The Delicate Lady Coroner Chapter 97: Fifth update to 09

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Chapter 97 Five Updates to 09

The light rain was falling, and Bo Ruoyou stood under the eaves of the corridor, his eyes falling on the white mountain mist in the distance. This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides. Although it is remote, it also has a special kind of tranquility away from the bustling city, with the chirping of insects. The chirping of birds accompanied by the smell of earthy and green grass in spring will give people a feeling of being outside the world. Bo Ruoyou took a deep breath and looked at the courtyard gate.

Grandma Zhang has not come back yet, and Wu Xiang has also left forever. Zhang Yu hides in the inner room to avoid scaring him. She does not try to coax or question him anymore. She always has special pity for children. heart of.

Zhou Liang came out of the house and said with some worry: "I wonder if the mountain road can still be walked. When I came yesterday, I saw that the mud on the mountain road was all yellow mud. It becomes very slippery when it rains. It won't rain today. Stop, let alone the carriage, even the horse has trouble moving."

Bo Ruoyou reassured: "It doesn't matter. With Mr. Wu and so many government officials here, it will be okay."

Zhou Liang is still a little worried. Bo Ruoyou suffered a disaster last time, and he doesn't want another crisis here.

After waiting for another quarter of an hour, Granny Zhang came back from outside. She was carrying a baggage when she went out, but when she came back, the baggage was gone. Bo Ruoyou smiled and asked, "What did you do, grandma?"

Grandma Zhang said: "I gave some things to the people in the east of the village." She closed the umbrella and patted the mud stains on the hem of her robe.

Bao Ruoyou looked at her somewhat inconvenient legs and feet and asked, "Is mother-in-law's leg injured or sick?"

Grandma Zhang patted her muddy hand, then straightened up and smiled, "I have been suffering from wind pain for many years, and I have become accustomed to it. Now that I am getting older, the disease is getting worse."

Grandma Zhang also glanced at the mountain in the distance, "Are you leaving today? If you want to leave, you have to leave early. It has been raining on this mountain for a long time, and the mounds on the mountain wall will continue to spread down. , you never know when the road will be completely blocked."

Bo Ruoyou smiled and said, "I'm not in a hurry."

Grandma Zhang glanced at the wing room and saw that Wu Xiang and others were missing. She didn't ask any questions and went to the bedroom to look for Zhang Yu. After a while, she led Zhang Yu into the kitchen.

The mother-in-law and grandson were cooking breakfast. Bao Ruoyou walked a few steps back and forth under the eaves, then went to the kitchen door. When he stood at the kitchen door, he saw that all the kitchen utensils were inside, and a large stove had been lit. Granny Zhang was boiling brown rice into the pot. Seeing Bo Ruoyou coming over, Granny Zhang asked, "Miss, do you want the old lady to prepare the meal?"

Bao Ruoyou shook his head and didn't see anything strange for a moment, so he went back to the side room.

After waiting like this for another half an hour, Wu Xiang just came back with the government officials. The rain had not stopped yet. Although it was light rain, there were many of them and the Zhang family did not have enough umbrellas. After getting wet, Wu Xiang sat down and said: "There are no pregnant women in the whole village. Not only that, except for the grandson of this mother-in-law, there are no other children in the village."

Bo Ruoyou was a little strange, "Didn't you say there are several families?"

Wu Xiang nodded, "Except for Granny Wu whom we met halfway up the mountain yesterday, we went to all the families in the village. The two people we met yesterday are brothers. They look to be in their thirties. They live together. Neither of them has a wife, and naturally neither of them has any children, but he seems to be an honest man. Several slopes in the south belong to their brothers. Even if it rains, they have to do farm work."

"The house to the east that Granny Zhang went to in the morning was a couple named Zhang. They were living a very difficult life. Both husband and wife were almost fifty years old. The old man was one-armed and the wife had been bedridden for many years. When I went there, I asked Granny Zhang about the problems with their legs and feet, and the old man said that Granny Zhang was kind and often gave them food."

Bo Ruoyou asked: "Don't they have any children?"

Wu Xiang nodded, "I have no children. It seems that I am sick. Both of them are locals. The old man has no money to take a concubine. This is not popular in the village, so he came here without any children for so many years." ."

