The playboy county magistrate

Li Xuanzhi's palms were warm, the touch real. His gentle eyes were captivating, as if he truly cared for her deeply.

Fu Xiaoxiao felt conflicted as he held her fingertips. She couldn't figure out which side was real and which was fake.

Li Xuanzhi took in the fleeting confusion, hesitation, and wariness in her eyes—

You are the one who delivers the message, you are the one who is anxious, and you are the one who is suspicious.

You are still trapped between truth and falsehood.

Li Xuanzhi gently pulled her into his arms, the embrace warm and comforting. Her breath was light and pleasant, her voice so gentle it could drown a person.

"It's late, go to sleep."

Days passed, and the night in Jinling City remained gentle. The warmth in the inn's rooms lingered, and the tenderness on the pillows had not yet dissipated.

But in the capital city, thousands of miles away, the altered secret letter had already caused earth-shattering changes.

Li Xuanjing held the thin silk letter in his hand, his fingertips gripping the edge of the paper tightly, his knuckles turning white, his face as cold and hard as iron.

The various court officials, who had been fiercely competing in the imperial court, were now gathered together, each with an increasingly grim expression.

Everyone held their breath, and no one dared to speak first.

After a long while, Li Xuanjing slowly raised his eyes, his deep voice breaking the deathly silence of the room.

"A messenger arrived with urgent news, indicating a complete change in the situation in Jinling City. Li Xuanzhi is by no means a lazy, decadent, or pleasure-seeking individual. This man has been secretly plotting for a long time, gathering control of the city's underworld and purging its criminal forces; his ambitions are immense."

Previously complacent and carefree, the nobles who looked down on Li Xuanzhi and Li Xuanjing for currying favor with a princess from another country suddenly felt insecure.

The euphoria of days of power grabbing has faded, leaving only fear.

"Previously, we were short-sighted, blinded by illusions, and made a fool of ourselves!"

"If we allow him to establish himself in Nanjing, he will surely become a major threat within a few years!"

"The most important thing is to quickly consolidate power, halt the internal strife, and redeploy defenses!"

Chaotic discussions arose, and everyone panicked, desperately trying to salvage the situation.

Unbeknownst to them, their panic and attempts to salvage the situation were all part of a trap set by Li Xuanzhi.

Li Xuanjing suddenly felt as if he had regained the confidence he had when Li Xuanzhi was still a playboy and when he himself was a prodigy in the capital.

He slowly raised his hand and made a cautious downward motion, his gaze falling on the words of the letter, analyzing them in a deep voice.

"The letter clearly states that although Li Xuanzhi secretly controls Jinling, his foundation is still shallow. He is confined to the territory of only one city and has not dared to expand outwards. He also lacks the confidence and means to unite with foreign officials, and he has neither the courage nor the ability to raise an army."

"He deliberately pretended to be lax because he was not yet powerful enough and was afraid of suppression from the court. He was by no means someone with great power to rely on."

"We just need to get local officials to find ways to not cooperate and put a little pressure on them. We'll slowly wear down their power, force them to expose their true colors, and destroy their own foundation."

"No matter how intelligent Li Xuanzhi is, he probably won't be able to come up with a good strategy when facing such a large group of us. What we need to do is unite and keep his life in Jinling before His Majesty recalls him."

Once Li Xuanzhi returns to the capital and rejoins the court, with the emperor's protection and favor, then there will truly be no way to reverse the situation, and no options left.

Others' enmity with Li Xuanzhi was simply due to differences in interests.

But for Li Xuanjing, Li Xuanzhi's existence could completely affect his future and the inheritance of the entire Chengen Earl's Mansion.

Li Xuanzhi's relationship with others is merely a matter of interests, and there are ways to resolve the issue.

But for Li Xuanzhi, it was a relationship of mortal conflict.

Because of Li Xuanzhi, the two top-tier wealthy fiancées he had carefully selected to pave the way for his future have both disappeared.

