roccoschili Chapter 363 Self-Examination
Chapter 363 Self-Examination
After hearing this, Brother Liu and Sister Liu looked at each other, and their tense expressions relaxed a little. Sister Liu gently tugged at Brother Liu's clothes and whispered, "It seems that Luo Jing'an doesn't want to embarrass us. Maybe there is still hope."
Xiuying, however, grew serious, her brow furrowed as she pondered, "It seems this corrupt official, and indeed the entire county yamen, has long been bribed. Otherwise, why would they so easily say they'll wait for the coroner's examination? There must be some deception." She had to be careful and not let them succeed.
The coroner came up hurriedly, carrying an old wooden box. When he reached the hall, he bowed respectfully and said, "Your Excellency."
Luo Jing'an waved his hand and said solemnly, "This case has spread like wildfire among the people of this city. It not only concerns the survival of a store, but also the food safety of everyone. You must carefully examine this body in the lobby and explain the cause of death to everyone. There must be no concealment or error."
After saying this, Luo Jingan looked at the coroner meaningfully.
"Yes, sir." The coroner responded respectfully, then walked to the body of the old man of the Zheng family with a serious expression holding the wooden box.
He slowly squatted down, first carefully picked up the dead man's finger and looked at it carefully, then gently pried open the mouth with a clean white cloth, observed the condition inside the mouth, and then reached out to turn over the dead man's eyelids to check the condition of the eyeballs.
The coroner then stood up, opened a wooden box beside him, and pulled out a long silver needle. He squatted again and slowly inserted the needle into the corpse's throat. After a brief pause, he pulled it out. Everyone stared at the needle, which had turned black. This scene made everyone present gasp.
"The silver needle turned black! He died of poisoning! Sweet potato powder is poisonous!" the coroner shouted loudly with a hint of certainty in his voice.
Luo Jing'an pretended to be surprised and asked, "This...what's going on?" He widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief, and leaned forward slightly, as if he was eager to know the answer.
The coroner bowed and replied solemnly: "Your Excellency, after careful examination by this humble official, it is confirmed that the old man of the Zheng family died of poisoning. Judging from the blackening of the silver needle, the signs of poisoning are obvious, and the toxicity is quite severe." The coroner's voice echoed in the hall, making the already tense atmosphere even more solemn.
When Brother Liu and Sister Liu heard what the coroner said, they were shocked. Their faces turned pale in an instant, their legs went limp, and they collapsed to the ground.
Brother Liu's eyes were blank, and he muttered to himself, "How could someone die from eating sweet potatoes that everyone in the village is eating? What should I do?"
Mrs. Liu slapped the ground with her hands and burst into tears: "Oh my God! What kind of sin have we committed? We have been fine, how could such a thing happen suddenly? How are we going to live in the future?" Her cries were heartbreaking, full of despair and helplessness.
Luo Jing'an slammed the gavel again, and the loud "bang" sound echoed in the hall, making everyone's heart tremble.
He stared at Yang Xiuying with a sharp gaze and shouted, "Yang Xiuying, do you have anything else to say?"
Yang Xiuying, however, appeared very calm. She raised her head slightly and responded calmly, "Sir, what do you want me to say? This only proves that Mr. Zheng died of poisoning, but it doesn't prove that my sweet potato powder is poisonous."
At this moment, a voice was heard, "Madam, the sweet potato noodles are here." Wang Dali walked quickly into the hall with a bowl of cooked sweet potato noodles in both hands.
He looked a little nervous. After walking to the center of the lobby, he knelt on the ground with a plop and said cautiously, "Sir, this bowl of hot and sour noodles is made with the sweet potato noodles from our store. We'll know if it's poisonous once we test it."
The coroner took the silver needle with a serious expression and slowly placed it into the hot and sour noodles. Everyone held their breath and stared at the silver needle intently.
After a while, the silver needle was still as bright as new and had not turned black.
The coroner took out the silver needle and respectfully reported to Luo Jing'an, "Sir, this bowl of noodles is indeed not poisonous."
Luo Jing'an nodded, but the expression on his face was very complicated, as if he had expected such a result. He stroked his beard and said slowly: "This can only prove that this bowl of noodles is not poisonous, but it cannot prove that the noodles you sold to Mr. Zheng are not poisonous. Now that there are witnesses and evidence, what else do you have to say, ignorant woman?" There was a hint of pleasure in revenge in his eyes, and he had already convicted Yang Xiuying of the death penalty in his heart!
Yang Xiuying suddenly threw her head back and laughed, her laughter filled with grief and indignation. She stopped laughing, looked at Luo Jing'an with a firm gaze, and said loudly, "Sir, you seem to have forgotten that I am the plaintiff! I am suing Zheng Sanmao and his wife for false accusations! From the beginning, I have never tried to escape, but have actively sought justice for myself. But you, sir, seem to be deliberately favoring the defendant and ignoring the appeals of me, the plaintiff. Is there no justice in this court?"
"I am the great judge!" Luo Jing'an stood up suddenly, his eyes wide open with anger, slammed his hands on the desk, and shouted loudly, "There are witnesses and evidence, and you, a shrew, still want to quibble! How can you be so presumptuous and talk nonsense in front of me!" His voice was like a loud bell, echoing in the hall, making the ears of everyone present buzz, and their faces were full of anger after being exposed.
"I want to do my own autopsy!"
Yang Xiuying said this in a decisive tone, her voice clear and loud.
The hall instantly fell silent, and one could hear a pin drop. Everyone was shocked by Yang Xiuying's sudden words, and all eyes turned to her.
"You...you want to do the autopsy yourself?" Luo Jing'an's jaw dropped in shock. His eyes widened as he stared at Yang Xiuying in disbelief. "This is totally unheard of. Absurd, absolutely ridiculous!"
Yang Xiuying looked directly at Luo Jingan without any fear and asked, "Why? Are you worried or afraid?"
Luo Jing'an's face turned pale and blue, and he roared in anger, "What do I have to fear? I'll let you test me today and make you admit defeat with all your heart!"
Xiuying looked serious. She borrowed tools from the coroner and pried open the deceased's mouth without hesitation.
She turned to the onlookers and shouted, "Everyone, please look! There is residue in Mr. Zheng's mouth."
Everyone stretched their necks to see what was going on.
After saying that, she carefully took it out with tweezers, held it in front of everyone, and said again: "What is this? Go see a doctor and he will tell you."
Then, Xiuying took a deep breath, her eyes determined, and slowly cut open Mr. Wang's throat with a knife...