Bo Ruoyou was a little sad. In this deserted village, there were only an old couple with no children, and life would only become more and more difficult.

Wu Xiang added: "There are two families in the southeast. There is a brother and sister surnamed Wu living in one family. They are about thirty years old. The younger sister said she is sick and does not come out to see people. The older brother is also an honest person, and he also He said that he originally had a wife, but she ran away after not being with him for long, saying that he disliked them because they were too poor here."

"There was also a household where a middle-aged man with handicapped legs and feet lived. The door was only opened a crack and his legs were somewhat deformed. Seeing that we were from the capital, he closed the door and said nothing. ."

Wu Xiang sighed, "This village is really weird, and its life is very bleak. There are either old couples with no children, or old women living alone and middle-aged men with handicapped legs, and those The brother, who seems to have good hands and feet, does not marry and have children, and the same goes for the brother and sister. The younger sister is sick, and the older brother married a wife but ran away."

Bo Ruoyou was thoughtful, and Wu Xiang said: "If this continues, these families will become extinct. We also went to see the few empty houses in the northwest that Granny Zhang mentioned, and they were indeed vacant. A lot of furniture inside has been moved away, and it is now too old to be inhabited. The grass in the yard is calf-high, the doors and windows are rotten, and the houses are in low-lying areas. If it rains so heavily last night for two more days, , most of the houses have to be filled with water."

Bo Ruoyou asked doubtfully: "It happens that those households in the northwest are empty?"

Wu Xiang nodded, but also showed hesitation, "I thought it was strange when I looked at it. I'm afraid that when I was building the house, I chose a place with a bad terrain, so I just moved away later. This place is really remote. It’s better to move to the other side of the mountain than here.”

Bo Ruoyou felt an indescribable strange feeling well up in his heart. At this time, the rain outside finally stopped. Wu Xiang walked out with a refreshed look. When he saw a gleam of light behind the clouds, he felt even more sad in his heart. Yi Song, "It shouldn't rain again for a while." After saying that, he raised his eyes and glanced at the roof of Granny Zhang's house, "Let them mend the roof first."

Grandma Zhang didn’t expect that when Wu Xiang said he was going to mend her roof, he actually wanted to do it. She hesitated and said, “It’s not a problem. We just don’t need to sleep in that house. Now that the rain has stopped, you guys are just about to go out.”

Wu Xiang also said: "There is no hurry to leave. This is not the time to leave."

Grandma Zhang couldn't escape for a moment, so she had to find a ladder and move out a pile of gray tiles from the back of the house. Wu Xiang quickly set up the ladder and climbed up. He climbed up to the roof, and everyone else was watching. The yard was busy for a moment, holding the ladder and handing the tiles, but suddenly, Wu Xiang let out a light sigh on the roof.

"There are people outside the yard, go and have a look."

Wu Xiang was on the roof. He could see far away. He glanced to the west and saw a figure sneaking outside the courtyard wall. A yamen officer quickly went out and opened the courtyard door. He saw yesterday standing outside the courtyard. The second uncle of the Zhang family as mentioned by Zhang Yu.

When the official appeared, the man looked frightened, and then said, "I'm here to find Granny Zhang."

Granny Zhang heard this and hurriedly came out. The Yamen looked at the two of them suspiciously for a moment before returning to the courtyard. Granny Zhang didn't know what she said to Uncle Zhang. She returned to the courtyard after half a stick of incense.

It was not difficult to repair the roof. Wu Xiang repaired the house quickly. The roof was quite slippery after it had just rained. He walked carefully and looked behind the house. When he saw it, he saw the house. Outside the backyard wall, a small pine forest is neatly planted.

It is common for farmers in the mountains to plant trees in front of and behind their houses, but what makes Wu Xiang feel strange is that there are obviously four or five newly planted pine trees in the pine forest. Not only are they compared with the towering pine trees around It was so bright that even the soil under the roots of the trees was fresh and smooth, without any weeds. Wu Xiang shouted from the roof, "Grandma Zhang, when was the pine forest behind your house planted?"

Grandma Zhang looked up at the roof from below and said, "I have been planting it for twenty or thirty years."

Wu Xiang frowned and asked in a relaxed tone: "Why have you planted new ones in the past two days?"

