Soon, the Wu and Sun clansmen, who had been watching the commotion, started hurling insults at the Zhao family.
"It's clearly your Zhao family's wickedness that brought you retribution; even Heaven couldn't stand it, they deserve to all die..."
Someone in the crowd suddenly started cursing.
This instantly ignited the anger of the Zhao family, who grabbed wooden sticks and began beating each other.
The crowd was already in complete chaos, with both sides acting like wild horses, and the government officials could hardly restrain the irrational group.
"Stop fighting, stop fighting..." Xu Qinghe stood on the outskirts of the crowd, trying to persuade them for a long time, but he almost got injured himself. Helpless, he asked Shen Yao for help, "Lord Shen, you are skilled, can you stop them? This can't go on forever."
Shen Yao didn't say anything. He took the knife at his waist, walked into the crowd, and swiftly and decisively beat down the two people from the Wu and Sun families who had deliberately provoked the conflict.
Stepping onto the backs of the two men, he decisively drew his knife and held it to the neck of the man beneath him, shouting sternly at the crowd, "Let's see who dares to move..."
After he finished speaking, the crowd immediately fell silent.
People were intimidated by Shen Yao's imposing presence and dared not take a step forward.
Shen Yao sheathed his sword and said coldly, "Take him away..."
After saying that, he turned around and walked back to where he had been standing.
Su Yan quietly moved closer to Shen Yao, leaned down to him, and whispered, "Lord Shen, I have a feeling that this case is quite complicated."
Shen Yao nodded in agreement.
Since ancient times, even upright officials have found it difficult to settle family disputes, let alone the struggles between different families.
Su Yan quickly learned about the grudges between the various families in Pear Blossom Village, and it was indeed as she had guessed.
Originally, the Wu and Sun families lived in Lihua Village for generations. Later, the Zhao family ancestors moved into Lihua Village and settled there. In just two hundred years, the family prospered and grew stronger, while the Wu and Sun families gradually declined. From then on, the Zhao family became the largest family in Lihua Village.
They used to bully and oppress the villagers. Over the past century, the Wu and Sun families had accumulated deep resentment towards the Zhao family, and the villagers no longer interacted with each other. Later, the village was divided and governed separately, with the Zhao family at the head of the village and the Wu and Sun families at the tail.
Since a year ago, members of the Zhao family have been dying one after another, and the conflict between the three families has intensified.
Today, news broke that the entire Zhao family died from poisoning, naturally making the Wu and Sun families suspects.
When the Wu and Sun families saw that the government soldiers were about to take their clansmen away, they lost control of their emotions and shouted for their release.
"Why are you arresting people... Release them immediately..."
"That's right... why are you arresting people? We didn't kill them, so why are you arresting them?"
Shouts and curses rose and fell from the crowd, one wave higher than the next.
Although there were yamen runners maintaining order at the scene, the Wu and Sun families outnumbered and insisted that the prefect uphold justice.
Su Yan tugged at Shen Yao's sleeve and said, "Lord Shen, I see that the villagers are very agitated. Now that we have found out the cause of death, it would be best not to provoke the villagers and cause trouble."
Shen Yao felt that Su Yan's words made some sense. After all, he was an official, not a bandit, and forcibly suppressing them was not a long-term solution.
However, since he has already arrested the person, it's better to leave this hot potato to someone else to handle.
After thinking it over, Shen Yao approached the prefect and said, “Your Excellency, I am new here and unfamiliar with the local customs. As an outsider, I have no authority to speak on matters of appeasing the villagers. I hope Your Excellency will lend a helping hand.”
The prefect was already having a headache with such a big case, but he didn't expect Shen Yao to arrest the troublemakers. However, out of consideration for their relationship, he had no choice but to agree.
"This is simply my duty, Lord Shen, there's no need for such formalities."
After saying that, he led Xu Qinghe to the villagers and calmed them down.
Just as the prefect and Xu Qinghe were persuading the villagers, Su Yan and Shen Yao exchanged a knowing glance and slipped out of the noisy crowd when no one was looking.
Just as Su Yan had moved away from the crowd, a little girl stood at the foot of Pear Blossom Village, waving her arms frantically and calling out her name.
"Brother Su Yan... Brother Su Yan..."
Su Yan noticed someone calling her name. When she looked in the direction of the sound, she saw Banxia waving at her.
"Lord Shen, that girl looks like Banxia?"
Shen Yao nodded. "Yes... it's her."
Banxia ran up to Su Yan and said, "Brother Su, it really is you? Didn't you go to Chang'an? Why are you still here?"
Su Yan squatted down and pinched Banxia's round little face. "Brother Su and Lord Shen have some business to attend to, so they may stay here for a few days."
Banxia's eyes lit up instantly, and she said expectantly, "Aren't you reluctant to part with little Banxia?"
Looking at Banxia's innocent smile, Su Yan adored her. He smiled and pinched her cheek, replying, "That's right! Brother Su misses you the most. By the way, Banxia, why are you here all alone? Where's your master?"
Su Yan looked around. It seemed that Xiao Banxia was alone. The place was rather cool. What if she got lost and encountered danger?
“My master was gathering herbs in the mountains. I heard some noise here, so I came to check. I never expected to meet Brother Su here.”
As soon as he finished speaking, shouts came from the woods.
"Banxia, where are you?" The voice called out as it drew closer.
Upon hearing the voice, Banxia immediately responded, "Master, I'm here!"
Hua Hanyun seemed to hear a response, and hurriedly carried her small basket on her back, following the sound.
When he saw Banxia, he breathed a sigh of relief, and when he saw Su Yan and Shen Yao beside Banxia, he was surprised.
"Why is it you guys?"
"Dr. Hua..." Su Yan greeted Hua Hanyun with a smile.
Now it was Hua Hanyun's turn to be confused. "Weren't you going back to Chang'an? What are you doing here?"
Su Yan explained, "We are investigating a case, which will take some time."
"Case? What case? What happened?" Hua Hanyun asked, looking completely bewildered.
Hua Hanyun and Banxia lived in the mountains, not in Pear Blossom Village, so it was understandable that they were unaware of the major event that had occurred in the village.
Su Yan patiently explained to Hua Hanyun, thinking that since he was a doctor, the villagers would probably seek his medical advice and might know some details.
“You’re right, the villagers’ symptoms do resemble those of poisoning, but I’m not skilled enough to diagnose what the illness is.”
After pondering for a moment, Su Yan decided to first find the cause of the villagers' deaths, so she asked, "Dr. Hua, tell me, what were their symptoms when they fell ill?"
"They initially had a persistent high fever, then vomited black blood, had difficulty breathing, and couldn't eat or drink. It took anywhere from half a month to two or three months for them to recover. There was nothing that could be done but wait for them to die."
"It seems to be the same poison."
"Dr. Hua, do you know which poison can cause the condition you described?"
Hua Hanyun shook his head. "I learned traditional Chinese medicine to heal the sick and save lives, but I know nothing about the art of using poison, so I really can't answer Young Master Su's question."
Su Yan sighed softly, her expression revealing her disappointment. Examining corpses and examining traces was no problem for her, but determining what poison the deceased had been given before death was truly a challenge for her.
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