As Ruan Jiu's voice faded, a murmur of surprise immediately arose.
"No way!" Hearing this, Mrs. Chen jumped up and shouted.
Ruan Jiu turned her head, fixed her gaze on Mrs. Chen, and said coldly, "Don't you want to figure out how Chen Wu really died?"
Mrs. Chen's eyes looked dazed for a moment, but then she quickly composed herself. "Wasn't my husband poisoned to death by the food from Drunken Moon Tower? So many people saw it. Don't even try to defend yourself."
Ruan Jiu smiled. "Oh? Then tell me, why was there no blood in Chen Wu's mouth?"
"This..." Mrs. Chen was instantly at a loss for words.
Then she cried out to the magistrate of the capital, "My lord, now that my husband has been brutally killed by Drunken Moon Tower, are you still going to let him have no peace even after his death?"
Hearing this, the magistrate looked embarrassed. "Miss Shen, the deceased has passed away. Performing an autopsy might..."
"My lord," Ruan Jiu said respectfully with a curtsy. "There are many doubts in this case. If we don't get to the bottom of the truth, it will be difficult for you to close the case easily. It's not appropriate to keep Chen Wu's body in the magistrate's office all the time."
The magistrate looked solemn after hearing this.
After all, the Shen family was well - known. If he didn't get to the bottom of the matter, this eldest Miss Shen of the Shen family might even go to the emperor.
"Fine. Perform the autopsy immediately!"
Immediately afterwards, the coroner stepped forward.
Seeing this, a flash of panic crossed Mrs. Chen's eyes.
What if something was really found out?
Mrs. Chen gritted her teeth and immediately stepped forward to hug Chen Wu's body. She kept crying out, "Everyone, look! My husband was poisoned by Drunken Moon Tower, and the magistrate's office is colluding with them to bully a widow like me. It's simply unjust!"
While crying non - stop, she hugged Chen Wu tightly and refused to let go.
The yamen runners looked at each other and didn't know what to do as they looked at the magistrate.
And the magistrate didn't know what to do either.
At this moment, Ruan Jiu said, "Mrs. Chen, are you afraid that something will be found out?"
"You're talking nonsense!" Mrs. Chen exclaimed. "My husband was clearly poisoned by the food from Drunken Moon Tower. What do I have to be afraid of?"
"If that's the case, then why don't you agree to the autopsy?" Ruan Jiu asked.
Mrs. Chen nervously swallowed her saliva and replied, "I... I just don't want my husband to have no peace even after his death."
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu curled her lips. "If you insist on this, then I'll have to go and beat the Drum of Grievance and beg the emperor to make a ruling! I must clear my Shen family's name!"
"You're crazy!" Mrs. Chen exclaimed.
Although she was just an ordinary woman from the streets, she still knew how serious it was to beat the Drum of Grievance.
So far, no one had ever dared to beat it.
Ruan Jiu narrowed her eyes slightly and said coldly, "By then, the emperor will surely order the Supreme Court to handle this case. My Shen family has always been upright and has nothing to fear. But I don't know if you can withstand the means of the Supreme Court."
After hearing this, Mrs. Chen's body trembled slightly.
Seeing that Mrs. Chen's resolve seemed to be wavering, Ruan Jiu immediately said, "I'm asking for an autopsy just to get to the bottom of things. If we really can't prove that Chen Wu poisoned himself, I'm willing to give half of the Shen family's property to you as an apology."
First intimidate, then entice. She didn't believe that Mrs. Chen wouldn't take the bait.
Mrs. Chen asked suspiciously, "Are you serious?"
Ruan Jiu nodded. "Everyone here can be a witness to this."
Hearing this, a glint of greed immediately flashed in Mrs. Chen's eyes.
This was the Shen family, rich enough to rival a kingdom!
Half of their property would be worth so much silver!
Anyway, Chen Wu was already dead. Even if they performed an autopsy, surely nothing would be found.
As long as they couldn't prove that Chen Wu poisoned himself, she could get half of the Shen family's property.
This was a profitable deal no matter how you looked at it.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Chen forced herself to suppress the smile on her lips. "Fine. You'd better keep your word!"
After saying that, Mrs. Chen let go of the body and stood to one side.
Then, the coroner untied Chen Wu's clothes, exposing his abdomen. The sharp knife cut open Chen Wu's stomach.
It was the first time Ruan Jiu had seen such a bloody scene. For a moment, her stomach churned.
But she still forced herself to suppress the nausea and didn't dare to look away for a moment.
Finally, the coroner found what Ruan Jiu was looking for in Chen Wu's stomach.
"Please take this thing out, sir," Ruan Jiu said, covering her mouth and nose and frowning.
The coroner did as Ruan Jiu asked, took out the thing, placed it on a plate, and presented it to the magistrate.
Although it was stained with mucus and blood, it could still be seen that it was undigested food from Chen Wu's stomach before his death.
The magistrate looked at the disgusting mass and couldn't help but take a step back. "What is this?"
Ruan Jiu replied, "This is Gelsemium elegans."
Seeing the magistrate looking confused, Ruan Jiu continued to explain, "Gelsemium elegans is also a deadly poison. After taking it, a person will be paralyzed all over and foam at the mouth. These symptoms are exactly the same as those of Chen Wu before his death."
The magistrate stroked his chin. "You mean that Chen Wu was poisoned by Gelsemium elegans, not by arsenic?"
Ruan Jiu nodded.
Seeing this, Mrs. Chen immediately said, "Even so, it was still the food from your Drunken Moon Tower that contained Gelsemium elegans, which is why my husband was poisoned to death!"
Ruan Jiu smiled faintly.
She knew Mrs. Chen would say this.
However, she had done her homework. Searching through medical books all night was not in vain.
"My lord, although Gelsemium elegans is also a poison, it's different from arsenic. After taking Gelsemium elegans, a person won't die instantly like they would after taking arsenic. It takes some time.
This proves that Chen Wu had already taken Gelsemium elegans before he entered Drunken Moon Tower.
Therefore, the Shen family is innocent. I hope you will make a fair judgment!"
Ruan Jiu's words were firm and resounding.
It was the medical books that told her that Gelsemium elegans was extremely difficult to digest, so there would usually be some residue left in the stomach of the deceased.
That was why she had asked for an autopsy to clear the Shen family's name.
After hearing this, the magistrate fixed his gaze on Mrs. Chen and said sternly, "Mrs. Chen, you colluded with Chen Wu to frame Drunken Moon Tower. What crime do you deserve?"
Mrs. Chen waved her hands repeatedly in a panic and immediately knelt on the ground. "My lord, I'm wronged!"
The magistrate slammed his palm on the table and roared, "Wronged? The evidence is conclusive. Where's the injustice?"
Mrs. Chen cried, "My lord, I'm just an ordinary woman from the streets. How would I know what Gelsemium elegans is? I would never use it to harm anyone!"
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu sneered. "It seems to me that you're quite knowledgeable, Mrs. Chen. Otherwise, how would an ordinary woman from the streets know the method of testing for poison with a silver needle?"
These words immediately woke the magistrate up.
Then he immediately said, "Bold woman! Tell me! Who instructed you to frame Drunken Moon Tower!"
The method of testing for poison with a silver needle was definitely not something an ordinary woman from the streets could know.
Presumably, there must be someone behind Mrs. Chen giving her instructions.
Seeing this, Mrs. Chen could no longer defend herself. Her body went limp.
She shouted, "My lord, it's not my fault! We were just told to do this by someone else!"