Wei Che looked at Su Huaiyue, his eyes filled with curiosity and worry: "Sister-in-law, what did you say to the county magistrate? Why did he suddenly relent?"
Su Huaiyue smiled lightly and told Wei Che the whole conversation with the county magistrate.
After hearing this, Wei Che frowned slightly: "You said you saw He Er accepting bribes? How come I didn't notice it?"
Su Huaiyue blinked and said calmly, "I was just kidding. But look at He Er's reaction to the knife. He was so nervous. There must be something wrong. I just took a gamble, and I didn't expect it to work."
Wei Che looked at Su Huaiyue, his heart moving slightly.
She made such a bold guess, yet she trusted her previous inference about He Er so much, which made Wei Che feel a different kind of tacit understanding.
His expression gradually softened, and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes: "Sister-in-law, you are really courageous."
As he was speaking, the old man who was in charge of handwriting identification finally showed up.
The old man was wearing a long blue cloth gown that was faded from washing. He walked hurriedly but steadily, holding an old wooden box tightly in his hand, which must be the tool he used to identify handwriting.
Su Huaiyue and Wei Che were instantly on alert. Su Huaiyue appeared calm, with his chin slightly raised, but his eyes were fixed on the old man's figure. His hands unconsciously clenched at his sides, his nails digging into his palms, leaving shallow marks.
Wei Che straightened his back slightly, with a sharp look in his eyes under his seemingly calm face. He stared at the old man closely, as if he wanted to see through him and get useful information from him.
The old man walked to the center of the court, first saluted the county magistrate, then took the letter and examined it carefully.
He took out a magnifying glass from his sleeve, put it in front of the letter, and examined the handwriting on it without blinking, sometimes frowning, sometimes shaking his head slightly.
Su Huaiyue's heart was in her throat. She stared at the old man intently, her lips tightly pursed.
Wei Che bit his lower lip tightly, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.
After a long moment, the old man straightened up, cleared his throat, and said, "Your Excellency, after careful observation, the handwriting on this letter is indeed very similar to Su Huaiyue's. It can almost be concluded that they were written by the same person."
Su Huaiyue and Wei Che were immediately horrified. Su Huaiyue's eyes widened as she stared at the old man in disbelief: "This...how is this possible? I have never written such a letter!"
Wei Che also hurriedly said: "Old man, did you see it wrong? My sister-in-law would never write such a letter!"
The county magistrate's face darkened and he pressed the old man: "Are you sure you didn't see it wrong? Don't be careless!"
The old man was so frightened that he knelt down quickly and said in panic, "Sir, I have been engaged in handwriting identification for many years. I have a good eye and I will not be wrong."
Su Huaiyue took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
She looked at the old man and asked, "Old man, can you tell what kind of ink was used on this letter?"
The old man was slightly startled, then he looked at the letter carefully and said, "Miss, this is Hui ink, and it is a higher quality one."
Su Huaiyue's heart moved, and he immediately turned to the county magistrate and said, "Sir, if that's the case, could you please send someone to my bedroom to get my ink for comparison? The ink I use every day is definitely different from the ink on this letter. This will prove my innocence!"
The county magistrate was a little hesitant. He had accepted benefits from Su Huaiyue, so naturally he did not want to convict the Wei family easily, but he could not show it too obviously.
After thinking for a moment, he nodded: "Okay, as you say."
After a while, the sound of footsteps came from afar. The person who went to get the ink finally came back, and Wei Ersao came with him.
I saw Wei Ersao jogging all the way, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead. A few strands of hair were soaked with sweat and stuck to her cheeks, making her look a little embarrassed.
She didn't bother to tidy up her appearance. As soon as she arrived at the court, she hurriedly saluted the county magistrate and said breathlessly, "Sir, I heard that the court needed the Wei family's ink for comparison, so I thought I'd come along and maybe be of some help."
Her face was filled with a flattering smile, but her eyes unconsciously wandered among the people in the court.
The county magistrate nodded slightly and motioned for her to wait on the side.
The old man took the Wei family's ink, carefully placed it on the table, and picked up the letter as evidence.
He took out a magnifying glass from his sleeve, squinted his eyes, and carefully compared the ink and the handwriting on the letter.
There was silence in the courtroom, and everyone's eyes were focused on the old man. Although Su Huaiyue and Wei Che appeared calm on the surface, they were very nervous inside. Su Huaiyue clenched his fists slightly, while Wei Che stared at the old man's every move, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes.
After a long moment, the old man straightened up, bowed to the county magistrate, and said, "Sir, after a careful comparison, I find that this ink is completely different from the ink on the letter."
Upon hearing this, the county magistrate frowned slightly. After a moment's silence, he coughed and said, "If that's the case, the Wei family may truly have been wronged this time. You may return first, but be careful in your actions. You are still guilty, so consider carefully before you act."
Su Huaiyue and Wei Che exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes. They quickly and respectfully thanked the county magistrate, "Thank you for your insight, sir. I will definitely keep your teachings in mind."
After saying that, the two men took Wei Ersao away from the court.
On the way back, Wei Ersao approached Su Huaiyue and Wei Che and asked casually, "Sister-in-law, Fifth Brother, what exactly happened in the government office? I was really scared when I saw that scene just now."
As she spoke, she gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, seemingly observing the expressions of the two people nonchalantly.
Su Huaiyue briefly recounted the entire process in court, from the appearance of the letter of complaint, to the questioning of the handwriting, to the discovery of the abnormality in He Er's sword, and the subsequent dealings with the county magistrate.
When Wei Ersao heard this, she nodded repeatedly on the surface, but her heart was in turmoil.
When she heard that the county magistrate temporarily let the Wei family go because of the difference in ink, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart was finally at ease, and she was glad that her secret changes to the account book had not been exposed.
She lowered her head slightly, a trace of relief flashing in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously rose. She quickly covered it with her handkerchief, pretending to just wipe the corners of her mouth, and said, "So that's how it is. It was a close call."
Back at the Beauty Pavilion, before even stepping into the hall, I could hear the sound of anxious pacing coming from inside.
Su Huaiyue and Wei Che brought Wei Ersao into the hall, only to see Lu Jin holding many gifts and pacing back and forth in the hall with an anxious look on his face.
Her brows were tightly furrowed together, forming a deep "川" character, and her eyes were full of worry and anxiety.
The gift in her hand was slightly deformed by her grip, but she was completely unaware of it.
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