The playboy county magistrate

Li Xuanzhi did not rush to speak, but stood quietly, his cold gaze slowly sweeping over everyone.

His gaze was unhurried yet sharp, seeing through the wishful thinking, guilt, and perfunctory attitude in everyone's eyes.

The officials whose eyes were swept over all felt their backs tense and sweat bead on their foreheads. Their heads drooped lower and lower, unable to meet the gaze.

After a moment of silence, Li Xuanzhi slowly spoke, his voice low and cold.

"During my stay at home, you all took charge of the cabinet's general affairs. You should have been diligent and responsible, each fulfilling your duties, sharing the emperor's burdens, and maintaining order in the court. How did it come to this, with official documents piling up and no one handling them, tasks being passed around, leading to delays in government orders and widespread chaos?"

A middle-aged cabinet official quickly stepped forward, bowed, and offered a respectful apology. He looked flustered and tried to explain himself.

"Lord Li, please calm down. Recently, the files of various departments have been numerous and the affairs have piled up. Our cabinet's standards for personnel selection are too strict, and we are really short-handed and overwhelmed with tasks. Therefore, there has been a slight delay, which is not due to our negligence or dereliction of duty."

"Slightly delayed?"

Li Xuanzhi's gaze suddenly turned cold, his eyebrows slightly raised, and his usually indifferent expression was instantly covered with a thin layer of frost, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"Military equipment reporting documents for the three border cities were backlogged for five days without being reviewed or signed, and border inspection was almost delayed."

"There is also the memorial on the flood disaster in Jiangnan, which was delayed in the cabinet for three days without being submitted to the emperor for review, causing local disaster relief to be delayed."

"The Ministry of Revenue's autumn grain reconciliation files contained many errors and omissions in the figures, and were hastily filed after perfunctory verification."

"The Ministry of Works' decree for the repair of the Imperial City has been delayed for ten days. The palace walls are dilapidated and have not been repaired yet; is this what you call a slight delay?"

The person in charge who was defending himself was extremely lazy. In the past, he relied on his seniority and smooth dealings to slack off at work.

Now that all his mistakes had been exposed in public, his face turned deathly pale, all color draining from his skin. His lips were pressed tightly together, trembling slightly. His head hung low, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

At this moment, he could no longer find any words to refute, and stood stiffly in place, embarrassed and frightened, not even daring to breathe too heavily.

Li Xuanzhi's gaze swept over the crowd, his expression growing increasingly stern, and his voice deepening.

"The cabinet is the central authority of the court and the model for the six ministries. If the cabinet is lazy, the officials will be scattered, and if the officials are scattered, the court will be lax."

"You all hold important positions in the central government, receiving the emperor's salary and bearing his burdens. Instead of diligently fulfilling your duties, you take the opportunity to slack off and drift through life. You shirk your responsibilities and neglect your official duties. How can you stand firm in the court? How can you serve the emperor? How can you bring peace to the people?"

All the cabinet officials lowered their heads, none daring to utter a word in defense. Their faces were grave, their hearts filled with apprehension.

The carefree and complacent mentality of the past has completely vanished, leaving only a heart full of awe and apprehension.

Another senior official stepped forward, his posture respectful, and he pleaded guilty in a low voice.

"We failed in our supervisory duties and were negligent in our self-discipline, which led to a lax atmosphere in the cabinet and delays in official business. This is a dereliction of duty, and we are willing to accept the punishment."

Seeing this, everyone followed suit and bowed to apologize. The room was filled with solemn sounds of apology, all traces of the previous casualness and arrogance gone.

Li Xuanzhi coldly surveyed the expressions of the crowd, knowing that not everyone was genuinely remorseful. Most had only submitted under duress, still harboring a glimmer of hope.

He did not immediately reprimand or punish them, but said in a deep voice:

"The cabinet's malpractices did not arise overnight, and this lax atmosphere cannot be allowed to continue. Starting today, we will thoroughly investigate the cabinet's official duties over the past month. We will review all backlogged files and hold those responsible for any errors or omissions in the documents accountable. Negligent officials will be punished according to their level, and we will rebuild a rigorous atmosphere in the central government and eliminate the malpractice of shirking responsibility and being perfunctory."

