HLnovel Chapter 325 Court Hearing
Chapter 325 Court Hearing
Pan's eyes were red and swollen. When Lord Yang asked her what was wrong, she started crying again, her face perfectly covered with tears, which made people feel sorry for her.
She said aggrievedly, "Sir, my husband has always been in very good health and rarely gets sick. He has barely even caught a cold. He is reliable and capable, and we rely on him for everything at home. I never expected that such a healthy person would suddenly die, and that he died after eating their braised pig's trotters. He has already died so mysteriously, how can I bear to let the coroner perform an autopsy? He can't even rest in peace after he's gone."
Lord Yang's expression changed slightly as he took another careful look at Madam Pan kneeling below.
Pan was dressed in white mourning clothes, the material of which was quite nice, unlike what one would expect from a poor family.
On the way back, the guard told him the information he had gathered: the Pan family was small; the elderly couple had passed away long ago, and there were no parents-in-law to serve. They lived a relatively stable life, but with many children, they were still somewhat strapped for cash.
Logically speaking, mourning clothes are only worn a few times in a lifetime. Ordinary families would not use fine cotton cloth to make mourning clothes; they would simply wear hemp cloth and mourning gowns.
Furthermore, with so many children in the family, why did her husband die from eating braised pig's trotters instead of the children who ate them?
Lord Yang's expression hardened, and he asked in a cold voice, "Madam Pan, on what day did you buy the braised pig's trotters, how much did you pay for them, and are you sure you bought them from Lin's Pig Trotter Shop?"
Madam Pan wiped away her tears and nodded, saying, "Your Excellency, the braised pig's trotters were bought by my husband before he returned home the day before yesterday. I don't know how many he bought... oh, it was about fifty... sixty coins per trotter. He bought them at Lin's Pig Trotter Shop."
Lord Yang slammed his gavel, his voice suddenly becoming more serious.
"Nonsense, the pig trotters sold at Lin's Pig Trotter Shop cost 88 coins each, not 50 or 60 coins each."
Pan looked visibly flustered and quickly changed her story, saying, "Sir, my husband bought the braised pig's trotters. I didn't know the price of braised pig's trotters; I only heard about it from outside."
Lord Yang asked, "Since you didn't buy the braised pig's trotters, why are you so certain that your husband bought them from Lin's Pig's Trotters Shop?"
“My husband mentioned it to me when he bought it, so I remembered it.”
The answer was correct, but Lord Yang frowned.
He continued, "Ordinary families don't eat meat more than a few times a year. Since you have so many children, why did your husband eat braised pig's trotters, while the children didn't?"
That's a very relevant question!
In ordinary families, if the couple is loving and affectionate, they will definitely dote on their children. If there is something delicious, they will usually give it to the children first.
Why is his family different? Only the husband died from food poisoning, while the children were all safe and sound.
There's only one possibility: only her husband ate the braised pig's trotters, while she and the children didn't.
If that's the case, and her husband eats alone, then he must not love the children, and their relationship wouldn't be as good as she portrays it.
However, her husband died, and she cried her heart out here, saying from time to time that if it weren't for the children, she would have left this world to follow her husband.
This is a complete contradiction!
At this moment, not only did Lord Yang begin to have doubts about Lady Pan, but even Lady Pan's relatives began to have doubts about her.
Because their brother is not the type to eat alone. Even if he only buys one braised pig's trotter or just one piece of meat, he will not eat it himself and will always let everyone try it first.
A kind-looking man stepped forward and asked in confusion, "Sister-in-law, my brother isn't one to eat alone. What they said is right. Why did he buy braised pig's trotters, and he was the only one who ate them and died, while you all are fine? Didn't you and the children eat any?"
"me……"
Pan felt extremely guilty. She was secretly annoyed that everyone was fixated on this matter.
Indeed, her husband was not a selfish person; on the contrary, he was an honest man with a very good temper. He always put her and the children first in terms of food, drink, and clothing. He wore the most worn-out clothes and would wait until she and the children had finished eating before eating the leftovers.
It's hard to believe that such an honest person would be selfish and hoard food.
She racked her brains and finally came up with an excuse.
“My husband is definitely not one to eat alone, but he was in a good mood that day. There was still some wine left over from the New Year celebrations. He was afraid that the wine would go bad if it was left out for too long, so he took it out and drank it. In a moment of high spirits, he also finished the braised pig's trotters.”
