The playboy county magistrate

Dust and sand obscured the sky as a blue-curtained carriage bumped and slowly moved forward on a desolate, cracked road.

Li Xuanzhi felt like he was about to be shaken to pieces.

I just submitted and got approved a design proposal after working non-stop for a whole day and night. I was so tired that I just collapsed on my desk for a quick nap. Why is it so shaky?

Could it be that his health condition turned sour and he was taken away by ambulance?

Thinking of this, Li Xuanzhi suddenly sat up with a jolt, watching the bluish-gray curtain sway back and forth in front of him. Sunlight shone through the gaps, and he could see fine dust particles dancing in front of his eyes.

"Second Young Master, we can see the city gate! We'll be there in half an hour at most, and you can finally get some rest!"

Upon hearing the unfamiliar voice, Li Xuanzhi's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling.

Arrived? Where are we? Half an hour? City gate? Second Young Master?

Li Xuanzhi immediately threw back the gray curtain, his mouth filled with dust, causing him to cough incessantly, his eyes reddening from the coughing. He quickly covered his mouth and nose and angrily waved his sleeve.

From afar, you can see a city gate with a strong sense of history and a simple, rugged style, with three large characters written on it: Fuyu County.

At that moment, his memory suddenly shattered into countless fragments, like scenes from a movie, and rushed into Li Xuanzhi's mind.

Li Xuanzhi felt a headache for a few breaths before he was completely dumbfounded.

He traveled through time, to the Great Yong Dynasty, which did not exist in history.

She transmigrated into the body of Li Xuanzhi, who looked and had a personality even more similar to her twins.

Although the original owner's father, Li Dehai, did not hold an important position in the imperial court, he did inherit the title from the original owner's grandfather. However, the title was downgraded by one rank to earl when it was passed down to the original owner's father.

The original owner's mother, Zhang, was the illegitimate daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue of the current dynasty and was the second wife of the Earl's family.

Li Dehai's first wife suffered a difficult childbirth and gave birth to a son, who was greatly loved by his father. This half-brother was also very outstanding, passing the imperial examination at a young age. However, he had looked down on the original owner of this body since childhood, feeling disappointed in her and harboring some resentment. The reasons for this were quite complex.

Firstly, after his elder brother's mother passed away, his aunt voluntarily entered the Li family to take care of him, but she was only a concubine.

In the eyes of his elder brother, the original owner's mother should have been a concubine, and the original owner should have been a half-brother, not a legitimate son like him.

Secondly, the original owner of this body was an ignorant and incompetent playboy who hung out with his cronies all day, spending his days teasing cats and dogs, fighting cocks and chasing ducks. In his elder brother's eyes, he was a disgrace to the Li family.

Ironically, this disgrace to the family was still exceptionally indulged by the elders, who were not as strict with him as they had been with him. In his elder brother's eyes, this was blatant favoritism.

Even Li Xuanzhi had to admit that the original owner of this body was a complete idiot.

Born into a wealthy family, they lived a life of leisure, waited on hand and foot, and never had to shoulder the responsibility of revitalizing the family. What's wrong with being a parasite? What's wrong with their elder brother passing the imperial examination?

He went to a brothel with a bunch of good-for-nothing friends. While everyone else had already won, he was still standing there, blushing, only knowing to shout for the fragrant girls next to him to fill his cup.

He was even provoked by someone who said, "So what if you pass the imperial examination? You just become an official. Who can't become an official? Just you wait and see! Even if I'm ignorant and have no hope of passing the imperial examination, I'll still become an official!"

Wanting to stand out and prove himself no less capable than his elder brother, he ended up on a self-destructive, crooked path—

In short, the original owner of this body spent money to buy an official position, which is called "buying an official position".

These kinds of official positions were usually reserved for wealthy families in local areas, with the aim of siphoning money from them. For example, the earliest Yuanwailang was a sinecure with no real power.

However, given Li Xuanzhi's family background, and the fact that someone secretly pulled strings, a position as magistrate of a remote region—specifically Fuyu County—was secured for him.

Purchasing official positions through such low-class means is not the proper path. Those officials and aristocratic families who pride themselves on being upright are most averse to such people.

