They didn't take any of what they said to him before to heart, thinking that the emperor was far away and no one could do anything to him. But they never thought about the power behind him, which was not something that small people like them could afford to offend.
All the people he sent have been arrested and have even confessed. Not to mention that Jiang Jiuniang is going to have an autopsy today, even if there isn't one, he could be sentenced to death just for sending people to rob Jiang Jiuniang.
The magistrate simply refused to do it, kicked the man out, and told him to take care of himself.
Only then did Zhang realize he was afraid. He couldn't let his small mistake ruin all the wealth he had worked so hard to build over the years. He couldn't rely on the county magistrate, but he had connections above him. He could always find a way to resolve this!
He immediately sent people to the prefectural city to find someone more capable to save the day, but everyone refused to see them after hearing what had happened.
When the news reached them, Jiang Jiuniang had already dug up the grave, and three coffins were placed side by side, surrounded by a large crowd.
Many people don't know what happened and think Jiang Jiuniang is immoral for wanting to perform an autopsy on someone who has been dead for so many years. They wonder what she could possibly find out and whether she was just disturbing the person's rest.
Jiang Jiuniang hired people to help her dig up the grave; as long as the money was right, many people were eager to help.
It was precisely because of the large scale of the request for help that so many people gathered to watch.
As the coffin was about to be opened for an autopsy, Jiang Jiuniang didn't want this person to keep talking badly about her behind her back, so she said, "I believe everyone is curious about why I'm doing this. It's because Zhang Qian's exploitation of the family's members was too ugly, and no one noticed anything unusual about the successive deaths of the Sun family members. Today, I'm opening the coffin for an autopsy to see if the three members of the Sun family died unjustly. If I've misunderstood, I will hold a memorial service for them to atone for my sins. If I really find any traces of Zhang Qian's actions, then I can consider it revenge for the three members of the Sun family."
After saying that, she turned to the people who were helping to dig the pit and said, "Open the coffin!"
The group worked together to pry open the coffin, and a pungent smell wafted out, causing everyone to hold their breath.
Jiang Jiuniang put on a mask and gloves and approached the coffin.
Decades later, the body had decomposed, leaving only bones and some tattered clothing.
At first glance, these bones didn't seem particularly special. Jiang Jiuniang examined them one by one, and found that the bones shattered as soon as they were touched.
Jiang Jiuniang narrowed her eyes immediately; that was the problem!
The bones of people who die from normal poisoning are black, but the bones in these three coffins were all a normal color and nothing special.
When Jiang Jiuniang first saw it, she thought she had looked in the wrong direction, but she never expected it to be like this.
How could such a hard bone break with the slightest touch?
If nothing unexpected happens, this is a poison called "min," which is a chronic poison. The poisoned person will not feel anything, but it will cause organ failure, slowly make them sick, and eventually lead to death.
She checked the other two coffins and found the same result.
This medicine is not common, so it must have taken Zhang Qian a lot of effort to obtain it.
The reason this medicine is called "Min" is because it means to annihilate.
When a person is sick, it doesn't easily show up. Their bones become very brittle and break easily, making it difficult to diagnose any problems.
But in reality, that is the biggest problem.
To prove that she wasn't just framing Zhang the old scoundrel, Jiang Jiuniang had several doctors and coroners come to examine the case. Many of them couldn't figure out what was wrong, but they all knew that bones that shattered at the slightest touch were definitely not normal, so they reported it to the authorities.
By the time Old Thief Zhang arrived with his men, it was all over.
Old Zhang went to look at the coffin like a madman, only to find that it had been tampered with. He then turned and glared fiercely at Jiang Jiuniang.
Here, everyone respects the dead, and opening the coffin is already very impolite. He thought that Jiang Jiuniang would just open the coffin to take a look, and as long as the bones hadn't turned black, it would be fine. Who knew that this woman would actually touch it? Wouldn't that cause trouble?
"What exactly do you want, you bitch? Are you only happy when you've ruined my Zhang family?"
Old Zhang is now filled with regret. He should have never provoked this crazy woman. Who knew she would dig up a grave like that and discover a secret he had kept hidden all his life?
"It's all fake! You're framing me and trying to pin this on me!"
He even tried to pry Jiang Jiuniang away, but Jiang Jiuniang slapped him hard across the face with the hand that had just touched the bone.
"Whether it's true or false, you can settle it in court! I never imagined you could be so vicious, even resorting to poison. I really underestimated you! Your eldest son has lived with you for so many years, does he know that you are the murderer who killed his mother and grandparents?"
Old Zhang was stunned. He hadn't expected that Jiang Jiuniang knew so much about poison, and he felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
His eldest son was his child with his first wife, and he was the least favored by him. He sent him to be raised elsewhere when he was a child, and after bringing him back when he came of age, he sent him away to work again. In short, he never let him stay by his side because his eldest son looked like his first wife, and he felt disgusted by him.
As for his actions against the Sun family, he kept it a secret from everyone all these years, and naturally his son was unaware of it.
Even now, the eldest son still feels that he is disliked by his father because he is considered unlucky, having caused the deaths of his grandparents, mother, and unborn younger brother. He has been atoning for his sins all these years and is the most obedient and easily controlled of his sons.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Jiang Jiuniang seemed to have opened a floodgate of words and continued, "Don't worry, I will send someone to bring your eldest son's family back. After all, such a large family business can't be left unattended. You've occupied the Sun family's wealth for so many years, it's time to pay it back."
After returning home last night, she made a point of asking the old lady next door about the situation of Miss Sun's child, who was living in dire straits.
That old scoundrel is truly inhuman. He doesn't like what he doesn't like, but he also has to label his son as having a tough fate, saying that he's the one who brings bad luck to the family, causing the young child to spend his days in grief.
He has never enjoyed any of the wealth and luxury at home, and spends all his time working for the Zhang family's business. He is considered lucky if he can come back even once a year.
Jiang Jiuniang turned around and called out, and several constables who had been hiding in the shadows came out and took Zhang the old thief away.
"Let me go! What are you doing! I need to find your elders and get some answers. My Zhang family gives him so much money every year, why does he only take it and not do anything?"
"Let me go! You little bitch, you think this will bring me down? My family is powerful and wealthy, what are you compared to me? You just wait!"
Amidst these curses, Jiang Jiuniang clicked her tongue. Ignorance does have its advantages; at least one can remain silent even when facing death. That's quite good.
After it was confirmed that the deaths of the three members of the Sun family were suspicious, Zhang the Old Thief was immediately imprisoned. The county magistrate sent someone to find his eldest son, who was busy with business outside, and after explaining everything, helped him restore his surname to Sun and gave him all of the Zhang family's existing property. As for Zhang the Old Thief's other children, they had no relation to the Sun family and naturally did not receive any benefits.
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