The playboy county magistrate

Inside the main hall of the county government office, the atmosphere was solemn and dignified, heavy and oppressive.

Li Xuanzhi sat upright in the main seat of the court, dressed in official robes with a dignified and solemn air.

His eyes were cool and aloof, and his aura was calm and dignified. There was not a trace of youthful frivolity, only the composure and majesty of someone in charge.

On both sides of the hall and outside the main hall, a group of local gentry, elders and wealthy families from Yuanshan County were lined up, along with hundreds of anxious craftsmen and ordinary people from the city.

Li Xuanzhi's gaze slowly swept over the crowd below, taking in the unease, doubts, and hidden conflicts that filled the room.

"Recently, all work in the county has been suspended, and people are in a state of panic. Rumors are circulating that the new policies are seizing businesses and that heavy taxes are harassing the people. Today, I have come to Yuanshan County not to hold the people accountable, nor to put pressure on the merchants."

He paused, lightly tapping the desk with his fingertips, dispelling the restlessness and unease in the room, his tone firm and solemn:

"Today, we are here to settle accounts in court and verify the truth in public. All hidden accounts, the authenticity of industries, and the veracity of tax burdens will be laid bare before everyone! We will restore justice to the people of Yuanshan County and clear the name of the new policy!"

The words fell with a resounding force, their echoes reverberating throughout the hall.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the table in front of them.

A slender figure stepped out of the ranks; it was Gu Pan'er.

The hall was filled with white-haired clan elders, respected local gentry, and strong, robust craftsmen.

She was the only woman among them, with a slender and delicate figure. Standing in the crowd, she was thin but upright, her back ramrod straight.

She had shed the usual gentle and delicate demeanor of a woman; her eyes were calm, and her expression serene. Facing the scrutinizing and disdainful gazes of the room, she showed no fear or hesitation.

Gu Pan'er held the thick stack of documents neatly in both hands, walked calmly to the desk, and bent down to carefully lay out all the account books and vouchers.

The papers are laid flat, the handwriting is clear, and the seals are neat; each one is solid, irrefutable evidence.

Upon seeing this, the contempt and disdain in the eyes of the Jiang clan elders at the head of the hall grew even stronger.

In their eyes, the Jiang family had been entrenched in Yuanshan County for decades, with deep roots. The Jiang family's assets were vast, and successive governments had to show them deference.

How dare a mere young woman publicly examine the decades-old accounts of the Jiang family's workshops? She's simply overestimating herself.

An elderly Jiang clan patriarch with white hair stroked his gray beard, his eyes full of mockery. He lowered his voice and sneered softly with undisguised contempt.

"A mere woman, confined to her secluded mansion, ignorant of workshop management, smelting, production, and sales, dares to scrutinize the old accounts of my Jiang family's workshops? It's utterly laughable and shows a complete lack of self-awareness."

The surrounding Jiang clan members all echoed his sentiments.

Although no one raised their voices, everyone wore a look of disdain, and their eyes were full of contempt.

Gu Pan'er is merely taking advantage of Li Xuanzhi's influence to bully others.

A young boy and a young woman.

This public audit is nothing more than a show of bravado and empty boasting. They're just trying to gain fame under the guise of the new policies; they can't find a single flaw in Jiang's record.

When she finds no evidence, the matter will end hastily and she will become a laughing stock in the county.

Despite the scorn, criticism, and whispers from the room, Gu Pan'er seemed oblivious.

Completely unaffected by the surrounding noise, she lowered her eyes and focused intently on the account book in front of her.

Her slender, long fingers gently brushed across the yellowed pages, without the slightest sign of panic.

A moment later, her cool and calm voice slowly rang out.

"The Jiang family's iron smelting workshop in Yuanshan County has 327 registered craftsmen. In accordance with the imperial court's regulations, the workshop implements a piece-rate wage system and pays taxes monthly. There are fixed regulations for the entry of materials into the mountains, the smelting of iron ore, the production and sale of iron billets, and the release of goods from the warehouse. The government has a record of every income and expenditure and every batch of materials, so that there are traceable records and accounts to follow."

