Chapter 147 – The Case is Clear
Magistrate Yao Jin looked outside the courtroom and shouted angrily, “Who’s making a racket out there?”
Upon feeling Yao Jin’s gaze directed outside, the hearts of Ms. Zhong, the Yan sisters, and Tian Dazhuang collectively sank.
Tian Dazhuang quickly grabbed Yan Xiaosi’s arm. “Xiaosi, don’t cause trouble.”
Seeing that Ms. Zhong and the Yan sisters were all very nervous, Yan Xiaosi smiled slightly, saying, “Mom, elder sister, second sister, third sister, Brother Dazhuang, I’ll be fine. With so many people watching, the county magistrate won’t dare do anything to me.”
Having reassured them, she pushed her way through the crowd, stepping up to the entrance of the courtroom.
“Lord Yao, it’s me.”
“It’s… you.”
Upon seeing Yan Xiaosi’s face, a surge of annoyance welled up within Yao Jin. He remembered how he spent twenty taels of silver that morning to purchase a gemstone from this kid to please the noble from Xijing. However, the noble showed no appreciation. This made him regret his decision.
Could it be that the gem was not a genuine Night Pearl?
This thought made his brow furrow even deeper.
However, before he could confront the boy, Long Yu suddenly spoke, “Lord Yao, since he has something to say, let him in.”
Given the order by the war general, how could Yao Jin dare to object? He nodded and said, “Let him in,” signaling the guards to allow Yan Xiaosi to proceed.
Walking confidently into the courtroom, Yan Xiaosi glanced at Bai Mingyue, then shifted his gaze to Yao Jin, saying, “Sir, since we’ve confirmed that the prescription was not at fault, it must be the medicinal ingredients, or someone tampered with the decoction process.”
“That makes sense,” Yao Jin agreed, turning his gaze to Bai Mingyue.
Bai Mingyue candidly replied, “The medicines in Jiren Hall all come from regular channels. There shouldn’t be any issues.”
Hearing this, Yan Xiaosi couldn’t help but sigh. Bai Mingyue was too naive. The owner of Jiren Hall had abandoned Bai Mingyue to protect the reputation of the pharmacy, yet Bai Mingyue was still not willing to bring down Jiren Hall with him.
The aggrieved woman said, “I personally watched the herbs being selected, and they were indeed fine.”
Yan Xiaosi looked at the woman, her face pale and full of sorrow, genuine sorrow.
“Madam, did you personally prepare your husband’s medicine?”
The woman replied, “No. I run a textile shop, and ever since my husband fell ill, I had to look after the business. My younger sister-in-law took charge of preparing the medicine.”
Given that the woman appeared to be in her thirties, Yan Xiaosi deduced that her sister-in-law, given the age norms of their society, must be in her twenties — quite old for an unmarried woman.
“Madam, is your sister-in-law still unmarried?”
The woman replied, “She is married, but her husband’s family is poor. My kind-hearted husband couldn’t bear to see his younger sister suffer, so he invited her and her husband to live with us.”
Now things have become clearer.
Yan Xiaosi began to understand. Disputes over inheritance among siblings were common.
She had to suspect the intentions of the woman’s sister-in-law and her husband.
“Madam, do you still have the residue from the medicine?”
The woman nodded, “Yes. After preparing the medicine each time, my sister-in-law would dispose of the residue. After my husband’s incident, I collected some of the residue where she usually discarded it, hoping to seek justice from Jiren Hall.”
“Bring me the residue to examine quickly.”
The woman took out a package from her sleeve and handed it to Yan Xiaosi. Upon opening the paper package, Yan Xiaosi found various swollen herbs, including various medical ingredients she heard from the prescription. She picked up each type of herb and sniffed it. When she reached the burdock root, her eyebrows furrowed.
Long Yu keenly noticed her change in expression and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Yan Xiaosi said, “This is not burdock root at all.”
Murong Qinjian stood up and came over, also picking up a piece of what was supposed to be burdock root, “This is burdock root.”
“This is called ‘niu jian zi’ , which looks and smells very similar to burdock root. Many people mistake it for burdock root. However, burdock root is a life-saving medicine, while ‘niu jian zi’ is a poisonous one.”
Murong Qinjian, who had been practicing medicine for many years, had never heard of ‘niu jian zi,’ and Yan Xiaosi’s words piqued his interest.
“How do you distinguish ‘niu jian zi’ from burdock root?”
“Just like this.”
Yan Xiaosi gently broke the swollen ‘niu jian zi’ in half. “When you break burdock root, the break appears yellow, while this one is purple. ‘Niu jian zi’ is not exactly poisonous; its function is to paralyze the heart. An overdose can stop the heart and lead to death. Sometimes, livestock die mysteriously while grazing; it is likely because they ate ‘niu jian zi.'”
Realizing this, Yan Xiaosi said, “The woman’s younger sister-in-law likely collected wood and grazed livestock on the mountains, which would explain her knowledge of ‘niu jian zi.'”
The woman, however, still looked confused. “The prescription called for burdock root, so why was ‘niu jian zi’ in the residues? Could it be a problem with the pharmacy?”
This possibility existed. To clarify the case, Yao Jin ordered two constables, “You two, quickly go check the pharmacy.”
“Yes, sir.”
The two officers quickly left and returned an hour later.
“Reporting, sir. The pharmacy’s herbs are fine. They’ve used burdock root on other patients these past few days, and no one had any problems.”
The prescription wasn’t the issue, nor was the pharmacy. The most suspicious person was now the woman’s younger sister-in-law.
At this point, the woman also seemed to understand.
“Could it be… could it be…”
This outcome was difficult for her to accept. Yan Xiaosi sighed, “Madam, the case is quite clear now. Your sister-in-law was responsible for preparing the medicine. You should ask Yao Jin to summon her for questioning.”
The woman’s eyes turned red, and she gritted her teeth, “Please act on my behalf, sir.”
Yao Jin pounded the table angrily, “Killing one’s own brother is unforgivable. Constables, go bring this woman’s sister-in-law here for questioning.”
“Yes, sir.”
Several officers left swiftly to apprehend the person from Daxing Town. It was only in the evening that they managed to bring back the woman’s sister-in-law and her husband. “Sister-in-law, has my brother’s case been cleared? Who is the murderer?”
