CH 77

Zhou Zhengdao was only suspicious of the possible adultery between the County Magistrate and Head Commissioner Tan. Now that he heard it with his own ears, he had a sense of superiority of ‘I know everything’. Therefore, when Zhou Zhengdao saw Tan Lingyin again, his eyes were slightly ambiguous, and his expression was slightly wretched. Tan Lingyin naturally knew what he was thinking, but she was helpless and could only pretend to be ignorant.

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Zhou Zhengdao didn't care too much about her private life. He was more worried about what well Magistrate Tang fell into and the corpses they found. He can’t be that misfortunate, to be discovered like that, right?...

He couldn't ask too much either. That little County Magistrate was very keen and could easily detect his abnormality.

With hands tied, he can only watch and see what happens.

As a County Magistrate, who ‘went up the mountain for a tryst and accidentally fell into a broken well and found a lot of corpses’, Tang Tianyuan expressed enough attention to this accident. He dispatched a group of people and personally took them up the mountain to dig up the bodies. Zhou Zhengdao also followed, with a look of concern for the country and the people.

Tang Tianyuan had a couple of people go down and dig up the corpse. He instructed them to examine it on the spot, and only after the examination, to then bring the corpse up. The bones were all placed into baskets. To prevent confusion, one person’s bones were transported up in one basket. So the bones were slowly taken out one after the other.

Baskets of human bones emerged from the well. That kind of scene made people tremble with fear. Some people were timid, so when they couldn't take it anymore they asked to be excused to go elsewhere to relieve themselves in groups. Li Dawang and the others just came on a rescue mission last night. They didn't know there were dead people in the well, so their faces were a little pale now.

The coroner was the last to come up. After coming up, they explained the situation to Tang Tianyuan. "There are five deceased people. All of them are young men; the time of death was about eight or nine months ago; the cause of death was initially determined to be poisoning. Because the bones have turned black, it was difficult to determine the initial murder location. However, according to the inference of my humble self, it should not be the bottom of the well."

Of course not. Would a few lively young men discussed and plan to commit a group suicide by consuming poison at the bottom of a well? That’s a little too sick in the head.

A person who had also explored the well, named Cong Shun, added, "The deceased have been buried by after their death, so it can be seen that it is not suicide but homicide. According to Sir’s previous description, this well should have been originally covered up. However, with the winds and rains in summer, the earth was eroded away, making it easy to cave in if a person stepped on it."

Tang Tianyuan nodded and motioned for him to continue.

Cong Shun added, "In addition, according to the excavation marks on the well walls, this well was human made. Since there are no nearby villages, it is not a water well, nor is it a trap for animals. A trap would be dug wider, and would not be this deep."

Tang Tianyuan was very satisfied. This officer said exactly what he wanted to say. He asked, "So, what is this?"

Cong Shun was a meticulous person. This was a large case with such a big event and with so many deceased. What's more, what he just discovered was also strange, so he must pay attention to confidentiality. There were too many people present, so it was not good to say it now.

Tang Tianyuan also understood this very well, so he decided to return first.

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This made Zhou Zhengdao anxious to death. He wanted to ask several times, but he was afraid that his own question would easily arouse the suspicion of the County Magistrate. When they finally came back to the county government office, seeing the County Magistrate calling Cong Shun into the Retreat Hall, Zhou Zhengdao couldn't bear it any longer. He thickened his skin, ready to follow them in.

Tang Tianyuan raised his eyebrows deliberately, pretending to be puzzled. "Does County Deputy Zhou need something?"

"My lord, since I am your deputy, there are matters I should also collate and examine critically. Otherwise, I would be ashamed of my lord's favor, and would be unable to bear the prefect’s entrusted task."

He pulled out the prefectural magistrate card again. Tang Tianyuan expressed his helplessness and allowed Zhou Zhengdao to follow them.

Cong Shun said, "Sir, that well on the mountain should actually be a mine."

Tang Tianyuan shook his head, "Nonsense, what kind of mine can there be on Tianmu Mountain? A coal mine? A copper mine? Since there are mines, why don't I, a parental official, know about it?"

"Sir, there are some channels dug horizontally on the wall of the well, which have been blocked. These channels should lead to the mining field. In addition, this subordinate found this at the bottom of the well." He took out a small object and handed it To Tang Tianyuan.

Tang Tianyuan didn't need to look at it to know what it was. It was a piece of gold ore, which he deliberately dropped last night.

He took it, held it in his hand and looked at it carefully, deliberately adjusting the angle so that Zhou Zhengdao could get a clear look.

Zhou Zhengdao groaned in his heart. It’s over, the worst prediction came true.

Tang Tianyuan looked up at Zhou Zhengdao, "County Deputy Zhou, what are your thoughts?"

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Zhou Zhengdao's expression remained calm, and he replied, "With eminent knowledge, the decision is up to my Lord."

Tang Tianyuan pondered for a while, and then said to Cong Shun, "Bring a few reliable people to dig the passages on the wall. Determine whether it is really a gold mine."

Cong Shun assented and went out of the Retreat Hall.