The playboy county magistrate

Li Xuanzhi comes from the modern era and possesses infrastructure, business, and management skills far ahead of his time. With countless advanced governance concepts at his disposal, he should not be confined to trivial matters concerning people's livelihoods.

Officials of this era valued etiquette, the imperial examination system, and empty fame, but they disregarded real industries, finances, and the foundation of the nation.

However, if one wants to establish oneself, to have a long career and to win in the game, one can never rely on empty talk about benevolence and morality, much less on empty praise from the people.

It's real industry, money, resources, manpower, and influence!

Without real businesses, there is no source of income. Without income, one cannot support a workforce or accomplish great things.

Without sufficient manpower and strength, all political achievements are castles in the air, easily collapsed.

How did I get so carried away by the people's trust and praise?

Taking it one step at a time is too slow.

Rapid, unbridled growth is the key to breaking through the current predicament most quickly.

"Tang Zheng, go and deliver a message to County Magistrate Cao, County Lieutenant Feng, Old Zhao, the village head, and others. Suspend all unfinished public works repairs and conduct an overnight inventory of the county's topography, resources, and all recent residents, as well as all migrants from neighboring counties who have moved to Fuyu County."

"Come with me into the mountains for an exploration first thing tomorrow morning!"

The next day, early in the morning.

Before the morning mist had completely dissipated, the barren mountains on the outskirts of Fuyu County were bustling with activity again.

The mountains and fields stretch endlessly, overgrown with tangled vegetation and littered with rocks. There is neither fertile land to cultivate nor beautiful scenery to admire.

In everyone's mind, this desolate mountain wilderness, which no one cares about, is a complete wasteland, utterly useless.

It wasn't just a lack of money; the root cause was that no one ever intended to invest the effort to explore and develop it.

At most, they let the surrounding people cut down sparse firewood to barely maintain their meager livelihood.

Li Xuanzhi, dressed in casual clothes, walked steadily along the rugged mountain path.

Behind him were the only two constables in the county government, as well as County Magistrate Cao, whom he had temporarily summoned to accompany him and record his actions.

Unlike County Magistrate Feng, Magistrate Cao was not often out on the move. Although he had been busy managing many things lately, braving wind and rain, he was not the type to endure such hardship.

She was already exhausted after walking only halfway up the mountain path, and when she saw Li Xuanzhi's light and quick steps, she couldn't help but feel tired.

"My lord, please rest for a while. My old bones simply can't take this much strain!"

Magistrate Cao was completely puzzled, but finally couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out what he had been holding back all the way.

"My lord, I humbly advise you to turn back."

"The barren mountain is truly bare, there's nothing there at all. To open up the mountain to search for minerals is simply wishful thinking, sir."

This means that Li Xuanzhi did indeed help improve the living conditions of the people in Fuyu County, at least they were able to have enough to eat.

If Li Xuanzhi had caused such a ruckus on his very first day at the yamen, they would have definitely tried to get rid of him.

In Cao County Magistrate's view, Li Xuanzhi's actions were purely a result of his impetuousness after achieving some political success in improving people's lives. He was young but lacked the determination to do solid work and only wanted to engage in some unorthodox methods.

Magistrate Cao continued to persuade him earnestly, even though his throat was about to burst from walking so long along the mountain road.

"The mountains and fields are mostly filled with rough rocks and weeds; what good stuff could you possibly find? If word gets out, your colleagues might criticize you for neglecting your duties. If someone with ulterior motives impeaches you and accuses you of disturbing the earth's veins, all the achievements you've built up over the past few months could be ruined!"

Li Xuanzhi did not stop walking, his gaze sweeping lightly over the rolling mountains and fields, his expression calm and undisturbed.

"The magistrate of Cao County can only see the barren mountains, but he cannot see the hidden strength beneath. There is no useless land in the world, only people who do not know the advantages of the terrain."

When these words reached the ears of Magistrate Cao, he simply thought the young magistrate was being stubborn and argumentative.

Thinking about the messenger from the prefecture I met yesterday, I combined what I heard from him with today's events.

Magistrate Cao was already convinced that his new master was ultimately a spoiled brat who couldn't get used to a peaceful life and insisted on making trouble for himself.

Li Xuanzhi and his companions ventured deep into the desolate mountains. Before they had gone far, several mocking laughs suddenly came from the side of the mountain path.

Several well-dressed, portly gentry, accompanied by a group of servants, waited early on the side of the mountain path, clearly having come specifically to observe.

The leader was none other than Diao Mao, the head of the Diao family, one of the most prominent local gentry in Qinghe County, which borders Fuyu County.

The instructions from the Earl's residence yesterday had already reached Diao Mao's ears through his connections in the capital. Furthermore, upon hearing that the new county magistrate was going to search for minerals in the mountains, he couldn't help but scoff.

Diao Mao walked slowly toward Li Xuanzhi with his hands behind his back, his tone filled with undisguised sarcasm and contempt.

"Lord Li is diligent in his duties and used to build roads and bridges, which we local gentry greatly admired. However, his actions today are simply too absurd and laughable."

He raised his hand and pointed to the desolate mountains all around, his eyes filled with disdain.

"Everyone knows this barren mountain is a wasteland. Why are you neglecting your official duties at the county office to come here and dig for rocks and soil? Do you really think there's gold and silver hidden underground?"

Several local gentry members nearby joined in the laughter, their words full of mockery.

"Those who rose to official positions through donation are indeed different from ordinary people; they only engage in useless endeavors."

"If there really are treasures hidden in these barren mountains nearby, how could our families, whose combined wealth could fill that small, poor, and dilapidated place of Fuyu County, not know about them?"

"Building bridges and roads is a small way to win people's hearts. Now, going into the mountains to search for minerals is probably a sign of being crazy and trying to get rich overnight."

"In my opinion, sir, you're too eager to make a name for yourself and have lost your head. Sooner or later you'll make a fool of yourself and end up being dismissed from your post and held accountable!"

The crowd chimed in with their own words, their sarcasm making no attempt to conceal its meaning.

In their eyes, Li Xuanzhi's actions were the most foolish farce in the world.

Throughout history, no upright official has ever achieved merit or made a name for themselves through mining. On the contrary, countless people have been branded as troublemakers, destroyers of the land, and rule-breakers.

In the eyes of these local gentry, Li Xuanzhi's actions were not only a waste of official duties but also self-destructive. This perfectly suited their desire to obstruct and suppress him while simultaneously currying favor with the eldest son of the Cheng'en Earl's family in the capital.

Faced with a barrage of ridicule, Li Xuanzhi remained unmoved, neither angry nor offering any explanation.

You can't talk about ice with a summer insect, and you can't talk about the sea with a frog in a well; if you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much.

This group of rural gentry and old officials, trapped in the perceptions of their time, had their vision limited to farming and small-scale trading in the marketplace.

They will never understand that the mineral resources buried deep underground are the true foundation supporting a prosperous era.

These seemingly chaotic and disorderly mountains and rocks, which appeared haphazard to the ancients, were, in Li Xuanzhi's eyes, crystal clear geological signals.

Li Xuanzhi believed that although he lacked professional geological surveying knowledge and experience, his geography grades during his school days were quite good.

The orientation of rock strata, soil color, vegetation growth, and traces of exposed ore all correspond to the patterns of mineral veins.

Ignoring the onlookers' stares and mockery, Li Xuanzhi walked alone towards a fault line on the mountainside.