The playboy county magistrate

These are the truths told by the elderly people in the countryside.

Li Xuanzhi listened quietly, his expression calm, but a hint of coldness gradually surfaced in his eyes.

"Would you two gentlemen be willing to come with me to the post station to record a truthful statement?"

Li Xuanzhi looked at the two of them, his tone solemn.

"Rest assured, I will ensure the safety of your family and no one will dare to come to your door to harass or retaliate."

The two old men exchanged a glance, and although they were still uneasy, they gritted their teeth and nodded.

After all, the man in front of them looked like an upright person, and he mentioned that these were matters concerning their descendants. So what if something went wrong? They were both quite old; they'd lived a full life!

Thinking of this, the two old men's eyes filled with anticipation.

"If we can truly bring down these parasites and restore peace to the poor people like us in Jinling City, we old folks are willing to bear witness!"

Just then, a series of chaotic footsteps suddenly came from the end of the embankment.

Several burly men dressed in yamen runners' uniforms, wielding fire and water sticks, quickly surrounded the group. Their expressions were fierce, their eyes sharp, fixed on the people on the stone steps.

The head constable had a fierce look in his eyes and shouted sternly:

"Unauthorized personnel are prohibited from gathering and chatting here! Disperse immediately!"

Clearly, Gao Huai'an was only superficially cooperating, while secretly having people closely monitoring his every move, determined not to let a single word of the truth leak out.

Upon seeing this, the other people who had been chatting along the riverbank were so frightened that they all got up and made way, lowering their heads and fleeing quickly, fearing that they would be implicated.

The two elderly river workers, who had finally made up their minds to testify, turned pale and instinctively shrank back, their clenched hands covered in cold sweat.

Even when things haven't happened yet, we still hold onto a glimmer of hope.

But now they were terrified by the brutal methods of these yamen runners, and knew that once they were targeted, they would be punished with caning at best, and their families would be implicated at worst.

The person I feared most appeared right in front of me, and all the courage I had finally mustered vanished instantly.

The head constable had triangular eyes, slanted eyebrows, and a fierce expression.

He stepped forward and slammed the wooden stick he was holding heavily on the ground, making a dull thud.

His gaze swept fiercely over the two old men, his tone domineering and arrogant:

"I have warned you countless times that this is a critical area along the riverbank, and it is strictly forbidden for commoners to discuss official matters, spread rumors, or cause trouble! You two have been audacious enough to gather a crowd to slander officials. Surrender immediately and come with me to the yamen to face your punishment!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the constables behind him immediately stepped forward and reached out to pull the two old men away.

A slender yet upright figure suddenly stepped forward, firmly blocking the two elderly people.

Li Xuanzhi's expression was calm, without a trace of fierceness or malice, yet he possessed an aura of dignified integrity. He calmly raised his eyes to look at the squad leader who was giving orders.

"stop."

The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but it carried an undeniable authority, causing the restless constables who were about to step forward to instinctively stop in their tracks.

The squad leader frowned deeply, sizing up Li Xuanzhi.

The other person was dressed simply, without any fancy decorations. He seemed to be just an ordinary passerby, but his eyes were clear and calm, and his demeanor was extraordinary, making it difficult for the other person to figure out his background.

But then he remembered his superior's instructions, and his fear vanished instantly, leaving only arrogance.

"Where did this nobody come from, daring to interfere with the work of my canal transport commissioners?"

The squad leader, chin held high, spoke arrogantly. "This is Jinling territory. Arresting troublemakers and spreading rumors is none of our business! If you know what's good for you, get out of here right now, or you'll be punished too!"

Tang Zheng's eyes turned cold, and he immediately raised his hand to pull out the weapon he carried from under his clothes. Just as he was about to step forward to intimidate Li Xuanzhi, Li Xuanzhi raised his hand to stop him.

Li Xuanzhi's gaze remained fixed on the squad leader's face, his eyes filled with a chilling aura.

"They were simply chatting casually; how could that be considered spreading rumors or causing trouble? It's only natural for ordinary people to talk about their hardships and the realities of previous years; when did it become a pretext for punishment?"

"The Canal Transport Office has its own rules for handling cases, and it's none of your business as a commoner!" The head constable, though outwardly fierce, barely maintained his arrogance. "These two are guilty of making unwarranted comments about official business and slandering court officials!"

"Slander?" Li Xuanzhi pursed his lips, a cold, sharp smile curving his face.

"If it is true, then it is stating the truth, so how can it be considered slander? If it is false, then the law will deal with it, and it is not your place to set up your own punishment and detain people in public."

The foreman was speechless, humiliated, and enraged, he shouted angrily:

"Nonsense! Seize him! This man is protecting troublemakers; bring him to the yamen for questioning!"

Upon receiving the order, the remaining constables immediately brandished their wooden sticks and surrounded the area, the sticks whistling through the air, their momentum menacing.

The two elderly men trembled with fear, their heads bowed low. They regretted their impulsive actions, which had implicated others and brought trouble upon themselves.

In the next instant, Tang Zheng moved and stood in front of Li Xuanzhi.

Despite his unhealed shoulder wound, his movements remained swift and agile. He sidestepped the sweeping wooden stick and precisely grabbed the constable's wrist with his other hand. With a slight exertion, a cry of pain rang out, and the stick fell to the ground with a thud.

Within moments, the two constables at the front were easily subdued, writhing on the ground in pain, unable to move.

The others were shocked by what they saw and stopped in their tracks, not daring to go forward rashly.

The squad leader, both shocked and furious, roared in a fierce but ultimately weak voice:

"In broad daylight, how dare you resist arrest and even assault an official! This is utterly lawless! You're asking for it!"

Before he finished speaking, Li Xuanzhi casually took out a gilded bronze seal and held it steadily in his palm.

Sunlight fell on the bronze seal, refracting a dazzling golden light. The square seal face was engraved with the exclusive patterns of the Censorate, exuding an aura of majesty and solemnity far surpassing that of ordinary official seals.

"I am here by imperial decree to inspect Nanjing and thoroughly investigate the old cases concerning the Grand Canal. Bearing the imperial edict, I hold the power of local supervision." Li Xuanzhi's voice suddenly turned solemn, each word ringing out firmly, echoing along the entire embankment. "You, a mere foreman of the Grand Canal Transport Office, have punished without trial, obstructed the investigation, and coerced witnesses. Do you know what crimes you have committed?"

The arrogance on the squad leader's face instantly froze, and his pupils contracted sharply. Staring intently at the imperial seal, his legs went weak.

Censor!

An imperial censor from the capital, ordered to travel south!

He dared to publicly rebuke and obstruct, and even threatened to arrest the imperial censor appointed by the court!

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back and slid down his forehead. The arrogance and violence he had just felt vanished completely, leaving only a bone-chilling fear.

His legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, trembling all over, even his kowtowing became frantic.

"I...I was unaware of your status, Your Excellency! I was blind and ignorant, and offended Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy. I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"

At this moment, the squad leader cursed Shangguan hundreds of times in his mind, using almost every foul language he knew.

The remaining bailiffs, seeing this, were terrified. They all knelt down, not daring to raise their heads.

The embankment fell into a deathly silence.

The two elderly river workers, who had been filled with fear and anxiety, looked up in surprise at the tall and dignified man in front of them. All their apprehension disappeared, replaced by anticipation and awe.