Chapter 400 The strict separation of men and women is reserved for the living.

Lin Yuesha had just seen Doctor Liao yesterday. After examining her father, Doctor Liao left for the Li family's villa.

Lin Yuesha was worried that the messenger entrusted by the Xiao family to deliver the message would be disappointed at Jishetang, so she sent Longjing to make the trip. Unexpectedly, Doctor Liao arrived, accompanied by Doctor Yan.

Lin Yuesha was slightly surprised when the two appeared together.

"I was discussing a prescription with Physician Liao when I learned that it was related to you, so I came uninvited."

The female doctor Yan and the physician Liao discussed the prescription, but neither could convince the other. Therefore, Physician Liao decided to go to the capital with her, as having him would provide more manpower.

When Physician Liao joined, Physician Yan agreed almost without hesitation. More people meant more help, and if they needed medicinal herbs, the Shennong Herbal Hall behind Physician Liao could assist. Besides, the road to the capital was wide open; if someone wanted to go, she had no reason to stop them.

“Sister Yan, this matter is a bit complicated. Examining a corpse is the job of a coroner, you…”

Lin Yuesha was in a dilemma; she didn't have the nerve to ask Doctor Yan for help.

From the status of doctors and coroners, one can see how much the common people despised coroners. Most of those who did this job did so through family tradition, simply for the sake of a stable income regardless of drought or flood. It was easier than being a farmer, and they could make a living by working in the government office.

"In urgent situations, one should act expediently; do not have any concerns."

Female doctor Yan waved her hand at Lin Yuesha, and she and physician Liao had agreed that they were willing to help.

The key to this case is the cause of the strong man's death. The fact that the coroner couldn't figure it out doesn't mean they're incompetent.

If the Chen family were to go out to fetch a doctor, they probably wouldn't be able to, as no one wanted to be associated with bad luck.

After discussing it, the female doctor Yan and the physician Liao went together with the coroner to the morgue in the government office cellar to examine the body.

As the visitor said, the strong man died silently, with no obvious wounds on his head or other major parts of his body, and no external injuries, so it was highly likely that he was not pushed to his death.

"I need to take off my clothes and check."

Doctor Liao glanced awkwardly at Doctor Yan, indicating that it was inconvenient for a woman to be there alone.

"The strict separation between men and women is for the living. Take it off."

The female doctor remained calm and showed no intention of leaving. She nodded to the coroner, signaling him to undress the burly man's body.

The scene was silent. Doctor Liao opened his mouth, but swallowed back what he wanted to say. He thought that Doctor Yan would be somewhat frightened when she saw the corpse, but she was even calmer than him.

The coroner, standing to the side, was horrified to see the female doctor bring her nose close to the burly man's face. He stammered, "What...what are you going to do!"

Just as Dr. Yan was about to kiss the burly man, when she was so close to his mouth that there was only a tiny gap between them, Dr. Yan sniffed.

"I see."

Female Doctor Yan looked at Physician Liao and asked, "Have you figured it out?"

"yes."

Liao Langzhong was shocked by Yan Nuyi's bold actions. He stammered, "A stiff neck, a tense body with opisthotonus, clenched hands, a clenched jaw, and a convulsive smile are signs of strychnine poisoning."

What is strychnine?

The coroner was bewildered; he had never heard of it.

"Strychnos nux-vomica is a medicinal herb that can disperse nodules, reduce swelling, clear the meridians, and relieve pain, but it is also highly toxic."

The female doctor Yan answered the coroner's questions, saying that if the dosage of strychnine seeds is correct, it can be ground into powder and sprinkled, or soaked in water, ground with vinegar, fried in oil and applied, or boiled into a paste and spread. However, if taken internally, it is extremely toxic and can be fatal.

"That's right, I was suspicious when I saw his jaw clenched and he was giving a bitter smile."

However, the burly man did not smell of strychnine plaster, so he asked the coroner to take off his clothes. Unexpectedly, the female doctor Yan leaned in and smelled him directly. Doctor Liao was still in a daze.

"This person died from poisoning, not from being pushed and falling to their death."

The female doctor concluded that how to handle the case was up to the county magistrate.

"Thank you both. I never knew there were medicinal herbs that could both cure diseases and harm people."

The coroner had never heard of such a thing before, and he was deeply shocked. Even though those in their line of work are looked down upon and despised, he always adhered to his original aspirations: if a wrongful conviction is not uncovered, innocent people will be wrongfully killed.

Xiao Dazhuang was a good person, but he was framed for a staged accident. He was clearly poisoned to death!

"This must have been an accident, right?"

Liao Langzhong was never in the habit of thinking the worst of people. In his eyes, everyone was a good person, and even if someone did something evil, it was because they had no other choice.

How do you know it was an accident?

Doctor Yan twitched her lips. Strychnos nux-vomica is highly poisonous, so doctors in the north rarely use it in medicine, for fear of being held responsible for any accidents. This herb may not even be found in the north.

Such a rare medicinal herb must have been known to the user, and the strong man did not apply a strychnine plaster, but rather drank the processed powder, which led to his death from poisoning.

If it weren't for her and Doctor Liao, and the coroner couldn't determine the cause of death, there's a high probability that the blame would fall on Xiao Dazhuang, making the kind-hearted person take the fall.

"this……"

After thinking for a moment, Liao Langzhong said, "Although the strong man beat his wife, she cried and wailed for his death, so she probably didn't want him to die."

What kind of logic is that?

Doctor Liao was insightful in medicine, but he was a clueless novice. Doctor Yan was too lazy to argue with him and sneered, "How do you know that crying and wailing means you're heartbroken? Maybe it's tears of joy!"

"Who wants to be a widow? After the man dies, there is no one to rely on."

Liao Langzhong offered a dry rebuttal, only to find that his reasoning was untenable.

The burly man is dead, and the most suspicious person is his young wife. Perhaps she couldn't endure the abuse he caused her to die...

Lin Yuesha breathed a sigh of relief when the autopsy results came out. The burly man had died of poisoning, and Xiao Dazhuang was basically cleared of suspicion. They were just waiting for the truth to come out so that Xiao Dazhuang could be released from prison.

This matter cannot be delayed and must be resolved as quickly as possible.

"Sister Yan, I also think that young wife is very suspicious."

The young woman's surname was Gao, and her given name was Laidi. She lived in the town. After her husband died, Gao Laidi would come to the yamen every day to block the Chen family, constantly demanding money.

"She kept saying that my brother-in-law killed her husband, and that she, as a woman, couldn't make a living, so she wanted the Xiao family to pay for it. She was willing to plead with the county magistrate."

Gao Laidi showed no concern for the cause of her husband's death, insisting that Xiao Dazhuang was responsible. Not only did she show no gratitude, but she also tried to smear the person who helped her, which was rather suspicious.

"There's one more thing, Sister Yan. What I'm saying might not be accurate."

Just now, Gao Laidi slapped Chen Xiaohua, and Lin Yuesha noticed that she smelled of croton oil.

"Did she give her man croton oil, causing him to collapse and be poisoned, which is why he died?"

Lin Yuesha's explanation didn't quite make sense. Gao Laidi's husband had been dead for two or three days, so the smell should have dissipated by now, yet the smell on her was quite strong; at least Lin Yuesha's nose could easily detect it.