Wu Wuzuo opened his mouth, and then opened it again, deeply feeling that he had fallen into a big pit, almost on the verge of tears.
However, under the stern gaze of the man above, he dared not pass it off casually.
After a long while, he finally spoke with a trembling voice, "This lady is not wrong…"
The courtroom erupted in an uproar.
"But!"
Wu Wuzuo quickly said, "I didn't come to the previous conclusion without reason!
I inspected the entire body, and there were no obvious external injuries on the deceased apart from the wound at the heart. The use of the silver needle test also excluded the possibility of poisoning.
Apart from the wound at the deceased's heart, I couldn't think of any other possible cause of death.
Therefore... therefore I made this judgment! After all, there's nothing absolute in the world; although there are differences between injuries sustained before and after death, what if there's an exception!"
What if…
Just because of this ridiculous "what if," he casually drew such a conclusion.
Xu Jing could not help but let out a cold laugh.
Her parents died when she was very young, murdered by a woman from next door who had suffered great emotional distress.
That woman closed all the doors and windows of her parents' room while they were sleeping and burned coal inside, trying to disguise it as a suicide.
At that time, she was on summer vacation at her grandfather's house, luckily escaping the tragedy.
Later, it was thanks to the city's forensic doctor who found anomalies that they examined the stomach contents of her mom and dad and discovered they had eaten steak and drunk red wine that night.
It was her parents' wedding anniversary, how could a couple planning to commit suicide have the leisure to celebrate such an occasion?
Then, the police also caught some hints and after thorough investigation, eventually apprehended the murderer.
And the reason the woman killed her parents was simply because she couldn't stand seeing such a loving couple in the world.
Later, when filling out college applications, she inexplicably wrote down forensic medicine, perhaps because she hoped there would never be wrongful convictions in this world again.
She also hoped that every wrongfully dead soul could truly rest in peace.
She has never thought it was unspeakable to be dealing with the dead, stubbornly guarding the gate between life and death, perhaps also as a means to redeem her once helpless and painful self.
However, now, this man could so casually say terms like "what if," uncertain and elusive as they are, even though Xu Jing understood the reasons of era and technological limitations were in play, she couldn't help but have a flame rise in her heart.
Xiao Yi, having listened to Wu Wuzuo's words, was just about to speak when he was suddenly interrupted by a female voice—
"No obvious external injuries on the body? Did you take off the deceased's clothes to confirm he had no obvious external injuries?"
These words, coming from the mouth of a woman, were indeed shocking.
Others turned their shocked gazes to Xu Jing once more. Wu Wuzuo's eyes widened, his face became iron-blue as he wanted to say something, but Xu Jing's piercing gaze interrupted him, "Moreover, the deceased's skin is cyanotic, and the fingernails are distinctly cyan-black…"
As she spoke, she suddenly squatted down, unhesitatingly touching Peng Shi's corpse with her elegant hands, first lifting his eyelids to look, then bending down, inspecting inside his nostrils, and finally prying open his mouth, bending down as if to sniff.
So shocked, the onlookers forgot even to question or stop Xu Jing and watched her complete everything.
Then, she straightened up, taking out a handkerchief from her sleeve, wiping her hands leisurely, and coldly said, "The deceased's conjunctiva is congested, and so are the mucous membranes inside the nose and mouth, swelling with blood, some areas even ulcerated and bleeding.
This is clearly a symptom of poisoning!"
"Impossible!"
Wu Wuzuo came to his senses, jumped up and said, "It's possible you say the deceased died of another cause, but it's absolutely impossible it was poison! I just used the silver needle test…"
Xu Jing coldly smiled, "Your silver needle only probed the deceased's mouth. Who says the poison would just stay obediently in the mouth waiting to be detected by you? Besides, who says all poisons can be detected by the silver needle?!"
"Absurd! Absurd!"
