The playboy county magistrate

"Issue my decree." The emperor spoke in a cold and stern voice.

"Consort Lin is arrogant and unruly, disrespectful of the court, insults a high-ranking official, and behaves improperly in the inner palace. She is hereby stripped of her rank as a Consort and demoted to the rank of Attendant."

"He was moved to the cold palace to reflect on his mistakes and repent, confined for three months, and his allowance was reduced. Apart from his daily life, all rewards and entertainment were suspended. He was ordered to have his eunuchs and maids recite the palace rules and laws every day to calmly examine themselves and temper their arrogant and extravagant nature."

The message was clear, and the punishments were distinct. While avoiding harsh tortures, it precisely targeted the vulnerabilities of the pampered concubines in the harem.

Sending someone to the cold palace to suffer torture is far more terrifying than being sentenced to death.

There are still people in the Cold Palace; some are said to have gone mad from being locked up there.

The chief eunuch's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. "This servant obeys the decree."

The emperor gazed at the clear sky outside the window with a deep look in his eyes, his tone tinged with emotion.

"My purge of the harem was not to foster a group of spoiled and arrogant idlers who disregard rules and regulations. Within the deep palace, one can be naive, gentle, or mediocre. But one must never lack reverence, propriety, or principles."

"If I let her off lightly today, everyone in the palace will follow suit in the future. They will abuse their power, disrespect the court officials, corrupt the order, and disrupt the peaceful and stable situation that I have worked so hard to maintain."

However, in everyone's eyes, this was a more torturous way than being sentenced to death. In the emperor's view, he had already dealt with it leniently and had not punished it severely.

This was out of consideration for her youth and innocence, and her lack of malicious intent to disrupt the court. It was merely to punish her arrogance and extravagance, rectify the palace atmosphere, and protect the dignity of the court officials.

The imperial decree was swiftly delivered to Consort Lin's residence.

Consort Lin had just returned to the palace, secretly relieved that no one was going to hold her accountable, still harboring a sliver of hope. She thought it was just a casual remark, and since the Emperor had always doted on her, he certainly wouldn't investigate further.

But the moment the eunuch delivered the decree of punishment in a loud voice, she felt a sudden chill run through her body, and her face turned deathly pale.

"Demoted to a lower-ranking servant? Confined to the cold palace for three months?"

She staggered half a step, incredulous, her eyes instantly reddening, and she choked out a sob.

"It was just a joke, why is Your Majesty punishing me so severely? I didn't know it was Lord Li, I didn't mean it..."

The eunuch delivering the decree spoke calmly with a solemn expression.

"Your Highness, the rules of the court and the hierarchy between the emperor and his subjects are not to be taken lightly. His Majesty is merciful and has not severely punished you, which is already an extraordinary act of leniency. We hope that Your Highness will calmly repent and abide by the rules in the future, so as not to make any more mistakes."

Lin Meiren stood frozen in place, tears streaming down her face. Her heart was filled with a complex mix of grievance, regret, and fear.

She finally understood that her momentary arrogance and conceit had offended a high-ranking official whom even the emperor trusted implicitly and whom the entire nation relied on.

The emperor could indulge her naivety and willfulness, but he would never tolerate anyone insulting the pillars of the Great Yong dynasty and disrupting the hard-won prosperity and peace.

The palace is a place of wealth and privilege, yet favors are easily broken.

A momentary outburst of absurd words made this young and arrogant palace woman truly understand for the first time the importance of the relationship between ruler and subject, the proper conduct in the court, and the heart of an emperor.

At this moment, the Li residence was peaceful and serene, without the slightest disturbance.

Li Xuanzhi had already returned to his residence and was sitting quietly in his study reviewing documents.

Pei Qingyuan carried a cup of tea and walked in slowly. Looking at his calm and composed eyes, she asked softly:

"I heard you ran into some trouble at the Imperial Garden?"

Li Xuanzhi raised his eyes to accept the tea, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Your information network is quite impressive. When did you start having connections in the palace?"

