Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

The ugly county magistrate hadn't expected that even after bowing his head, he would still be held hostage. He didn't know how his son had offended them. Looking at the ugly magistrate's son, who was already in a terrible state, he could only suppress his anger and apologize awkwardly.

Although Li Xingzhi felt a little sorry for this old man who was still bowing his head and apologizing, he had no intention of letting him off so easily. He had caused the man's family to be ruined and his family to die.

If a son is not taught, it is the father's fault! If a son is like this, then the father may not be a good person either.

At this moment, the young lady from the Zhang family had already been brought over. When she saw the father and son from the Chou family, her face immediately turned pale. Her petite figure standing in front of them was truly pitiful! However, with her head lowered, she could not hide the trace of hatred in her eyes!

Looking at the pitiful state of the young lady from the Zhang family, Li Xingzhi's slightest pity was wiped away.

“Look, this is the young lady from the Zhang family!” Li Xingzhi glanced at the ugly county magistrate, and seeing that his expression remained unchanged, he continued, “Your ugly husband has driven that family to ruin. Since I’ve taken on this matter, I can’t just ignore it.”

The ugly county magistrate was already furious! His face was flushed red; he had completely lost face today! "You unfilial son! Wait till I get back and teach you a lesson!" He kicked the ugly magistrate's son hard.

He then bowed deeply to the young lady of the Zhang family, saying, "My son is young and ignorant and has made a grave mistake. Please forgive him, young lady!"

At this moment, a perceptive servant brought over a cart full of money and valuables. "This is just a small token of my appreciation. Although it is not enough to forgive my unfilial son's sins, I hope it can make some compensation. I hope you will accept it, young lady!"

Li Xingzhi was taken aback, not expecting the county magistrate to be so flexible and adaptable, which made Li Xingzhi look at him with new respect.

The ugly county magistrate's behavior was utterly humiliating, yet he had no choice but to suffer in silence. After all, he was under someone else's roof and had to bow his head! More importantly, he still didn't know the other party's identity or intentions, and given that the other party possessed extraordinary abilities, he had to be cautious.

Li Xingzhi didn't know how much of the ugly county magistrate's actions were genuine and how much were fake, but the deep father-son affection shown by bowing his head for the sake of the ugly young master was real!

Just as he was about to say something more, a servant came over. It turned out that Magistrate Cui had arrived. Li Xingzhi was about to go out to greet him, after all, he was an official in charge of the local government, and there was some personal connection between them. Unexpectedly, Magistrate Cui had already entered.

"Haha, Li family's eldest son, I didn't expect you to have built such a huge Li mansion in just a few days. It won't be easy to get into your house!"

“When the local officials come, how dare I, an ordinary citizen, put on airs?”

Neither of them noticed that the ugly county magistrate's face was growing increasingly dark. He had just seen Li Xingzhi about to relent, but then this unexpected turn of events caused him great anger.

"Hey—isn't this the ugly county magistrate? What are you doing here? Young Master Li, you're not being fair. You bought a new house and didn't even invite me to come and see it." Magistrate Cui was secretly delighted. After all, the ugly county magistrate had deep roots in Changsha and had caused him a lot of trouble, both openly and secretly! Now that he's fallen here, he should at least join in the fun, shouldn't he?

The ugly county magistrate seemed to have made up his mind, and said, "Magistrate Cui is acquainted with the young master of the Li family. You must put in a good word for me."

"Oh? I wonder what has caused Magistrate Chou to make such a fuss?" Magistrate Chou cursed inwardly. He knew perfectly well that since Magistrate Cui had come here, he had no reason not to find out what was going on. However, his son's life was still in someone else's hands, and he wasn't afraid of causing further complications. So he simply said that his son had offended Li Xingzhi, and as for the matter of driving someone to ruin, Li Xingzhi said it was nothing. Since they were all officials, they couldn't bring it up openly, otherwise it would be difficult to handle!

Although Magistrate Cui had long known of Li Xingzhi's extraordinary abilities, he hadn't expected that his first move would stir up such a storm in Changsha, and that it would be of great help to him.

Seeing that the ugly county lieutenant had already given in, Magistrate Cui decided to stop while he was ahead. Li Xingzhi was naturally happy to do him a favor. Firstly, he still had business dealings in the other man's territory and didn't need to make a blood feud with him. Secondly, it was a good opportunity to do Magistrate Cui a favor, otherwise, if he offended both of them, it would be troublesome to get things done in the future.

"Since Magistrate Cui has said so, let's leave it at that for today."

As he spoke, Li Xingzhi paused again, as if he had remembered something, and turned to the delicate little girl beside him who was bowing her head, saying, "I wonder what the young lady of the Zhang family thinks?"

The young lady of the Zhang family was not stupid. She knew that this outcome was for the best. If it weren't for Li Xingzhi stepping in, she didn't know what would have happened to her!

Although he harbored resentment in his heart, he also knew that "the common people cannot fight against the officials," so he had no reason to refuse. He said, "I will leave it all to you, my lord!" He did not say "benefactor" but called him "my lord," clearly indicating that he regarded himself as a member of the Li family.

