The playboy county magistrate

The village head was excited at the moment, but seeing how seriously Magistrate Li was asking him for a favor, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"Lord Li, please feel free to give your orders. Whether I can fulfill them or not, I will do my best to do them well!"

Li Xuanzhi smiled and said, "There's no need to be so cautious; it's not a big deal. I just feel more at ease leaving this matter to you."

The village head straightened up; if he had a tail, he would be wagging it happily right now.

Check it out!

Although there weren't many people in the yamen, he, the village head, was the most valued!

Because of Lord Li's trust, he would do his best to handle things perfectly, even if it meant going without food, drink, or sleep!

Li Xuanzhi didn't keep people in suspense any longer, nor did he deliberately keep them in suspense; he got straight to the point.

"Those troublemakers I encountered some time ago can now be put to use. With all the people mobilized, I cannot tolerate idlers. Therefore, I would like to discuss with you the work arrangements for those troublemakers."

Li Xuanzhi can be a master of passively accepting defeat, but others cannot.

Now that even Li Xuanzhi has gotten involved, no one else can afford to be a freeloader.

The village head frowned. "Those few brats, how can they possibly get things done smoothly?"

It's already a good deed if they don't cause trouble; expecting them to do anything? Unless it rains blood from the sky!

Li Xuanzhi could tell from the other party's face that he wasn't optimistic about the matter, and he also knew the village head's frustration.

But he was determined to mobilize all the people of Fuyu County, and naturally he wouldn't let anyone lie low under his nose.

So, Li Xuanzhi beckoned to the village head and gave him a few detailed instructions in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

Everyone in the room watched the village head's changing expression with curiosity, seeing him go from frustration to insecurity, then to shock, his face seemingly saying, "Is this even possible?", before finally turning into surprise and eager excitement.

Everyone felt an intense, itchy itch, like a kitten scratching itself.

"Lord Li, what advice did you give the village head? Tell us about it!"

Seeing the village head standing tall and proud, his steps light and powerful, a smile playing on his lips, exuding an air of smug confidence that he could handle things perfectly, everyone couldn't help but ask aloud.

Li Xuanzhi smiled and waved his hand, offering no answers to anyone's questions.

"Everyone, go and take care of your business. Once everyone is ready, I have further instructions. As for what the village head has done, you'll find out for yourselves if you go and see for yourselves."

What could be more shocking than hearing it with your own eyes?

Instead of wasting our breath listening to him ramble on without any real demonstration, it's better to let them see for themselves so they can gain a deeper understanding of this new magistrate.

Only when everyone genuinely trusts that everything the new magistrate does is right will other plans be implemented smoothly in the future.

Li Xuanzhi was unwilling to keep going in circles over the same thing; what he wanted was absolute execution and obedience.

Perfect timing, let's start with the operation to win over the notorious troublemaker.

Everyone was gone now, and they all hurried out, speeding up and running where Li Xuanzhi couldn't see them, as if they wanted to sprout wings and fly away.

Just as the village headman found the troublemakers who had been causing a ruckus, the crowd that had followed him out of the yamen also hid themselves, peeking out their heads or ears to watch or listen intently to what was happening at the village headman's place not far away.

"You bunch of brats, how old are you all? Still so immature! From today onwards, even ten-year-olds can help earn money for the family. You can just loaf around; you'll all be kicked out sooner or later!"

The few troublemakers didn't care about any of that. After all these years, no matter how hard or diligent other people were, they were just like them, not knowing where their next meal would come from, eating wild vegetables until their mouths were bitter and their stomachs were rumbling with hunger.

The village head smiled mysteriously and pulled a bulging purse from his pocket.

"See that? The first thing our new magistrate did after taking office was to help us repair our houses, and the second thing was to improve our living conditions. As long as we work hard, we'll not only receive grain, but also wages based on how well we do!"

"If you guys don't want to watch others eat their fill while you starve and are still being gossiped about and called good-for-nothings, then you can continue to laze around like this. Anyway, rich kids from wealthy families don't dare to do anything and don't have to worry about food or clothing, so at least they can be called playboys. As for you... hehe, you're more like finished."

Unexpectedly, the troublemakers didn't take the village head's words seriously at all, and even sneered.

"Hey, Uncle Village Head, you'll really come up with all sorts of tricks to keep us from being idle. What, are you trying to trick us out of money by stuffing stones in your pocket? We're just lazy, not stupid."

At this point, as if to express their determination, they shouted even louder:

"Even if it's filled with stone, or real gold and silver, we'd rather jump off the city wall than take a single penny from you or be at your mercy!"

The village head raised an eyebrow, his hand unconsciously landing on his purse and giving it a squeeze.

Thinking back to when Magistrate Li whispered to her before she left the yamen, he remembered that he had secretly slipped her a purse under the cover of his wide sleeves, and had also added that extra sentence.

Sure enough, Lord Li is Lord Li. Which county magistrate isn't sharp-minded and quick-witted?

They even foresaw this step! That's really impressive, you have to admire them!

Seeing the village headman standing there dumbfounded, those troublemakers immediately realized how formidable he was.

Check it out!

The village headman came up with a lame excuse to make them work like oxen without feeding them, but the clever kids saw through it on the spot.

They were all tilting their heads back and putting their hands on their hips; it was amazing.

But unexpectedly—

"Who told you that my purse was full of stones? I've been a village head for so many years, I still have some credibility."

The village headman reached out and opened his purse, pouring out several copper coins and several pieces of silver of varying sizes.

Instantly, the troublemakers' eyes widened. Some even started drooling over the money in the village head's hand, already planning what to buy and eat.

Seeing that he had already attracted the attention of all the troublemakers on the other side, and that it was almost time, the village head stuffed all the money in his hand back into his pocket.

"Fine, since you'd rather jump over the city walls than work hard to earn money and food to support yourselves, just pretend I said nothing today. Anyway, there are so many people in the county; if we don't have enough manpower, we can hire people from other counties."

After the village head finished speaking and collected all the money, he turned to leave, which made the troublemakers uneasy.