Grandma Zhang said without changing her expression: "I want to plant all the crops in the back, but I don't have the strength. I'll wait until my son comes back. It's hard for farmers to rely on the weather. Planting some wood will yield a harvest in a few years."

Bao Ruoyou stood under the eaves and didn't take it seriously. But when Wu Xiang got off the roof, she saw that Wu Xiang had a strange look on his face. He was thoughtful, but he didn't do anything in front of Granny Zhang. Talk a lot.

Grandma Zhang thanked her and asked Wu Xiang, "It's almost noon now. Are you still leaving today?"

Wu Xiang pondered for a moment and ordered two yamen servants, "You guys go on horseback and see if the road can still be walked."

As soon as the two of them came out, Granny Zhang put away the ladder, and then limped and pulled Zhang Yu into the bedroom. Bao Ruoyou looked at her legs and feet hidden under the robe and frowned slightly, waiting to enter In the wing room, first ask Wu Xiang, "Why did the head catcher ask about the pine forest behind?"

Wu Xiang said: "That pine forest is not twenty or thirty years old. In my opinion, it is at most ten years."

Bo Ruoyou frowned, "Songlin is irrelevant, there is no reason to lie, why didn't she even say this directly?" After a pause, Bo Ruoyou asked again: "The arrester said that there is a brother and sister in the family, and the younger sister is a biological child. She's sick, do you know what's wrong with her sister?"

Wu Xiang shook his head, "I don't know, his sister never showed up at all."

There was a look of concentration on Bo Ruoyou's face. Seeing this, Wu Xiang hurriedly asked: "What's wrong? Did you think of something unusual?"

Bo Ruoyou pursed her lips tightly and said, "I saw Granny Zhang's legs last night. After that, I kept thinking about what kind of disease it was. Just now Granny Zhang said that she had wind pain, but the wind pain was not severe. It can't be that kind of symptoms, and you said that several families in this village are sick, so I want to find out what diseases other families have."

Wu Xiang narrowed his eyes and said, "Okay, let's take a look before we leave."

Bo Ruoyou then asked, "What are your plans to leave here to catch the head?"

"First of all, let me go to the Yamen of Qinshui County to see what happened with the plague in Guzhang Village. Then I will go to Guzhang Village. Granny Zhang said that it is fifty miles away. I would like to go directly. Take people to Guzhang Village to have a look, but you have to go back first. Then on the way back, we will come here to investigate. Although there is no evidence now, several families here are quite weird."

This trip is a long way, and if you rush to Guzhang Village, you will have to hurry up. Bo Ruoyou also felt that it would be inconvenient to follow Wu Xiang, so he nodded, "That's fine, I really didn't expect that there was a plague in Guzhang Village. It’s just that the long-term worker found by the headhunter didn’t know about the plague. He only heard about this village and knew that they believed in the water god, the river god.”

Wu Xiang sighed, "Who would have thought that this place is only a day's journey from the capital, but it is so isolated. Later I will take you to visit several homes of people who have been sick. No matter what you gain today, , you go back to the capital first."

Bao Ruoyou came here for the autopsy. If there was no autopsy and only an investigation, there would be no need for her. However, Wu Xiang made a good calculation, but he couldn't help but God didn't give him face. After a while, the yamen who explored the way came back, and he was miserable. Face said: "Captain, we haven't traveled a mile when we saw a lot of rocks collapsed on the road. The road was already muddy, and now it's blocked. Miss Bo's carriage will definitely not be able to pass."

Wu Xiang was a little embarrassed by this order, "How much has collapsed? If we dig, how long will it take to dig through?"

The cadre said bitterly: "I'm afraid it will take a whole day to dig."

Wu Xiang was quite helpless, and Bo Ruoyou had no choice but to say: "Then I'll stay one more day. It's just in time for the chief to take me to see those sick people. There are only a few people in a village, but there are so many If all the patients have the same disease, then there must be something weird in this village."

Wu Xiang had no choice but to agree, and went to Granny Zhang to ask for farm tools. Granny Zhang was really surprised when she heard that the earthwork had collapsed on the road. She was also stunned, and then she felt helpless and anxious. She seemed to find it inconvenient that the mountain road was blocked. , turned around and found all the hoes and other things at home and gave them to the government officials. When he learned that they would stay another night, his face was no longer as happy as yesterday.

