The playboy county magistrate

Li Xuanjing felt a chill run through his body and completely panicked.

He had thought today was the perfect opportunity for him to show off his power and make Li Xuanzhi have to bow down and suffer a humiliation.

Unexpectedly, in just a short time, the entire situation has completely reversed.

Not only did he fail to harm anyone, but he also pushed himself and the entire Earl's Mansion into the abyss even faster!

Seeing his dejected yet unwilling-to-give-up appearance, Li Xuanzhi coldly dismissed him.

"Get out of here. I'll come to your door myself and settle all the old and new scores with you!"

Li Xuanjing stood frozen in place, filled with fear and hatred, yet dared not utter a single harsh word.

He knew that Li Xuanzhi held all the evidence against him. Crushing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.

In the end, he could only grit his teeth, turn around in a sorry state, and stagger out of the courtyard gate.

Watching his hastily fleeing figure, Pei Qingyuan breathed a soft sigh of relief. She looked up at the man beside her and whispered:

"Husband, this is a complete breakup."

Li Xuanzhi reached out and pulled her back into his arms, his tone gentle yet incredibly firm.

"If it's over, it's over. It should have been over long ago, so you wouldn't have suffered so much for no reason."

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Marquis of Chengen's residence.

Li Dehai sat upright in the main seat, quietly waiting for Li Xuanjing to bring Pei Qingyuan back.

He had already planned it out. As soon as Pei Qingyuan entered the house alone, he would use his status as an elder to give her a severe dressing-down. He would force her to admit her mistakes and submit, completely suppressing her arrogance. He would make her understand who was superior and who was inferior.

But his mind raced with all sorts of scenarios, and he waited and waited, only to find his docile, apologetic daughter-in-law instead arriving. Instead, he was greeted by his eldest son, who returned home looking utterly dejected, pale, and disheveled.

Upon seeing this, Li Dehai's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly had a bad premonition. He spoke in a deep voice.

"What happened? Where is everyone? Why did you come back alone?"

Li Xuanjing raised his head, his eyes filled with fear, his voice trembling.

"Father...something happened to him."

"Li Xuanzhi... he's completely broken ties with us!"

The atmosphere instantly fell silent.

Li Dehai sat upright in the main seat, holding the teacup steadily in his hand, but his whole body was completely frozen.

He was initially smug, thinking that he had grasped the rules of filial piety and could easily control Pei Qingyuan. He also thought that by suppressing her, he could extinguish Li Xuanzhi's arrogance.

Li Dehai's brows furrowed deeply, and he slammed his teacup heavily on the table, saying coldly:

"What exactly happened? What do you mean by 'completely falling out'? Explain yourself clearly!"

He has lived most of his life and has always been the one who controls others, while others respect him.

No matter what, Li Xuanzhi is still his son, even if he now holds a high position and enjoys great favor from the emperor. He should still be respected and yielded to by him!

Li Xuanjing stood rooted to the spot, his legs trembling slightly. His face was drained of color, filled with panic and hatred. He gritted his teeth and recounted the entire incident, naturally adding his own embellishments.

"Father, I just went to fetch my brother and sister-in-law. I tried to persuade them with kind words, but Li Xuanzhi showed absolutely no mercy!"

"He directly spread rumors that the fragrance of the flowers in the mansion yesterday was a specially made sleeping potion, and that we deliberately plotted to frame our younger siblings!"

Li Dehai's pupils contracted, and he froze instantly.

He knew exactly what the sleeping potion was all about; he had used it himself when he was young.

Otherwise, Li Xuanzhi's mother, Zhang, was a favored daughter in her family even though she was born out of wedlock before she got married.

The Zhang family was wealthy, and some members held official positions in the court. Having no legitimate daughter and doting on their illegitimate daughter as if she were their own, it wouldn't have been difficult for the Zhang family to find a celibate, childless son as a husband for Zhang Shi.

If it weren't for Li Dehai's underhanded tactics back then, in order to protect the reputation of Zhang Shi and the entire Zhang family, Zhang Shi would never have entered the Chengen Earl's Mansion as a second wife, and would have been pointed at and gossiped about by outsiders when she went out.

He hadn't missed the fragrance from yesterday, and he knew it only worked on women. He knew it must have been Li Xuanjing who did it.

But when he thought that doing this was also to make Li Xuanzhi and his wife obedient, he turned a blind eye and tacitly approved and indulged them.

Li Dehai knew that Li Xuanzhi was very intelligent, given how angry Li Xuanzhi was yesterday. If he didn't clear himself of any wrongdoing and pretend to be unaware, Li Xuanzhi might even investigate him, her biological father, if he went berserk.

Li Xuanjing wore a bitter expression, his tone full of resentment and apprehension.

"That's not all! The most terrifying thing is that Li Xuanzhi has a wealth of evidence against me!"

"Over the years, I've accepted bribes, seized farmland, and oppressed the people. He investigated everything thoroughly, with witnesses, physical evidence, and complete accounting records!"

Upon hearing this, Li Dehai's expression changed drastically. He jumped to his feet, his voice trembling with panic: "Really?!"

These are all sordid, clandestine affairs, utterly shameful. If they were to be brought to the court, right before His Majesty's eyes, not only would Li Xuanjing's future be in jeopardy, but the entire Cheng'en Earl's mansion would suffer the consequences!

Li Xuanjing was so frightened that he was in a state of panic, and his tone was urgent and flustered.

"How could my son dare to lie to you? He just presented me with a stack of evidence and even threatened to come to our home in person to settle all our old and new scores at once!"

"And another thing! He openly declared that he would sever all ties with our Earl's Mansion and cut all ties with the clan! He also warned us that anyone who dares to spread rumors and slander our younger siblings will not be spared!"

Each word, like a thunderclap, relentlessly bombarded Li Dehai's ears.

Li Dehai was trembling with rage, his chest heaving violently, his old face turning ashen, his eyes filled with fury and disbelief.

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!"

He slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacups and trays to tremble and spill most of the tea.

"I am his biological father! My blood flows in his veins; the Cheng'en Marquis's mansion is his root!"

"They've grown wings! They've really grown wings! Relying on His Majesty's favor and a little power, they dare to be so arrogant!"

Seeing his father's furious expression, Li Xuanjing's eyes flashed with a sinister glint, and he seized the opportunity to further inflame the situation.

"Father, do you see clearly now? It's not that we don't care about family ties, it's that my second brother doesn't respect us at all!"

"He holds those old secrets in his hands, clearly intending to use this opportunity to suppress me, to cripple me, to completely erase the existence of the eldest son of the Marquis's family, and to slap you, the Marquis of Cheng'en, in the face. All this is to completely control all the resources of the Li family!"

Li Dehai was already full of prejudice, and now, consumed by anger, he was instantly swayed.

He gritted his teeth, his face dark and menacing: "Fine, very well! Since he's heartless, don't blame me for being ruthless as his father!"

"I, as his biological father, will today, on behalf of the court, discipline this disobedient and unfilial son!"

Li Xuanjing was overjoyed. "Father is wise! What should we do now? Li Xuanzhi has evidence. If it gets out, my future will be ruined, and the Earl's mansion will be implicated!"

He appeared fearful and worried, but in reality, he was full of scheming.

He wanted to force Li Dehai to take action and confront Li Xuanzhi!