Chapter 172: The Needle in the Brain and the Riot at the Hall

The Jingzhao Yin's scalp went numb, his stomach churned like a stormy sea, his throat tickled, and a violent urge to retch surged into his heart.

He clamped his mouth shut with all his might, terrified of vomiting in front of so many people, which would be utterly shameful.

That mass of white, soft stuff looked exactly like the bowl of tofu pudding his wife had made that morning.

Except this "tofu pudding" was covered in dark red blood vessels and emitted an indescribable strange odor.

He stole a glance at the people beside him, only to see the others listening to Jun Jun Zijin's explanation as if entranced, acting completely unfazed; even Guazi remained expressionless.

He, a dignified seven-foot man, actually possessed less courage than two frail women!

If this got out, where would he hide his old face? Thus, he forcibly swallowed back the sour fluid that had risen to his throat.

Fortunately, fortunately, no one had noticed him; the Jingzhao Yin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quietly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Finally found the cause."

Seeing the deceased's blackened brain, Jun Jun Zijin breathed a sigh of relief. She had dissected the corpse and finally uncovered the injustice for the deceased, thus doing justice to them.

Only then did the crowd awaken from their fascination; they saw Jun Jun Zijin take out a small pair of forceps and extract a thin needle from the deceased's brain matter.

Jun Jun Zijin held up that thin needle, examining it carefully against the light; the needle flashed with a greenish glow under the sunlight, clearly having been soaked in deadly poison.

Jun Jun Zijin frowned and said:

"This is absolutely not an accident, but a premeditated murder."

Upon hearing this, everyone was greatly alarmed, their faces turning pale.

Jun Chengcai flew into a rage:

"Who is so vicious as to use such sinister means to frame Haitongantang?"

The Jingzhao Yin also wore a solemn expression and asked:

"Is this the cause of death?"

The Jingzhao Yin spoke in almost a hoarse voice; he dared not open his mouth wide, fearing he might vomit and lose face.

Jun Jun Zijin glanced at the Jingzhao Yin, her voice cool and her tone firm:

"Correct, the deceased was poisoned to death; the murder weapon is the thin needle in the head. If I am not mistaken, the other two corpses are the same."

Sure enough, shortly after, the coroner went to the morgue, retrieved two thin needles from the heads of the other two corpses, and without exception, they all flashed with a greenish glow.

"It truly is murder!"

The Jingzhao Yin's face turned dark.

"Princess, then in your opinion, how should we proceed to find the true culprit?"

Jun Jun Zijin was teaching Jun Chengcai how to reset, fix, and suture the deceased's skulls one by one.

Hearing this, she did not even lift her head, saying indifferently:

"I only know the cause of death; as for how to solve the case, that is the yamen's affair."

Every profession has its specialty; today she had already moonlighted as a forensic examiner, did she also have to moonlight as a criminal investigator?

Sorry, she truly lacked both the ability and the energy for that.

The hospital side was not calm either; the deceased's relatives gathered outside the Jingzhao Yamen gate dared not block Jun Jun Zijin.

Seeing that she had not emerged since entering the Jingzhao Yamen gate, the relatives lost their confidence and began discussing noisily.

"I heard that is a Princess; look how respectfully the Prefect treats her; what can we possibly do to her?"

"Exactly, it is probably just officials protecting each other."

"Let us go to Haitongantang; the medicine was sold by Haitongantang. I heard the adjacent Tongan Hospital is holding a free clinic, and the medicine comes from the same person; we cannot allow more people to lose their lives."

Just then, someone in the crowd let out a wail so loud it drowned out all other sounds; their words were righteous and indignant, immediately sparking resonance.

Like a disorderly mob, a group of relatives roared and charged toward Haitongantang; they had only one goal, vowing to turn Haitongantang upside down.

He Dong, the Shopkeeper of Haitongantang, now looked as if his soul had left his body; his face was ashen, his legs weak, and his forehead covered in cold sweat.

A few days ago, one family causing trouble had already given him a splitting headache; fortunately, the person had not died completely, was saved by the master, and the truth came to light.

Today, three families are causing trouble simultaneously; with the master absent, how can he possibly cope?

Watching the crowd draw nearer and the shouting become deafening, He Dong felt utterly at a loss and was on the verge of tears.

As soon as the disturbance started next door, He Ling'er learned of it; she immediately ordered Fei Yan to go to the Jingzhao Yamen to find Jun Jun Zijin.

Fei Ying, however, told Fei Yan that Jun Jun Zijin would not be able to come out for some time.

On the Haitongantang side, the rioting crowd rushed inward while clamoring:

"Everyone listen, Tongan Hospital and Haitongantang are one family; they sell fake medicine and killed our relatives; from now on, everyone must absolutely not go to Tongan Hospital for treatment."

Many commoners who had gone to the hospital for the free clinic withdrew from the hospital.

Although Lady Lady Qingping held a unique place in their hearts, in the end, no one dared to gamble with their own lives.

Many commoners had already gathered on the periphery; upon hearing these words, they began discussing fervently.

"Lady Lady Qingping is a divine physician; just two days ago she revived a dead person; how could she possibly sell fake medicine?"

"Exactly, exactly; we commoners of Jingcheng all rely on Lady Lady Qingping for our well-being today!"

"The Princess is a great benefactor; we poor commoners rely on the Princess to find work and earn money."

"One may know a person's face but not their heart; who knows if she was just pretending to be good before?"

Once these words were spoken, the crowd fell silent; yes, there was some truth to that statement.

Seeing that the tide of public opinion regarding Jun Jun Zijin had shifted subtly, the troublemakers became even more energetic.

Just as the situation threatened to spiral out of control, a crisp, angry shout exploded like thunder:

"Everyone stop! Whoever dares to run wild here must first get past this little auntie!"

Following the sound, everyone looked to see He Ling'er, the Vice-Director of Tongan Hospital, standing at the entrance of Haitongantang with a whip in hand and hands on her hips.

Her willow eyebrows were raised vertically, her phoenix eyes wide open; those eyes, which usually sparkled with life, were now shooting forth Xiong Xiong raging fire.

Tongan Hospital was the joint endeavor of herself and her friend; Tongan Hospital and Haitongantang shared glory and ruin alike; how could she tolerate anyone running wild here?

A group of relatives causing trouble had originally been full of momentum, but under He Ling'er's pressure, their arrogance immediately dropped by half.

This is the Second Young Lady of the General Who Pacifies the Nation; she has been seen strolling the streets often lately, whipping anyone she dislikes—doesn't everyone know her?

They had specifically chosen to cause trouble during the gap when Lady Lady Qingping was absent, yet they never expected another ancestor like this to jump out.

At this moment, someone in the crowd howled:

"We are many; what do we fear her for!"

The crowd, which had just been cowardly, instantly regained their spirits; yes, they had come to cause trouble today, how could they retreat so easily?

"He Ling'er! Do not think you are the Young Lady of the General Who Pacifies the Nation and therefore superior! Tong'an Hall sold fake medicine and caused my younger brother to die in an unclear manner; you opened another so-called hospital; you are just unscrupulous merchants who treat human life as grass."

One person, relying on his burly build, leaped out of the crowd first and roared at He Ling'er.

He Ling'er sneered, disdain flashing in her eyes:

"Wang Wang Dazhuang, do you think no one knows you? Do you owe gambling debts and want to extort some money?"