The imperial guards brought by Song Yu swiftly infiltrated the villages of Yong'an County.
Inside the estate, Song Yu was engrossed in reading when he suddenly froze. "Ah Huan, Ma Liang... he’s supposed to be the chief examiner for the county exams, isn’t he?"
Song Shihuan nodded.
The next moment, Song Yu tossed the book aside. "So, before I’ve even taken the exams, the examiner is about to be thrown in prison?"
Tsk, how unlucky does that sound?
"If you passed the exams under such a man, Father, you’d probably be too furious to sleep," Song Shihuan remarked, sipping her tea. "In that case, we should expose Ma Liang’s true nature as soon as possible."
Song Yu wholeheartedly agreed with her but hesitated slightly as he picked up the book again. "Ah Huan, do you think Mrs. Wei can really uncover the truth if we hand all our resources to her?"
"She can," Song Shihuan said softly. "She knows Ma Liang’s true nature, so she’ll strike more accurately than anyone else."
More importantly, she could see the hatred burning in Mrs. Wei’s heart—just like her own in her past life. That seething resentment was waiting to be unleashed.
She wanted to give Mrs. Wei the chance to vent it.
Revenge is only truly satisfying when taken with one’s own hands.
"I’ll leave it to you, Ah Huan. I still have to study and can’t spare the effort to deal with Ma Liang myself." Song Yu now saw the wisdom in letting Mrs. Wei handle the investigation—it killed two birds with one stone.
Song Shihuan smiled, her eyes curving like crescents. "I’ll keep Ma Liang occupied. That’ll make everything perfect."
......
In another courtyard, Mrs. Wei had completely shed her previous frail and listless demeanor, as if she had grown stronger overnight. She briskly directed the men to investigate Ma Liang from all angles.
When she spotted Song Shihuan approaching, Mrs. Wei immediately set aside her work and hurried over. "Your Highness is here."
"You’re like a different person now—as if you’ve taken some miraculous elixir."
"Frankly, it’s a feeling Your Highness might not understand," Mrs. Wei said with a bitter smile. "The mere thought of tearing off Ma Liang’s mask with my own hands makes me want to work through the night without sleep."
I do understand.
Song Shihuan silently added the words in her heart.
"Fortunately, Ma Liang is an arrogant fool. For years, no official has thoroughly investigated Yongning County—most just glance at the streets and visit a few temples before declaring themselves satisfied." A dark glint flashed in Mrs. Wei’s eyes. "That makes our job much easier."
"Madam, there are a few things I still don’t quite grasp."
"Please ask, Your Highness."
"How exactly did Ma Liang control those villages? Was it just by hiring the able-bodied men as laborers?"
At this, Mrs. Wei pressed her lips together.
"Ma Liang provided the laborers with generous food and lodging, making sure outsiders saw how well he treated them. He even had Ma Wen'er personally serve them porridge regularly, building up their gratitude and his own reputation." Her expression darkened when speaking of the laborers. "As for their wages, he sent the money directly to their wives, children, and elderly parents, claiming he was helping them support their families."
"But in reality, the payments were pitifully small. Since the laborers were away year-round and well-fed outside, they never realized how desperate their families were—instead, they praised Ma Liang to the skies, didn’t they?"
A sharp glint flashed in Song Shihuan’s eyes. So this was how he embezzled all those funds allocated by the court.
Mrs. Wei nodded.
"In this world, women have it hard. If the head of the household sings Ma Liang’s praises, who would dare speak against him? Over time, even the families started believing he was a good official." She sighed. "The few laborers who realized the truth were quietly disposed of."
Men and women alike—all manipulated like frogs slowly boiled in warm water.
"Then where did all the embezzled money go?" Song Shihuan frowned. The Ma residence didn’t seem particularly lavish, and its masters dressed modestly.
Mrs. Wei shook her head. She didn’t know either.
"We must uncover that too." Song Shihuan had a strong suspicion—Ma Liang had refused promotions for years, insisting on staying in Yongning County. There had to be another reason.
......
Song Shihuan swaggered out of the estate.
"Baoxia, let’s pay Magistrate Ma a visit."
With her veil hat in place, she arrived at the county office just as Ma Liang was racking his brains over how much Song Yu knew.
Spotting Song Shihuan, Ma Liang suppressed his thoughts and bowed. "Your Highness graces us with your presence. This humble official failed to greet you properly—my deepest apologies."
Song Shihuan waved a hand dismissively. "Magistrate Ma, I’ve just arrived in Yongning County and find it quite entertaining. I’d like you to show me around."
Ma Liang had no choice but to agree.
"I’d like... to visit the cockfighting arena."
Ma Liang stiffened at her request but reluctantly escorted her there. Throughout the visit, Song Shihuan acted thrilled, repeatedly exclaiming that Yongning’s fighting cocks were even better than those in the capital.
"Next, I want to hear opera at the theater."
"And then I want to watch cricket fights."
......
After three or four days of this, Ma Liang was utterly exhausted, his face pale and body weak.
He could only pray for the day this little menace would leave.
"Someone! Speed up the repairs on the ancestral temple," Ma Liang ordered weakly.
At the same time, a memorial reached Emperor Yuanyou’s desk.
After reading it, the emperor flew into a rage.
"That Ma Liang—deliberately corrupting my granddaughter! Look at the places he’s taken Ah Huan!" Emperor Yuanyou’s fingers trembled with fury. "Cockfighting, cricket fights—clearly, his intentions are malicious. Not only is he leading Ah Huan astray, but he’s also trying to drag Yu’er down with her!"
"This man is treacherous, Your Majesty. We must act swiftly to stop him," Shen Qingping said in his official robes, seamlessly coordinating with the father-daughter pair in Yongning County.
Emperor Yuanyou snorted coldly.
"Considering Ma Liang’s decent governance over the years, I’ll settle for a letter of reprimand."
A letter of reprimand.
That meant Ma Liang wouldn’t be promoted for the next two or three years.
Three or four days later, the letter arrived in Yongning County.
Used to receiving only good news from the capital, Ma Liang knelt before the palace eunuch without a shred of suspicion.
But when the eunuch read the contents aloud, Ma Liang’s head snapped up in disbelief. A reprimand? The emperor had sent an urgent dispatch—just to scold him for corrupting Princess Fu'an?
He was more wronged than Dou E!
Within hours, all of Yongning County knew of Magistrate Ma’s "achievement"—an imperial reprimand.
"Magistrate Ma, you’re not angry with me, are you?" Song Shihuan lowered her head, hiding the smirk on her lips.
"This humble official wouldn’t dare."
