TFWYH – Chapter 297 Confrontation in Court

“Yes!” Four yamen runners stepped forward. Two of them held Ling Yue down, while the other two fitted the finger-crushing clamps onto her fingers.

“Don’t—don’t—ahhh—!”

The runners pulled the cords tight, and Ling Yue screamed in agony.

Wei Gao snorted coldly. “Will you confess now and tell the truth?”

“I didn’t sell illicit salt! I didn’t—!” Ling Yue cried bitterly, tears streaming down her face, the pain in her fingers nearly making her faint.

But she knew she absolutely could not confess—confessing meant the whole family would be doomed.

Just then, the sound of hoofbeats rang out. Tang Wan finally arrived.

She leapt down from her horse, pushed through the crowd of onlookers, and rushed inside—just in time to see this scene.

Because of her sudden appearance, the yamen runners carrying out the punishment paused, giving Ling Yue a brief chance to catch her breath.

Wei Gao also saw Tang Wan. A trace of guilt flickered in his eyes before vanishing as he quickly adopted a righteous tone. “How dare you barge into the court without permission!”

“Sister-in-law, wuu wuu…” Seeing Tang Wan, Ling Yue cried so hard it tore at the heart. “I didn’t sell illicit salt. I really didn’t!”

“I know,” Tang Wan said, soothing her with a single sentence. Her gaze swept over Ling Yue’s swollen, reddened fingers, and killing intent surged in her heart—she wanted nothing more than to slaughter everyone there.

But she knew she couldn’t do that.

She was just a commoner. Commoners do not fight officials. If she truly did that, not only would she implicate her family, she would also implicate her beloved husband.

Forcing herself to look away, Tang Wan turned her eyes to Wei Gao sitting high in the court, suppressing the murderous fury in her heart as she questioned him coldly, “My lord, as a so-called upright parent-official, is this how you normally handle cases—by forcing confessions through torture?”

Hearing this, Wei Gao flew into a rage. “How dare you, you—”

“The one who’s truly daring is you!” Tang Wan cut him off coldly. “As a so-called upright parent-official, it’s one thing if you don’t uphold justice for the people. But because your daughter took a fancy to my husband and wanted to marry him as a secondary wife, I refused. So you pull this stunt—abusing your power for personal gain, treating human lives as dirt, and in your madness you even subject a young girl to such cruel torture. Should I say you’re a loving father, or that you’re no better than pigs and dogs?”

The moment these words were spoken, an uproar broke out among the crowd outside. Everyone stared at Wei Gao in disbelief!

The veins on Wei Gao’s forehead throbbed. He slammed the gavel, gritting his teeth. “Utter nonsense! You dare insult a court official. Tang Wan, you are bold!”

Tang Wan remained calm and unhurried. “You say I’m talking nonsense? Fine. Then does Magistrate Wei dare to swear that no matter how today’s case ends, your daughter will absolutely not marry my husband?”

“Y-you… you… you this… this…” Magistrate Wei pointed at Tang Wan with a trembling finger, so furious he was on the verge of vomiting blood—yet he didn’t dare make the oath.

Wasn’t the whole reason he risked pulling this stunt precisely so his daughter could marry into that family?

If he swore such an oath, how could his daughter still marry?

But if he didn’t swear, with so many commoners watching, he would truly be exposed as abusing his power for personal gain.

Originally, Wei Gao wouldn’t have gone along with Wei Ziyan’s schemes. But he had received news that Ling Yu had taken first place in the prefectural exam.

With such an outstanding scholar, he wanted even more to draw him in. Coupled with his wife’s instigation, his head had heated up and he agreed to his daughter’s plan.

He never imagined things would turn out like this!

Clearly, he had been the one holding the initiative, yet with just a few words, Tang Wan had turned him into the passive party!

Tang Wan paid no attention to his inner turmoil and continued pressing relentlessly. “Since my lord dares not swear, does that not mean it is exactly as this common woman said—abusing your power for personal gain?”

Forcing himself to calm down, Wei Gao clenched his teeth and said, “This court is currently trying a case. Matters unrelated to this case need not be discussed!”