn't have suspected my identity, right?" the fake Zhao Zong thought for a moment, "Although he did subtly mention that I looked quite well, and didn't look like an old man at all."

"What did you say?" Lu Jing asked.

"This, Mr. Ji taught me. I said that after I fell off the cliff, I survived a great disaster and, as a result, found a cave. The owner of that cave was a Taoist, but he had already ascended to immortality more than a hundred years ago, leaving only a volume of heavenly scriptures and a celestial pill. After I took that celestial pill, my appearance almost stopped aging."

"He believed that?" Lu Jing asked in surprise.

The fake Zhao Zong revealed a sly smile, "I also asked Mr. Ji about this question. Mr. Ji told me that people are always willing to believe what they want to believe."

"Whether I am the real Zhao Zong or the fake Zhao Zong is not that important. The key is the existence of Zhao Zong. For different people, is it a benefit or a disadvantage? For example, the official in Lin'an Prefecture now, even if I were the real Zhao Zong, he would definitely insist that I am fake."

"Another example is this Registrar Luo, who has traveled a long way to see me and intends to serve me. Even if he feels that I am not so real, he will still treat me as the real Zhao Zong, because he believes that I am his stepping stone to advancement in the future."

"Moreover, I am not the kind of counterfeit that you can just pick up from the roadside. My figure and appearance are exactly the same as Zhao Zong's. I have the same dragon-patterned birthmark on my left chest as Zhao Zong, and my handwriting can also be imitated to the point of being indistinguishable from the real thing. And I also have Zhao Zong's jade seal, although it is only a private seal used when he collects calligraphy and paintings, it is still genuine."

"In Mr. Ji's words, for those who are willing to believe me, this is already enough."

"That's true." Lu Jing paused, and then asked, "Then how did you send Registrar Luo away? According to what you said, he should have already recognized you, right? Why didn't he stay by your side to assist you?"

"I haven't quite figured this out either." The fake Zhao Zong scratched his head, "After we met, we just chatted casually for a few words, talking about the old events of the previous dynasty and the customs of the capital."

"Then he changed the subject and talked to me about the situation in the three northwestern prefectures. I am quite familiar with this, after all, I went there before because Mr. Ji wanted to recruit the soldiers of those three prefectures, and I also did a lot of homework."

"After that, I don't know what made him happy, I saw his eyes light up, and then he got up and bowed to me, saying that he was willing to use everything he had learned in his life for my use."

"What did you say?"

"I remember your instructions, Great Hero Lu. At this time, naturally, I politely declined him."

"What excuse did you use?"

"The time is not yet ripe."

Lu Jing nodded secretly when he heard this. This kind of ambiguous statement is most suitable for refusing others. Now everyone in the world knows that Zhu Zhen has already raised troops and intends to take back the country from his nephew.

This is the time to employ people. It is obviously unreasonable to directly drive away the talents who come to your door. In comparison, the same is a refusal. Using the excuse that the time is not yet ripe sounds much more like a real reason.

As for why the time is not yet ripe, and when the time will be ripe, hehe… let Registrar Luo guess for himself. And this is the art of leadership.

However, Lu Jing still couldn't quite figure it out, "Is Registrar Luo so easy to dismiss? He came all the way from Shizhou, traveling through wind and dust to get here."

"After hearing what I said, the man surnamed Luo indeed didn't ask me anything more. He solemnly saluted me and said that the official was wise, and that the minister already knew how to act, and then he went down the mountain."

"I remembered that you wanted to keep him for the New Year's Eve dinner, and chased him a few steps, but he walked very fast, and disappeared in a blink of an eye. I was still thinking about my half-finished roasted mutton, so I didn't chase after him."

After Lu Jing heard the fake Zhao Zong finish his meeting with Registrar Luo, he felt that his performance, even if he couldn't score a hundred points, could score eighty. His response from beginning to end was very appropriate.

Although the last sentence that Registrar Luo dropped before leaving in a hurry was a bit strange, no matter what, Lu Jing's goal was achieved, and he successfully sent the father and daughter away.

It's just that, after all, he helped him a lot in Shizhou before, and now he has come such a long way, and it's still the New Year, Lu Jing feels a little guilty.

So he took out a two-thousand tael silver note from his arms, thought about it and added another five hundred taels, folded them together and sealed them in an envelope, and then called the young man who looked quite clever before to his side and handed him the envelope.

He asked him to catch up with Registrar Luo and his daughter, who had not gone far.

After finishing this matter, Lu Jing's heart finally felt a little more comfortable, and he turned his attention back to the New Year.

He had earned a lot of money by selling ginseng during this period. Although the debt he owed Chi had not been completely repaid, he still had to spend what he should spend. After all, what Lu Jing hated most in his previous life was the stingy boss who made money but didn't give him a penny. He gave everyone in the village a red envelope of two taels of silver each, and also bought a lot of New Year's goods from Ju County.

On the morning of New Year's Eve, firecrackers were set off on Qinglong Mountain, and after that, guests continued to arrive.

In addition to Xia Huai, who had been with Lu Jing, Lu Jing also asked Gu Jing to send a letter to Yang Tao and Chi in the academy, and his nominal master, Ye Gongmei.

In addition, Lu Jing certainly wouldn't leave out Wen Xiaoqian and Yan Yun, but he didn't know if the latter would come.

In addition to this, Lu Jing hesitated and also sent an invitation to Kui.

Because he had heard Wen Xiaoqian mention that Kui seemed to have no family members anymore, and plus she was now a partner with Wen Xiaoqian, or accurately speaking, Wen Xiaoqian was a pendant on her thigh, Lu Jing still felt that he should try to get along with her.

As for Gu Caiwei, at this time she was busy in the capital with the business of her herbal medicine shop's firewood shop, and couldn't spare the time. Lu Jing could only wait until after the New Year to find her separately.

Finally, Lu Jing also brought in Chen Hanqing, who had been working for him, saying that he had his own place to go, but in fact no one paid him any attention.

Plus Amu and Black Cat, Huo Xing Sun and his cousin, and the two newly recruited apprentices, they could already make up a large table of people.

Even Shopkeeper Zhou from Duobao Pavilion in the neighboring Ju County, heard that Lu Jing was holding a grand banquet, and ran to Qinglong Mountain for a free meal.

The only regret was that Doctor Jia and Xixin should still be on the road, and it would probably take another half a month to arrive.

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