Wu Wuzuo's old face turned beet-red, "Silver needle testing for poison is an ancestral method passed down through centuries! Are you saying that this method is unreliable and all previous forensic reports are untrustworthy?"
"I never said that," Xu Jing coldly replied: "The silver needle can indeed detect some poisons, but if it's a specific poison, the silver needle test is completely ineffective.
Moreover, even if it is a specific poison, it might not be detected in some circumstances.
Vice Minister Xiao."
Seeing Wu Wuzuo's elongated neck and his posture seemingly ready to argue with her, Xu Jing could not be bothered to waste words with him and directly turned to the one who could make decisions, speaking calmly: "This humble woman has stated her request to clear her name. May I ask Vice Minister Xiao if you would give me this opportunity?"
Wu Wuzuo was clearly a staunch supporter of the silver needle test method. Xu Jing's questioning of it hit his sore spot, and he immediately turned to Xiao Yi: "Vice Minister Xiao, this woman speaks nonsense! You must not believe her words!"
Xu Jing did not even spare Wu Wuzuo a glance from the corner of her eye, merely kept quietly watching Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi could not help but slightly narrow his eyes.
He, ever observant, naturally did not miss the faint mockery and cold sternness in this woman's eyes at the moment.
It seems from a certain point, her whole aura changed. If before, she gave the impression of being at ease, even with a hint of nonchalance in the face of calamity, now she was full of aggression, with her clear, sparkling eyes exuding a refusal to retreat even half a step in determination.
——as if a wild cat with its tail stepped on.
This metaphor had just sprung in Xiao Yi's mind, causing him to pause for a moment, his brows knitting together.
How utterly absurd; in the courtroom, he actually found time for such thoughts.
Moreover, what did the changes in this woman have to do with him?
He blandly looked at Xu Jing, picked up the gavel on the desk and struck it hard, his perfectly shaped lips uttering in a low yet firm voice, "Proceed."
Wu Wuzuo looked at Xiao Yi incredulously, agitatedly saying: "Vice Minister Xiao, you must not let this woman make a mess of things! Vice Minister Xiao has a reputation that spreads wide, admired by countless people; you mustn't ruin your good name by recklessly believing this inexplicable woman!"
Standing outside the courtroom, closely observing everything, Dongli was also full of shock, watching his lord with anxiety and confusion.
He understood his lord, as a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, could not turn a blind eye to someone claiming wrongful conviction, but his current attitude was too much, wasn't it?
Was he about to let this poison woman make trouble!
Even though that poison woman seemed to speak with great clarity, he couldn't bring himself to believe she truly had the means to clear her own name!
Members of the Peng Family also grew agitated, though not daring to say anything overtly, their words implied doubt towards Xiao Yi's decision.
Xiao Yi simply looked at them with cold eyes, his voice suddenly somber, "Am I, in your eyes, someone so easily fooled?"
Who dared to question a Standard Fourth Rank official as muddle-headed!?
Everyone in the courtroom, except for Xu Jing and her maid, instantly knelt in panic, crying, "We wouldn't dare."
Xiao Yi scanned them coldly before speaking: "Since taking office at the Ministry of Justice, I have seen numerous mysterious cases, indeed some involved poisons that couldn't be detected by the silver needle method.
The officials who cracked such cases had their ways, but mostly by coincidence or speculation; there's almost no established method for detecting various poison cases.
Ms. Xu just mentioned that your autopsy skills were picked up from some miscellaneous books; I am curious what methods those books use to examine poisons."
These words were delivered with great righteousness, showing concern and exploration for the development of forensic technology, making one want to admire his dedication.
Those who were just opposing were suddenly speechless, but Aunt Xue muttered quietly, "Even so, it's impossible for that woman to have such competencies..."
Xu Jing pretended not to hear, slightly raised her eyebrows at the man above, suddenly smiling, "Since Vice Minister Xiao so sincerely asks for guidance, how could I dare to keep it private."