You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 117 Do you still hate me?
Prison.

After eating spoiled food for several days in a row, Qin Gui was on the verge of collapse.

He had been eagerly hoping that Master Liang would rescue him from prison, thinking that it would be an easy thing for Master Liang, but he never got his wish.

When he heard the jailer call out "Qin Gui" and say that someone was visiting him, he was extremely excited. He ran to the bars in a few quick steps, his face full of excitement and anticipation.

But the person who came was actually Liang Jiang.

He immediately wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.

Liang Jiang walked up to the prison and looked at Qin Gui, who was in a sorry state. She clicked her tongue repeatedly and said, "The conditions in this prison are so harsh. Didn't my second uncle inform the jailer to take care of Steward Qin?"

Qin Gui scoffed, "You're here to gloat, aren't you?"

Liang Jiang shook her head seriously: "I won't do such childish things. I'm here to discuss cooperation with Butler Qin."

Qin Gui scoffed: "Cooperate? Me, with you?"

Liang Jiang nodded: "Do you really expect my second uncle to come and rescue you? Don't even think about it. He brought you in, and he won't care whether you live or die."

"What do you mean?"

Liang Jiang took out an account book and handed it to him: "Take a look for yourself."

Qin Gui took it suspiciously, looked at it for a moment, and said with a somewhat subtle expression, "I don't understand what you're trying to say."

"Is this ledger real or fake?"

"of course it's true."

"Based on the conclusions drawn from these accounts, you have embezzled at least 20,000 taels of silver from the Duke's mansion over the past few years. If this is true, you will never be able to leave this prison for the rest of your life."

Qin Gui vehemently denied it: "That's utter nonsense! I admit that I did get a little something, but it was only three or four thousand taels at most, and it's all in my mistress's house. Your second uncle knew about it, but he turned a blind eye."

"So, tell me, is this ledger real or fake?"

Qin Gui was taken aback, and looked up at Liang Jiang, who was gazing at him meaningfully.

If it's true, the deficit of over 20,000 taels of silver is too much for me to cover. If I can't cover it, I'll be exiled to the army or imprisoned for life.

He stammered, "Is this really the household's account book?"

"To be precise, it was my second uncle who forged the ledgers in advance. He pocketed the shop's profits over the years, tampered with some of the profit accounts, and framed you for the rest, making you the scapegoat."

Qin Gui didn't believe it and examined the ledgers one entry at a time, becoming more and more alarmed as he looked.

Not only was he completely unaware of this, but he also used the destruction of these account books to establish the crime of burning down the Duke's mansion.

With profit at his fingertips, Qin Gui no longer cared about kinship and slammed the ledger shut.
"That's fake! Apart from the leather workshop, which is slightly losing money due to poor management, all the shops under the Duke's Mansion are profitable, and the profits are far more than that. They all went into Master Liang's pocket and were put into underground banks as part of his income."

Do my grandmother and second aunt know about this?

"I don't know! Although Madam Liang is very concerned about everything in the mansion, she rarely leaves the house and doesn't know much about the operation of the shops."

Do you know where the real ledgers are?

Qin Gui shook his head: "I had no idea when he switched the ledgers! I never expected him to play this trick on me."

Liang Jiang continued, "Then let me ask you again, two days before I returned to the Duke's mansion, did you go to see Yan Qi and ask him to report me to the yamen?"

Qin Gui was quite surprised: "How did you know?"

"My second uncle sent you, didn't he? What else do you know about this?"

Qin Gui nodded: "He said that you and your mother are ruthless and cruel. In order to escape unscathed, you did not hesitate to kill two innocent women to take their place. If you return to the Duke's mansion, you will definitely target me first. So, it is better to strike first. He told me to find Yan Qi and ask him who he had told about the Black Wind Temple. He wants Yan Qi to report you to the yamen."

Liang Jiang nodded slightly: "A wise man knows when to yield. It seems you are a smart man."

Qin Gui pleaded, "I know almost everything about him. I'll tell you everything, please spare me!"

Liang Jiang readily agreed: "As long as you do as I say, I will not only spare you, but also give you a sum of money to use for your future livelihood."

Qin Gui replied almost without hesitation: "If he is unrighteous, he cannot blame me for being unjust. From now on, Qin Gui will follow your lead, Princess."

Galangal is very satisfied.

Over the years, all the businesses of the Duke's Mansion have been managed by the Second Uncle. If it weren't for the Black Wind Temple incident, Liang Jiang would have been willing to hand over the Duke's Mansion, or at the very least, she would have turned a blind eye and not cared about this small amount of money.

However, since Master Liang first plotted to kill her for money and then repeatedly made things difficult for her, she didn't mind and decided to eliminate him completely.

However, dealing with his own second uncle is different from dealing with the Fang family. He can proceed step by step, gradually driving the Fang family into a dead end.

To deal with her second uncle, she needed to remain calm and strike decisively, leaving him no chance to recover.

As she returned to the Duke's mansion from the prison and stepped off the carriage, she heard someone call her name from behind: "Liang Jiang".

Liang Jiang turned her head, and Fang Chengxu, leading a chestnut horse, walked out from the shade, his gaze shining brightly as he looked at her.

But his face was full of dejection; he had lost weight, his eyes were sunken, and his freshly shaved beard had green stubble.

Seeing Liang Jiang looking over, he grinned and said in a low, husky voice, "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Liang Jiang was a little surprised and couldn't help but recall how he had just returned to Fucheng from Xiliang, brushed past her, and rushed into Tong Zhao'er's delivery room.

Although he was travel-worn and thin with sharp features, his eyes were warm and his whole being was spirited and full of vitality.

He now resembled a lifeless old man, his shoulders slumped and his entire being utterly dejected.

She stood there in astonishment, unsure of what to say, and only asked softly, "Is something the matter?"

Fang Chengxu walked up to him, head bowed: "I'm here to pay off my debt."

Paying off debts, not just repaying a debt.

His attitude was extremely humble, even somewhat subservient, and Liang Jiang couldn't say anything excessive for a moment.

"I didn't bring my IOU with me. Please come inside."

Fang Chengxu shook his head: "I know I'm not popular, so I'll just say it here."

He took out a silver note from his pocket and handed it to Liang Jiang: "I'm so sorry for the delay. Please count it."

Liang Jiang handed the silver note to Yu Ma behind her: "Bring me the IOU."

After glancing at the banknotes to confirm their authenticity, Aunt Yu turned and went back to the mansion, where she took out the IOU she had signed earlier.

Liang Jiang didn't say much, and returned the IOU to Fang Chengxu: "Then we're even now."

Fang Chengxu raised his face and asked in a hoarse voice, "Now that we're even, do you still hate me?"

Liang Jiang shook her head: "I wouldn't say I hate them, I just keep my distance."

Fang Chengxu tightened his grip on the reins: "I'm sorry for what happened before. I'm already very happy that you don't hate me."

He exuded nothing but pitifulness.

(End of this chapter)