Forced to marry, I picked up a young powerful official

The warden, instructed by Tongzhi Zhang, treated Shen Nankui very politely. However, when he knew that the person she wanted to see was Tao, he sighed softly.

"Alas, speaking of which, that woman is also a pitiful person."

Shen Nankui noticed that he looked strange, as if there was something else going on, so she couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"

The warden shook his head. "When you see her, you will understand. Fortunately, someone came to see her. Otherwise, I am really afraid that she would die before her mother was sentenced."

"What happened to Miss Tao's mother?" Shen Nankui looked puzzled.

Seeing that she seemed to know nothing, the warden said, "Ever since Mrs. Tao was put in the death row, her mother has been kneeling in front of the government office every day, clamoring to seek justice for her daughter. People like her who disturb the court should be beaten out, but the magistrate felt sorry for her and didn't do anything. He just told them not to pay any attention to her."

When he said this, a hint of pity appeared in his eyes.

"I heard that Tao was a businessman before she committed the crime, so she shouldn't be short of money. But her mother can't even afford to stay in an inn in Yongzhou these days. She just sleeps under the wall of the government office every day and lives on charity. How is she different from a beggar?"

"How could this be?"

Shen Nankui's eyes darkened.

It goes without saying that this must have been done by those members of the Tao clan.

She became more and more certain that Miss Tao was framed.

Otherwise, why would the Tao family members rush to seize the workshop as soon as Miss Tao was imprisoned? How could Miss Tao's mother, a mere woman, protect the family property?

Chixia Rouge has very good sales in Cang County, and Miss Tao gets a good share of the profits. It is impossible for her mother to be without money. If she had not been bullied and oppressed by the Tao clan members, how could she have fallen to this point?

The mother and daughter were completely devoured!

The warden sighed, "To be honest, I went to see this woman two days ago. She looked sick. She has been living outside for so many days, hanging on by a thread. If she hears Tao's verdict in a few days, I'm afraid she won't be able to hold on."

"This mother and daughter, one is suffering in prison, the other is suffering outside, both are miserable people!"

As he spoke, he walked to the death cell located in the deepest part of the provincial prison.

The warden pointed to a cell at the end of the corridor and said, "That's where Tao is."

Shen Nankui looked over and saw that the cell was not big, but it contained about ten people, all female prisoners.

The light in the cell was dim, and the female prisoners were dishevelled and dirty, so it was difficult to tell who was who.

Shen Nankui frowned, "I heard that death row prisoners are held separately, why are there so many people in here? Could it be that all these women have committed capital crimes as well?"

The warden explained, "That's not the case. It's just that there are few female prisoners in this prison, and there are some taboos when detaining female prisoners, so they have always been placed together."

He walked forward, knocked on the prison door with his scabbard, and shouted, "Tao, someone is here to see you!"

But no one responded.

The prison warden had no choice but to shout a few more times, "Tao, Tao, why don't you answer?"

There was a burst of laughter in the cell, but still no one came out.

Seeing this, the warden seemed to understand something and said coldly, "I told you to behave yourself, but you won't listen? Do you still want to be whipped?"

"We didn't do anything, please don't accuse us, sir!"

A fat female prisoner said this and kicked a figure huddled in the corner. "Hey, ugly bastard, the officer asked you a question, why didn't you say anything?"

Only then did Shen Nankui see that there was actually another person hiding inside.

The man was thin and curled up into a small ball in the corner. Even when he was kicked to the ground, he just got up quietly and squatted again.

There was a large birthmark between her left eye and forehead, which was particularly eye-catching despite the dim light in the cell.

It was undoubtedly Miss Tao.

Shen Nankui was about to speak when the fat female prisoner who had just kicked Miss Tao spoke again. She seemed dissatisfied with Miss Tao's attitude and lifted her ear and said, "Speak, are you mute?"

Miss Tao glanced at her and quickly looked away, as if she was very afraid of the person in front of her.

"I didn't kill anyone..."

She just kept repeating this sentence.

The fat female prisoner sneered, "Ugly freak, just pretend. If you didn't kill anyone, would you be locked up here? Could it be that others were scared to death by your appearance? Tsk, I feel unlucky to be in the same cell with you!"

Although the remaining female prisoners did not say anything, they also laughed out loud. It was obvious that they must have treated Miss Tao like this many times on weekdays.

Shen Nankui was a little angry, and looked at the prison warden and said, "They are bullying Miss Tao so much, don't you care?"

The warden sighed, "Of course we will take care of it, but there are always twelve hours in a day, and there will always be times when we can't see it."

After that, he knocked on the cell door again with the knife.

"Disperse, what are you doing together? Who told you to do that?" He glared at the female prisoner who had hit someone.

Seeing that he was angry, the fat female prisoner quickly withdrew her hand and smiled in a flattering manner.

"Sir, this Tao girl doesn't obey your orders. Doesn't that mean she doesn't respect you? I just want to teach her a lesson for you. I have no other intentions..."

Shen Nankui suddenly said, "Please open the cell door. I want to go in and see Miss Tao."

Seeing her determined expression, the warden did not refuse because he remembered that the Tongzhi had instructed him to try his best to meet her demands.

He walked forward, took out the key and opened the cell door, then drove everyone except Miss Tao to the corner, and then invited Shen Nankui in.

Someone came into the cell, but Miss Tao still didn't react. She just huddled in the corner, as if she was trying her best to reduce her presence.

Shen Nankui squatted down in front of her and called softly, "Miss Tao?"

Her voice was gentle. Tao Ru couldn't help but look up at her. Seeing that it was a completely unfamiliar face, she immediately lowered her head.

Seeing her like this, Shen Nankui's heart softened, and she said softly, "Don't be afraid, Miss Tao. My name is Shen Nankui. You should know me, right?"

Tao Ru was stunned for a long while before she asked in surprise, "You...you are the boss?"

Shen Nankui nodded, "Yes, I came to Yongzhou to rescue you. You just said that you didn't kill anyone, right?"

Hearing this, Tao Ru seemed to have lost control. Fear filled her eyes and she tried desperately to hide backwards.

"I didn't kill anyone! I really didn't... Don't hit me..."

Shen Nankui frowned, suddenly pulled Tao Ru's arm and rolled up her sleeves, only to see that her slender white arms were covered with bruises of varying depths. When he lifted up her trouser legs, he saw the same.

His hands and feet were in such a state, so his body wouldn't be much better.

Seeing Tao Ru's terrified expression, Shen Nankui felt extremely distressed even though it was the first time he saw her.

She turned her head and looked at the warden, her clear and cold eyes seemed to reveal a chill.

"Before coming to the prison, I had already met with Zhang Tongzhi, who told me personally that the verdict had not yet been made, and the government had only temporarily detained Miss Tao here, and had not issued any order for her to be punished. May I ask the warden, where did these injuries on Miss Tao come from? Did you dare to resort to lynching?"