The children were all sensible; they felt sorry for their father's hard work and didn't fight over the food. Who knew that this time the food would cause such a problem? Their father had toiled half his life, working from dawn till dusk, and before he could even enjoy a single day of happiness, he was gone. Waaah…”
She said it, but it lacked credibility.
The man then asked, "Sister-in-law, everyone knows what kind of family you are. How come you have alcohol at home? During the New Year, we tried to get my brother to go drinking, but he absolutely refused, saying he doesn't drink a drop."
"not me……"
Pan looked flustered and started giving the other person meaningful glances, trying to stop them from asking any more questions.
She was secretly annoyed. This fool, even at this point, didn't know how to unconditionally support her. Instead, he sided with the restaurant staff to question her. If something really bad happened, and they smashed up the restaurant, would they get away with it?
The man was straightforward and honest; he didn't realize that Madam Pan was giving him a meaningful look, and began to discuss the matter with his relatives.
“I remember Xiaoshan never drank alcohol, so how could he get drunk and finish all the braised pig's trotters he bought? His family was poor and they didn't eat meat for months at a time. When they did have a meal, he would make sure the kids ate and drank the whole thing, even the broth, while he just smelled it.”
Now that you mention it, it does seem to make sense.
"Xiaoshan wouldn't keep all the food to himself; there's something suspicious about this!"
"..."
"..."
"quiet!"
The advisor shouted, and the young master immediately fell silent.
Lord Yang said with a stern face, "Pan, your relatives have just raised questions. Given your family's circumstances, it's unlikely that you would have alcohol in your home. Since there is no substantial evidence, we can leave this matter aside for now."
But given your husband's character, he's not one to eat alone. He doesn't drink alcohol, so if he bought braised pig's trotters, he wouldn't stop the children from eating them, get drunk, and then eat them all by himself.
Pan's words were full of flaws, and Lord Yang was an upright and honest official who was skilled in solving cases. He could tell that Pan was lying after listening for a short while.
So he slammed the gavel down again, startling everyone in the hall, especially Madam Pan, who trembled and her face turned pale.
Lord Yang narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Pan, you must take responsibility for your words. You have no evidence, no witnesses, and you won't allow the coroner to examine the body. If you continue to make trouble and obstruct the work of the yamen, I can immediately convict you of obstructing the work of the yamen."
Pan trembled, her face turning deathly pale. She continued to cry, “My lord, it’s not that I’m obstructing the yamen from carrying out its duties. It’s just that my husband is dead, and I can’t bear to let anyone touch his body, so that he can’t rest in peace even in death.”
The woman and her deceased husband were ordinary people who had always worked diligently and never quarreled with their relatives or neighbors or made enemies. How could her husband have died a violent death for no reason?
If my deceased husband had truly been murdered by someone else, I would risk my life to seek justice for him and would never wrong an innocent person to let the murderer go unpunished. But my deceased husband clearly died from eating Lin's braised pig's trotters. Why can't I seek justice from them and make them pay the price they deserve?
Lord Yang stared down at Madam Pan, coldly scanning her up and down.
His voice was slightly cold as he said, "Since you two have such a deep relationship, why are you not in a hurry to find the real culprit and seek justice for your husband after he died? Instead, you insist on refusing to have a coroner examine the body for some so-called reason of not wanting to disturb him."
Is seeking justice for your husband less important than the peace he deserves after his death?
It's ridiculous; Pan's reasoning is far too far-fetched.
Pan squeezed out two more tears and said aggrievedly, "Sir, it's not like that. It's clearly the problem with the braised pig's trotters from Lin's Pig Trotter Shop. My husband died after eating them. Why don't you investigate their braised pig's trotter shop? Why do you keep questioning me instead?"
Lord Yang smiled sarcastically and said, "Because you can neither provide evidence nor obstruct the coroner's examination of the body, your tearful complaints are not enough for me to convict Lin's Pig Trotter Shop."
I will ask you one more time, "Can you provide witnesses and physical evidence? Do you agree to allow a coroner to perform an autopsy?"
Pan hesitated.
She has no witnesses or physical evidence. If a coroner were to examine the body, everything she fabricated would fall apart.
However, the husband did eat meat before he died, and he had been dead for two days. Perhaps the coroner wouldn't be able to find anything during the autopsy.
This Lord Yang was clearly not someone to be fooled, and there was no way to continue the stalemate, so she had no choice but to nod and agree.
"My lord, I agree to let the coroner perform the autopsy. Let's begin."
