Chapter 67: Conversation in prison, seeing through the conspiracy

Zhao Qiang’s uncle is called Tang Youcai, a clerk in the Baoji County Yamen, an eighth-rank official. People in the Yamen call him "Sir", and outsiders generally call him "Tang Shuli".

Tang Shuli is a typical mediocre official. He has been working in the officialdom for more than 20 years. He has been half confused and half sober for most of his life, never thinking about climbing up, he knows that this is all he can do.

It is also because of this that Tang Shuli neither flatters the superiors nor bullies the subordinates. He does his job honestly and can barely be called an "honest official".

The only time in his life that he used his power was to arrange a job for his nephew Zhao Qiang in the Yamen.

I thought I could live peacefully like this forever, but who knew that Zhao Qiang got into trouble without saying a word, and was tied up and sent to the government office to file a complaint.

"Alas!" Tang Shuli had a headache. After Liu Mingan and others left, he came to the cell and waited for Zhao Qiang to wake up.

"Sir, why don't you go and do your work first? I'll call you when Coach Zhao wakes up?" The jailer on the side saw Tang Shuli sighing and waiting for a long time, and suggested.

"It's okay, don't worry about me, I'll wait for him to wake up and ask him in person." Tang Shuli waved his hand and said.

Jiang Ning's attack was heavy-handed. Zhao Qiang didn't wake up until almost noon. The jailer helped to twist his dislocated arms back, and the wounds from the knife were simply bandaged. Everything was fine, except that his uncle was staring at him with a gloomy face.

"Uncle, I..." Zhao Qiang was most afraid of this scene. He stammered a few words and couldn't say any more. He could only lower his head and avoid Tang Shuli's accusing eyes.

"You..." Seeing him like this, Tang Shuli swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

In fact, Tang Shuli couldn't say whether he liked or disliked this nephew, but his wife felt sorry for Zhao Qiang, who had no father or mother and was lonely and helpless, so she insisted that he help take care of him. If Tang Shuli didn't listen to her, she would make a fuss. For the sake of peace in his family, Tang Shuli had to do it no matter how reluctant he was.

"Tell me, what's going on?" After a while, Tang Shuli spoke solemnly.

Zhao Qiang kept his head down and did not answer.

Tang Shuli could tell at a glance that Zhao Qiang's pride was at work. He felt that his kindness had gone in vain and said angrily, "Ancestor, I, Tang Youcai, beg you for help, okay? Tell me the truth, did you really steal someone's things?"

"...Yes."

Zhao Qiang's voice was barely audible, but Tang Shuli still heard it. He frowned and continued to ask, "What did you steal?"

"Silver."

"How much did you steal?"

"I wanted to steal one hundred taels, but I was caught by that woman before I could steal it."

Tang Shuli frowned even more tightly and couldn't help raising his voice, "One hundred taels? You don't support your wife and children, what do you want so much money for?"

Zhao Qiang was silent again.

Tang Shuli was so angry that he almost died: "You are already in jail, what else can you not say, huh?"

Zhao Qiang hesitated for a long time, and finally said: "I owe gambling debts."

"Gambling? How much do you owe?"

"...One hundred taels."

Zhao Qiang's voice was a few degrees lower, but Tang Shuli almost tilted his ears to listen, so he still heard it, but he would rather not hear it.

"One hundred taels? One hundred taels? One hundred taels?" Tang Shuli's eyes were as big as copper bells, and he asked three times in a row.

Zhao Qiang nodded dejectedly: "It was only because my brother pleaded for me that I owed only one hundred taels. In fact, I owed, owed... six thousand six hundred and fifty taels..."

Tang Shuli felt dizzy all of a sudden, and dark clouds formed in front of his eyes. For a while, he could not see anything clearly, and his ears were buzzing, as if thousands of bees had drilled into his brain.

Zhao Qiang knew at a glance that his uncle was very angry. Seeing Tang Shuli holding his head and looking like he was about to fall, Zhao Qiang also became anxious. He quickly stood up to support him, patting his back to calm him down and apologizing: "Uncle, I messed up. Don't get angry and hurt yourself. Don't worry about me. Just judge it as it should be. Don't let it implicate you..."

Zhao Qiang actually had some complicated feelings towards Tang Shuli. He and Tang Shuli had no blood relationship. They were related because his aunt loved him.

When Tang Shuli first started to care about him, Zhao Qiang knew that this uncle actually looked down on him. The reason was that he was idle all day, stealing and cheating. He looked like a gangster at first glance, and he looked down on himself. But Tang Shuli was still willing to take care of him, and he took the trouble to send him to learn martial arts, and finally arranged for him to work in the government office, where he had a stable job and could make a living.

Now Zhao Qiang knew that he had made a big mistake. The county magistrate was a good official who was upright and impartial. As his uncle, Tang Shuli should have avoided suspicion and stayed away from him. Going to the prison to ask him a few questions was already risky.

"Uncle, don't worry about me. I accept being beaten, imprisoned, and exiled... Go back and tell my aunt that I am dead. I will remember your kindness. I will work hard to repay you in my next life..."

It took Tang Shuli a long time to accept the fact that Zhao Qiang owed 6,650 taels of silver. As soon as he regained consciousness, he heard Zhao Qiang's instructions for his funeral. He was so angry that he couldn't help but raise his hand and hit him hard on the forehead: "What are you saying? Are you the official or am I the official? The county magistrate hasn't spoken yet, how can you sentence yourself?"

Zhao Qiang could tell that Tang Shuli felt sorry for him, and he pulled the corner of his mouth, feeling quite bitter.

Tang Shuli was so angry that he just lost his mind, but now he has come to his senses. The more he thinks about it, the more he feels that something is strange. He knows that Zhao Qiang gambled, but it was just a small bet that didn't cause any harm. How could he suddenly owe so much money? Which "brother" of his can turn the debt of 6,650 taels into 100 taels in one go? How did Zhao Qiang steal from someone's house? How did he know that a villager could come up with 100 taels of silver?

"You, now tell me honestly how you owed money, how you stole money, who your accomplices were, and tell me in detail. Remember, don't miss any details!"

Tang Shuli looked serious and his tone was rare and stern. Zhao Qiang didn't dare to make him angry again, so he told Tang Shuli how he knew Monkey, how he owed money, and how he went to Lotus Village to steal money from beginning to end without reservation.

Who knew that Tang Shuli would be furious after hearing this, even angrier than before, panting heavily, and his lips trembling with anger.

"Hateful! Hateful!" Tang Shuli gritted his teeth and said.

Zhao Qiang thought Tang Shuli was talking about him, so he didn't dare to talk back and said in accordance with his meaning: "Yes, I am hateful and I deserve to die. Uncle, please don't be angry or you may get hurt."

"I'm not talking about you!" Tang Shuli looked at his stupid nephew with a look of pity in his eyes and sighed: "Why are you so stupid? You were fooled around by others, and in the end you are grateful to the fool. Alas~"