The playboy county magistrate

The marriage was thus finalized, and the entire Pei residence and Li Xuanzhi's new residence as an imperial censor were bustling with activity as people came and went.

The Cheng'en Earl's mansion was becoming more and more deserted each day.

Those opportunistic servants who used to distance themselves from Li Xuanzhi and curry favor with Li Xuanjing are now racking their brains to create chance encounters with Li Xuanzhi and the servants of the new Imperial Censor's residence.

They say they were young and ignorant in the past, but now that they are older, they know what is good and what is bad, and they want to be a good person and have a chance to turn over a new leaf.

When Li Xuanjing learned of this, he was so angry that he almost ground his teeth to powder.

Before anyone on Li Xuanzhi's side could even comment, Li Xuanjing had already broken through his defenses.

Even though they were hiding in the mansion and dared not go out, the loud voices of the common people could still drift in through the walls, making it hard to pretend they couldn't hear them.

"As expected of Imperial Censor Li, he has such a bright future at such a young age. I'll have to teach my sons to take him as their role model."

"That's strange. They're both legitimate sons from the Marquis of Cheng'en's mansion, so why is there such a big difference between them?"

"Hey, you only know one side of the story, don't you? I have connections in the Chengen Marquis's mansion and know quite a few of its secrets."

"Oh, so you think you have connections in the Earl's mansion? If you can't afford a mirror, you can at least dig a hole, take a piss, and get a good look at yourself, right?"

"That's right! Even if the Cheng'en Marquis's mansion is declining day by day, it's still not something that ordinary people like us can afford."

"Tch! When have I ever uttered a single lie in my life? Let me tell you the truth: the neighbor's brother-in-law of my great-aunt's third daughter-in-law's younger brother's sister-in-law's second aunt's grandson works at the Marquis of Cheng'en's mansion! I heard that the eldest son of the legitimate wife would rather grow up with a concubine than with the second wife. Just think about it, can a child raised by a concubine be the same as a child raised by the legitimate wife?"

"Alas, what a pity. The Earl of Cheng'en is also muddle-headed. How could he allow a concubine in the inner quarters to run rampant in such a serious matter as raising offspring?"

"If the eldest son of the Marquis of Chengen's family could grow up under the care of his principal wife, he might not be any worse than Imperial Censor Li. I can't even imagine how happy the Marquis of Chengen would be if both of his children were successful. He would be so happy that he could grin from ear to ear at night. How much envy he would be."

"Shh... This is the entrance to the Marquis of Cheng'en's residence. Aren't you afraid someone will hear you and punish you for shouting so loudly?"

The person who had asked others to be quiet was now the loudest. He even clasped his hands together near his mouth, amplifying his voice several times over towards the Chengen Earl's residence, until his neck and face turned bright red.

"If you say these things so loudly, what if the eldest son of that household hears you and mistakenly thinks you're publicly mocking him as a complete, hopeless, and utterly useless good-for-nothing? What if he gets so depressed that he tries to commit suicide?"

Li Xuanjing was furious in the courtyard, his hands clenched into fists and trembling.

His knuckles were cracking from gripping the handle so tightly that the steward of the Earl's mansion, who had watched him grow up, rushed forward with heartache, disregarding etiquette and hierarchy, and reached out to hold Li Xuanjing's hand firmly.

"Young Master, please don't torture yourself like this. Those lowly people outside are ignorant and must have been misled or bribed to say such things. They want to provoke your anger and make you do something wrong so they can take the opportunity to get rid of you! You must not fall for their trick and must not let them succeed."

Li Xuanjing took a deep breath, but still felt he couldn't bear it.

He already had a guess in his mind, feeling that there must be people arranged by Li Xuanzhi among the people outside, just to provoke him into losing control.

But his upbringing has never required him to be patient or restrained.

Li Xuanjing did not believe that since the current situation was unfavorable, they should simply lie low and wait for an opportunity.

On the contrary, he felt that since his younger brother Li Xuanzhi had provoked him time and time again, he, as the older brother, should teach him a lesson.

"Prepare the car, I'm going out."

Having been cooped up at home for so long, Li Xuanjing was terrified that the rumors outside would devour him, so he had been staying home for many days.

The butler's eyelids twitched violently.

Li Xuanjing has stayed indoors for so many days, so he hasn't heard as much as he knows himself.

He knew all too well how petty and bad-tempered Li Xuanjing was.

If he gets so angry that he loses his temper and does something shameful after going out this time, the Earl will definitely be even more disappointed.

The current situation is already very unfavorable for their eldest son; if anything else goes wrong...

"What? Have I become so unmanageable that I can't even order you around anymore?"

He is the eldest son after all; how could a servant dare to challenge his master?

The steward could only sigh and take care of the matter himself. Of course, to avoid making a big mistake, the steward also specially sent his trusted confidant to report to the Earl.

What the steward didn't know was that their master had been in a bad mood lately and was drowning his sorrows in alcohol all day.

Let alone managing their eldest son, he probably can't even walk in a straight line in his right mind anymore.

Li Xuanjing changed his clothes, and feeling that he was not in good condition recently, he made a special trip to the backyard to ask his aunt for help in his father's concubine's room, which was also his aunt's courtyard.

"Aunt, please brighten my complexion. I have important business to attend to, and I can't afford to be laughed at."

Li Xuanjing used to despise men who wore makeup, always thinking that other men were effeminate.

But now that he's done this himself, he keeps looking at himself in the blurry bronze mirror, and even thinks he's an unparalleled handsome man, capable of surpassing Li Xuanzhi by several heads. I don't know who gave him this confidence.

Inside the Royal Post Station.

Princess Ning'an of the northern desert was busy playing cards with the ministers who had accompanied her on this mission.

There was nothing I could do. I was punished by being confined to my room to reflect on my actions. I couldn't go out, but I couldn't just do nothing and wait to go crazy, could I?

I must say, the people of Dayong really know how to enjoy themselves; they can play with such a small gadget for many days without getting tired of it.

Princess Ning'an was not surprised at all by Li Xuanjing's sudden appearance here.

She has been in Dayong for quite some time now, and many people have been talking about the grudges and feuds of the Chengen Earl's Mansion during this period.

Even restaurants and teahouses had storytellers, and the people in the inn weren't stupid; they would naturally gossip about it in secret.

Over time, Princess Ning'an pieced together the whole story.

The moment Li Xuanjing saw Princess Ning'an, his eyes widened.

He had initially thought that Li Xuanzhi's harsh words to Princess Ning'an were because she was arrogant, domineering, and ugly. Now, however, it seemed that Princess Ning'an was definitely one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.

Perhaps, what I'm thinking of can actually come true.