"Alright, then what was Lady Li's motive for murder?" Lord Gu continued.

“Reporting to you, sir, Madam Li is from Zhao Family Village. She was originally Zhao Dayou’s wife, and Zhao Dahua was her sister-in-law. Later, she divorced her husband’s family. Therefore, she has many grievances against Zhao Dahua. Everyone knows that the two are at odds. A while ago, Zhao Dahua came to Madam Li’s shop, and the two even had a quarrel. I just told you about these things, sir,” Rongniang said.

"Since it was all speculation at the time, I thought I would check the source of the medicine at the pharmacy. Later, Zhao Ergou came to report the case. Zhao Ergou, you tell me."

“Your Honor, this Madam Li, out of gratitude for the kindness shown to my wife and daughter, forced me to take this harmful medicine from the pharmacy for her. Although there are no witnesses or physical evidence, I told my wife about it when I got home,” Zhao Ergou said.

“Yes, sir, Er Gou told me about this.” Zhao Xiu nodded hurriedly.

With that said, the case became clear: it was Li Rouniang who took the medicine and caused Zhao Dahua's death. There were many different opinions, and the onlookers all cursed Li Rouniang as a wicked woman who even harmed a pregnant woman.

"Zhao Xiu, you have no conscience!" You Tian's wife also came; quite a few people from Zhao Family Village had come.

“You can’t say that, and she can’t break the law. What he said is the truth, isn’t it?” Some people were also on Zhao Xiu’s side.

Old Man Mo was extremely anxious. If things continued like this, Rou Niang might be sentenced!

The Erni sisters were also anxious, but they were at a loss. Qian Duobao held Erni's hand tightly. He believed that there was a chance for things to turn around. His intuition was always very accurate!

"Silence!" Lord Gu slammed his gavel.

"Someone, bring the pharmacy owner's pot into the room."

Zhang San led the shopkeeper into the main hall, and casually winked at Zhang Niangzi, who immediately felt relieved.

"Are you the owner of this pharmacy? I ask you, have you investigated the whereabouts of these missing medicines from your pharmacy?" Lord Gu asked.

"Sir," the shopkeeper replied, "our shop is a small, insignificant business. It's always been poorly managed, so we don't usually pay much attention to small discrepancies in supplies. That's why we didn't know the medicine was missing."

"So you mean you're not sure if the medicine came from your pharmacy, is that right?" Lord Gu asked again.

The pharmacy owner nodded: "To tell you the truth, we originally planned to close the shop after this month, so we really don't know how many herbs are left. Therefore, we can't be sure of anything."

"Shopkeeper, this medicine really did come from your pharmacy! You can't say that!" Zhao Ergou said anxiously.

The pharmacy owner said, "Zhao Ergou, you've got some nerve! You dare to steal from my shop and then refuse to pay. Let's see how I deal with you!"

"So, did this medicine actually come from your shop?" Lord Gu asked.

"Of course I really can't be sure, after all, human life is at stake, and I can't just make things up. But Zhao Ergou is a cunning and sly man, and he doesn't have much money. He actually dared to admit it, so I think it's probably true. Who would admit to something like that for no reason?" the pharmacy owner reasoned.

"In other words, you yourself can't be certain; these are all your deductions," Lord Gu said.

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, do you recognize this person?" Lord Gu then ordered someone to bring up another person.

The pharmacy owner took one look and said, "I know him. He's our supplier. I buy all my medicine from him. I've never bought from anyone else."

"Then tell me what medicine you've supplied him this month?" Lord Gu asked.

"Sir, this is my supply order," the supplier said.

Lord Gu took it and looked at it, then asked, "Is there any record of that night related to this case?"

"Yes, sir, but the power is not right."

"Oh? Tell me more."

"My supply this month is very small, but if we follow what the doctor said, it's at least five times the amount I sold to him." The supplier also knows a bit about pharmacology.

"Is it possible that it's medicine leftovers from our pharmacy from a few months ago, not just from this month? After all, our shop hasn't been doing well, so it's possible we have some leftovers," Zhao Ergou said anxiously, trying to explain.

"You're talking nonsense, Zhao Ergou. You know the state of my pharmacy. How could I have stockpiled medicine if it's poorly managed?"

"Of course, we'll replenish whatever's lacking. I can assure you, sir, there won't be any medicine left over, because I really am planning to close down. How could there be more stock, even more?" the pharmacy owner said.

"Sir, this is the medicine that this pharmacy has been supplying for a year. They haven't stocked this particular medicine for the past few months," the supplier said.

"That might be from a year ago. The shopkeeper himself said he was a bit confused, maybe he forgot," Zhao Ergou said.

"You didn't know, did you? This medicine is special; once ground into powder, it can only be preserved for one year. After a year, its medicinal effects are basically gone. Although it's very potent, it's rarely used," the supplier said.

"Then...then..." Zhao Ergou was speechless!

"You audacious Zhao Ergou! How dare you spout nonsense and slander Lady Li in court! Tell the truth at once!" Lord Gu roared in anger!

"I...I..." Zhao Ergou said anxiously, looking at Qian Ruyi.

Qian Ruyi's heart tightened; she was scared too!

"Guards, beat him!" Lord Gu said angrily when he saw that Zhao Ergou was stubborn and uncooperative.

"Sir, please, please, please don't hit me! I'll tell you, I'll tell you the truth! It was all that Madam Wu who bribed me! She made me say these things! The things she gave me are still hidden under my bed at home!" Zhao Ergou said.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!