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 time, 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 medicine 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 medicine 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 medicine was also salvaged with genuine medicine.

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

Lord Yao was extremely excited to learn that the medicine 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 someone 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 medicine ruined the crops and Tong Huaqiong righteously provided the real medicine 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 moment, Xu Yong is being tried at the county government," Lu San said.

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

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

How could Lord Yao not be happy?

Tong Huaqiong was someone who could ensure a bountiful corn harvest, which not only added to his achievements 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 medicine?" 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 medicine.

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

Tong Huaqiong meant 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 smell wonderful, but unfortunately, I can’t eat them. The ones you sent me last time, I gave to my senior brother." Lu Zhaoyang noticed that Tong Huaqiong seemed unwilling to discuss how she discovered the pesticide formula, so he changed the subject.

Tong Huaqiong was seeing Lu Zhaoyang for the first time 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 me 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 medicine 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 government’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 blame of the fake medicine 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 someone to the jail to tell Xu Yong that the Zheng Family had pleaded with the magistrate to pin the blame of the fake medicine 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 time 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 something 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 me, you’ll face punishment from the magistrate!"

County Magistrate Liu: "..."

In the back of the county government, Lord Yao, who was kindly concerned with the outcome of the fake medicine incident, was utterly shocked upon hearing this.

What’s the Zheng Family’s intention, using my name to sell fake medicine?

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

Lord Yao was infuriated.

Aunt Tong was right; a single Xu Yong couldn’t have had the audacity to concoct fake medicine, 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 medicine 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 government official to beat Xu Yong severely.

"I’ve confessed, confessed..."

Xu Yong then revealed the whole incident where Xu Zaohua sent someone 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 someone 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 medicine 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 came to arrest stated that even a prince and a commoner are treated equally under the law, let alone a scholar.

Zheng Junren asked what crime he had committed, and the official stated that he was involved in the fake medicine 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 merely asking him to walk to the county government.