The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich! Chapter 240: Fictitious Connections

Taohua Dessert hit the spot for Lord Yao.

Because at that ti, he was reading a letter while eating Taohua Dessert, which was sent by his junior brother Lu Zhaoyang.

Moreover, he heard that Lu Zhaoyang’s recovery was due to Widow Tong from Taohua Dessert.

Subconsciously, Lord Yao didn’t quite believe that Widow Tong could concoct fake dicine to ruin crops.

Thus, Lord Yao did not hastily believe Senior Brother Zheng, who he almost forgot the face of, and urgently summoned Junior Brother Lu Zhaoyang to inquire at his residence.

Coincidentally, Lu Zhaoyang had just received good news from Pingchuan County’s housekeeper Lu San. Using the dicine concocted by Tong Huaqiong, the corn blight was completely eradicated from hundreds of acres of cornfields, and the corn damaged by Xu Yong’s fake dicine was also salvaged with genuine dicine.

Lu Zhaoyang went to Lord Yao’s office and recounted the whole story of the fake dicine incident in Yan Guan Town to his senior brother.

Lord Yao was extrely excited to learn that the dicine concocted by Tong Huaqiong benefited the entire Pingchuan County’s cornfields.

The climate and soil in Ning City are very suitable for growing corn.

However, over the years, corn has been plagued by blight, causing reduced yields annually.

Now that soone has concocted a pesticide that eliminates corn blight, how could he, as the magistrate, not be happy?

A vision of golden harvests appeared before his eyes.

To be prudent, Lord Yao traveled to the Lu family’s cornfields in Pingchuan County and indeed found that the corn blight was eradicated.

The vast green fields swaying in the wind made Lord Yao incredibly excited.

Lu San explained the whole story of how Xu Yong’s fake dicine ruined the crops and Tong Huaqiong righteously provided the real dicine to Lord Yao and Lu Zhaoyang. Lord Yao was puzzled about why Zheng Junren would falsely accuse Tong Huaqiong.

Lu San then revealed the relationship between Eldest Young Madam of the Zheng Family and Xu Yong.

"At this mont, Xu Yong is being tried at the county governnt," Lu San said.

So, Lord Yao and Lu Zhaoyang headed straight for the Pingchuan County county governnt.

Lu Zhaoyang was very excited to et Tong Huaqiong, and Lord Yao was even more so.

How could Lord Yao not be happy?

Tong Huaqiong was soone who could ensure a bountiful corn harvest, which not only added to his achievents as a magistrate but, more importantly, allowed the people under his jurisdiction to better fill their stomachs.

Lord Yao was indeed an ambitious and aspiring young official.

"Aunt Tong, how did you concoct this dicine?" Lord Yao asked.

Tong Huaqiong then recounted the lie that Gu Jingzhe had found the formula in a book and that she had tried concocting the dicine.

Finally, she said, "...Lord Yao, every farr tries to ensure a good crop yield, each family has its own way to compost or make dicines, mine was just a lucky hit, just like how so alchemist in the past made tofu by accident."

Tong Huaqiong ant that it was best not to ask for details; it was purely luck.

Lord Yao, County Magistrate Liu, and Lu Zhaoyang all laughed at these words.

"Aunt Tong, you have a way with words. Did you accidentally hit on the recipe for your desserts as well? They sll wonderful, but unfortunately, I can’t eat them. The ones you sent last ti, I gave to my senior brother." Lu Zhaoyang noticed that Tong Huaqiong seed unwilling to discuss how she discovered the pesticide formula, so he changed the subject.

Tong Huaqiong was seeing Lu Zhaoyang for the first ti in over half a year.

He was completely different from how he was in the spring, like a changed person.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Seeing you healthy now makes very happy. There are so many delicious foods in this world, as long as one can live healthily, not eating desserts is no big deal."

Thus, the topic of how the pesticide formula was discovered was sidetracked.

Lord Yao no longer pursued the topic of the pesticide formula and started to ask County Magistrate Liu about the matter of Xu Yong making fake dicine to ruin crops.

With Lord Yao’s concern, the case would definitely be thoroughly investigated.

...

Zheng Junren’s letter had been sent out for two days without a reply from Lord Yao.

He speculated that his junior brother didn’t buy his claim of being senior, after all, Lord Yao was from a Shengjing Family, and taking up a magistrate position in Ning City was just for experience.

