The blue-gray brick floor of Banxian Medical Hall rang with the heavy thuds of official boots. Imperial Physician Chen's goatee was fringed with icicles, and behind him stood four Censorate bailiffs bearing broadswords. Their gazes swept across the Ghost-face Counting Rods hanging from the veranda, as though inspecting some malevolent demonic artifact. Huwa squatted behind the Wall of Merit, his carving knife chipping a ghost face wearing an official's gauze cap into the blue brick, his tongue stuck out far as he "licked" an abacus bead.
"Zhang Yifan," Imperial Physician Chen slammed his abacus down onto the bluestone slab, "the Censorate states that every single entry in your 'Renxin Ledger' is ambiguous! You are clearly embezzling charitable funds for your own pockets!" Su Wanyue's horsewhip was just about to snap outward when Zhang Yifan smiled and unfolded a three-inch-thick ledger. Tucked into the corner of every page was a miniature official-seal ghost face carved by Huwa: "My Lord, please take a look. Every single coin of charity was converted into medicinal herbs—" He pointed to a piece of dried perilla tucked into the ledger. "Grand Secretary Li's fifty taels were exchanged for cough medicine for a hundred families in the southern part of the city. The ghost-face wood carving on the medicine packet was even carved from peach wood from your own honorable hometown, Officer."
The bailiffs exchanged glances, and one of them suddenly pointed at Huwa: "What is this sneak…
Chapter 63