The playboy county magistrate

"Fellow villagers, please rest assured, I am old and will not take up a post elsewhere. Even if a new county magistrate is appointed, I will live out my days here."

At this point, Magistrate Zhao glanced apologetically at Li Xuanzhi. Fortunately, he didn't detect any displeasure in the other party, which put him somewhat at ease.

Li Xuanzhi naturally knew what Magistrate Zhao was worried about; he was simply afraid that he, the newly arrived magistrate, was petty.

After all, Magistrate Zhao was very popular with the people. If he stayed here, the people would seek his advice and reason with him, and would distrust or even sideline the successor, which would damage the new magistrate's authority.

Little did he know that when the new magistrate Li Xuanzhi heard the old magistrate Zhao say that he wanted to stay here to retire, he was relieved, saving himself the trouble of persuading him to stay and appealing to his emotions and reason.

As long as Magistrate Zhao is willing to help, the things I need to do and the instructions I need to give will not be so difficult to carry out.

"Really? Magistrate Zhao really isn't leaving Fuyu County?"

The tallest and strongest man loudly asked for confirmation, and the people gathered outside the yamen held their breath, staring intently at Magistrate Zhao.

After smiling and looking around, Magistrate Zhao nodded slightly, and the people cheered with joy.

Fortunately, there were still a few people who were quick-witted enough to know that there was a new magistrate nearby.

"Rest assured, Lord Li, the people of Fuyu County are extremely united and will absolutely not cause you any trouble!"

"Just tell us what you need, and we'll do it without hesitation!"

The cheering crowd around them finally realized what was happening, blushed with embarrassment, and joined in with a few words of agreement.

Li Xuanzhi smiled and waved his hand, "Since there's nothing else, go back and get some rest. It's almost noon, the sun is scorching, don't get sunburned."

The people gathered at the entrance of the yamen were flattered. They never expected that this young master, who looked like he came from a wealthy family, would not only not look down on them, but would also be so kind.

The people had a very good first impression of Li Xuanzhi, and they didn't forget to praise him on their way back.

The few people who returned to the backyard of the yamen, especially the old magistrate Zhao, were somewhat uneasy at this moment.

"Lord Li, I am truly sorry. I have caused you distress just now. Please rest assured, as I said, I will simply retire and enjoy my retirement. I will absolutely not interfere with your affairs and will live a peaceful life as an ordinary citizen."

Li Xuanzhi smiled and waved his hand to appease him, but in reality, he knew exactly what was going on.

There are only a few possibilities for Magistrate Zhao not to leave this extremely poor Fuyu County.

Firstly, having served in this area for a long time, he had become quite familiar with the people and developed feelings for them. Although the people's behavior of surrounding the government office and making a scene demanding an explanation was distasteful, from another perspective, they genuinely had no ill intentions; they were simply expressing their true feelings in this way.

Secondly, he worried that as a new county magistrate, he lacked experience and might make wrong decisions that would harm the interests of the people.

Although the people of Fuyu County no longer had any interests for him to scheme against, Magistrate Zhao really made Li Xuanzhi understand what a good official who cares about the people is like, and he admired Magistrate Zhao's character even more.

With such a good senior in the industry, Li Xuanzhi will be able to handle problems more clearly and intuitively, and his efficiency will only be higher.

As for the third reason, Li Xuanzhi felt that he was simply speculating on an unlikely cause based on the wickedness of human nature.

Magistrate Zhao was either bribed by someone in the capital to keep him under surveillance, or he was asked by his stubborn but kind-hearted father, Earl Li Dehai, to take care of him.

Li Xuanzhi smiled slightly as he looked at Magistrate Zhao, who seemed to want to explain but hesitated, unsure of where to begin.

Li Xuanzhi knew exactly what Magistrate Zhao wanted to say: he was simply explaining that his address to the people at the yamen gate wasn't meant to intimidate the newcomer.

However, Li Xuanzhi had no intention of doing anything to appease people anymore, at least not today.

There was no way around it; Li Xuanzhi's body had been too well-cared for in the capital. After the bumpy journey, although the original owner had died and her soul had vanished somewhere, the weariness in her pampered body remained.

At this moment, all Li Xuanzhi wanted was to return to his own room in the backyard of the yamen and sleep soundly until the end of time.

But unexpectedly, just as I lay down on the bed and was about to fall asleep—

Tick.

Li Xuanzhi raised his hand to touch his face, turned over, and muttered to himself.

"Stop messing around, let me sleep for a while."

Tick ​​tock.

Li Xuanzhi rubbed the back of his head in frustration, feeling the water droplets becoming more and more concentrated. Finally, annoyed, he sat up and looked up.

"Is the roof leaking?"

Li Xuanzhi was scratching his head in annoyance, but little did he know that the cheers outside were incredibly loud.

Li Xuanzhi was even angrier.

I just arrived in a new place and got soaked the first time I tried to sleep. Are the people outside crazy? Why are they cheering outside in the rain?

Li Xuanzhi was agitated, but he calmly opened the door.

The chaotic sounds outside suddenly became very clear—

"Take this new Lord Li, for example! Look! He's brought a much-needed rain right after arriving at his post! Now we don't have to worry about water sources, or about the land being too dry for the people to find wild vegetables!"

"Why can't there be more adults like this? I hate it!"

"Quickly, bring out all the water tanks and basins, we need to stock up on water!"

The old magistrate Zhao smiled and turned his gaze to the room where Li Xuanzhi was. He met Li Xuanzhi's eyes as he stood at the door. His smile softened, and the wrinkles on his face almost formed a flower.

"Why is Lord Li out? Is something not arranged properly, causing you to sleep poorly?"

Li Xuanzhi shook his head slightly and turned his body to the side.

The room was very simply furnished. Even if Magistrate Zhao stood still, he could see inside the room and would not miss the water dripping from directly above the bed.

"Oh dear! County Lieutenant Feng, how did you patch the roof? Why is it still leaking above the bed? You're such a high-ranking county lieutenant, and you're not even that capable!"

How can a man stand hearing the words "no"?

With his great strength, County Magistrate Feng, who was carrying a water vat in his left hand and a large bath tub in his right, had just finished setting up his things in the open space of the courtyard when he heard what Magistrate Zhao said, and he immediately became unhappy.

"I fixed the roof really well. I used homemade adobe tiles that I dried for over three months, and now I've covered the whole roof with them. There's absolutely no leak!"

While loudly arguing, County Magistrate Feng rolled up his sleeves and walked straight towards Li Xuanzhi's room. When he saw that it was raining heavily outside and that a downpour was pouring down directly above the bed inside, he froze at the doorway.

"Oh, this..."