The playboy county magistrate

County Lieutenant Feng was slightly taken aback, momentarily unable to follow the train of thought.

This is the most crucial time for the new policies, unlike ordinary matters of public order. Seeking out eloquent citizens at this juncture is truly perplexing.

"My lord, the situation is tense right now. What use would it be to find these people?"

Li Xuanzhi looked out the window and said, "The spread of technology is the foundation, but the creation of public opinion is the edge. There must be people to talk about it and spread it for it to truly resonate with people."

"I want them to go on stage and tell stories, and perform in the streets."

County Magistrate Feng suddenly realized his intention.

Throughout history, power struggles in the imperial court have been half about institutional achievements and half about public sentiment and social norms.

The old guard of power controlled public opinion and vilified the new policies as a violation of ancestral rules and an act that would bring chaos and disorder.

But the common people, and those in various prefectures and counties, are unaware of the power struggles within the imperial court. They only believe what they see and hear with their own eyes and ears.

If the advantages and disadvantages of the new policies in Fuyu County could be compared with the accumulated problems of the old system in a popular way, such as storytelling and drama, and the suffering brought to the people by the monopoly of the gentry families could be spread far and wide, then public opinion could be completely reversed, and the old faction's smear campaign and impeachment would be defeated on its own.

"Understood!" County Lieutenant Feng no longer hesitated. "I will immediately search for street performers and storytellers in the city who are skilled in storytelling and performing short tales. Bring them all to the county office within half an hour to await your orders, sir!"

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye; County Magistrate Feng was always reliable and efficient in his work.

Before long, he led seven or eight local talents into the county government office.

These people are all the best comedians in the county.

There was an old gentleman who frequently traveled to other counties to sit in teahouses and tell stories, vividly recounting ancient and modern power struggles.

There were male and female performers who roamed the streets and alleys, singing songs and performing short plays. They were most skilled at turning obscure worldly affairs into everyday stories that ordinary people could understand.

Having spent years mingling in the streets and alleys, they are well-versed in people's likes and dislikes and have a keen understanding of public opinion, far more insightful than the corrupt scholars in the imperial court.

Everyone stood in the courtyard, heads bowed respectfully, a sense of unease creeping into their hearts.

They were all ordinary people at the bottom of society, just trying to make a living, and never thought they would be personally summoned by a seventh-rank county magistrate.

Li Xuanzhi did not put on airs; he slowly walked out of the hall, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his tone calm:

"I have summoned you all here today to entrust you with a matter of justice that benefits the people and the world."

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled, and they all looked up, waiting for further instructions.

"Please give us your orders, sir, and we will do our utmost!"

The leading storyteller bowed and began to speak. He had spent decades in the streets and had long seen through the good and bad times.

They had seen and remembered the various measures taken by this young magistrate to benefit Fuyu County, and were already grateful.

Li Xuanzhi nodded slightly and said frankly, "In the next few days, you will all go to teahouses, street corners, and market days. There is no need to praise the officials or flatter me. I will only talk about two things."

"Firstly, it recounts the old stories of Fuyu, about how the local gentry monopolized ironware and hoarded it for profit. Farmers had no plows to cultivate the wasteland, and craftsmen had no skills to make a living. Every year, wasteland covered the land, and every year, the plight of displaced people was dire."

"Secondly, it describes the current state of the new policies, the opening up of government mines, and the affordable price of ironware. It also describes how displaced people have jobs and wasteland can be cultivated. Furthermore, it describes how the new laws benefit the people, and how there is no corruption by officials or private individuals, nor exploitation by local gentry."

He paused, then emphasized his words.

"Most importantly, it is important to make it clear that the difference between the old and new systems is not that officials arbitrarily change ancestral rules, but that the old system imprisoned the people while the new system brought them life."

The group of celebrities immediately understood.

They finally understood that what this official wanted was not to embellish his political achievements, but to use the gossip of the common people to expose the corruption within the court.

