Is There Really Any Silver?

"Huh? Who stole your silver? Stop slandering people!" Xiao Zetian frowned.

"It was you who stole it!" Mrs. Tang grabbed Xiao Zetian's sleeve, refusing to let him go, shouting, "I hid several silver ingots at home. When I left, the money was still there, but just now, it disappeared! Only you and Xiongzi went into my house. Xiongzi came in and beat me, pulling me away all the time. Only you snuck in over the wall when I wasn’t looking. You must have taken advantage of that to steal my silver before coming out to break up the fight! You, Yuanbao! You, Suli! You two pretended to be good people trying to stop the fight, but you actually stole my silver! How can your hearts be so black?!"

Xiao Zetian immediately got angry and shook off Mrs. Tang's hand. "You lost your own stuff, what does that have to do with me? I don’t even want your lousy silver!"

Suli was also angry and sternly said to Mrs. Tang, "Mrs. Tang, stop making a fuss. Your family is so poor, where would you even get silver? You’re probably trying to extort someone again, aren’t you!?"

The village chief and other villagers were about to leave but got drawn back by Mrs. Tang’s commotion.

The village chief looked at Mrs. Tang with disgust. "Mrs. Tang, can’t you just calm down for once!?"

This time, Mrs. Tang really had lost silver and was desperate, refusing to calm down. She cried and shouted, "Yuanbao Suli, you two black-hearted people! Your family is so rich, yet you’re still coveting my silver! Those silver ingots were picked up by me and hidden by my bed, meant for bringing wealth and finding a husband. I told no one! But somehow, you took advantage of the chaos to steal them! No, I can’t swallow this grievance. You’re coming with me to the magistrate’s office. I must sue you and have the official settle this!"

As Mrs. Tang spoke, she tried to grab Suli, but Xiao Zetian blocked her with a shove.

Xiao Zetian looked at Mrs. Tang, her eyes red, and felt extreme disgust. He thought to himself that maybe they should secretly get rid of Mrs. Tang to avoid such trouble.

Everyone was at a stalemate, and Mrs. Tang kept yelling at the top of her lungs, "Black-hearted thieves! You stole my hidden silver! Come with me to the magistrate’s office and explain yourselves!"

As Mrs. Tang was shouting madly, suddenly she heard Zhang Zhuzi’s voice from behind: "What? You hid that silver?"

Mrs. Tang turned around and saw Zhang Zhuzi’s face full of anger.

Zhang Zhuzi grabbed Mrs. Tang’s hair and punched her once. Mrs. Tang let out a howl and fell hard onto the ground, finally stopping her screaming!

"Alright, you woman! You secretly hid silver without telling me. What were you thinking!?" Zhang Zhuzi rolled up his sleeves and slapped Mrs. Tang’s face. Mrs. Tang’s face, already bruised from Xiongzi’s beating, instantly swelled up half.

Mrs. Tang panicked when she heard Zhang Zhuzi ask about the hidden silver.

She knew Zhang Zhuzi’s temper well. If he found out she hid something from him, he definitely wouldn’t let her off easily.

Mrs. Tang immediately changed her story: "No, no, I didn’t hide any silver. What I just said... I was lying!"

Suli and Xiao Zetian both frowned, and the villagers gathered to watch the commotion.

The village chief said, "Mrs. Tang, you keep saying one moment that you hid silver and lost it, blaming Yuanbao for stealing it; then you say you didn’t hide any silver and that you were lying. How come you never tell the truth? If you keep this up, how can the villagers trust you in the future?"

Mrs. Tang looked at the village chief, then at Zhang Zhuzi, feeling trapped between two fires.

If she admitted to hiding silver, Zhang Zhuzi would beat her mercilessly; if she denied it, she would be publicly admitting to falsely accusing Yuanbao of theft, essentially slapping her own face.