Wu Lian'er’s heart leaped in surprise, but her expression remained calm. She scoffed, "When my late husband passed away, he was still a child. People can eat anything, but they can't say just anything. He and I were deeply in love, and I thought we would grow old together. Who could have predicted that a chill would claim his life? No one could have foreseen this."
As she spoke, Wu Lian'er’s voice began to tremble with feigned tears, and she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, though no tears were present.
The county magistrate said nothing. He directly called for witnesses. Upon seeing several familiar faces appearing in the courtroom, Wu Lian'er’s heart sank. She knew they had come prepared and immediately became cautious.
First was the young master Xu's personal attendant. He choked back sobs as he recounted the events. "I distinctly remember it was raining heavily the day my young master fell ill. We had prepared ginger soup in advance. The young madam silently pulled my young master, who had just returned from outside, into his room, blocking our view."
"We thought she would make my young master drink it. But that night, my young master caught a chill. The doctor came and prescribed some medicine, but his condition worsened with each dose. Even after changing to another doctor, it remained the same. Within a few days, my young master passed away."
"The young madam found it unlucky that my young master died in that room and refused to stay in it. The room naturally became vacant. When we were cleaning the room, we discovered ginger residue in a flowerpot. Smelling the soil, we found a ginger scent. It was clear that she had not given the ginger soup to my young master at all, but had poured it away."
Hearing this, Wu Lian'er snorted, "These events happened so many years ago. I believe that even if that flowerpot is still alive, the smell in the soil would have long since faded. You bring this up now, and I strongly suspect you are trying to frame me."
The attendant, once a handsome young man, was now a middle-aged uncle. He respectfully kowtowed to the county magistrate and solemnly said, "Reporting to Your Lordship, while I cannot provide physical evidence, I can provide testimony. Many people witnessed this incident, and they are all still alive."
After a moment's thought, he continued, "Furthermore, after my young master passed away, I took the dregs of the medicine he drank to other medical clinics. They said this was not medicine for a chill, but for heat in the body. For someone with a chill to drink this would be like hastening their death. I still have the medicine and the prescription from that time." With that, he beckoned to the onlookers, and immediately someone brought the items forward.
"The medicine is so old. Who knows if you haven't colluded to frame me? I remember when I left the Xu family, they were unhappy. To gather so many Xu family members, it seems Mr. Xu and Mrs. Xu have invested a great deal." Wu Lian'er said disdainfully. She truly wasn't afraid, as it had been nearly twenty years, and she had destroyed the so-called evidence herself.
The county magistrate pondered. He stated impartially, "This physical evidence has flaws. It only indicates suspicion, not guilt. After all, so many years have passed, anyone could tamper with medicine."
A maid who had served Wu Lian'er immediately stepped forward. "Reporting to Your Lordship, I was a maid in the young master and young madam's courtyard. Under the young madam's orders, I fetched medicine from Baohetang and Anyuntang. Since the prescription and the medicine are different, the doctors at the time must have been complicit. I implore Your Lordship to thoroughly question them and bring justice for my young master." Su Dan Novel Network.
Soon, the two doctors who had treated the young master Xu were summoned. When questioned by the magistrate, they refused to admit anything. One doctor stammered, "Your Lordship, I have practiced medicine in this city for many years without any mistakes. I have some impression of the young master Xu you speak of. At the time, I was puzzled. I thought it was just an ordinary chill, and my prescription was fine. How could he have died within a few days? How much silver could the Wu family give me? There's truly no need to ruin my reputation for that little bit of money."
The other elderly doctor quickly chimed in, "As doctors, it is our duty to save lives and heal the wounded. To put it frankly, I do not covet the wealth of the Wu family, let alone be bribed."
The county magistrate nodded. He believed the words of the two elderly doctors, as they were wealthy and had practiced medicine their entire lives, possessing high moral standing.
Seeing the case developing in a direction he did not wish for, Li Changqing quickly raised an objection. "His uncle was the former county magistrate. Perhaps you were trying to curry favor with the then county magistrate?"
One of the doctors took offense. "I have practiced medicine my entire life and have never curried favor with anyone. If I didn't do it, I didn't do it. Are you suggesting we prove our innocence by dying?"
Li Zixin looked at the aggressive old man, inwardly resentful but daring not to say more. He knew these two held considerable status in the city. If he truly pushed them to their deaths, he would undoubtedly face opposition from everyone. He could only lower his head and mutter, "But the person took the medicine from you and then died."
Mr. Xu and Mrs. Xu, who had been hiding in the crowd, saw the situation turning unfavorable. They rushed to the court, crying, "Your Lordship, my son died unjustly! You cannot imagine how we have lived these past years, sending a child to the grave before us. To be honest, the reason we did not bring this to court back then was primarily because Wu Lian'er's uncle was the county magistrate. We knew he would shield his niece. Our Xu family still needs to live in this city, and for the safety of our entire family, we could only turn a blind eye. We implore Your Lordship to investigate thoroughly and avenge my son."
After speaking, Mrs. Xu shot Wu Lian'er a fierce glare. She had not wanted to let her leave back then, but she had a powerful backer the Xu family couldn't afford to offend. They had no idea Wu Lian'er's uncle had met with misfortune, and they had even added extra dishes to celebrate.
It had only been a short time, and Li Zixin had also met with disaster. If possible, they truly wanted to set off firecrackers to celebrate. Wu Lian'er thought she could have a good life after leaving the Xu family, but in the end? Her husband was dead, her son was dead, and only a daughter remained, married to someone in another place, beyond her reach. This was retribution.
At this point, the case stalled. The county magistrate came up with an idea: a city-wide announcement. Anyone who could provide information about any unusual events during the time of young master Xu's death, provided it was truthful, would receive one tael of silver per person. If the truth behind young master Xu's death could be uncovered, fifty taels of silver would be awarded.
This silver would be shared among everyone. Li Changqing, Wu Lian'er, and the Xu couple exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. This made Li Changqing and the Xu couple wonder: was she truly unafraid of being exposed?
A small reward can stir the hearts of people, and the power of the masses is considerable. Soon, everyone discovered that a woman named Mei Ping often fetched medicine from the clinics during that period, claiming someone in her family was ill. However, no one around her home smelled any medicine.
About a year later, this woman entered the Xu family as a concubine to the second young master. The county magistrate instinctively felt this woman was problematic.