Although clerk Tang was a mediocre official who never strived for advancement, did the bare minimum in his work, and lived life carelessly, he had lived long enough and seen enough of the world's strange occurrences that compared to the naive and foolish Zhao Qiang, he was quite the cunning old fox.
Therefore, as soon as Zhao Qiang recounted his experience at the Gold Jade Hall, clerk Tang understood - he had fallen into a trap!
"Despicable! Utterly despicable!" clerk Tang fumed, pacing back and forth in the cramped jail cell, wishing he could get his hands on that Old Six Hu and Houzi to teach them a lesson.
Zhao Qiang didn't understand what his uncle meant, so he asked, "Uncle, what scammers? Who are the scammers?"
"Hah!" clerk Tang sneered. "Who else could it be? Naturally, it's your dear brother Houzi whom you're so grateful to, and his boss Old Six Hu."
"Impossible!" Zhao Qiang refused to believe it.
"Impossible? Ha! Then tell me, why would Houzi suddenly come to butter you up? Was it really just to help you find a wife? That was obviously just an excuse - he was trying to trick you into gambling at the Gold Jade Hall!"
"And tell me, why would the Gold Jade Hall let you play five free rounds, and let you win every time? Did you really think it was because of your good luck or superior gambling skills? Those small initial wins were just to inflate your ego, to make you lose touch with reality, all to lure you into playing that sixth round and saddle you with a massive debt!"
"No... it's not like that, Uncle. That's just your speculation. Houzi is truly a loyal friend. He even knelt down to plead for me," Zhao Qiang said urgently, trying to prove he wasn't wrong, though something was wavering in his heart.
"Knelt down to plead for you? Hahaha... my foolish nephew, haven't you ever heard of 'feigning injury to gain trust'? Think about it - if you were the boss, would you give up 6,000 taels just because one of your subordinates said a few words?" clerk Tang said sarcastically.
"That's because... because Old Six knew I couldn't come up with 6,000 taels, so he did me a favor and only asked for 100 taels..." Zhao Qiang stammered.
"Bah! Two conniving dogs working together!" clerk Tang cursed upon hearing this, lamenting to himself how calculating these two were. Their explanation sounded so reasonable - no wonder Zhao Qiang fell for it.
"He not only knew you couldn't produce 6,000 taels, he also knew you couldn't produce 100 taels. He even knew that on the day of the lower degree candidate examination results, you would go to Liu Ming'an's house. These two shameless scoundrels went to such great lengths just to use you to do these things, while keeping themselves out of it entirely, not a leaf touching their bodies."
After confidently analyzing the situation, clerk Tang couldn't help but curse "scoundrels" a few more times.
"Why did they want me to steal the silver? What benefit is there for them?" Zhao Qiang still couldn't understand.
clerk Tang shook his head at Zhao Qiang, who was a head taller than him. He had only grown in height, not in brains.
"Let me ask you this - you said you went to steal the money alone, got caught by that girl, then escaped to the woods and was knocked unconscious. Is this the truth?"
Afraid clerk Tang would doubt him, Zhao Qiang quickly raised three fingers and said, "Uncle, I swear to heaven, if I've spoken even half a lie, may lightning strike me in two - vertically!"
"Alright, I believe you. Then what if I tell you that Liu Ming'an's house was set on fire that very night?" clerk Tang's expression was very serious.
"His house was burned down? Uncle, that absolutely has nothing to do with me," Zhao Qiang said firmly. "When I went to steal, I did light a candle, but that was only because the room was too dark and I couldn't see anything. And that candle went out during my scuffle with that woman, I swear it's true. It couldn't have set the house on fire."
"So, if you didn't set the house on fire, that means someone else went to Liu Ming'an's house after you and the girl left, and set it ablaze!" clerk Tang's tone became mysteriously eerie, sending chills down Zhao Qiang's spine.
"Then... are Liu Ming'an and the others trying to pin the arson charge on me too?" Zhao Qiang thought this was what clerk Tang was worried about.
"Ah, you really are a fool!" clerk Tang said, exasperated. "Think about it - if your knock-out drug had worked, wouldn't Liu Ming'an and that girl still have been unconscious when you went to steal?"
Zhao Qiang nodded, saying sheepishly, "That was the original plan. I don't know why the drug didn't work..."
clerk Tang, annoyed, raised his hand and knocked Zhao Qiang on the head again. He said seriously, "The fact that they weren't drugged unconscious is your ancestors' eighteen generations protecting you - it's your tremendous good fortune!"
Seeing Zhao Qiang's confused expression, clerk Tang let out a long sigh and patiently explained, "If they had been unconscious, and you had stolen the silver and left, then when the arsonist came later, they wouldn't have just burned down a house..."
clerk Tang paused, staring directly into Zhao Qiang's eyes. "It would have been two lives! And both of those lives would have been on your head, Zhao Qiang!"
Zhao Qiang instantly felt his scalp tingle, and it seemed cold sweat was running down his back.
"This was their vicious plan! Pretending to have you steal money, but actually using you as a tool for murder. If it came to light, people would only find out that you owed gambling debts, that you bought knock-out drugs, that you had the motive for murder and robbery, and the opportunity to commit the crime! While they could use you as a scapegoat and sleep easy themselves!"
With every sentence clerk Tang spoke, Zhao Qiang's face grew paler, until at last his entire face was as white as paper.
The truth was so cruel, human hearts so terrifying. Brotherly affection turned out to be honey-lipped and dagger-hearted, respectful behavior turned out to be a knife hidden behind a smile!
How frightening!
"Uncle, what should I do?" Realizing the truth, Zhao Qiang now felt only despair.
clerk Tang patted his head comfortingly, a trace of helplessness passing through his eyes. "You did indeed go to drug them and steal, that can't be denied. Tomorrow, Liu Ming'an will present his complaint to the court, and the charges of arson and murder are very likely to fall on you as well..."
"Uncle..." Zhao Qiang could no longer hold back, tears streaming from his eyes.
Seeing him like this, clerk Tang felt pity. He paced back and forth in the jail cell, racking his brains to think of a solution.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
The sudden sound of applause startled Zhao Qiang and clerk Tang, who were lost in their own thoughts. They turned their heads to see a young man in plain clothes standing outside the cell, watching the two of them with great interest. His appearance was proper and dignified.
Seeing the two look over, the young man slowly opened his mouth. His voice was steady and composed, inexplicably bringing to mind the words "authoritative" and "imposing."
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
clerk Tang's expression changed abruptly. He knelt down along with Zhao Qiang, bowing to the man and nervously saying, "Greetings, Lord Song!"