Wu Xiang put some more silver, and then divided his troops into two groups. One went to the passage, and the other took Bao Ruoyou to the home of the Wu brothers and sisters. Wu Xiang had been here earlier and waited in front of the door. Calling the door, the eldest brother of the Wu family quickly opened the door and was very surprised when he saw Wu Xiang returning again with a girl by his side.

Wu Xiang said: "This girl knows some medical skills. Didn't you say that your sister is very ill? Do you want to save her life? If you want, you can ask this girl to show it to your sister."

The eldest brother of the Wu family was very kind-hearted. When he heard this, he said a little awkwardly: "How can this be embarrassing? My sister has been ill for many years. If she can get better soon, and she doesn't like to meet strangers, Thank you for your kindness."

Wu Xiang smiled bitterly and said, "Don't be afraid. I really want to help you. There is no doctor in your village. Have you ever seriously looked at your sister's illness? I'm afraid not. It's so easy to have someone nowadays." Doctor, if you don’t give it a try, how will you know if it can be cured?”

To put it this way, the eldest brother of the Wu family showed some hesitation. He pursed his lips, and there was a hint of temptation on his dark face, "No... you don't charge a consultation fee, right?"

Wu Xiang laughed, "Of course I won't accept it."

The eldest brother of the Wu family nodded, "Then you guys come in first, and I'll ask my sister. If she wants to see it, I'll let you show it to her. If she doesn't want to, just forget it, okay?"

Wu Xiang didn't want to appear impatient, so he nodded in agreement.

The yard of the Wu family is not as vast as the Zhang family, but it is still neat. They stood in the yard and waited for a while. The eldest brother of the Wu family walked out of the main room and said, "Please come in. My sister is willing, but she She has been ill for many years and her face does not look good, so I just want the girl to ask her pulse through the curtain, okay?"

Bo Ruoyou and Wu Xiang responded, and they followed into the inner room.

The farmhouse was cramped and crude, and the Wu sister’s bedroom was quite dark and damp. She had probably been bedridden for many years. There was an unpleasant rotten smell in the house, and a gray hat hung on the simple wooden bed. The bed curtain vaguely reflected a slender figure inside. Sister Wu Jia was leaning on the bedside. She stretched out her hand when she heard the voice of the eldest brother of the Wu family.

As soon as he stretched out his hand, Bo Ruoyou felt a chill running down his spine.

This is the hand of a thin and slender woman. Due to long-term illness, only a layer of dry flesh is left on the wrist bone. What makes Bo Ruoyou's back feel cold is the worm-like protrusion under the skin. Bloodline, this scene is very similar to the strange thing on Granny Zhang's ankle.

The blood suddenly burst into a purple color, extending all the way from the forearm to the back of the hand. She moved her hand slowly, as if she didn't have enough strength, but with just a slight movement, the blood veins under the skin also moved, and in an instant it was as if the purple bug came alive. generally.

Bo Ruoyou endured the coldness in her heart and asked for her pulse. She had read many medical books, but she had never seen such a weird disease. After asking for her pulse, she felt even more confused and couldn't see the pulse. It turned out that this was a man with weak Qi and blood who was lingering on the bed. His pulse was weak and he was almost hanging with breath left. But apart from the abnormality on his hands, the other symptoms were hard to see. "Maybe my sister's face is exposed? The doctor said. It’s all about looking, hearing, asking, and asking questions. If I prescribe a prescription now, I’m sure there will be many omissions.”

Hearing her question, the eldest brother of the Wu family looked apologetic and said, "I'm sorry, girl, my sister really doesn't want to see people. I'm sorry. If you don't feel comfortable prescribing it, it's okay not to prescribe it."

As she spoke, the Wu sister had already retracted her hand.

Bo Ruoyou pondered for a while, "Judging from the pulse, your sister is extremely weak. I will give you a prescription to recuperate her. You can use only some simple herbs to strengthen your body and strengthen your body."

The eldest brother of the Wu family responded gratefully and hurriedly went to get paper and pen. His family was poor, and pens and paper were rare items. Bo Ruoyou wrote a good recipe and handed it to him. The eldest brother of the Wu family felt like he had found a treasure and thanked him repeatedly. Bo Ruoyou asked: "I can't identify this disease for a while. When did it start?"