Pei Qingyuan found it amusing and gently shook her head.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has been sent over by the Empress, along with gifts far exceeding the usual amount. The head maidservant by the Empress's side noticed my anxiety and simply explained what happened in the Imperial Garden today, adding that she wanted to express her apologies and calm us down."

Li Xuanzhi found it all quite amusing.

The Empress probably decided to send more gifts when he personally told her to send someone to escort the Crown Prince to his residence tonight.

After all, she's a loving mother who cherishes her child. After not seeing her for so long, there must be so much to say and so many things to ask.

If you can spend several more hours with His Highness the Crown Prince, the rewards will naturally be more generous.

With Consort Lin as a convenient excuse, a more elaborate gift would not only demonstrate her status as the Empress, but also make the Emperor feel that she was thorough and reliable in handling matters.

And as the old saying goes, it's never wrong to be overly polite.

Even considering the immense value of the gift, the couple would take extra care of the crown prince.

"Keep it. Since it's a gift from Her Majesty the Empress, just put it in the treasury."

Night fell through the windows, and the lights in the Li family's academy shone warmly.

The Crown Prince did not neglect his studies despite spending a long time in the palace.

The first thing he did upon returning to the Li residence was to sit down and finish transcribing all of his lessons for the day.

After putting down his vermilion brush and gently blowing away the ink, he looked up at Li Xuanzhi, who had arrived at some point and was now sitting quietly to the side reviewing papers. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke softly, breaking the silence in the room.

"Teacher, I have heard about what happened in the palace today."

His tone was calm, befitting someone who was focused on studying and reasoning.

The incident of Lin, the palace maid, making disrespectful remarks about a minister in the Imperial Garden during the day, and being subsequently demoted and confined by His Majesty, was merely considered a palace anecdote by others. However, he kept it in mind and pondered it for a long time.

Li Xuanzhi put down the book in his hand and looked up at the Crown Prince beside him.

"What are your thoughts upon hearing this, Your Highness?"

The Crown Prince straightened up slightly. "At first, I thought that Lin was young and ignorant, and that her arrogance and slip of the tongue made a mistake. Father's punishment seemed too harsh. But upon careful reflection, I feel that Father's handling of the matter was the fairest."

"Oh?" Li Xuanzhi's lips curled up slightly, his expression gentle.

"Explain in detail how you demonstrate fairness."

The crown prince lowered his eyes in deep thought, speaking clearly and logically.

"As a member of the imperial family, one should be respectful and dutiful."

"She relied on the emperor's favor to be disrespectful to the court officials, and for her own selfish desires, she dared to criticize the laws of the country and trample on the court system."

"If Father Emperor condones and indulges this, it will set a bad precedent. In the future, all the women in the harem will follow suit, becoming arrogant and disrespectful to officials. Where will the dignity of the court be? Where will the laws and regulations of the country remain?"

Li Xuanzhi smiled and nodded.

"Your Highness sees things clearly. Many people pity her for losing power at a young age and for the loss of favor. But they forget that the deep palace and the court cannot tolerate arrogance under the pretext of ignorance. A monarch's rule is always about punishing wrongdoing, enforcing discipline, and establishing rules, not about indulging in soft-heartedness."

The Crown Prince nodded solemnly, then looked up at Li Xuanzhi with a hint of confusion in his eyes, and asked softly for guidance.

"I have two questions that I would like to ask the teacher for clarification."

"Go ahead," Li Xuanzhi said patiently, his gaze gentle.

"Teachers have the nation in their hearts and hold the reins of power. Everything they handle concerns the great affairs of the country and the well-being of all people."

The Crown Prince's gaze was sincere, and his tone earnest, "The shallow and presumptuous words of a mere woman from the harem cannot insult my teacher in the slightest, nor can they damage the foundation of the court in the slightest. Why then does Father Emperor take this matter so seriously and punish her so decisively? And why didn't he order Consort Lin's execution?"