89 Sun Da is dead

◎ "Do you know the cause of death?"◎

In the past two months, Aunt Wang looked forward to it day and night, but now that she really had to cut the mushrooms with her own hands, she felt a little panicked.

She looked up at Ye Yunzhao beside her, and suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. She took the knife from her hand with determination, and her calloused hands moved twice, slicing across the mushroom stem neatly.

A light brown, plump, and somewhat heavy mushroom lay obediently in her hand.

Aunt Wang immediately looked up and asked, "County Magistrate Ye, can you tell me if I've done a good job?"

Ye Yunzhao took the opportunity to look. She felt as if there was a wild rabbit in her heart, and was even more uneasy, afraid that something might go wrong.

Until Ye Yunzhao smiled and replied: "It's cut very well!"

Aunt Wang finally felt relieved. She looked at the expensive woven mushrooms crowded in front of her and smiled easily for the first time in two months.

It could be said that everyone in the courtyard was counting on these layers of woven mushrooms to ensure a smooth and prosperous New Year. The more precious something is, the more timid one becomes. Ye Yunzhao patted her back soothingly and said to the crowd nearby, "Auntie Wang, you've learned so well. Take a closer look. Don't mess around later."

As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Wang nervously tugged at her sleeve, and Ye Yunzhao smiled and nodded.

Maybe it was because she did a good job the first time, but this time she was not as nervous as before and cut the mushroom quickly and neatly. In the blink of an eye, Aunt Wang had another braided hat mushroom in her hand.

"Good, okay, next one." Ye Yunzhao motioned for the next person to come forward, while Aunt Wang stood on tiptoe to look forward, fearing that someone would hurt her beloved woven mushrooms without restraint.

There are quite a few families growing mushrooms in Xixiang. Although they listened very carefully, Ye Yunzhao was so thirsty from talking that he drank three bowls of sweet well water. He was busy for three or four hours before he stopped.

*

Ye Yunzhao breathed a sigh of relief only after the major issue on his mind was successfully resolved. If everything went well, the people of Lingnan County would be able to have a good harvest this year.

Later, she went to Cuihua's house several times. The cool and refreshing mint and Li Xianjiang's special decoction finally stopped her discomfort. After not seeing her for a few days, she had slowly regained her former spirit.

Ever since she traveled through time, Ye Yunzhao has been busy like a top, from early autumn to the end of the year. Now she can finally slow down: leaning against the window, drinking tea and enjoying the scenery, throwing a handful of rotten vegetable leaves into the chicken coop. The bright yellow chicks are now covered with brown-red feathers, and they are thinking about "escaping" and making trouble every day.

There were several heavy snowfalls this year, and the snow-covered mountains looked a bit more tranquil. The mushrooms grown by the people of Xixiang were sold at a good price in Yuezhou City, and the county government saved a lot of money from the mushroom tax.

As the New Year draws closer, Lingnan County is shrouded in a layer of happiness and joy. Ye Yunzhao originally thought that it would always be like this, but who would have thought that early in the morning on the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, someone would hurriedly knock on the gate.

"Dong, dong, dong—" the gate was slammed loudly, and then Liu Mazi's voice was heard, "County Magistrate Ye? County Magistrate Ye!"

Ye Yunzhao, who had fallen asleep beside the desk, shook herself, stretched herself dazedly, and walked out with unsteady steps. As she spoke, she began to speak:

"What's the matter... I just had a meal and took a nap for half an incense stick of time, why are you in such a hurry..."

Before she could finish her words, Liu Mazi, with a worried look on his face, spoke anxiously, "County Magistrate Ye! This is terrible! Sun Da is dead!"

Ye Yunzhao, who was still a little sleepy just now, was stunned for a moment, and her mind quickly cleared up. She grabbed his arm and said in disbelief: "What?! Someone died!?"

"Yes, someone is going to..."

Ye Yunzhao immediately took a step forward, frowning slightly: "Where is the person? Lead the way, and we will talk as we walk."

Liu Mazi immediately followed up: "This morning, someone from Xixiang got up early to go to the mountains to chop firewood. He went deeper than usual and saw a big pit in the distance."

"Big pit?" Ye Yunzhao asked.

"We have hunters here. If they don't have money to buy traps from the iron shop, they will dig a hole in the mountain, insert some sharpened bamboo poles at the bottom of the hole, and cover it with homemade straw mats and fallen leaves. This will become a perfect trap."

He spoke clearly and concisely, and Ye Yunzhao immediately guessed what he was talking about: "Sun Da was injured by the bamboo pole inside?"

Liu Mazi nodded reluctantly. He had seen it with his own eyes, and the death was extremely tragic. "I just called a coroner, and he's already dead."

Ye Yunzhao said thoughtfully, "Do you know which hunter dug this pit?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Mazi's expression turned a bit unhappy. "This is the most bizarre thing. There are only eleven hunters recorded in the books, four in the East Township and seven in the West Township. As soon as this happened, I immediately interrogated these people, but... no one admitted it..."

He was thankful it was winter, for the mountains were covered in snow and the hunters had already left the mountain after the first snowfall. If it were spring or summer, he would have been hard pressed to find any hunters.

The two of them walked very quickly and arrived in Xixiang before Ye Yunzhao could ask any more questions.

Two yamen runners were carrying a stretcher covered with a layer of yellowed white coarse cloth towards the city, one in front and one behind. The coroner followed beside them, carrying his small wooden box.

The group stopped when they saw Ye Yunzhao, and the coroner said, "County Magistrate Ye, this man..."

Ye Yunzhao raised his hand, signaling him not to speak, and then lifted a corner. The once arrogant Sun Da lay there, his face frozen purple, his eyebrows and hair covered in a thick layer of white frost. "Do you know the cause of death?"

The coroner hurriedly said, "That was just a simple examination. The exact cause of death still needs an autopsy."

"An autopsy requires the family's consent," Ye Yunzhao said. "What is Sun Ning's attitude?"

The coroner said, "She consented to the autopsy."

Ye Yunzhao nodded and waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

She looked at the layers of white mountains. If there was a "Sky Eye" hundreds of years later, she would be able to find out everything.

"Are there any unregistered hunters in Lingnan County?" Ye Yunzhao asked in a deep voice.

Liu Mazi said categorically: "No."

"No?" Ye Yunzhao asked suspiciously, "How can you be so sure?"

"Hunters need a lot of iron for their hunting tools. Some of these tools are very special, and only registered hunters can go to the blacksmith shop to make them. If ordinary people buy a lot of iron, they will be sitting in the county jail in less than an incense stick of time."

Ye Yunzhao was stunned. She didn't expect there to be such a rule. Perhaps it was because metal mining was inconvenient nowadays, and ordinary people were not allowed to hoard it at will.

The hunter had no reason to lie. If someone had been killed by the pit he dug, it was simply an unintentional mistake, and he could probably just pay the victim's family some money. But if the hunter was telling the truth, who dug the pit? Digging a pit doesn't require any special skills...

Ye Yunzhao was puzzled and had to say, "Come on, take me to see the pit first."