Upon hearing Jia Yu's words, Jiang Yuwei was greatly surprised and exclaimed:
"How could this be? What happened that could make the entire village disappear?"
Jia Yu sighed and continued:
“Three years ago, our Qinghe County was hit by a plague. The imperial court allocated funds to the local area to treat the people. Who knew that the corrupt magistrate Cao Kangcheng would pocket every penny of the money allocated by the court and then trick the people from the plague-stricken areas into coming to our Jiajiagou Village, saying that there was a miracle doctor here who could cure the disease.”
As he spoke, tears began to stream down Jia Yu's face, which was filled with resentment.
"How could these people know that what awaited them in Jiajiagou was not a miracle doctor but death? After all the people in Qinghe County who had contracted the plague were tricked into going to Jiajiagou, Cao Kangcheng ordered the village to be sealed off. Then, Ming people poisoned the well water in Jiajiagou, and overnight everyone died. A total of eight thousand people died at the hands of Cao Kangcheng!"
As she spoke, Jia Yu began to sob.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei quickly signaled Tiezhu to untie him first. What kind of behavior was it for her group to tie up the host after spending the night at someone else's house?
When Chen Guixiang saw that Tiezhu was about to untie Jia Yu, she immediately objected and stood in front of Tiezhu, saying:
"No, we can't untie him. All of us in this room want to leave alive. Now you want to untie him just because you heard a story? I don't trust him to see if he's a good person or a bad person."
Upon hearing Chen Guixiang's words, Jia Yu cried out in anguish:
"This is not a story, this is not a story, these are eight thousand lives, living, breathing human lives! Where is justice! Where is justice!"
Seeing that Jia Yu was emotional, Jiang Yuwei quickly pulled Chen Guixiang aside and whispered to her:
"Have you got this straight? This is Jia Yu's house. We're staying here and then tying him up. What kind of behavior is this! When you're out and about, you'd better put away that unreasonable attitude of yours, or Jia Yu will kill you!"
After hearing Jiang Yuwei's words, Chen Guixiang was also somewhat wary of Jia Yu. She didn't even dare to look Jia Yu in the eye, so she didn't dare to say anything more and could only awkwardly go back to her room to hide.
Seeing that she had frightened Chen Guixiang, Jiang Yuwei quickly signaled Tiezhu to untie Jia Yu.
Seeing Jia Yu's pale and emaciated appearance, Jiang Yuwei guessed that he must not have had a proper meal in a long time. Even his house was deserted, with no signs of habitation. Otherwise, she would not have brought a group of people to live here.
Thinking this through, Jiang Yuwei took out two steamed buns and handed them to Jia Yu, saying:
"Eat something first, to fill your stomach."
Jia Yu looked at the white steamed bun in Jiang Yuwei's hand, then looked up at Jiang Yuwei again, before snatching the bun and stuffing it into his mouth. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten a white steamed bun.
Ever since everyone in Jiajiagou was killed, Jia Yu had been living in a daze. He would go out to pick wild fruits to eat during the day and go home to sleep at night. He didn't know why he was alive, but a belief in his heart always told him that he had to live on. Only by living on could he have a chance to wait for the day when the villagers of Jiajiagou would be exonerated.
Seeing him eat so quickly, Jiang Yuwei hurriedly handed him a bowl of water and said:
"Eat slowly, if you're not full, I have more here."
At this moment, Xu Qianqian, who had fainted from fright, also woke up. Ning Chunlin, who had been very worried about her, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her awake and couldn't help but complain:
"How can you be so timid? You fainted after just one look. Look at Jiang Yuwei, she's not scared at all, and she even gave that poor person a steamed bun."
Upon hearing Ning Chunlin's words, Xu Qianqian clenched her fists. She had tried every means to please Ning Chunlin and win his heart, but she never expected that Jiang Yuwei's casual action would make Ning Chunlin praise her. She had already given Ning Huaizhi to her, so why was Jiang Yuwei still thinking of seducing Ning Chunlin? Was it because Ning Chunlin's status was different now?
Xu Qianqian grew angrier the more she thought about it, her eyes fixed on Jiang Yuwei.
Little did Jiang Yuwei know that she had only given Jia Yu two steamed buns, which had already caused Xu Qianqian to hold a grudge against her. At this moment, all of her attention was on Jia Yu.
Jiang Yuwei watched as Jia Yu finished eating both steamed buns before speaking:
"You said your whole village was poisoned, so how come you're alright?"
Upon hearing this, Jia Yu snorted coldly and said:
“I almost wished something had happened to me. I was on my way to the capital for the imperial examinations, and when I returned, I found that Jiajiagou had been massacred. Not even the cats and dogs were left. I found out the truth by following some clues. I was young and hot-blooded at the time, so I went to the yamen to seek justice for the villagers. But that corrupt official Cao Kangcheng actually said that I had the plague and wanted to burn me alive in public. I was saved by an uncle.”
Jia Yu sighed again as he spoke:
"This uncle's daughter was tricked into coming to Jiajiagou after contracting the plague and was poisoned to death. The uncle said I was too young and couldn't fight against the government, so I could only accept my fate."
As he spoke, Jia Yu looked around his dilapidated room and slowly said:
"From then on, I lived under an assumed name, living a life that was neither human nor ghost."
Hearing this, Jiang Yuwei also felt sorry for his fate. He could have had a bright future, but he was ruined by corrupt officials for the rest of his life.
Jiang Yuwei looked at Jia Yu and said:
"What happened to Cao Kangcheng afterward? Didn't anyone come forward to denounce him?"
Upon hearing this, Jia Yu sneered and said:
"Report him? Who would dare to report him? He used the money earned with human lives to bribe officials and buy his way into office. He's had a smooth ride and is now an official in the capital!"
Hearing this, Jiang Yuwei sighed helplessly, then got up, glanced at Ning Zixuan, and went to the courtyard. Ning Zixuan followed her out.
Jiang Yuwei glanced around the room, then asked in a low voice:
"You've been in the capital for so many years, have you ever heard of the plague that struck Qinghe County three years ago? And what about that magistrate, Cao Kangcheng?"
Ning Zixuan hadn't expected Jiang Yuwei to be so meticulous. Just moments ago, she had clearly believed Jia Yu, yet she still turned around and asked him. So he nodded and said:
"I have heard of it. I remember the imperial court received news that a divine physician passed through here and used the silver allocated by the court to cure all those infected with the plague. Later, the plague did not spread any further, and no one investigated the matter anymore."
Upon hearing Ning Zixuan's words, Jiang Yuwei clenched her fists and cursed:
"What a corrupt official!"
Then, Jiang Yuwei looked at Ning Zixuan and asked in a low voice:
"Do you know Cao Kangcheng?"
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