Lord Yang waved his hand, and the coroner immediately stepped forward.
The coroner appeared to be in his forties, dressed in a blue long gown with a white robe over it, the sleeves rolled up high, and wearing sheepskin gloves. He looked very professional.
He held a roll of cloth in his hand, and inside was a row of autopsy tools, knives and instruments of all sizes, so bright they almost blinded people.
When Pan saw the complete set of tools the coroner had set up, she instantly regretted agreeing to the autopsy.
If the coroner discovers the real cause of her husband's death, everything will be over!
However, since they had already come to the county government office, they were already facing the same fate, whether they faced it or not, and there was no room for regret.
The coroner lifted the white sheet and frowned as he looked at the deceased lying on the stretcher.
The body appeared to have been dead for two days; lividity was beginning to appear on the grayish-white skin. He cut open the victim's abdomen with a knife, but the inside was not blackened, nor were the bones blackened.
Therefore, it can be concluded that the deceased was not poisoned.
If the braised pig trotters at Lin's pig trotter shop were not clean, the deceased would only have gotten a stomachache, not necessarily die from them.
He wore a thick cotton mask, but he could still smell the stench emanating from the deceased's stomach. He forced himself to endure the nausea and used the sharp blade of his short knife to cut open the deceased's intestines. Inside were undigested food, mostly rice and noodles, with only a few bits of chewed and swallowed, still undigested meat. The stench was so strong that it made one want to vomit violently.
what--
Just now, Ms. Pan said that her husband drank alcohol before he died, but there was clearly no smell of alcohol in the stomach of this corpse.
Pan is lying!
He cleaned up the deceased's stomach and began a thorough examination of the body, from top to bottom, carefully checking every detail.
However, after checking twice, he still couldn't find any tiny, potentially fatal wounds on the deceased's body; there wasn't even a single scratch on the body.
strange!
How strange!
After a long silence, the coroner sighed and said, "Sir, I have carefully examined the body three times. There are no fatal wounds on the body. There is no poison or alcohol in the stomach and intestines. As for what Madam Pan said, that the deceased ate a serving of braised pig's trotters by himself before his death, that is also untrue. I am incompetent and really cannot figure out why the deceased died."
Lord Yang frowned deeply, rose and walked down from the hall, personally approaching the corpse.
The guard immediately handed him a handkerchief, which Lord Yang took and covered his mouth and nose with before glancing at the corpse.
The deceased was of average appearance and looked a few years older than Ms. Pan; the couple did not seem to be a good match.
He turned to look at Madam Pan, who was weeping with her head down, not looking at her husband's body. Her profile showed no grief over losing her husband, only a sense of grievance.
Lord Yang became suspicious and asked, "Madam Pan, your husband's body doesn't look like he just died today, does it?"
Pan nodded but did not answer, only weeping.
The coroner quickly added, "Sir, based on my experience, the deceased has been dead for two days."
"Since he has been dead for two days, why didn't you carry his body and cause a scene immediately after he died, but only started making a scene today?"
Pan's relatives spoke up one after another, "Your Honor, Xiaoshan died suddenly, and his wife was an ignorant woman. She was so frightened when she saw her husband die that she couldn't think of anything. It was only after we learned the news and helped with the funeral arrangements that we carefully questioned her about Xiaoshan's cause of death. That's when we learned that Xiaoshan had bought and eaten Lin's braised pig's trotters before he died. That's when we thought of going to Lin to hold her accountable. This matter is absolutely true, and we beg Your Honor to investigate thoroughly."
Whether it is true or not remains to be investigated. The worst thing you can do when judging a case is to listen to only one side of the story.
He thought for a moment and said, “What happened to the deceased before his death is unknown to everyone. The only people who may know the truth are Pan and his children. As a relative of the deceased, Pan cannot produce any evidence and therefore cannot be a witness. This official only looks at the evidence when investigating a case.”
Lin Xiaotang secretly admired Lord Yang, thinking that he was indeed an honest and upright official.
Throughout the entire case, only Madam Pan spoke, and she was the most suspicious person. Lord Yang had already seen through the clues and would not be deceived by her.
Lin Xiaotang stepped forward and said, "Sir, may I try to find out the cause of death?"
The deceased's relatives immediately objected, "How dare you! What ability do you, a mere young girl, have to determine the cause of death? This is not a place for you to fool around. Go home now, lest you be frightened and have nightmares tonight."