Shen Yao glanced at Su Yan. After all, he was a fifth-rank official, and it was inevitable that he would feel a little resentful when he was suddenly ordered around by his subordinates.
Su Yan smiled sheepishly, "Big brother, look at me, I'm useless. With my small frame, weak body, and fear of heights, I'll have to rely on you to repair the roof."
"snort……"
Shen Yao snorted coldly. If it weren't for the fact that he needed Su Yan to find out the situation, he would definitely have charged her with insubordination.
After thinking it over, Shen Yao hugged the haystack, and with a nimble leap, landed on the roof.
Having been on military campaigns for many years, repairing houses was a piece of cake for Shen Yao, and Su Yan took the opportunity to help Sister Yang tidy up the yard.
Sister-in-law Yang was moved to tears by the kindness of the two passing brothers. They worked tirelessly until nearly dusk. Since ancient times, men and women have been separated. To avoid causing gossip for the orphan and widow, the two bid farewell to Sister-in-law Yang.
After leaving the room, Shen Yao still had a sullen face and said coldly, "How's the situation?"
While busy, Su Yan didn't sit idle. She chatted with Sister Yang about everyday things, almost covering the entire village's ancestral lineage.
The reason why every household in Pear Blossom Village was hanging white banners did indeed look like there was an outbreak of plague. But the strange thing was that all the dead were men; there was not a single male over thirty years old who survived.
Last month alone, seven or eight men died in the village.
And so, Pear Blossom Village became a well-known village of widows in the surrounding area. No man dared to pass by the village entrance, which explains why the village women reacted so strongly when they saw her and Lord Shen.
If it were a plague, not only Pear Blossom Village, but the surrounding villages would all be affected. Yet only people died in Pear Blossom Village. There must be something fishy going on.
Shen Yao frowned and pressed, "Has no one from the government come to investigate?"
"We've already investigated, but we haven't found anything. The villagers all say it's a ghost coming to claim my life."
"Ghosts? You actually believe that reason?" Now it was Shen Yao's turn to be confused.
Su Yan shook her head. "I don't know if ghosts exist in this world, but I've never seen one in my entire life. Lord Shen, shall we continue on our way?"
After pondering for a while, Shen Yao knew very well that this was not an ordinary case. If he stopped to investigate, it would definitely delay his return to the capital. However, he already knew this and could not sit idly by. He quickly made up his mind to stay and investigate the case.
"No... I'd like to see who's playing tricks in Pear Blossom Village. I'll stay for a few days and investigate the case thoroughly before making any decisions."
"But the villagers are clearly wary of us, how can we investigate?"
Shen Yao thought for a moment, "Let's go to the county government office and familiarize ourselves with the situation first."
"good……"
Pear Blossom Village belongs to Yangliu Town. It is located in a remote and impoverished area, but fortunately, the weather is good every year, so people can live and work in peace and contentment. Magistrate Xu Qinghe is an honest and upright official who is dedicated to serving the people and is highly praised by the people.
As soon as Shen Yao arrived at the county government office, he took out his Jinwu Guard token, revealing his identity as a Lieutenant General, and at the same time sent a message to Chang'an that he was still alive.
Soon, the messenger helped an old man in his fifties or sixties out and bowed respectfully to Shen Yao. "This humble official, Xu Qinghe, greets the General. May I ask what brings Lord Shen here?"
Yangliu Town is a small place. Let alone high-ranking officials, even a sixth-rank official is rare. Moreover, Shen Yao is the emperor's personal guard. How could Xu Qinghe dare to be negligent?
"Greetings, Lord Xu. I was passing through Pear Blossom Village when I noticed that every household was covered with white banners. I found this strange and came to investigate."
Xu Qinghe looked up at the sky; it was almost dusk. "Lord Shen, it's getting late. Why don't you rest for the night, recharge your energy, and continue your investigation tomorrow?"
Shen Yao also felt that there was no rush to investigate the case, so he agreed to Xu Qinghe's request.
Xu Qinghe immediately arranged a house for them. Although it was a house, the environment was not much better than Yang Dasao's house.
When Su Yan and Shen Yao saw the state of the house, they were completely stunned.
Everywhere was covered with cobwebs, and the walls were broken and in ruins, showing that it had been abandoned for many years.
Xu Qinghe said with a humble expression, "Your arrival was too sudden, and I was caught off guard. The county government has limited funds, so I can only ask that you make do here for the night."
Shen Yao had even slept in piles of corpses, so this house was just a place for him to rest, and he wasn't picky about it.
After Su Yan arrived in Chang'an, she lived in the mortuary and never complained about the poor condition of the house.
After Xu Qinghe left, the two tidied up briefly, climbed into their beds, and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, a ray of dim sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the bedside and illuminating the room.
Daylight had broken, and wisps of smoke rose from every chimney. The morning mist enveloped the rising sun, casting a golden glow on the mountaintops.
After having breakfast, Su Yan and Shen Yao went to the county government office to look up records about Pear Blossom Village.
Since last year, the men in their thirties in Pear Blossom Village have been dying one after another. Even those who moved away from the village could not escape their fate of death. To date, fifty-six men have died.
As Xu Qinghe explained the situation, he wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "That's roughly the situation in Pear Blossom Village. I can't find out the cause of death either."
"With such a sudden increase in the death toll, has Lord Xu not called in a coroner to examine the bodies?" Su Yan pressed.
"Of course we looked for one. There are no coroners in the county, only in the prefecture. By the time I brought a coroner from the prefecture, the body would have already been buried."
"Why not open the coffin and examine the body?" Su Yan pressed on.
Xu Qinghe looked troubled. "The people here are fierce and have always been very concerned about life and death. If I were to actually open the coffin and examine the body, wouldn't they tear down my county office? So I can only let it go."
Upon hearing Xu Qinghe's words, Shen Yao's face immediately darkened, and he said sternly, "Lord Xu, officials are the providers of food and clothing for the people. If you don't find out the cause of death, aren't you afraid that more people will die because of it?"
Xu Qinghe looked ashamed. "Lord Shen, I am ashamed, but you are new here and do not know the situation in Pear Blossom Village. I just wanted to find out, but I still came up empty-handed. It is my incompetence."
Seeing that Shen Yao was once again filled with righteous indignation, Su Yan quietly moved closer to him, nudged him with her elbow, and whispered, "Lord Shen, Magistrate Xu is a good official, and he is getting old. It's understandable that he's not as capable as he used to be in investigating cases. Please don't be so harsh on him."
"That's fifty-six lives."
"Lord Shen, the cause of death hasn't been determined yet. Who knows if it was a natural disaster or a man-made one?"
Su Yan's words left Shen Yao speechless for a moment, as everything was still undecided.
But realizing his mistake, he quickly bowed to Xu Qinghe and apologized, "Lord Xu, it was my fault for being rude."
Xu Qinghe was flattered. He was just a minor seventh-rank official, how could he accept the courtesy of a fifth-rank official? He quickly returned the salute, "Lord Shen, you are overthinking it. I do have shortcomings. I hope you will be more tolerant in the future."
"Lord Xu, I am aware of my moral failings. Why don't you let me investigate this case? It would be my way of apologizing."
"This...isn't this a bit inappropriate? Isn't the master supposed to be on his way back to the capital?"
"It's alright, it's just an investigation, it won't take long."
Xu Qinghe was good at governing, but investigating cases was not his forte. He did not refuse Shen Yao's suggestion, and looked at him with increasing admiration. No wonder he became the General of the Golden Guard at such a young age. His future was limitless.
"In that case, I will assist Lord Shen in investigating the case."
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