At the same time, Magistrate Zuo Li arrived at Zhonggui Village with two constables.
When Zuo Li entered Zhonggui Village, he saw the villagers working hard in the fields. The crops, including wheat, barley, and buckwheat, were all growing plump and densely packed, which made him very happy.
He had just come from Xiagui Village and saw that the crops in Xiagui Village were sparse and grew crookedly. No matter which household's land it was, the quality was very poor, and weeds grew everywhere, covering half of the crops.
One mu of land yields only about one-third of the grain produced by one mu of land in Zhonggui Village.
He had known before that the villagers of Xiagui Village were incredibly lazy, unwilling to do any work, and had a host of bad habits, but he had never seen it in person. This time, he was furious and specially summoned the head of Xiagui Village to give him a severe scolding.
I wonder if the situation in Xiagui Village will improve after this? If not, we'll have to find a way to properly deal with the villagers and the village head!
Upon entering Zhonggui Village, Zuo Li did not go to Rong Dong'an's house, but instead went to the village head's house.
When they arrived at the village head's house, they found that the village head was not home. Instead, he had gone to Rong Dong'an's house to help Rong Dong'an and his family harvest grain. Rong Dong'an's youngest son had fallen ill, and Rong Dong'an's daughter, Rong Sheng, had treated him. However, he was still not fully recovered and was recuperating in bed.
Zuo Li shook his head helplessly. If he had known it would be like this, he should have gone directly to Rong Dong'an's house to avoid making a wasted trip.
Guided by Rong Hui, the eldest son of the village head, Zuo Li arrived at Rong Dong'an's home.
It was midday, and the villagers who had helped with the work had all returned. They were eating on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the east wing of the Rong family's house. The kang was full of people, both on and off the kang.
Everyone gathered in one room and ate with great joy and satisfaction.
Zuo Li was stunned for a moment upon seeing this. This scene was really too stimulating. Compared to the decadent, lazy, and lifeless appearance he had seen in Xiagui Village, this scene was much more humane.
Rong Sheng was busy cooking with Xu Shi in the kitchen. Because there were too many clansmen helping them harvest the grain, they were worried that the food they had prepared earlier would not be enough, so the two of them cooked some more so that clansmen who were still hungry could have more rice!
Rong Sheng was extremely busy, but there was no firewood left, so he went out of the kitchen to fetch some from the woodshed.
As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Zuo Li standing at the gate with two yamen runners. Startled, she quickly turned around and said to Madam Xu, "Mother, the magistrate is here. He's right at the gate. Go and tell Father and the village headman."
Just then, Madam Xu was carrying dishes into the east wing when she heard Rong Sheng's words. She looked out the window and indeed saw Zuo Li and two yamen runners standing at the gate of the courtyard.
She quickly went inside, placing the dishes on the kang table as she spoke to Rong Dong'an, who was sitting on the edge of the kang.
Upon hearing this, Rong Dong'an glanced at the door, then apologized to the clansmen, and pulled the village head out of the house to see the county magistrate, Zuo Li.
"Rong Dongling greets Your Excellency, the County Magistrate!"
"This humble subject, Rong Dong'an, greets Your Excellency, the County Magistrate!"
The village head and Rong Dong'an bowed respectfully.
Zuo Li helped the two men up, saying, "Why are you brothers being so polite? We're relatives, we just haven't been in touch for years! Besides, this isn't a county court, you don't need to be like this!"
The village head and Rong Dong'an certainly understood this principle, but officials are officials and people are people. They could not disrespect the county magistrate Zuo Li because of their kinship.
At the very least, we can't let outsiders find fault with them and put Zuo Li in a difficult position!
However, they couldn't be too deliberate, lest it seem like they didn't welcome Zuo Li, their relative. So, the village head took the initiative to invite Zuo Li into the house. It was lunchtime, and Zuo Li and his family certainly hadn't eaten yet. Whatever it was, they could discuss it after lunch.
Zuo Li did not refuse; even if he didn't eat, the two constables had to eat.
When Zuo Li led two constables into the east wing, the villagers who were eating were startled. However, Zuo Li was approachable and said that he had come to Zhonggui Village to ask about something. He was the son-in-law of Rong Dong'an's second aunt, so he was family. Family members should not be reserved and should eat and drink as usual.
Although they were relatives, Zuo Li was, after all, the magistrate of Wenhong County, so he felt somewhat uncomfortable and suddenly found the food on the kang table unappetizing.
Zuo Li had no choice but to eat quickly and tacitly.
After the meal, Rong Sheng and the others tidied up the kang table and other items. Zuo Li asked the villagers to stay and also asked them to call the clan chief over, as he had some questions to ask.
The village head immediately went to invite the clan chief over and asked Zuo Li to wait a moment.
Because the clan chief's house is quite far from Rong Dong'an's house, it takes about ten minutes to walk there.
Upon learning that the county magistrate had arrived, the clan chief hurried to Rong Dong'an's house.
Zuo Li looked around and, seeing that almost everyone had arrived, asked, "Where's Gu Sanniu? Where is he? Call him over!"
"Gu Sanniu?" Upon hearing this, the clansmen's hair stood on end, and they wished they could run away as fast as they could. "Sir, this Gu Sanniu is a jinx. Anyone who gets close to him will be cursed to death. Sir, you'd better not get too close to Gu Sanniu. You are the magistrate of our Wenhong County. You can't afford to make any mistakes!"
"Sir, you must think this over carefully! This Gu Sanniu is too strange; we absolutely cannot let him into the house!" If they let Gu Sanniu into the house, they might all be doomed.
Rong Sheng's face darkened upon hearing the clansmen's words. Her future husband was no jinx! These people were just making baseless accusations!
Seeing the crowd's agitation, Zuo Li frowned deeply. "What wrong did Gu San Niu do that you all dislike him so much? Is it because he's been told he's cursed and anyone who gets close to him will be killed?"
“But he’s brought death to several people. Even after all these years, what if Gu San Niu’s malevolent aura gets stronger? Then we…”
Zuo Li coldly replied, "That's utter nonsense! I've come to Zhonggui Village today specifically for Gu Sanniu!"
"What? For Gu Sanniu?" The clansmen's eyes widened.
Has Gu Sanniu caused another death? Or is it to take this scourge away? Or is it something else?
Zuo Li said, “Recently, I have been reviewing cases from the past ten years and came across several cases in your Zhonggui Village. After careful review, I found that there are many suspicious points in those cases. There is no direct evidence to prove that the deaths of those people are directly related to Gu San Niu. Therefore, I came to Zhonggui Village to inquire about them.”
Since you don't want to see Gu Sanniu, then I won't let him in! Now think carefully about those clansmen who suddenly died more than ten years ago. What were the differences between the previous and subsequent events? If you remember the details of the case at that time, please don't hide anything and tell me the truth!
This official is not trying to whitewash Gu San Niu's jinxed reputation, but rather to seek justice for those innocent clansmen who died! Even if that justice comes late!
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