TFWYH – Chapter 306 Imprisoned

Yi Zhanhong took the account book and opened it. Everything was neatly arranged, each entry clear at a glance.

But then—

“What kind of writing is this?”

“Reporting to my lord, these are abbreviated numerals. My sister-in-law taught them to us. Look—this one is one, this is two…”

Ling Yue patiently explained Arabic numerals to Yi Zhanhong.

Yi Zhanhong: …

No wonder she had gained His Majesty’s attention. That excessively beautiful young married woman was truly talented.

Yi Zhanhong ordered someone to hand the account book to Wei Gao and slammed the gavel.
“Wei Gao, what do you have to say now?”

Wei Gao was drenched in cold sweat. What could he possibly say? He immediately lowered his head and confessed.
“My lord, I was momentarily confused. I did not—”

“You were not confused!” Ling Yue was furious and completely forgot her manners as she shouted at Wei Gao.
“This is all because your daughter took a fancy to my elder brother and wanted to marry into the Ling family! My mother and my sister-in-law refused, so you deliberately framed my sister-in-law, trying to get rid of her to make room for your daughter! I’ve seen plenty of shameless people, but I’ve never seen anyone as shameless as you! There are so many men in the world—how ugly is your daughter that she can’t get married? Is that why she insists on clinging to my brother, a married man, throwing herself at him just to become a concubine?”

Wei Gao was both ashamed and furious. Hearing the townspeople outside pointing and whispering about him, he wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

Since becoming an official, he had never been this humiliated.

Yi Zhanhong was also astonished. He looked at Wei Gao in disbelief.
“Just because of this, you abused your authority and wronged an innocent person?”

“No, my lord, I didn’t! I merely misjudged the case in a moment of confusion—it’s not as she says!” Wei Gao hurriedly denied it.

But at this point, whether he admitted it or not no longer mattered. Everyone could see the truth clearly.

A townsman immediately spoke up from the crowd.
“I live right next door to the Ling family. Some time ago, I personally saw the magistrate’s wife carrying big bundles to their house, only to be chased out. And you still dare to lie!”

Wei Gao was instantly rendered speechless, his old face flushing bright red.

“Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!” Yi Zhanhong was furious. He never imagined that such a scoundrel existed within his jurisdiction.
“Men! Remove Wei Gao’s official hat, strip him of his official robes, and—”

“Wait!” At that moment, Madam Wei arrived with Wei Ziyan and interrupted him.
“Lord Yi, how much has my husband done for Xiangxi Town since taking office? Though he made a mistake this time, shouldn’t his merits offset his faults?”

Yi Zhanhong didn’t buy that nonsense at all. He was already seething with anger at this entire rotten family.

If the beam above is crooked, the beams below will be crooked too. Parents who raised such a daughter could hardly be decent people.

Yi Zhanhong sneered and asked directly,
“Merits offset faults? Fine. Then I’m very curious—where did that illicit salt come from?”

Madam Wei’s expression stiffened.

Wei Gao trembled even harder and stammered,
“T-that… that wasn’t illicit salt. It was… it was salt that I personally… personally paid for.”

Yi Zhanhong raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? As a county magistrate, your monthly salary is only eight taels of silver. Where did you get the money to buy that much salt?”

Wei Gao was instantly choked silent.

Madam Wei hurried to speak.
“It was my dowry silver. I am the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yong’an. Not only do I have dowry silver, I also have estates and shops. Are you saying I can’t afford to buy a bit of salt?”

“…Oh my, you little madam, still daring to threaten me—how terrifying.”

Yi Zhanhong sneered coldly.
“Whether it’s truly your silver will naturally be investigated.

“As for now—men! Remove Wei Gao’s official hat, strip him of his official robes, and throw him into prison.”