Chapter 214 Full of Variables

County Magistrate Hu arrived with the coroner, Niu Er and other yamen runners, but the road had been blocked by someone named Zhu, the shopkeeper.

Suddenly, there was a commotion and rumors in the town that someone on the official road had been eaten by a wild beast and died a tragic death.

Shopkeeper Zhu hurried over to see what was happening. His Excellency had just been promoted to county magistrate, and such a big thing had happened, which had a great impact on Wu County and his Excellency.

When I arrived at the scene, I saw a huge crowd of people gathered.

Many people shouted that it was terrifying, but they couldn't stop wanting to watch the fun, so they covered their eyes and watched even with only a gap between their fingers.

Shopkeeper Zhu drove away the onlookers and blocked both ends of the road. The passerby who first discovered the situation had already stumbled to the county government office to report it. Shopkeeper Zhu then asked Zhang San to drive the ox cart for another trip.

The news spread like wildfire to the surrounding villages, and villagers kept coming to watch the excitement on the road.

Seeing the county magistrate, the onlookers spontaneously made way for him.

When Magistrate Hu and the bailiffs walked into the scene, they saw arms, legs, intestines, and stomachs scattered all over the ground. There was also a bloody man lying on the ground with his head embedded in the soil.

"Hiss!" County Magistrate Hu took a deep breath and felt a chill crawling up his spine from the soles of his feet.

I have seen many crime scenes, but I have never seen one as horrific as this.

"Ugh!" A yamen runner felt his stomach churning and ran to the side to vomit.

"Oh my god!" There was a head in the grass with only half of the face left after being bitten, and the only remaining eye was staring at him in horror.

He was so scared that he swallowed the vomit that was rising up in his throat, and his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

"Ah!" The yamen runner screamed in terror, but his legs could not move at all. He shouted for help, help! He went completely crazy.

"Pa!" Niu Er picked up the man and slapped him.

The yamen runner was in pain and it took him a while to regain consciousness. "Hurry up and report to the officer! Hurry up and report to the officer!"

"We are just the constables of the yamen!" Niu Er was helpless and really couldn't stand it.

"Ah? Ah!" The bailiff was stunned, then he remembered, "Captain, this is too scary! Wuwu..."

"Look at you, you useless guy!" Niu Er said with disgust and dragged him out of the scene.

The coroners were a father and son. They were probably used to seeing all kinds of corpses, so they were not surprised and remained calm.

The old coroner slowly picked up the scattered fragments, examined them carefully, and then reported the test results.

The young coroner took notes quickly with a pen and paper, occasionally glancing at the fragments.

The person who reported the incident to the police was brought in.

It was early in the morning and I was in a panic. All I saw was a bloody man lying on the ground and some intestines. I was so scared that I didn't have time to take a closer look.

There were many people here at this moment, and it was noon, when the yang energy was at its strongest. I mustered up the courage to take a closer look.

Seeing this, I dared not dream for ten years! Oh my god, every fragment has been gnawed, I quickly covered it with my hands, blaming myself for being curious.

"Why are you passing by here?" County Magistrate Hu asked as usual.

"Your Excellency, I originally wanted to go to the town to sell vermicelli and honey, and now I have stored the items at the grocery store." The person who reported the case was still in shock.

"Were there other people when you passed by?" County Magistrate Hu asked again.

"No, sir!" said the person who reported the case. If he had known, he would not have gotten up so early.

After asking the question, Magistrate Hu asked the onlookers, "Does anyone know the victim?"

The onlookers looked at each other in confusion. Who could recognize the scattered fragments?

"Sir!" A weak voice came from the crowd.

Everyone looked over.

"Sir, that bloody man seems to be a foreign merchant. He came to our village to buy land the day before yesterday." The man said weakly.

"Oh? How did you recognize him?" County Magistrate Hu felt something in his heart, and he always felt that this matter was not that simple.

"Sir, that man was dressed in luxurious attire, his belt inlaid with gold and silver. This is the first time in my life that I have seen such fine clothing and a belt. I was deeply impressed. That was the belt he wore around his waist that day."

The villagers spoke in increasingly low voices. He even had the urge to steal. If he spoke too much, would he be arrested as a suspect?

"Yes! It's that merchant!" Someone in the crowd immediately echoed and said angrily.

"There were quite a few of them, looking ferocious and vicious. They even trampled on a lot of our wheat seedlings!"

As soon as this was said, many villagers complained bitterly and cursed the merchants for not cherishing food and riding their horses recklessly.

They came with great force and were rude and arrogant. They trampled on the ground on horseback. The villagers couldn't stop them and were furious but could do nothing.

Go ahead and sue me, but the county government office is far away, and no one was killed, so I may not win the case. I can only curse a few times and consider myself unlucky.

Now that I see it's them, I don't feel scared. I just think they deserve it. They are such inhumane people.

County Magistrate Hu did not ask any further questions, but looking at the belt on the tattered clothes of the man lying on the ground, he knew that it was indeed not something that ordinary people could afford. With such quality, few people in the whole Wuzhou could afford it.

It was another foreign merchant who came to buy the land, so the search area was narrowed down and it was not difficult to find him.

There are just two doubts. First, according to the preliminary conclusion of the coroner's autopsy, these people died within five to seven hours, that is, between 11:00 and 13:00 last night.

Why are they here? Why are they all dressed in black? The bloody man is heading back to the city. Where did they come from?

Second, didn't they say they rode horses? Where were the horses? Why were the people eaten by wild beasts, but no trace of the horses was found?

The horse's body is larger, so there should be more fragments left. Why are there none?

It's so weird. A group of people are running around in the middle of the night. What are they trying to do?

This official road leads to another county and passes through several villages in Wu County along the way, including Huanggou Village.

For some unknown reason, County Magistrate Hu inexplicably linked these people to Huanggou Village because they were merchants who came to buy land.

The best land in Wu County is in Huanggou Village, and the latest farming technology also comes from Huanggou Village.

It is impossible for the land-buying merchant not to know these things. If he were in their place, he would definitely go to Huanggou Village for a visit.

Thinking of this, County Magistrate Hu suddenly understood. Could it be that he came from Huanggou Village?

Let Niu Er and his men collect the wreckage and bring it back to the county government office for further inspection, and also post a notice throughout the county to see if anyone comes to claim it.

Although it was claimed that the official seal was lost, the official seal was still used. The only difference was that the official seal was lost when the land was traded.

All villages and towns have been informed that private sales are prohibited, but gamblers and prodigals still sell them secretly.

All County Magistrate Hu could do was not stamp the document and delay as much as possible to see if he could wait for the imperial court to take action.

The noble families who had acquired the land realized that Wu County had done it on purpose and they wished to tear Magistrate Hu into pieces. They wrote letters to their respective families, hoping to get rid of this stumbling block.

On the way to Huanggou Village, County Magistrate Hu felt mixed emotions.

These people were the minions of the aristocratic family. Their death in their own jurisdiction caused a lot of trouble, which became a good excuse to bring him down.

These people found Huanggou Village so quickly. This is the first family. I believe the others will come soon.

Spring plowing is approaching, and the future direction is full of variables.

"Oh!" County Magistrate Hu sighed unconsciously. Why is it so difficult to do something?

Walking into the fork in the road and looking at the wide, flat, hard mortar road, County Magistrate Hu smiled.

It is gratifying to see such achievements under your rule. Any unhappiness will disappear when you see it.