The eldest brother of the Wu family sighed, "It was brought in from the mother's womb. It doesn't show when she is born, but it starts to show when she is two or three years old."

Bao Ruoyou looked carefully at the calm and honest farmer in front of him, nodded and said nothing more. They had to go to the next house, so naturally they would not stay here longer. The eldest brother of the Wu family sent them to the door respectfully. After watching them get on the carriage and leave, he returned to the inner room.

Fang Zi was kicked in his sleeve randomly by him. He first went to lift the curtain worriedly. When the curtain was lifted, a deformed face with a mandible covered with sarcoma was revealed. The Wu sister's eyes were deeply sunken. He looked down at the eldest brother of the Wu family with some panic. He held his sister's hand and comforted her silently.

On the carriage, Bo Ruoyou opened the curtain and talked to Wu Xiang, "It's a bit similar to Granny Zhang's disease. It's a mutation in the blood. It shouldn't be a disease brought from the mother's womb. They don't care about their own disease. If there is something to hide, I guess their illness may be related to the plague——"

Wu Xiang frowned, "You mean, they might have been infected with the plague back then?"

Bo Ruoyou shook his head, "It's just a guess. I don't know what kind of disease this plague is, but their attitude makes me feel weird."

Wu Xiang said nothing and took her to the old couple's home.

The couple are both half a hundred years old, and the old man has one arm. He also said that his wife has been seriously ill for many years. Wu Xiang had not seen this old woman just now. However, when they revealed their intention, the old man's expression changed. He closed the door angrily.

Wu Xiang had no choice but to take Bo Ruoyou to the home of the middle-aged man with handicap. Wu Xiang failed to get in the first time. After he called the door this time, the man still only opened the door a small way. seam.

Seeing that there was another girl outside, the man became even more wary, "What are you doing here again?"

Wu Xiang said: "Brother, I see that your legs and feet are inconvenient. We happen to have a doctor accompanying us. Can the doctor help you——"

With a "pop", before Wu Xiang finished speaking, the door was closed. The man behind the door said: "Are you foreigners? It's best to leave early. We don't welcome foreigners here. !" After saying this, the footsteps disappeared, but they entered the house again.

Wu Xiang frowned, and Bo Ruoyou also found it difficult. The mountains were already shrouded in mist, and after walking around, Bo Ruoyou felt that the entire village seemed to be shrouded in some kind of fog.

In the capital, Huo Weilou spent half a day to find the official document in the inner treasury of Jingzhao Mansion. After reading the official document, Huo Weilou's expression became solemn, "Five years ago, the land of the two lakes There was a flood, and then a plague broke out. At that time, the local magistrate asked the imperial court for help. The imperial court searched out all the records about the plague in the past twenty years. After comparing them, they chose several useful methods to help the local people. Act as ordered."

Huo Weilou suddenly came to the Yamen of Jingzhao Mansion in person, and Sun Zhao naturally accompanied him. Hearing Huo Weilou talk about this matter, Sun Zhao also had a slight impression, "At that time, the Marquis had just been ennobled. For this matter, the Marquis It seems that you have been to Jiangnan once?"

Huo Weilou nodded, "At that time, the file recording the plague in Guzhang Village was sent to my desk. However, this plague was not caused by floods. I did not read it carefully, but only had some impression of the village."

When this incident happened, Sun Zhao had not yet taken up the post of Jingzhao Yin, so he did not know about it, and the file was kept in dust for many years. If Huo Weilou had not had a good memory, it would be difficult for Sun Zhao to remember it. Taking the file over, he read it carefully, and then he was surprised, "So... after the plague broke out, this village was sealed off?"

Huo Weilou nodded with serious eyes, "It happened more than ten years ago. At that time, there was no other way. Only in this way can we avoid future troubles forever. After being sealed for more than half a year, almost no dozens of households in the entire village were left. Live."

Sun Zhao sighed, "There is no record of what kind of plague it is or what the disease is called. It can be seen that the cause of the disease is not known in the end. This place is so close to the capital, so it can only be like this."

"But if there were no people left alive in Guzhang Village back then, who was the person who used Guzhang Village's sacrificial method this time?" Huo Weilou's eyes were narrow, and he suddenly thought of a shocking possibility. .