She was clever enough to know that only with Li Xingzhi as her backer could she be secure.

Seeing her say this, Li Xingzhi reached into his long sleeve and pulled out a small packet from somewhere, handing it to the servant who was following the ugly county magistrate. "This is the antidote, enough for ten people. Go and dissolve it, then give it to them to drink."

The ugly county magistrate couldn't stay any longer, fearing it might cause further trouble, and besides, his youngest son needed his medicine. So he excused himself and took his leave.

"Haha, young master, you've really done me a great favor this time." The fact that Magistrate Cui, a man of such serious demeanor, was laughing so heartily suggests that the ugly county lieutenant had caused him considerable trouble.

"It's just going with the flow. It's my honor to be able to help the magistrate. The ugly county magistrate has no one to blame but himself for not disciplining his son properly," Li Xingzhi said with a faint smile.

Magistrate Cui felt a chill run down his spine when he recalled the ugly young master's appearance earlier; he never expected the man in front of him to be so cunning.

Magistrate Cui had finally received a great favor from Li Xingzhi today, and was no longer as distant as before. So he stayed at Li's residence for a meal and drinks, and had a brief discussion with Li Xingzhi about metaphysics and folklore. Naturally, he also gave Xiao Gou Dan a few pointers before taking his leave.

Even after returning home, Magistrate Cui couldn't hide his joy. Seeing his unusual happiness, Madam Cui asked curiously, "Why are you so happy today? I've never seen you like this before."

"Hehe, do you still remember the young master Li we met in the dilapidated temple outside the city when we came here?"

"Of course I remember. I've only seen a handful of people with such an extraordinary temperament in my entire life! And that culinary skill of hers is truly unforgettable. I even thought she was some kind of immortal being or spirit in disguise!"

"Haha, I've encountered some good fortune today. That young master Li is my lucky star." Then Magistrate Cui recounted the story of the ugly young master in detail.

"It's just that poor young lady from the Zhang family has suffered." Women are, after all, more sentimental.

"I think the Li family is quite good, so don't worry about it."

Seeing the pale and pitiful look on the young lady's face, Li Xingzhi offered a few words of comfort. After all, such things happened far too often in this era, and it was impossible to manage them all. If he were to meddle in everything, the first person he would kill would be the one sitting on the throne, since that person's every move affected the lives and deaths of countless people. He could only lend a helping hand occasionally, or intervene when he happened to see something he couldn't stand.

"What are your plans for the future?" Li Xingzhi asked.

If it were before, he would have simply made her Gou Dan'er's maid. However, now that the ugly county magistrate has given him these money and silks, he still has to ask about them to avoid any trouble in the future!

As soon as Li Xingzhi asked the question, the young lady from the Zhang family immediately knelt down to kowtow, but fortunately, the servants behind her were quick enough to prevent her from doing so. "You don't need to do that, I was just asking."

"Please take me in, my benefactor." Her voice was soft and timid, making one's heart ache.

“Since that’s the case, you can stay in my residence. I won’t stop you from leaving whenever you want.” Seeing that the young lady of the Zhang family was about to speak, Li Xingzhi waved his hand, signaling her to stop. He then asked, “Do you have a name?”

"This servant has no name."

"Is that so? Then I'll give you a name, what do you think?" After all, she had come to the Li family, and although she wasn't to be made a slave, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to be called "Madam Zhang" all the time.

"Please bestow a name upon me, my lord."

Li Xingzhi thought for a moment, "Since that's the case, and your father's surname is Zhang, I can't very well change it. Seeing that you have a delicate face and a refined temperament, let's call you Zhang Lan'er."

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this name upon me." Zhang Lan'er thanked Li Xingzhi for allowing her to take her father's surname and gave a deep bow. Although he hadn't formally registered her as a lowly person, she already considered herself a servant of the Li family and only hoped to repay him well in the future!

Zhang Lan'er was taken away by Wang Xiucai. As for the money and silk sent by the ugly county magistrate, Li Xingzhi did not covet them and had them all taken away by Zhang Lan'er.

Li Xingzhi strolled slowly. Since arriving in this world, much had happened; perhaps even more exciting than in his previous life. Servants occasionally passed by, bowing to him, to which Li Xingzhi merely nodded slightly. Before long, he reached the lakeside. The lake was wide and open, rippling gently in the wind, but unfortunately, it was quite muddy, preventing him from getting close, which was a bit of a regret. However, these things couldn't be rushed.

Recent events have been piling up. First, I need to go to Wangjia Village to see if Gou Dan'er still has any relatives or elders alive. Then, this courtyard needs a thorough cleaning, especially the small lake. It needs to be cleaned up. As for other matters, Wang Xiucai, who should now be called Steward Wang, is handling most of them, so he doesn't need to worry about them.

The weather suddenly turned cloudy, and it looked like it was going to rain.

A cool breeze blew, and Li Xingzhi shook his head, no longer thinking about these mundane matters.