Chapter 172: The Princess Performs an Autopsy: shuhaige.net

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The Mayor of Jingzhao felt his scalp go numb; his stomach churned violently, a tickle rose in his throat, and a wave of intense nausea surged into his heart.

He clamped his mouth shut tightly, terrified of vomiting in front of so many people, which would be far too humiliating.

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

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

He snuck a glance at the people beside him and saw that the others were listening to Jun Zijin’s explanation, completely mesmerized, acting as if nothing were wrong; even Guazi did not change her expression.

As a dignified seven-foot man, he was actually less courageous than two fragile women!

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

Thankfully, thankfully, no one noticed him. The Mayor of Jingzhao breathed a sigh of relief and quietly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Finally found the cause."

Jun Zijin looked at the blackened brain of the deceased and let out a breath. She had cut open the deceased’s body and finally uncovered the injustice, doing right by the dead.

The crowd only then awoke from their obsession, seeing Jun Zijin take out a pair of small tweezers and extract a thin needle from the brain matter of the deceased.

Jun Zijin held up the thin needle and examined it carefully against the light; the needle glinted with a greenish hue in the sunlight, clearly having been soaked in deadly poison.

Jun Zijin frowned and said:

"This was absolutely no accident, but a premeditated murder."

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this.

Jun Chengcai was furious:

"Who is so vicious? To actually use such sinister means to frame Tong'an Hall."

The Mayor of Jingzhao also wore a solemn face and asked:

"This is the cause of death?"

The Mayor of Jingzhao spoke in an almost hoarse voice; he dared not open his mouth wide, for he feared he would vomit, and he feared losing face.

Jun Zijin glanced at the Mayor of Jingzhao, her voice cold and her tone firm:

"That is correct. The deceased was poisoned; the murder weapon is the thin needle in the top of the head. If I am not mistaken, the other two corpses are the same."

Sure enough, before long, the coroner went to the morgue and brought back two thin needles taken from the heads of the other two corpses; without exception, they all glinted with a greenish hue.

"It truly is murder!"

The Mayor of Jingzhao’s face darkened.

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

Jun Zijin was currently teaching Jun Chengcai how to reposition, fix, and suture the skull of the deceased.

She did not even look up as she replied indifferently:

"I only know the cause of death. As for how to solve the case, that is the Yamen's business."

Every profession has its specialty; she had already guest-starred as a forensic pathologist today, did they expect her to guest-star as a criminal investigator too?

Sorry, she really didn't have that ability, nor did she have the energy.

Things were not peaceful at the hospital either. The families of the deceased gathered outside the Jingzhao Prefecture gate dared not stop Jun Zijin.

Seeing that she had not come out since entering the Jingzhao Prefecture gate, the families lost their nerve and began to discuss it in a clamor.

"I heard she is a Princess. Look at how respectful the Mayor is to her; what can we possibly do to her?"

"Exactly, it’s probably just officials shielding one another."

"Let's go to Tong'an Hall. The medicine was sold by Tong'an Hall, and I heard the Tong'an Hospital next door is doing free clinics; the medicine all comes from the same person. We cannot let more people lose their lives."

Just then, someone in the crowd let out a howl, the volume so great it drowned out all other sounds, and the words were so righteous that they immediately struck a chord.

A group of family members, like a rabble, roared as they charged toward Tong'an Hall, their goal singular: to turn Tong'an Hall upside down.

The shopkeeper of Tong'an Hall, He Dong, was already terrified out of his wits; his face was ashen, his legs were weak, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

A few days ago, one family causing trouble had already left him exhausted, but fortunately, the person hadn't died completely, and the truth was revealed after the Master saved them.

Today, three families were causing trouble at once, and with the Master away, how could he possibly handle this?

Watching the crowd draw closer and the cursing become deafening, He Dong felt completely lost and almost burst into tears.

As soon as the trouble started next door, He Linger knew. She immediately sent Feiyan to the Jingzhao Prefecture to find Jun Zijin.

Feiying told Feiyan that Jun Zijin would not be able to come out for a while.

Over at Tong'an Hall, the troublemakers were charging inside while shouting:

"Everyone listen, Tong'an Hospital and Tong'an Hall are one and the same. They sell fake medicine and killed our loved ones. Everyone must never go to Tong'an Hospital for treatment again."

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

Although Princess Qingping was a different sort of existence in their hearts, they ultimately dared not gamble with their own lives.

Many commoners had already gathered on the periphery, and upon hearing this, they began to discuss it heatedly.

"Princess Qingping is a miracle doctor; she even saved a dead person two days ago. How could she possibly sell fake medicine?"

"Exactly, exactly! We commoners in Jingcheng only have today because of Princess Qingping!"

"The Princess is a good person. We poor commoners rely on the Princess to work and earn money."

"You can 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, that made sense.

The troublemakers saw the wind shifting subtly in Jun Zijin's favor and became even more emboldened.

Just as things were spiraling out of control, a crisp, angry shout exploded like a thunderclap:

"All of you, stop! Whoever dares to run wild here, get past this young lady first!"

The crowd looked toward the sound and saw He Linger, the deputy director of Tong'an Hospital, standing at the entrance of Tong'an Hall with her hands on her hips, gripping a whip.

Her willow-leaf eyebrows were arched, her phoenix eyes wide open, and those eyes that usually sparkled were now spitting raging fire.

Tong'an Hospital was the hard work of her and her best friend; Tong'an Hospital and Tong'an Hall prospered and suffered together. How could she tolerate anyone running wild here?

The group of troublemaking family members had originally been aggressive, but under He Linger's pressure, their momentum immediately shrank by half.

This was the Second Young Lady of the General Protecting the Nation's mansion. They often saw her strolling on the streets these days, and if she didn't like someone, she would lash them with her whip. Who didn't know her?

They had specifically chosen to cause trouble while Princess Qingping was away, never expecting this ancestor to jump out.

At this moment, someone in the crowd howled:

"We have many people, why fear her!"

The crowd, which had originally lost their nerve, immediately regained their spirit. That's right, they came to cause trouble today, how could they retreat so easily?

"He Linger! Don't think you're so great just because you're a young lady from the General Protecting the Nation's mansion! Tong'an Hall sold fake medicine and caused my brother to die an unclear death, and you opened another damn hospital. You are all unscrupulous merchants who treat human life like grass."

One of them, relying on his burly physique, was the first to jump out of the crowd and roar at He Linger.

He Linger sneered, a flash of disdain in her eyes:

"Wang Dazhuang, do you think no one recognizes you? Did you rack up gambling debts and want to come here to extort some money?"