The eldest sister-in-law became rich by farming in the mountains

County Magistrate He was about to step forward to pay his respects, but Xu Yingtao waved her hand to stop him: "Master He, there is no need to be so polite. Please tell me the progress of this case in detail. Has the coroner gone to test for poison? Does the family of the deceased suspect murder?"

County Magistrate He led Xu Yingtao into the inner hall of the yamen and answered her questions one by one.

"Reporting to the township lord, the deceased's family had been studying away from home for a long time and only returned home yesterday. The deceased were his grandparents and parents. The family atmosphere was harmonious and they lived a prosperous life. No motive for the murder has been found so far."

After a pause, he considered and said, "The hot sauce has not been found to be poisonous yet."

He didn't dare to say anything final.

"Does this family have any enemies?" After hearing this, Xu Yingtao breathed a sigh of relief and continued to ask.

County Magistrate He shook his head and said, "This family runs a butcher shop. They get along well with their neighbors and have a very good reputation. They have no enemies."

This is strange.

The food was not poisonous, the family members had no motive to kill, and the deceased had no enemies seeking revenge. Could it be a ghost?

Just as Xu Yingtao was about to ask to meet with the deceased's family to ask them why they insisted that the hot sauce was the cause, she saw three yamen runners rushing into the inner hall like they were chased by dogs.

"Sir, three people died of unknown causes in Zucchini Lane in the west of the city, and their deaths were very similar to those of the Wu family!"

"Your Excellency, six more people died in Winter Melon Lane in the west of the city, and their deaths were exactly the same as those of the Wu family!"

"Sir, seven people were found dead in Qingquan Lane in the east of the city, including a newborn baby. The conditions are the same as those of the Wu family!"

As news of deaths came one after another, County Magistrate He's face became paler and paler, and he finally collapsed weakly in his chair.

His term of office will end in one year, and now he has been involved in such a thing. Not to mention promotion, the court will probably charge him with mismanagement.

At this moment, County Magistrate He had no time to care about Xu Yingtao's background, and hurriedly asked the yamen runners: "Have these families also purchased and eaten the hot sauce from Nanxi Village?"

Xu Yingtao looked at him.

County Magistrate He also had his own grievances.

It was not that he wanted to target Xu Yingtao, but according to the testimony of the deceased's family members, the deceased said before his death that his throat felt like it was burning, and the root of his tongue and mouth were in unbearable pain. All these symptoms were consistent with the reaction after eating too much spicy food.

The coroner's autopsy results also said that the deceased's throat and inner walls of the mouth were covered with blisters. Although it is not possible to test whether the hot sauce is poisonous, it cannot be ruled out that the hot sauce is the cause.

Unexpectedly, the three yamen runners shook their heads and said frankly that they did not find hot sauce in the homes of the deceased.

County Magistrate He’s heart was completely broken.

He is not Bao Longtu if he is still alive. Moreover, although the area under his jurisdiction has not been peaceful during the years he has served as the county magistrate, there has never been such a major and vicious case that came out of nowhere.

At this moment, the only clue about the "hot sauce" was gone, and he was completely in the dark.

Since it has nothing to do with the hot sauce, Zhu Shan, who is imprisoned in the prison, and the family of the deceased who is one of the suspects should naturally be released.

County Magistrate He immediately ordered the two men to be released and sent people to investigate the commonalities between these cases.

A moment later, Xu Yingtao saw Zhu Shan hugging Qiu at the gate of the yamen.

When the two saw her, they knelt down hurriedly to pay their respects, bursting into tears of gratitude.

Xu Yingtao helped the two of them up, with a serious look on her face: "No need to thank me, I didn't do anything, but I'm afraid the city may be in turmoil, you should go back and look after the elderly and children."

It was really horrifying that so many people died at once.

The couple expressed their gratitude again and invited Xu Yingtao to their home.

Of course Xu Yingtao refused without hesitation.

She was ready to run away.

Who knows if there is a perverted murderer lurking in this city, or if some terrible virus has broken out.

Just as this thought was emerging in his mind, the voice of the yamen runner came from behind him: "Mr. Wu, Master Zhushan is really not the murderer who killed your family. Don't bother him anymore and go back to take care of the funeral for your family."

Xu Yingtao and Zhu Shan turned around and saw a scholar in a long robe with a red face, shouting hysterically: "Who else could it be if not him? My family died because they ate the hot sauce he sold! Tell me, who else could it be?!"

The bailiff was just about to explain to him that several similar murders had occurred in the city today, but before he could say anything, he saw Mr. Wu tightly grasping his throat with both hands, his eyeballs bulging, veins popping out, and his face becoming increasingly red.

Then he screamed hoarsely, "It hurts so much!" Then he fell straight to the ground, his body twitched a few times, and there was no movement anymore.

The yamen runner watched this scene in horror, leaned over to feel Wu Xiucai's breath, and stepped back several steps in fear, shouting in disbelief: "Dead?!"

Then, the yamen runner rushed into the yamen without hesitation, shouting: "Sir, it's bad! Wu Xiucai is dead too!"

At the same time, another yamen runner came running from the other end of the street, heading straight for the yamen, shouting as he ran: "Sir, three more families in Quliu Lane, South Street, have died suddenly!"

This scene terrified everyone present, except Chun Sanniang, who seemed exceptionally calm and wanted to go forward to check.

Xu Yingtao grabbed her and said nervously, "Don't go."

It's not that she is cold-blooded, but having experienced the pandemic, she always feels that Mr. Wu and the other dead were infected with some highly contagious virus.

Of course, this was called plague in ancient times.

At this time, even Zhu Shan and his wife realized that something was wrong. They hurried to get on the carriage, but were stopped by Xu Yingtao.

"After you two return, don't rush to contact the elderly and children. Try to isolate yourself for a while and observe if there are any abnormalities. If there are no abnormalities, reunite with your family."

After hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Zhu Shan were so nervous that they didn't know what to do, but they still thanked Xu Yingtao sincerely.

After the Zhu family's carriage left, Chun Sanniang asked nervously, "My dear, should we also leave the city as soon as possible?"

However, it was not Xu Yingtao's turn to make a decision. County Magistrate He had obviously reacted. All the officers who were still in the county government were sent out. They ran and shouted, "The lord has ordered to seal off the city immediately! No one is allowed to go out or enter without permission!"

Xu Yingtao's breathing paused.

They can't get out!

At this time, County Magistrate He also hurried out of the government office. Seeing Xu Yingtao still there, he smiled bitterly and said, "My lord, I have no other choice. If it is really an epidemic, letting the county residents leave the city will probably implicate more innocent people."

Xu Yingtao nodded slightly: "Your Excellency is wise. Please make sure that all the people stay at home and don't go out."

Of course she knew that locking down the city was the best option before it was clearly investigated whether it was an epidemic.

But it would be a lie to say I'm not afraid.

When people face death, they instinctively feel fear.

However, things have come to this point. There is no point in being afraid. We can only leave everything to fate.

Fortunately, County Magistrate He arranged a place for the two of them to stay, so they didn't have to be left without a place to stay during this anxious time.