There are a few ordinary landscape paintings hanging on the wall. Although the painting skills are not exquisite, they add a touch of elegance.
The furniture was made of fine wood, and the tables and chairs were neatly arranged, but now it was a mess with blood and minced meat.
There was a half-finished cup of tea on the table, which had already gone cold. Next to the cup was an open account book, the paper was a little yellowed, and it recorded some daily income and expenditure accounts. From the accounts, one could see that this family was very frugal in their daily life.
There is a small wardrobe in the corner with the door half-open. The clothes inside are arranged neatly, with a few pieces of clothes of good quality exposed outside. It can be seen that the owner is quite particular about life.
He only took one look and his legs felt weak as if they were filled with lead. His stomach was churning and a strong feeling of nausea rose up his throat. He quickly covered his mouth and almost vomited.
But when he turned around and saw the hundreds of expectant faces of the people outside the door, waiting for answers, there was anger and desire in those eyes, as if countless needles were piercing him straight.
He gritted his teeth helplessly, the muscles on his face twitching slightly, and he could only turn around and walk into the house again.
As he walked, he tried hard to suppress his nausea. His steps felt so light as if he was walking on cotton, and every step seemed so difficult.
He made retching sounds from time to time, and the sound echoed in the silent and bloody house, adding a bit of weirdness.
He rummaged around the house impatiently, each turn filled with annoyance and reluctance, his hands rummaging through the items, making the already messy table even more chaotic. He kept muttering, "What the hell is this!"
At this moment, the coroner next to him suddenly shouted, "Sir, we've found something!"
When the county magistrate heard the coroner's cry, he was like a drowning man who suddenly saw a life-saving straw. He ignored the disgusting bloody scene around him and hurried over.
His steps were in a hurry and he almost tripped over the debris on the ground. He staggered for a while before he could steady himself.
The coroner was seen squatting beside the deceased, moving extremely cautiously, fearing that he might break or damage any crucial evidence.
His fingers gently penetrated the dead man's blood-soaked and sticky clothes, and every movement was slow and focused.
Finally, he carefully pulled out a half-bloodstained document from the inner layer of his clothes.
The paper of the document had become somewhat soft and rotten due to being soaked in blood, and the color had also become darker. The other half that was not stained by blood still vaguely showed its original beige color.
Upon seeing this, the county magistrate couldn't wait to reach out and take the document from the coroner.
His hands trembled slightly due to nervousness and anxiety, and the half-bloodstained document shook gently in his hands.
When he saw the content clearly, his face, which was already pale due to the bloody scene, turned even paler in an instant. His eyes widened instantly, full of shock and disbelief, as if he had seen something beyond his imagination.
His mouth was slightly open, and he couldn't close it for a long time. After a long while, he stammered, "Zhang Yi owed the damned person 10,000 taels of silver? This... How is this possible!"
His voice almost roared out from his throat, with obvious astonishment and panic.
A thousand thoughts suddenly ran through his mind, and he thought to himself that this amount of ten thousand taels of silver was an astronomical figure for an ordinary family, a sky-high price that would be difficult to reach in a lifetime.
Could it be that as he had vaguely guessed before, Zhang Yi owed such a huge debt that he could not repay it, so he made up his mind to kill the creditor in an attempt to escape the debt?
Thinking of this, his brows were tightly furrowed into the shape of the Chinese character "川", and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Those beads of sweat slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the document in his hand.
The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became, and he didn't dare to think any further.
If it was really Zhang Yi who did it, then once the matter got out, he would inevitably be implicated, and his official career that he had built for many years would likely be ruined.
He was extremely anxious and turned to look at the coroner. His eyes revealed an extremely nervous and serious expression. He said in a tone that was almost commanding: "Don't say anything yet. This matter must not be spread outside! If any news leaks out, you and I will be in trouble!"
After saying this, he clutched the IOU tightly and hurried out through a side door.
After leaving the crime scene, the county magistrate was extremely anxious. He didn't bother to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead or tidy up his messy official uniform. He jumped on his horse and galloped all the way towards where Zhang Yi lived.
Along the way, the sound of horse hooves was like thunder, and the dust raised formed a long tail behind them.
The county magistrate was anxious and kept cursing Zhang Yi in his heart, secretly praying that things would not be as bad as he imagined.
Finally arriving at Zhang Yi's house, he pushed the door open abruptly. The room was filled with a strong smell of alcohol, which almost made him unable to breathe.
I saw Zhang Yi sitting at the table with a dazed look in his eyes, his hair scattered messily on his face, and he was mumbling some unclear words.
The table before him was covered with wine jugs and glasses, the floor was littered with broken pieces, and the wine had spilled all over the floor, soaking the expensive carpet.
When the county magistrate saw this scene, he was furious and couldn't contain his anger.
He strode over to the table and slammed the IOU down on it with a loud bang, causing the wine glasses on the table to jump. He shouted angrily, "Zhang Yi, tell me the truth! What's going on with this IOU? If you don't explain clearly, I can't protect you!"
His eyes were as big as copper bells, the muscles on his face twitched slightly with anger, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
Zhang Yi was frightened by the sudden noise and shuddered. The wine glass in his hand fell to the ground with a clang and shattered into pieces.
He sobered up instantly and his eyes became a little clearer.
He raised his head and saw the county magistrate's face twisted with anger. He followed the county magistrate's finger and looked at the IOU on the table. He was completely dumbfounded.
His mouth was wide open and couldn't close for a long time, his face full of fear and confusion.
After a long while, he stammered, "Uncle...Uncle, this isn't true! I don't owe that much money at all. I only owe one hundred taels of silver. I went to pay it back last night!"
His voice was tearful and he kept waving his hands, trying to defend himself.
The county magistrate was so angry that his face flushed red, and the veins in his neck bulged. He pointed his finger at Zhang Yi's nose and cursed loudly, "You bastard! I help you every month, at least two hundred taels of silver, so how can you still be in debt? What the hell are you doing?"
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