The playboy county magistrate

The official delivering the imperial decree looked at the young and composed official before him with a hint of regret in his eyes.

"Lord Li, the court is in turmoil. This journey is extremely dangerous. I hope you will take care."

After speaking, the messenger immediately turned and returned, showing no intention of lingering there.

The courtroom fell silent for a moment.

Magistrate Cao looked anxious. "My lord! Once we enter the capital, we'll be at their mercy, the old guard will rise up against us, and the Emperor will be wary of us. The consequences will be unimaginable! It would be better to delay for now, consolidate our position in Pingzhou, and then plan our next move gradually!"

Li Xuanzhi slowly straightened up and looked out the window.

"Delaying is tantamount to disobeying the imperial decree. It confirms the crime of separatist rule and disrespect for the emperor. At that time, the new policies will be completely destroyed, and there will be no way to defend oneself."

Li Xuanzhi looked at Magistrate Cao with a solemn tone.

"County Magistrate Cao, I have the authority to appoint officials in Pingzhou even before I have left. From today onwards, you officially take over the post of Magistrate of Fuyu County. After I arrive in the capital, I will find a way to promote you and County Lieutenant Feng. My requirements for you are to stabilize the administration, protect the workshops, strictly safeguard the foundation of the reform, and not allow the gentry and aristocratic families to rise again."

"Only if the new policies are maintained and steadily implemented can we survive and have more opportunities to stand taller and go further."

From the moment Li Xuanzhi began the reforms, they were all in the same boat. If they lost, none of them would have a good ending.

Li Xuanzhi was genuinely worried about leaving things here to others. But since County Magistrate Cao and County Lieutenant Feng had come through this together, Li Xuanzhi at least trusted them.

If someone else were to take over, they would definitely panic for a while. These two people, however, understood how each step worked from beginning to end and what to pay attention to.

County Magistrate Cao never expected that he would be entrusted with such an important task.

"Pan'er, come with me to the capital."

Gu Pan'er never expected such a happy event to happen to her. She had already prepared herself for never seeing Li Xuanzhi again.

Seeing that Gu Pan'er did not react, Li Xuanzhi raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"What? You don't want to? Fine, your family is all here anyway, so it's normal for you to want to stay."

Li Xuanzhi secretly regretted it; such a skilled accountant, and also a beautiful woman, would certainly be a pleasure to have by his side.

After a busy day, appreciating the beautiful women at work is a great way to relax and rejuvenate.

But Li Xuanzhi didn't intend to force them. If they were unwilling, he couldn't just take them away by force, could he?

Gu Pan'er panicked when she realized that Li Xuanzhi wasn't going to take her with him again.

"My lord! I am willing!"

As soon as Gu Pan'er finished speaking, she lowered her head shyly, her ears and face turning even redder than the sunset clouds outside the window.

"I will go back now to pack my things and say goodbye to my parents and sisters."

Gu Pan'er's voice grew softer and softer, but she ran out quickly and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Upon receiving the imperial decree, Li Xuanzhi did not delay in the slightest. He immediately arranged the duties and affairs of his own people and handed over the administration of Pingzhou overnight.

He has always been meticulous in his actions. Even if he knew that the road ahead was a deep abyss in the imperial court, he would never allow months of hard work and the new policies of the whole prefecture to go to waste.

The official documents of the prefecture and government, the land registers, the regulations of the workshops, the tax regulations, and the detailed rules for the appointment and removal of officials were sorted out and sealed one by one.

Every case file is clearly marked and traceable. This leaves no room for malicious individuals to tamper with, smear, or frame the new policy.

The next day, dawn broke.

Officials, craftsmen, and ordinary people from all the counties of Pingzhou rushed to the scene upon hearing the news, forming a dense crowd, their eyes filled with reluctance.

"Lord Li, could you please not leave?"

"As soon as Lord Li left, those gentry and noble families came back with a vengeance, and all the land we had worked so hard to get, and the peaceful life we ​​had finally achieved, was gone!"

"We do not ask for high-ranking officials or new policies; we only ask that Your Excellency remain safe and stay in Pingzhou!"

People along the street knelt down to petition, their cries echoing through the streets.

Some people held up a petition from the people and a "people's umbrella."

Some people carried coarse grains and various side dishes and pickled vegetables that they could take from home, insisting that he take them with him to eat on the road.

Li Xuanzhi stood in front of the carriage, looking at the dark mass of kneeling people, his heart warmed.

The will of the people is the truest, yet also the most powerless.

The power struggles in the imperial palace, the emperor's inner suspicions. The centuries-old entanglements of interests among aristocratic families can never be easily resolved by the earnest pleas of the common people of a city.

He raised his hand and gently supported the crowd, his clear voice resounding throughout the venue, calming the restless hearts of the city.

"Fellow villagers, please rise."

"My entry into the capital today is not a retreat after defeat. Rather, it is to seek lasting peace and stability for the new policies in Pingzhou and to fight for a way of life for the people of the world."

"If I am fortunate enough to return to the capital unharmed, I will surely return to my post with new policies and continue to expand the territory and benefit the people."

"If I am caught in the vortex of the court and cannot extricate myself, you only need to guard your fields and do your duty. Follow the new rules, reject private corruption, and safeguard this hard-won peace and order. That would be the greatest favor you can do for me."

Every word is frank and honest, every sentence sincere. There is not a trace of resentment, nor a trace of cowardice.

Upon hearing this, the weeping of the people throughout the city gradually subsided.

The crowd slowly rose, tears welling in their eyes as they saw him off; no one dared to stop them. They could only silently pray that this young and wise minister would safely weather all the crises.

Li Xuanzhi, dressed simply, brought only Wang Bo and Tang Zheng, who had come with him, and left the city in the same carriage they had used to come.

There was no procession to see them off; only the people of the city stood along the street, watching the carriages and horses disappear into the distance.

……

On the carriage.

Li Xuanzhi sat quietly by the window, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

The old guard of officials would never allow him to enter the capital unscathed.

Perhaps they will silence him on the way, creating the illusion that he died suddenly or fled to escape punishment, thus ending the trouble once and for all and eliminating any future problems.

The road ahead is not smooth.

Li Xuanzhi suddenly spoke, his voice clear, cold, and steady.

The carriages and horses continued their journey, moving away from Pingzhou, and at dusk they arrived at Heifeng Pass, a pass between two mountains.

The mountains here are steep and the forests are deep, making it a necessary route to the capital.

The mountain path was narrow, with steep cliffs on both sides. The wind howled through the forest, carrying a faint sense of desolation.

"Second Young Master! There's a roadblock ahead!"

Tang Zheng drew his sword from his waist, becoming fully alert.

Li Xuanzhi lifted the carriage curtain, his gaze suddenly turning cold.

The official road ahead was completely blocked by boulders and giant trees, cutting off all passage.

Within the dark, dense forest, dozens of figures dressed in black moved about.

Judging from their swift and efficient manner, as if they had undergone unified training, they were definitely not ordinary mountain bandits, but rather like assassins raised at high prices by a noble family.

The next instant, dark figures darted out from the forest.

The sharp blade, gleaming coldly, was drawn and charged straight at the carriage.

There was no negotiation, no recruitment; the move was a decisive, killer strike.

Every move was aimed at the vital points inside the car, clearly indicating that they were ordered to leave no survivors.

Gu Pan'er instantly clutched all the account books tightly to her chest, her face pale as she huddled to the side of the carriage, her back taut, not daring to make a sound that might disturb them.