Recently, many rumors have been circulating in the city, saying that the new policy goes against ancestral rules and harbors sinister intentions.

It is said that Magistrate Li is young and impetuous, and has recklessly violated the laws of the country.

Anyone with a brain would realize that these rumors were spread by malicious individuals in an attempt to smear the new policies and undermine public confidence.

"I understand!" The old storyteller's eyes lit up, full of confidence.

"The common people may not understand those grand pronouncements from the court, but who has ever lacked farm tools? Who has ever suffered the exploitation of exorbitantly priced ironware? Whose family has been displaced? Everyone has experienced it firsthand! I will now compose new lyrics and new plays, every word rooted in reality, without any exaggeration or falsehood!"

"Feel free to improvise, just strive for authenticity and emotional resonance."

Li Xuanzhi calmly instructed, "The county government will provide full support, including tea and tea facilities. Payment will be settled daily upon completion of the work, and there will be no shortfall."

"Thank you, sir!" Everyone bowed in gratitude.

There's no need for rigid dogma, nor for deliberate praise. The most authentic comparisons of people's lives are the sharpest blade of public opinion.

The group accepted their orders and departed, heading off to bustling streets, teahouses, and taverns in various counties.

The once bustling teahouses are no longer frequented by idlers who gossip about the court and spread rumors of chaos caused by the new policies.

The old storyteller struck his gavel, and his hoarse, steady voice recounted the hardships and suffering of the people of Fuyu County over the past decades.

"Fellow farmers, listen to me. In previous years, every household was worried about spring planting. The price of an iron plow tripled, and ordinary farmers couldn't afford one even if they poured all their savings into it. Good fields could only be plowed shallowly with wooden plows, resulting in meager harvests, and year after year, people went hungry!"

"The local gentry monopolized ironware from the mountains, illegally mining and hoarding it, and arbitrarily raising prices. Craftsmen were dependent on powerful families, and their skills were forbidden to be passed on. The common people had no way to seek help or file complaints; this was Buyeo under the conservative system!"

The gavel fell again, and the tone suddenly became more forceful:

"But things are different now! The county government has opened up the mountains for mining and implemented new laws. Ironware is sold at fair prices, craftsmen are paid according to their labor, displaced people have jobs, and wasteland has been fully reclaimed!"

"This is not arbitrary regulation! This is saving the people! This is returning to us ordinary folks the livelihoods that the local gentry have monopolized for a century!"

Every word is simple, every sentence is poignant.

The tea drinkers listened quietly, vividly recalling their past hardships and present peace.

The doubts that had been swayed by the rumors vanished completely, leaving only clarity in my mind.

At street corners, performers set up makeshift stages and wrote and performed their own short plays.

There are no complicated singing styles or fancy costumes. It simply uses everyday short dramas to depict the real past of gentry exploitation, the oppression of the people under the old system, and the peace and security brought by the new policies.

Passersby stopped to watch, and the crowd grew larger and larger. Everyone saw clearly and heard everything.

"So it wasn't that the officials were mismanaging the government; it was that some people were afraid that if Fuyu County started to live a good life, then we people from other counties and towns near Fuyu County would also start to live a good life!"

"Those high-ranking officials in the capital, how could they understand the hardships of farming in the countryside? Clinging to old ways, it's always us poor people who suffer!"

"If the new policy is abolished, ironware prices will rise again, and life will revert to what it was before! We must not let them succeed!"

As the new iron smelting law was publicly copied, and with the spread of news through storytelling and opera in the city, the news quickly spread beyond Fuyu territory, along official roads and trade routes, to several surrounding prefectures.

Migrants from all over the state, artisans from the lower classes, and poor farmers all heard about the changes in Buyeo.

Some people are learning technical skills, some are hoping for new policies, and a glimmer of expectation is rising in everyone's heart.

If they could also open up the official mines here, provide affordable ironware, and resettle displaced people, why would they have to remain trapped in poverty year after year?