Moreover, both of his fiancées from top wealthy families are now prisoners.

In the eyes of the court officials, Li Xuanjing is now nothing more than a walking curse.

Regardless of whether these people cared about their daughters at home, they were unwilling to have anything to do with Li Xuanjing.

There was no other way; it was simply because the families who had considered betrothing Li Xuanjing were either dead or scattered.

The deeper the contact, the greater the chance of having one's entire family wiped out.

The court officials couldn't help but feel that the person was living a perfectly good life until he got into trouble because of his association with that unlucky guy, Li Xuanjing.

However, Li Xuanjing was also the person who knew Li Xuanzhi best. In order to completely get rid of the negative influence brought by Li Xuanzhi, everyone had to endure the disgust and hold their noses to contact Li Xuanjing.

However, everyone maintained a tacit understanding—

No matter whose residence it is, as long as it has contact with Li Xuanjing, not even a female mosquito can be brought out!

……

The rooms at Jinling Inn were quiet and peaceful.

The moonlight outside the window is gentle, and the evening breeze lightly caresses the window curtains.

Fu Xiaoxiao had just caught her breath and was now quietly nestled in Li Xuanzhi's arms.

Her eyes were gently closed, seemingly asleep, but a huge weight remained in her heart.

She risked her life to deliver the message through the night, gambling with her own safety. She had done everything she could.

At this moment, she was filled with anxiety and trepidation. She repeatedly reviewed every word she had written in the secret letter, secretly hoping that something would happen in the capital.

Beside her, Li Xuanzhi lay on his side with his eyes closed, his arm gently around her waist. He looked like an ordinary young man immersed in love.

However, he had already received reports from his informants and was fully aware of all the movements, decisions, and misjudgments in the capital.

Although the powerful and influential people in the capital were using the guise of unity, their hearts were still not truly united.

If things don't fall into complete chaos, there won't be enough time to focus all efforts on Nanjing.

If things are not completely stable, there will be continuous internal friction, damaging the foundation itself.

On the one hand, they were wary of him and tried to keep him in check at all times.

While deeply embroiled in power struggles and preoccupied with his own affairs, he was given ample time to consolidate his power in Jinling.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze unwavering. His eyes fell on Fu Xiaoxiao's serene profile.

Her long, delicate eyelashes, bathed in moonlight, made her beautiful and captivating. Lying next to her was certainly very alluring.

He gently brushed her hair with his fingertips, a tender gesture.

"What are you thinking about? You can't fool me if you pretend to be asleep."

The voice was low, husky, and gentle, falling unexpectedly into Fu Xiaoxiao's ear.

Fu Xiaoxin's heart tightened suddenly, and her thoughts instantly returned to normal. All her anxiety, worry, and calculations were suppressed deep within her heart.

She slowly opened her eyes, a hazy, soft light instantly welling up within them. With a languid shyness, she gently shook her head and responded in a soft, sweet voice.

"I wasn't thinking about anything. I was just so excited to be lying next to an adult that I couldn't fall asleep for a while."

Li Xuanzhi looked at the just-right dependence in her eyes, his lips slightly raised, his smile gentle.

"Did I hold you too tightly, making you uneasy?"

As he spoke, he loosened his embrace slightly, but his arms subtly tightened a little.

He seemed to be yielding and considerate, but in reality, he kept her firmly in his arms, never letting her leave his side.

Fu Xiaoxiao nestled against his chest, listening to his steady, long heartbeat, her fingertips curling slightly, the tug-of-war in her heart growing more intense.

Countless times she wanted to expose Li Xuanzhi's disguise, but every time they looked at each other, every time they embraced, this tenderness would plunge her into self-doubt.

"You treat me very well, sir." She looked up at him. "Being able to stay by your side is the greatest blessing of my life."

Li Xuanzhi lowered his eyes to meet hers, his tenderness unreadable. "To have you by my side is the greatest fortune of my life."