The playboy county magistrate

It was clear that the emperor had openly handed over all the core powers—to rectify the court, eliminate malpractices, and continue to implement new policies—to Li Xuanzhi.

The officials and civil servants present had varying thoughts: some were envious, some were in awe, and some were fearful. Huo Linyuan and his former ministers were the most disheartened.

They went to great lengths to frame and suppress the other party, but in the end, they themselves delivered the other party to a key position where they could reverse the control of the entire old system.

Li Xuanzhi remained calm, showing no sign of elation or agitation. He bowed deeply and said, "Your subject obeys the decree and will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust."

The emperor nodded slightly. "That concludes today's political discussion. Court is adjourned."

Having said that, the emperor turned and walked away, his dragon robe trailing on the ground, his steps steady.

The distant sound of the court bell echoed throughout the entire imperial city.

The civil and military officials bowed their heads in turn and slowly withdrew from the court.

Huo Linyuan and his former officials walked hurriedly with gloomy faces, remaining silent throughout. They walked quickly out of the palace gates together, their eyes filled with an unyielding gloom.

The courtiers who used to vie for favor and discuss state affairs now instinctively slowed their pace as they passed Li Xuanzhi. Their gazes were cautious and respectful, and no one dared to show the slightest disrespect or negligence.

In such a short time, Li Xuanzhi, a playboy who got his position as county magistrate by purchasing an official post, has risen to the rank of Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, a fourth-rank official.

Such a rapid ascension was unprecedented in the hundreds of years of the Great Yong Dynasty's court.

Li Xuan knew perfectly well that there was never a decisive victory in court politics.

Today's battle in the court has allowed me to break the deadlock, establish my authority, gain imperial favor, and seize power.

While it appeared to be a resounding victory, it actually completely cut off the retreat route for the old ministers' faction.

These powerful families have dominated the court for generations, their influence and ties deeply intertwined. They would never sit idly by while one person cleanses up corrupt practices and shakes their foundations.

As soon as Li Xuanzhi stepped out of the palace gate, Tang Zheng, who had been waiting outside, approached him, his voice extremely low.

"Congratulations on your promotion, young master! Congratulations, sir! I have increased manpower to closely monitor the movements of former officials in the court and the activities of powerful families in the capital. At the same time, we are keeping a close watch on the post station to guard against any secret sabotage by the northern delegation."

Li Xuanzhi nodded in satisfaction at what Tang Zheng had said.

Today, the delegation from the northern desert suffered heavy losses and lost face in the imperial court.

Princess Ning'an was deeply obsessed, her hatred and possessiveness intertwined, and she could not be subdued by a few words of punishment.

While they are openly confined to the post station, they must be secretly plotting revenge.

After thinking for a moment, Li Xuanzhi nodded slightly and said:

"Strict prevention is sufficient; there's no need to deliberately cause trouble."

Meanwhile, on the west side of the capital, at the Grand Tutor's private residence.

Inside the secret room of the front hall, the doors and windows were tightly closed, and the curtains were drawn low, cutting off all sights and sounds.

Huo Linyuan sat upright in the main seat, still wearing his court robes, his face ashen, his brows furrowed with barely suppressed rage and coldness.

Below, a group of veteran court officials and elders of aristocratic families sat, all core members of the old power structures. Their faces were ashen, and the atmosphere was heavy and deathly silent.

Today's defeat in court is a devastating blow to them.

They originally intended to use Princess Ning'an of the northern desert as a tool, employing foreign relations as a weapon, to frame Li Xuanzhi for inappropriate behavior and disrespect towards foreign guests, thus completely removing this thorn that threatened the foundation of the aristocratic family.

Unexpectedly, all their careful planning came to naught.

Li Xuanzhi not only proved his innocence and upheld the dignity of the state, but also incurred the emperor's wrath, resulting in severe punishment for the northern delegation and exposing their ulterior motive of using foreign power to suppress loyal officials. This gave them ammunition to criticize him publicly and caused them to lose face completely.

