The playboy county magistrate

At this moment, all of Liu Yunrou's wishful thinking, calculations, and resentment vanished.

She finally saw clearly that Li Xuanzhi's ability to stand against the powerful officials of the court with his own courage and to reform the administration of the country was not due to youthful arrogance or good luck.

Rather, they are truly open-minded, with a will as strong as steel, and impervious to all poisons.

Such a pure and upright character, a virtuous minister who served the country and its people, could not be shaken by this family, which was trapped by private power and self-interest.

Liu Yunrou had no face to stay any longer, so she bowed deeply, her posture respectful yet dejected.

"This humble woman takes her leave."

As she turned to leave, the morning breeze lifted the hem of her skirt. The elegant orchid pattern on her sleeve ultimately served as a foil to a futile and absurd scheme, leaving her feeling utterly lost and helpless.

The moment Liu Yunrou stepped out of the vermilion gate of the government office, the composure and dignity she had been maintaining collapsed completely.

Behind him was the grand hall of the government office, where new policies were clearly implemented and the administration was fair and just.

Before her lay the family prison from which she had been trapped for half her life, a prison from which she could not escape.

The brief exchange lasted only a quarter of an hour, like a bucket of ice water poured over her bones, completely shattering the last shred of self-deception she held onto.

Li Xuanzhi was insightful and saw through all the Liu family's scheming and plots, as well as her inescapable fate as a pawn.

Yet they did not criticize or punish him.

The more she was forgiven, the more ashamed and embarrassed she felt.

Li Xuanzhi protected the people, followed the righteous path, and was upright and honest.

She and the Liu family behind her were trapped by self-interest, clinging to old malpractices, and acting in a treacherous manner. They schemed and plotted only to protect the privileges and wealth that had been exploited for generations.

The difference is immediately apparent when the two are compared.

The Liu family is despicable, but I am pathetic.

Liu Yunrou walked slowly down the long street. Dressed in simple, elegant clothes, her figure appeared increasingly frail and forlorn.

The people along the way were filled with laughter and joy, all expressing their gratitude for the benefits of the new policies. Everyone lived in peace and contentment, their faces beaming with smiles.

This scene of peace and prosperity, however, became a mockery in Liu Yunrou's eyes.

She walked silently and heavily back to the Liu residence.

The vermilion gates and high walls remain, but now the gates are deserted, and carriages and horses are few and far between. Gone is the grand scene of guests flocking in and powerful people coming and going.

After the new policy was implemented, the privileges of powerful families were completely stripped away.

The local gentry and elders who were attached to the Liu family all watched and avoided disaster, leaving only a heavy atmosphere of death in the huge mansion.

As soon as I stepped into the mansion, I saw my grandfather standing with his hands behind his back in the courtyard. His face was ashen, and the atmosphere around him was frighteningly oppressive.

He eagerly anticipated that his most favored granddaughter would get close to him and achieve her goals, soften Li Xuanzhi's heart, tarnish the reputation of the virtuous minister, and pave the way for the Liu family's comeback.

He stayed in the mansion and didn't go anywhere, waiting for news.

After waiting and waiting, all that came was the granddaughter returning alone and forlorn, with no progress made.

"More trouble than they're worth!"

Before Liu Yunrou could bow in greeting, her grandfather sternly rebuked her, breaking the silence of the courtyard.

He turned around abruptly, staring intently at his granddaughter, his eyes filled with barely suppressed rage and disappointment.

"I repeatedly instructed you to be gentle and subtly subtly subtly win his trust and break down his defenses! And yet, you returned empty-handed, having accomplished nothing! The elaborate scheme that my Liu family painstakingly laid out was so easily ruined by you? If your eldest sister, Ruyan, hadn't married so early, would my Liu clan have fallen into such a predicament because of you!"

Every word was harsh, devoid of any warmth between grandfather and grandson, only filled with resentment and coldness at the failure of their schemes.

Having been suppressed by her elder sister for many years, the grievances, guilt, struggles, and exhaustion she had endured for so long finally broke free of her shackles at this moment.

