Chapter 173: The Truth

Wang Wang Dazhuang couldn't possibly hear those words, so he immediately stuck out his neck and shouted:

"Stop slandering me! My younger brother died because he took medicine from Daotongantang."

At that moment, the voice inciting trouble within the crowd sounded again:

"Don't waste words with her! Rush in directly!"

He Li'er's heart was filled with a thousand curses, and she was just about to lash out with her whip.

Just then, a clear and ethereal voice drifted in from behind the crowd:

"The Prince is here. Who dares!"

The voice was not loud, yet it was just clear enough for everyone to hear distinctly.

Quan Quan Tianchen had just returned from the military camp when Feiyan came looking for him. Feiyan had barely said a word about the pharmacy incident before Quan Quan Tianchen rode his horse straight over.

His single phrase "The Prince" not only made the standing commoners' legs go weak, but the rioters' legs went weak too; they all dropped to their knees with a thud.

The person in the crowd who had just been inciting trouble turned to run, but he never expected that everyone else had already knelt, leaving only him standing.

Damn, that person's heart leaped in alarm, and he too trembled as he knelt down.

He Li'er was also startled. She looked up and saw the handsome horse approaching, ridden by the Fourth Imperial Prince, Quan Quan Tianchen. He wore a moon-white robe, somewhat dusty from travel, yet it did not diminish his aura of a banished immortal in the slightest.

He Li'er stared with wide eyes. Good heavens, how could anyone be born so handsome? The heavens were too unfair.

Indeed, hearing about it a hundred times is not as good as seeing it once. I never expected to see Prince Chen in person and find him so handsome.

He Li'er's eyes sparkled with stars, her mouth hung wide open, and she could no longer look away.

It was only when the maid beside her tugged at her sleeve that He Li'er came back to her senses.

You bunch of bastard sons! With Prince Chen here, see which of you dare to cause trouble without fearing death.

While secretly cursing with pride, He Li'er knelt down along with the others.

Quan Quan Tianchen originally had no impression of He Li'er, but the instant he looked at her, there was a momentary lapse in his vision.

For some reason, although that girl was steady and cold, she also possessed a touch of mischief.

This woman in front of him had a more lively and unrestrained personality, yet he felt she bore a faint resemblance to that girl.

It was only for an instant before he averted his gaze.

He raised a hand, his moon-white wide sleeves fluttering, and a gentle voice followed:

"Everyone, rise."

A large chorus of thanks for the grace rose up, and everyone looked at Quan Quan Tianchen with the same piety as one would look at a deity.

This most unique man in Emperor Tianqi Kingdom remained kind and amiable even while looking at those troublesome commoners.

Once everyone had stood up, his jade-like gentle voice rose again:

"The owner of Daotongantang and the Tong'an Hospital is Lady Lady Qingping. She is my younger brother's wife, and thus the future principal consort of the Crown Prince. The hospital is backed by the current Emperor. Today, with the incident at Daotongantang, I have come here not to show favoritism, but to bear witness to this event."

Bear witness?

The families of the deceased could not understand how to bear witness. All three died after taking medicine from Daotongantang; if it wasn't the medicine, what was it?

Some commoners whose minds were already wavering felt relieved. The hospital is backed by the Emperor; the Emperor surely wouldn't sell fake medicine, right?

Everyone had their own thoughts, listening only as Quan Quan Tianchen's gentle voice sounded again:

"Lady Lady Qingping has already performed the autopsy at the Capital Prefecture Office. I believe she will soon give everyone an explanation."

Inside the Capital Prefecture Office, under Jun Jun Zijin's guidance, Jun Caicheng was stitching the heads back on one by one. Afterwards, he placed the internal organs back in one by one and stitched them up.

He had practiced many times with pork, so stitching skin and flesh was no longer a problem for him.

Jun Caicheng's hand movements were skilled, the stitches were fine and dense, leaving almost no trace.

Guo Guo Yuanzheng watched with eyes shining, staring fixedly at Jun Caicheng's hand movements, afraid to miss a single detail.

He had heard many times that this young man from the Jun family was not dedicated to his work and was a silver-tipped wax spear, but now it seemed, this skill, this talent, was simply extraordinary!

Guo Guo Yuanzheng's mind became active; indeed, things are different when one has taken a master.

Seeing Jun Caicheng finish the final stitch on the corpse and tie the last knot.

Guo Guo Yuanzheng quickly exchanged greetings and then dashed off like a streak of smoke. There was no choice; the Imperial Hospital still had a pile of things waiting for him. If he didn't return soon, he feared his head might not be safe.

"That old fox arrived just in time and slipped away fast enough."

Jun Caicheng snorted, packed up his things, and left with Jun Jun Zijin.

Only the Prefect and the coroner remained.

The Prefect looked down at his toes, pondering the case.

The coroner gazed at Jun Jun Zijin's back, thinking about how to become her disciple. His heart felt as if grass had grown inside it; the more he thought, the more itched his desire.

When Jun Jun Zijin arrived at Daotongantang, she saw many people gathered at the entrance, though the situation was no longer as tense as before.

She walked forward gracefully, and the crowd automatically parted to make a path.

Quan Quan Tianchen saw her and nodded slightly.

Jun Jun Zijin nodded, turned to face the crowd, and spoke loudly:

"Fellow villagers, the cause of death has already been determined at the Capital Prefecture Office. The deceased were indeed poisoned, but the cause of poisoning was not the medicine from Daotongantang. Rather, all three deceased had been struck by a poisoned needle in their heads."

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

A flash of killing intent passed through Quan Quan Tianchen's eyes. This matter was clearly targeted at Jun Jun Zijin; these deceased were merely innocent victims caught in the crossfire.

Wang Wang Dazhuang's eyes widened as if he had heard a tall tale.

"What? Poisoned needle? Impossible! We haven't provoked anyone. How could someone use a poisoned needle to harm us? My younger brother died from your medicine!"

"Exactly! Without any reason, who would be so vicious?"

The family of another deceased person also chimed in.

He Li'er could not stand it anymore:

"Wang Wang Dazhuang, the matter has been investigated and clarified. What more do you want?"

As Wang Wang Dazhuang was about to speak again, Jun Jun Zijin opened his mouth:

"Everyone may verify this at the Jingzhao Prefecture. Also, you bereaved families, think back—have you encountered anything strange these past days?"

Upon hearing Jun Jun Zijin's words, the bereaved families all fell into deep thought.

Wang Wang Dazhuang suddenly recalled that yesterday, while he and his younger brother were strolling through the market, his brother had caught a chill. Someone had given him ten taels of silver, telling him to go to Tong'an Hall for treatment, and specifically insisted he must buy the pills from there.

The other two families also immediately confirmed the same.

Only then did the crowd realize this was a premeditated murder, a deliberate frame-up, with someone inciting the victims' families to cause a disturbance.

At that moment, a black shadow darted out from a corner, attempting to flee. Quan Quan Tianchen, with eyes sharp and hands quick, flung a hidden weapon that struck the man in the knee; the guards immediately seized him.

The man screamed in terror:

"Your Highness Chenwang, spare my life! This humble one knows nothing!"

No sooner had the man finished speaking than Wang Wang Dazhuang slapped his thigh, his eyes bulging, and pointed at the man, shouting angrily:

"It's him! He gave my younger brother the silver and told him to buy the medicine from that place. Yesterday I thought he was a kind-hearted person, but I never expected him to be one with a blackened heart!"

Once the truth emerged, Quan Quan Tianchen swept his wide sleeves and shouted loudly:

"Seize him!"