Zheng Junren regretted trying to draw closer by repeatedly addressing him as Junior Brother in the letter.

He didn’t dare send anyone to the city governnt’s hall, nor did he want to go to the city to deliver the post in person.

If Junior Brother Yao was really unwilling to see him, his reputation would suffer, and he would be ridiculed.

Xu Zaohua hid in her room, claiming an upset stomach, avoiding her in-laws.

She was ignorant of the happenings in the city.

Naively, Xu Zaohua believed that her father-in-law, being a scholar, wielded great influence, and that when he sent a letter to the city, the magistrate would surely pin the bla of the fake dicine on Widow Tong out of respect for her father-in-law.

She just sat in her room waiting, waiting to see Tong Huaqiong speechless, waiting to see Tong Huaqiong being taken into custody.

She even sent soone to the jail to tell Xu Yong that the Zheng Family had pleaded with the magistrate to pin the bla of the fake dicine on Tong Huaqiong, so when he appeared in court, he only needed to go through the motions, and he would soon be released to return to Qinghe Bay.

Upon learning this news, Xu Yong clung to it as a drowning man would a piece of driftwood, filled with hope.

When it was ti for the trial, he switched from blaming Xu Zaohua to accusing Tong Huaqiong.

County Magistrate Liu even thought Xu Yong had gone mad.

He hadn’t even been tortured yet!

County Magistrate Liu found it strange, wondering why Xu Yong suddenly changed his story.

County Magistrate Liu concluded that there must be sothing fishy and ordered torture on Xu Yong.

Xu Yong, under the assurance from Xu Zaohua that it was just a formality, wasn’t expecting real torture.

In a panic, he shouted, "Do you know the relationship between the magistrate and our Xu Family’s in-law Zheng Junren? The magistrate has known about this, and if you dare to torture , you’ll face punishnt from the magistrate!"

County Magistrate Liu: "..."

In the back of the county governnt, Lord Yao, who was kindly concerned with the outco of the fake dicine incident, was utterly shocked upon hearing this.

What’s the Zheng Family’s intention, using my na to sell fake dicine?

I’ve only been in Ning City for two months since coming from Shengjing, and this distant senior brother is ddling in County Magistrate Liu’s judgnts under my na?

Lord Yao was infuriated.

Aunt Tong was right; a single Xu Yong couldn’t have had the audacity to concoct fake dicine, and perhaps that unfamiliar senior brother, Zheng Junren, was behind it.

No need to ask further; it’s certain that the Zheng Family is involved in the fake dicine incident, and not only involved but also falsely accusing Aunt Tong.

Lord Yao was thoroughly enraged.

County Magistrate Liu, seeing Xu Yong dragging Lord Yao into this, ordered the governnt official to beat Xu Yong severely.

"I’ve confessed, confessed..."

Xu Yong then revealed the whole incident where Xu Zaohua sent soone to inform him that the Zheng Family had resorted to Lord Yao’s influence.

County Magistrate Liu, still puzzled about the relationship between Lord Yao and the Zheng Family, had Lu Zhaoyang whisper the details of their connection, which concluded with having none.

County Magistrate Liu was livid, realizing that the Zheng Family was trying to leverage a nonexistent relationship to pressure him.

So, he ordered soone to bring Zheng Junren to trial.

Isn’t his daughter-in-law pregnant?

Then he can accompany her to the trial.

County Magistrate Liu was not falsely accusing Zheng Junren; since Xu Yong, as Xu Zaohua’s uncle, and Xu Zaohua conspired in the fake dicine scandal, Zheng Junren, as Xu Zaohua’s father-in-law, might very well be involved.

As an official concerned with agriculture and sericulture, County Magistrate Liu had to investigate thoroughly.

He wouldn’t wrong any innocent person, and naturally, wouldn’t let any lawbreaker off the hook.

When Zheng Junren was summoned, the entire Zheng Family thought there had been a mistake.

Zheng Junren, a scholar who didn’t even have to bow to officials, how could he stand trial?

But the official who ca to arrest stated that even a prince and a commoner are treated equally under the law, let alone a scholar.

Zheng Junren asked what cri he had committed, and the official stated that he was involved in the fake dicine case and needed to have things clarified in court.

Considering Zheng Junren’s status as a scholar, the official afforded him the dignity of a literate man, not binding him but rely asking him to walk to the county governnt.