Most fatally, the emperor swiftly promoted Li Xuanzhi to the position of Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

They held the power to supervise officials, impeach powerful figures, assess governance, and jointly try serious cases.

From now on, the corruption, malpractices, and factionalism of these former officials and their families will all fall under Li Xuanzhi's supervision.

In the past, they wantonly framed people and obstructed the new policies.

Now, their every move is controlled by Li Xuanzhi.

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!"

An old minister could no longer contain himself and slammed his fist on the table, his face turning ashen.

"We've painstakingly planned and plotted for so long, launching several attacks and framing him, but not only have we failed to bring him down, we've also nurtured an executioner who holds a knife to our throats!"

"Left Vice Censor-in-Chief! What a vicious position! It was clearly His Majesty's deliberate act to use Li Xuanzhi to check and balance us old ministers from powerful families!"

The other person echoed in a low voice, his eyes filled with fear and malice.

"In the past, when new policies were implemented, they only harmed the interests of local gentry, and we could still manage to resist them. Now that he holds the power of oversight, if any of our clansmen, disciples, or subordinates make even the slightest mistake, he will magnify it infinitely and impeach and investigate us! If this continues, our century-old aristocratic foundation will likely be completely ruined!"

"Li Xuanzhi's family is also old-fashioned. Isn't he afraid that his ancestors, if they knew this in the afterlife, would disown him as an unfilial descendant a hundred years from now?"

"Ha. He's getting promoted faster than anyone else right now. The entire Li family is now highly sought after in Da Yong thanks to Li Xuanzhi. How could his ancestors blame him? Their ancestral graves are probably emitting auspicious smoke!"

The room was filled with unease, a mixture of fear and hatred.

Everyone knew that Li Xuanzhi's rise was not just the ascension of a new talent to the top of the court, but also the beginning of the decline of the entire old aristocratic system.

Every new policy he implemented precisely targeted the lifeblood of powerful and influential families.

Previously, when Li Xuanzhi had no power, he could be stopped, but now that he has power, the trend is set.

Huo Linyuan tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, the dull sound striking everyone's hearts and shattering their panic.

He remained silent for a long time, the gloom in his eyes gradually dissipating, replaced by an unfathomable sinister look.

"What's the panic?"

He spoke slowly, with the shrewdness and composure of someone who had been in the court for a long time.

"At a young age, one suddenly finds oneself in a high position. Although one enjoys great favor from the emperor, one is also most likely to fall and be shattered to pieces."

Everyone fell silent instantly, turning their gazes to Grand Tutor Huo, who sat in the main seat.

Huo Linyuan raised his eyes and glanced at everyone.

"He wants to crack down on corruption, rectify conduct, promote new policies, and shake the foundations of my family. It doesn't matter."

"To monitor all officials? Then we'll make sure all officials are at fault."

"Assess the governance of officials? Then let local areas descend into chaos."

"Isn't he the most principled, the most upright, and the most devoted to the people? Then let's destroy his principles, tarnish his integrity, and sow discord among his people!"

The moment those words were spoken, everyone in the room was shaken.

An official hesitated before speaking: "Grand Tutor, he is currently enjoying the Emperor's favor. To oppose him rashly might arouse the Emperor's suspicion..."

"Imperial favor?" Huo Linyuan sneered, his eyes full of mockery.

"The emperor's favor is most fickle. Today we trust and employ him because he can maintain order in the court, reassure the people, and keep the powerful families in check."

"But if one day he wields power and can stir up the court, causing turmoil and widespread resentment among officials, will Your Majesty still tolerate him?"

In a direct confrontation, they are now at a disadvantage.

But secretly obstructing them is their specialty.

Li Xuanzhi wanted a peaceful and just world, but they insisted on stirring up trouble.

"In addition," Huo Linyuan's eyes darkened, "we sent people to secretly contact the post station."