Before she finished speaking, she raised her hand and opened the first page of the account book, her slender fingertips steadily tracing the dense, neat handwriting on the page. Clear and organized, she dissected the hidden flaws in the accounts in front of everyone, leaving no room for ambiguity.

"According to the public records submitted to the government by the Jiang family over the years, the workshop produced 1,200 dan of refined iron annually, paid taxes in full every year, and paid the craftsmen their wages monthly according to the amount. On the surface, it was compliant, fair and just, and there was not a single fault to be found. It was a model of a compliant business."

At this point, she abruptly changed the subject.

"However, the archived records of iron ore materials entering the mountains over the years in the county's warehouse, the daily material output receipts from the mine, and the batch-by-batch signed slips for transportation along the mountain roads can all serve as evidence—"

"The Jiang family workshop's actual annual raw material production capacity truly reaches 2,100 dan of refined iron!"

The room erupted in an instant, a buzz of discussion suddenly bursting forth.

The actual production capacity is 2,100 dan, but the publicly disclosed records only show 1,200 dan!

Nine hundred loads of refined iron vanished into thin air, with no records to be found and no taxes to be levied!

The artisans below, who had been bewildered and apprehensive, and who had been misled by the rumors, suddenly widened their eyes in shock, their faces filled with astonishment, and their hearts were filled with turmoil.

They worked hard in the workshop day and night, hammering and forging iron, without ever noticing.

The faces of Jiang's stewards turned ashen instantly, panic rising within them, yet they still managed to maintain their composure.

The workshop manager, who was in charge, stepped forward, his eyes wide open, and his tone fierce.

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense! Iron ore smelting inherently involves material loss and temperature variations. The amount of loss naturally fluctuates from year to year! You think you can accuse my Jiang family of hoarding iron and evading taxes based solely on empty words and a few partial accounts? This is clearly a deliberate frame-up, a malicious attempt to smear the foundation of my Jiang family!"

He was secretly certain that Jiang's accounting was extremely secretive. For many years, she had kept it hidden layer by layer, without a single leak.

Many traces of black market transactions and smuggled iron materials have long been deliberately destroyed.

The records kept by the government alone may not be enough to thoroughly verify the facts. As long as they deny everything, the other party will be helpless.

"Whether it's a frame-up or not, the accounts can prove it, the rules can be distinguished, and the laws of the world can determine it."

Gu Pan'er slowly raised her eyes, her clear gaze sharp as a knife, looking directly at the arrogant and arguing Jiang family steward.

Holding a thick stack of reconciliation vouchers high in his hand, he showed no fear of the other party's deliberate sophistry.

"According to the laws of our dynasty, the natural loss rate in the smelting of refined iron from crude ore is always around 30%. This can be verified in the archives of prefectures and counties over the years and the regulations of workshops throughout the country, and has never changed in decades."

"The loss rate recorded in your Jiang family's ledgers exceeds half, far exceeding the common smelting practices in the world. This is definitely not natural loss. It is clearly a deliberate underreporting of production capacity and unauthorized withholding of output!"

As she spoke, she quickly pulled out the sealed official documents and seized evidence, laying them out layer by layer. She placed them side by side in the center of the table for everyone in the courtroom to examine.

"Furthermore, the checkpoint toll slips and land and water transport records from Yuanshan County over the years, along with the shape, weight, and pattern of the iron billets privately sold by the Jiang family that the government has intercepted from the black market in recent years, can all corroborate each other."

"For the past five years, the Jiang family has been transporting dozens of loads of refined iron every month, bypassing official sales channels and refusing to enter the government's records. They have been smuggling it out secretly at night and selling it on the black market at high prices, deliberately evading the heavy taxes levied by the imperial court and pocketing huge profits!"