His aura grew increasingly fierce. "From today onwards, you shall be on duty promptly at 5:00 AM and may not leave until 3:00 PM. You shall not leave without special permission. All official business of the day shall be completed on the same day, and files shall not be left unattended overnight."

"Furthermore, all official documents between departments must be verified and approved within a specified timeframe; failure to do so will be investigated. Those who make mistakes, shirk responsibility, or act perfunctorily will be punished according to their level, with demerits, salary reductions, or demotions. Those who repeatedly fail to correct their behavior will be expelled from the Cabinet."

Upon hearing this, the officials were startled and all composed themselves, holding their breath.

If anyone else had dared to say that, they would have been criticized back long ago.

After all, the cabinet was full of the emperor's people, and no one had the power to decide the fate of cabinet officials.

But Li Xuanzhi was a somewhat eccentric person, and the emperor just happened to like listening to him, taking whatever he said as gospel.

"We will obey your orders diligently and humbly perform our duties without any slackening!"

No one dared to harbor any thoughts of simply going through the motions of their job anymore. Everyone knew that Li Xuanzhi was always fair and just, fair in his rewards and punishments, and always focused on the issue, not the person.

This is by no means just empty threats. In accordance with Li Xuanzhi's usual practice, this will definitely be put into practice, and those responsible will be held strictly accountable.

Li Xuanzhi did not continue his lecture. Instead, he turned and walked into his own office, where he sat down and sorted through the mountain of files and documents.

For an entire day, Li Xuanzhi did not have a moment to rest.

He meticulously reviewed the mountain of case files one by one, and followed up on each outstanding official task. He personally annotated any erroneous documents and ensured that delayed orders were implemented one after another.

He meticulously reviewed every document submitted by officials, marking even the smallest errors and ordering immediate rectification.

However, in the officialdom, what is easiest to win people over is fairness, and what is hardest to quell is the hearts of the people.

Officials who are reprimanded during the day have little respect in their hearts, but the resentment they have accumulated has already taken root and sprouted.

As dusk settled and the imperial city was locked, officials gradually left their offices and returned to their residences.

Compared to the other officials who walked briskly and with a sense of peace, the senior cabinet members walked along the long palace path with somber faces and hesitant steps, their brows and eyes concealing an unyielding gloom and resentment.

The cabinet director is highly experienced, having worked in the cabinet for over a decade, and is known for his carefree and leisurely lifestyle.

This time, simply because he was slacking off at work, Li Xuanzhi publicly reprimanded him.

Now, having been chosen by Li Xuanzhi to serve as a scapegoat, he has been reduced from a respected close advisor in the cabinet to a sinecure in a minor department. The fall from grace is immense, and resentment is churning within him.

He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white, his face grim, and he said through gritted teeth in a low voice:

"The court has long suffered from deep-seated problems; why should we be blamed for everything? Li Xuanzhi's return to court and his attempt to establish his authority by targeting us is far too cruel and heartless!"

An official who had also received a transfer notice was furious. "I only made a slight oversight when reconciling the accounts. It's been like this every year, and no one has ever investigated it thoroughly. Li Xuanzhi is truly extremely harsh in order to eliminate dissidents, showing no mercy whatsoever."

There was another courtier with slumped shoulders, looking utterly dejected, his old face even more disheartened.

The three traveled together, each echoing the other's sentiments with resentment. What started as their own personal grudges gradually became a tangled mess.

The newly appointed official stopped and turned around, his gaze sweeping over the two men. His voice was low and laced with a sinister calculation.

"Li Xuanzhi is currently enjoying the Emperor's favor, and no one in the court dares to disobey him. During the day, he appears to be impartial and selfless in upholding the law, but in reality, he is using our mistakes to establish his authority and consolidate his position."