Upon learning that his son was going to take up his new post, the Earl initially thought his second son was just a spoiled rich kid, a bit naive. He never imagined his son would do something so thoughtless. Earl Li Dehai was so angry he almost had a heart attack.

Li Xuanzhi recalled the scene: the Earl was so angry that he was blowing his beard and glaring, shouting angrily:

"The Li family has no fools like you! All the officials and powerful families are secretly laughing at us. Your elder brother's marriage is almost settled, but the bride's family says they need to carefully consider it. How could I have given birth to such a useless and troublesome brat like you!"

The original owner of this body also had a fiery temper, someone who would explode if not set off, so how could she tolerate her father pointing his finger at her and scolding her like that?

"Isn't it because you always favored your elder brother and deliberately spoiled me to make him stand out? Where were you when my mother went out to socialize with other officials' wives and was laughed at for being only fit to carry shoes for the son left by the first wife? Where were you when I was targeted since I was a child and people said I was adopted as the legitimate daughter? You don't care about my future, so what's wrong with me working hard to earn a future for myself?"

Earl Li Dehai's old face turned red with anger, and he uttered a single sentence with trembling hands—

"Fine, fine, if you're so capable, then go and earn your own future. If you're still stuck as a lowly county magistrate in three years, don't call yourself my son, Li Dehai. Get lost, and we'll have nothing to do with each other anymore!"

……

Now that's settled, the donation of official positions is a done deal, and it goes without saying how heinous it is.

He got the official position, but his future was ruined.

The legitimate son of the Earl's family, once a paragon of virtue, has been reduced to an outcast in the eyes of others. His already tarnished reputation has now been further damaged.

The original owner of this body caught a cold during the arduous journey and died because the treatment was not timely. All the mess was left to Li Xuanzhi, who had transmigrated here.

Li Xuanzhi rummaged through his bag and pulled out the booklet that the Ministry of Personnel had given to the original owner of this body. He touched the official seal on one side and sighed deeply.

They come, the security.

Looking at it from another perspective, at least I'm a person of status. It's much better than those who are born beggars or bandits who live a life of hiding and robbing.

The servants who had surrounded him before thought that his life was destined to be the same, that he wouldn't amount to much, so they all used their connections or resorted to any means necessary, and eventually, some left and others scattered. Only Uncle Wang, who had watched him grow up, and Tang Zheng, the young man he had casually bought to bury his father when he was a playboy, remained by his side.

The one who just shouted excitedly was Tang Zheng.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the city gate. Li Xuanzhi had finally fully digested the original owner's memories and looked intently at this place that was about to become his "home".

The mottled city wall, though it looks thick and heavy, is not sturdy at all.

Although the dirt road was smooth, it had cracked from being exposed to the sun and was extremely dry.

However, if it rains heavily for several days in a row, it will definitely become muddy and difficult to travel.

The two gatekeepers guarding the city gate looked quite competent, full of energy and with clear, bright eyes.

But upon closer inspection, one can see that the armor is patched up haphazardly, with plates of inconsistent sizes, clearly pieced together like a patchwork.

The cuffs and collar were worn to varying degrees, looking even worse than the outer armor. The exposed part of the clothing worn close to the body looked like it was pieced together from scraps of cloth.

Oh no! That's absolutely awful!

"Please show your identification documents."

The city gatekeeper stopped the carriage, one hand outstretched with the palm facing up, ready to check the identity document, and the other hand holding something that looked like a lottery tube with a piece missing.

"The entrance fee is three coins per person, and any overpayment will not be refunded."

Li Xuanzhi understood: if he didn't have copper coins on him and gave out loose silver instead, he wouldn't get a refund for the difference.

They're overthinking it. Even if the original owner was a playboy who was used to spending money lavishly, he wasn't the kind of rich young master who would throw money around without batting an eye.

What's more, he also brought along Uncle Wang and Tang Zheng, especially Uncle Wang, who is probably a reincarnation of a master numerator, very shrewd and calculating.

After the nine copper coins were handed over, the other party held the identity document, his hands trembling uncontrollably, his eyes glazed over, and his lips quivering.