The father of a certain provincial governor, who had served as an official in the south, had been dead for many years. On this night, the governor dreamt that his father appeared before him, his face terribly pale, saying, "In my entire life, I made very few mistakes, only one: I mistakenly dispatched a contingent of soldiers to guard the frontier. On their way, they encountered sea bandits, and the entire army was wiped out. Now, they are lodging a complaint before the King of Hell. The penalties in the underworld are cruel, and I wish to avoid punishment. I ask you to try and intercede with the King of Hell on my behalf. Tomorrow, a logistics official transporting grain will pass through; his surname is Wei, and he is the King of Hell. You must remember to seek his help; do not forget this, under any circumstances."

The very next day, a grain transport official surnamed Wei indeed passed by the governor’s official residence. The governor summoned him into the main hall, knelt to pay his respects, and pleaded with him to remit his father's crime. Wei stated, "I am indeed Yama. However, the punishments in the underworld are just, unlike the mortal realm where one can corrupt the law for personal gain. I am powerless here." The governor implored him repeatedly, and Wei, having no other choice, finally consented.

That night, the governor cleaned his residence and invited Wei to take his seat to hold the trial, while he himself remained to observe from the side. Wei was adorned with an imposing crown and broad robes, radiating immense authority. He cautioned sternly, "Do not utter a sound when the proceedings begin. Although the torments in the netherworld are severe, they differ from those in the living world. Although the culprits appear to be tortured until on the verge of death, ready to expire at any moment, they are not actually dead at that instant. No matter what you witness, you must not show alarm or make an outcry."

As he spoke, the sound of footsteps echoed from the distance. Ox-Head and Horse-Face escorted a troop of spectral soldiers into the hall below—each one bearing severed heads or broken limbs, their visages terrifying. Kindling was lit in the hall, heating a cauldron of oil to a rolling boil. The assembled ghosts immediately knelt on the ground, crying out their grievances. Wei pronounced, "You were killed by sea bandits. The debt is clear, the accuser known. Why do you falsely impeach your superior?"

The soldiers replied, "We were never meant to guard the frontier; we were inexplicably redeployed, and thus met our demise far from home. In the final analysis, this calamity was caused by our superiors." Wei nodded slowly. "What you say seems to hold some validity. Guards! Take the principal culprit and cast him into the oil vat; let him be fried." It seemed his intention was to quell the collective fury through this act.

Before long, Ox-Head escorted the governor's father, piercing him with a steel fork and tossing him into the boiling oil to be cooked. Seeing this, the governor’s heart twisted with unbearable pain, and he could not help but cry out involuntarily. In an instant, the hall fell deathly silent. Wei and the entire assembly of spirits vanished without a trace. Startled and sighing deeply, the governor returned to his residence. When dawn broke the next day, he went to inspect the hall again, only to find Wei sitting rigid, his body already stiffened in death.