Liu Yunrou slowly raised her eyes, and for the first time, a cold weariness and stubbornness appeared in her usually gentle and obedient eyes.

She no longer lowered her eyes to show weakness, but stared directly at her enraged grandfather, her voice hoarse but each word clear.

"Grandfather, it's not that I'm incompetent. It's just that this situation was destined to end in defeat from the very beginning."

"Defeat?" The head of the Liu family sneered, his brows furrowing with a fierce aura.

"He's just a young man, hot-blooded and easily infatuated with love. Everyone has a weakness, so why is it that it's completely useless in your case? Is it because you're unwilling to give your all, or have you already harbored other intentions?"

Unfounded suspicion and slander, harsh and biting words.

Liu Yunrou felt a slight pang in her heart and her fingertips trembled slightly, but she still stood tall and argued frankly.

"Lord Li is as clear-headed as a mirror and as resolute as steel. He is by no means the kind of person who is obsessed with beauty and acts recklessly for personal gain."

"He already knew all the schemes that the heads of various clans plotted in secret at the villa in the western suburbs last night."

"Our carefully planned schemes, which we thought were secretive and meticulous, were nothing more than the underhanded and presumptuous tactics of a bunch of cowards in his eyes."

"His granddaughter's visit today was completely under his control. All her pretense and scheming were exposed with a single sentence."

She whispered the truth, her voice filled with endless sorrow. "Grandfather, we can't win."

"The new policies benefit the people and are in line with their will. The officials are upright and honest, and have the well-being of the people in their hearts. The old faction in the court has been wiped out, and the new policies are being implemented throughout the country. The trend of the times is irreversible."

"We cling to old privileges and are obsessed with our own selfish interests. Going against the tide is going against nature; how can we possibly win?"

Every word he said was true.

But to the head of the Liu family, it was like a sharp blade piercing his ears, completely igniting the anxiety and madness that had been building up in his heart for many days.

He spent his life in charge of local affairs, and generations of wealth and honor were ingrained in his very being.

Making him admit defeat and abandon his century-old legacy is harder to accept than killing him.

"Defying the heavens?" The Liu family patriarch roared, his eyes bloodshot.

"My Liu family has been rooted in Pingzhou for generations, with a century-old foundation and a thousand-year reputation. The rules of this land should rightfully be upheld by us! How can Li Xuanzhi, a mere junior, destroy our foundation and cut off our path to survival, be considered to be in line with the trend of the times?"

"The will of the people? What is the will of the people! It's nothing but the ignorant selfishness of the lowly commoners who are greedy for petty gains and have forgotten their roots! For generations, we have governed the countryside and maintained order. Why should we be overthrown in one day?"

Deep-seated class arrogance, selfishness, and prejudice were laid bare at this moment.

In his eyes, the suffering of the people and the justice of the world could never outweigh the hereditary privileges of powerful families.

Looking at her grandfather's ferocious face and stubborn delusion, Liu Yunrou felt her last bit of obedience and expectation shatter completely, leaving only endless coldness.

"Grandfather, you have never seen the true plight of the people. In the past, land was annexed and taxes were heavy. The people were starving, naked, displaced, and suffered unspeakably. It was the new policies that gave them land to cultivate and livelihoods to live in peace. It was Lord Li who risked his life to win a way of life for the people."

"You only care about your family's honor and your own wealth, but you never see that the old system you cling to is a purgatory and prison for millions of people!"

The bold rebuttal thoroughly enraged the head of the Liu family.

He raised his hand and slapped it hard, the crisp sound of the slap echoing throughout the courtyard.

Snapped--

The force was fierce, causing Liu Yunrou to stagger. One cheek instantly flushed red and burned, her hair falling messily, concealing the surging tears and despair in her eyes.

"You unfilial wretch!" The head of the Liu family exclaimed, his breath ragged and his eyes filled with a sinister and ruthless glint.

"Having read a few lines of poetry, you dare to speak ill of the family and disobey your elders! Now you even dare to speak for outsiders, damaging your own family's foundation! If it weren't for the Liu family giving you birth and raising you, bestowing upon you the honor of being a legitimate daughter, where would you find peace today?"