Chu Nanzhi pinched her nose and immediately lifted her head up from the salt well. She looked around carefully and found some fragments of bamboo rafts and brine buckets scattered not far away.
She walked over and picked up a crisp fragment of the brine bucket, brought it to the root of her nose and smelled it. The unpleasant smell was still there.
Looking around the deep swamp, she roughly understood what was going on, and quickly asked: "Laifu, Peng Dianshi, do you know if there are any other mining or other businesses around here besides salt wells?
"
Peng Pai frowned and thought carefully.
Malaifu thought for a moment and immediately replied: "There is a smelting site two miles upstream of Majia Village. It is mainly responsible for metallurgy and casting of iron tools. It is said that during the war with the Dongsang people, there was a place where weapons were cast."
Chu Nanzhi suddenly understood, and finally understood why the salt produced here could kill people.
The villagers in Niujia Village did not die from any plague, but from being poisoned by the salt boiled in the salt well for a long time.
She excitedly ran to a swamp where the stream merged, took some accumulated sewage and smelled it. The disgusting smell of rust immediately hit her nostrils.
She took the handkerchief and wiped her hands, pointed at the mud, and began to talk to everyone in detail:
"You see, this is the downstream area of the smelting plant. The sewage in the smelting site must have flowed directly through this place without being treated. However, the terrain of Niujia Village is relatively low, and the sewage cannot flow out. It can only slowly seep into the ground. Over time, it will
The more it penetrates, the more it combines with the brine used to boil salt underground, and poisonous table salt is produced."
As for industrial salt, she couldn't explain it to everyone, so she could only euphemistically say it was poisonous salt.
"This kind of salt is different from those crude illicit salts. It contains highly poisonous substances. If my prediction is correct, the salt used in the meals eaten in the inn that day must have been mined from this poisonous well."
As soon as Chu Nanzhi finished speaking, Peng Pai frowned and slowly stroked his beard and asked softly: "As far as I know, all the salt wells here have been sealed up and abandoned for more than twenty years. Where did the poisonous salt in the post house come from?
Where are you coming from?"
Seeing his puzzled expression, Chu Nanzhi looked at Ma Laifu with a meaningful smile: "Laifu, you said that you and Zhu Xiancheng went to Majia Village to inquire about the origin of the private salt, but did you find out some clues?"
"I don't know the specifics."
Ma Laifu held his chin in deep thought: "But Brother Zhu suspected that there was indeed something wrong with the salt well over there. When we parted last time, he even said that he would let me accompany him to go there again when we found out more about it. But who would have thought that he would suffer such a misfortune?
He was murdered."
Chu Nanzhi nodded thoughtfully, roughly guessing that Zhu Yue must have found some clues, so he was murdered.
Then, she looked at Peng Pai and asked: "Peng Dianshi, former Qian County Magistrate, can you confirm that someone had his throat cut after death?"
"I'm sure."
Peng Pai said firmly: "Although I have not been working as a prisoner for a long time, the original case of Qian County Cheng was that he was killed with a knife. However, I examined the wound of the deceased and found that if his throat was cut before death, it would definitely cause bleeding and the throat would not stop bleeding."
The body of Qian County Cheng's body showed atrophy, but the examination revealed that the throat of Qian County Cheng's corpse was swollen and wide, and there was coagulated dirty blood in the stab wound."
"This is indeed a state of poisoning."
Chu Nanzhi frowned and nodded.
The toxin of this kind of industrial salt cannot be detected with a silver needle, and there are stab wounds as evidence. In addition, the incident in Niujia Village has been classified as a plague by the government, so everyone naturally only thinks that he died by having his throat cut.
Leading everyone back to the village entrance, Chu Nanzhi asked Ma Laifu as he walked: "Laifu, how many villages does the water downstream of the smelter flow through?"
"Just Majia Village and Niujia Village."
Ma Laifu replied seriously: "But most people in Majia Village don't use the water from the river on weekdays."
"Well, how many salt wells are there in Majia Village?"
"There's just one place there."
Ma Laifu smiled stiffly: "The cost of building well salt is high, and most of the private salt fields are concentrated near Songhai. I'm afraid that's the only well salt site around the county, and it has long been under the government's name."
"Oops."
Thinking of the salt in the inn, Chu Nanzhi vaguely had a bad thought.
The salt well here has been sealed for many years, and the poisonous salt that flowed into the post house could only have been produced there. She was afraid that someone would destroy the evidence, so she immediately shouted to Li Sanmu:
"Li Langjun, divide your men into three groups. The first group will escort Kang Mingtang and others back to the county office. The second group will go to the post office and quickly control the cooks and handymen in the kitchen. The rest will follow me.
Let’s go to Majia Village to seal the salt well together.”
"yes."
Li Sanmu immediately assigned people, and the group of people divided into three groups and set off from Niujia Village to their respective destinations.
Southeast of Haikang County, Sanghai Beach
Several sailboats were moored quietly in the shoal, and a green young man on the shore stared at the rolling waves in the distance, covering his chest with his hands and letting out a slight cough from time to time.
Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, he casually turned sideways and glanced at the group of people arriving. His melancholy expression immediately turned around, revealing a look of relief.
"Your Highness, I have already shot all those men in black. Government officials will deal with those who are halfway there. The head of the Kang family has also been handed over to Madam Chu."
"Well, it went well."
There was an evil smile on the corner of the young man's mouth: "Sixth Uncle, this is not in Shita City, why should we be so open to the outside world."
"Jingchen, since it was Mrs. Chu who saved you, why don't you go and thank her in person?"
Uncle Xie Liu changed his tone and looked at Xie Jingchen, who was still very weak, with a puzzled look on his face.
"No need."
Xie Jingchen responded lightly.
Uncle Xie secretly looked at him for a moment, seemed to have noticed something, and speculated: "Jingchen, you don't like that little lady, do you?"
"Talk too much."
"If you like her, take her back to Stone Tart City."
Uncle Xie Liu was full of sincerity and gave advice very seriously.
Xie Jingchen sighed softly. He never thought about it, but: "She already has a husband."
Uncle Xie patted his chest and showed a disapproving look: "What are you afraid of? You are the future emperor of our ten tribes in Baiyu. One day, when my army invades Jinling City, the whole world will be yours. Not to mention that she has a husband.
Even if you have a child, Uncle Six will ask someone to kidnap you back to Shitta City."
"Uncle Six, what do you know? Uncle Six has lived to this age and is still so superficial."
Xie Jingchen snorted angrily, and then continued to look at the distant coastline, Wen Shen murmured in a low voice: "The best way to admire something you like is to stand at a distance and appreciate it quietly, so that you can maintain your sense of beauty.
.”
"Ahem, Uncle Six cannot understand the thoughts of young people like you. Uncle Six only knows how to be loyal to your father and will continue to be loyal to you in the future."
Uncle Xie Liu looked at him deeply and said seriously: "Go back early. You see that you have to come here and make yourself in such a mess. When you go back, Mr. Xiangguo should blame you. Fortunately, there is."
At this point, Xie Liushu suddenly stopped.
He really couldn't understand the thoughts of His Highness the Crown Prince. Li Shiyao, the daughter of the prime minister, was so devoted to him that he refused to accept her and insisted on going to an enemy country to provoke a village woman.
"Let's go, board the ship."
After Xie Jingchen finished speaking, he ignored him and walked toward the boat lonely.