"Thank you, sir!" The county magistrate wept with joy and kowtowed to him.
As soon as he exited the prefect's mansion, he instructed the coachman to go to Ouyang Xue's shop. Based on his understanding of her, she was usually in the shop at this hour, checking accounts.
Wu Caiwei was engrossed in her calculations in her private room when a portly middle-aged man walked in. Judging by his demeanor, she guessed his identity, as she was aware of what she had done the previous night.
"County Magistrate, I trust you are well," Wu Caiwei quickly stood up. The superficial courtesies had to be observed.
"How did you guess my identity? We don't seem to have met," the magistrate looked at her with surprise.
"I am a businesswoman. Whether I have other abilities is irrelevant, but my eyes must be sharp," Wu Caiwei smiled at him.
"I won't beat around the bush. The few gold ingots lost from the national treasury, are they still with you? Return them quickly and redeem yourself. Someone from above is going to investigate," the magistrate stared intently at her.
"I don't understand what you mean, sir. Shouldn't the treasury's money be in the treasury? How could it be with me?" Wu Caiwei played dumb, secretly sneering. They knew to come to her now, but they had no mercy when framing her back then.
"I need to remind you that the loss of money from the national treasury will lead to a bloody storm. Execution of the entire family would be light. If superiors send people to investigate, I will push you out first. None of us will escape," the magistrate said, afraid she, a commoner, wouldn't understand the gravity of the situation.
"The more I listen to you, sir, the more confused I become. When did I get involved with the treasury's money? It seems I've never even entered the county yamen, always being at home or at the shop. Besides, how could an ordinary person like me enter the national treasury? I've heard it's heavily guarded with numerous traps. Would a weak woman like me be able to get in?" Wu Caiwei looked at him with confusion.
"Let's speak plainly. You realized that Fuguijia framed you last time, didn't you? You fought back, sent half of the gold to the Prefect to file a complaint. This is a serious matter, and I trust you won't involve yourself in trouble," the magistrate was actually a little uncertain. After all, they hadn't caught her red-handed at the time. Moreover, the Prefect's mansion was a place where only certain people could come and go freely, certainly not someone like her. But he couldn't find anyone else, so he could only try to bluff her.
"So it was her who framed me last time. I suspected it then, but there was no concrete evidence. Thank you for informing me, sir," Wu Caiwei exclaimed, looking extremely grateful.
Seeing her sincere expression, the magistrate couldn't help but feel a bit doubtful. Did she really not know? Still uneasy, he continued to urge, "If you have any clues about the gold ingots, tell me quickly. The higher-ups will investigate this matter thoroughly soon. Anyone involved will face severe consequences."
Wu Caiwei nodded quickly. "Don't worry, sir. With my status, I certainly wouldn't have access to such things. Even if I hear any gossip, I will report it to you immediately."
The magistrate was also somewhat bewildered, unsure if she was telling the truth. He reluctantly left.
The magistrate spent the day searching with all his resources but found no clues. He had no choice but to approach Master Wang for help.
Upon hearing of the severe consequences, Master Wang trembled all over. Recalling that they had taken the treasury's money to frame Ouyang Xue, he dared not be careless. He quickly wrote a letter and had his servant deliver it to his daughter posthaste.
Wang Li, upon reading the letter's contents, trembled with anger. She felt her father was a disgrace, always dragging her down. However, with the situation having escalated this far, it couldn't be ignored. She tidied herself up and went to find her husband.
Zhang Feng was so shocked upon hearing his wife's reason for coming that his jaw nearly dropped. "How dare they?"
"It has already happened. My husband, do you think there's any solution?" Wang Li asked him cautiously.
Despite her current appearance, in the eyes of outsiders, she was the wife of a high-ranking second-rank general. In reality, only she knew how insignificant she had become in Zhang Feng's heart. Even his concubines had a higher birth than hers. She lived in the mansion on tenterhooks, walking on eggshells, especially since new women entered the household every year.
"How many times have I told you to instruct the Wang family to act cautiously, but you wouldn't listen? Now that something has happened, you want me to help you solve it. What can I do? If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?" Zhang Feng was furious, thinking they were incredibly audacious to dare touch anything.
"Father said that the Prefect is going to report this higher up. If the Wang family is implicated, the Zhang mansion will surely be dragged down. No matter how angry you are, we still need to think of a solution," Wang Li urged him persistently. Regardless of anything else, she didn't want to abandon her maiden family.
"How can I help with such a big matter? You know that being a second-rank general sounds good, but when there's no war, it's essentially a leisurely post. Which noble family in the capital would take us seriously?" Zhang Feng also knew that this matter would inevitably implicate him, but he truly didn't know who to ask for help.
"Actually, this matter is both difficult and simple," he said. When he first heard about it, he was a bit flustered, but after calming down and thinking it over, he wondered if there was a breakthrough. Indeed, a thought occurred to him.
"Oh? What do you mean?" Wang Li quickly looked up at him, her face full of hope.
"The money wasn't taken from the treasury by your father. He's just a businessman, he can completely shift the blame to the county magistrate and claim ignorance," Zhang Feng thought it was increasingly feasible and quickly voiced his suggestion.
"Right! Let's deny everything," Wang Li slapped her thigh, finding the idea brilliant.
Seeing her excitement, Zhang Feng couldn't help but pour cold water on her. "This time, I'll find a way to push all the blame onto the county magistrate. Next time, it'll be simple: I'll divorce you directly, and you'll have nothing to do with our Zhang mansion anymore. To prevent such a thing from happening again, you'd better tell your father not to act recklessly outside using my name. My patience has its limits."
"Yes, my dear husband. Rest assured, I will instruct them," Wang Li quickly promised. She didn't doubt the sincerity of her husband's words. She could clearly feel that since he was promoted to a second-rank general, he had begun to look down on her. Sometimes, he even brought his concubines with higher birth when going out. After all, those rules and etiquette were ingrained in them since childhood, etched into their bones.
"Hurry back and write a letter to your father. I'll handle the rest. Remember, this is the last time," Zhang Feng reiterated. The main reason was that the last time he went back, he had heard too much gossip.
When he was a young general, he hadn't felt it, but as his rank grew higher, he felt that his father-in-law's family not only couldn't help him but was also a ticking time bomb. As for Wang Li, she didn't have any major flaws, but when she walked with other ladies, she was unknowingly at a disadvantage, as their upbringing and education were different.