Upon hearing Xu Jing's words, everyone present couldn't help but choke.
This woman really knows how to climb the ranks! Who is Vice Minister Xiao to need her guidance?!
He is merely being cautious, that's why he let her try!
Even Xiao Yi, who is usually unruffled, couldn't help but flinch at his eyebrows, frowning slightly as he coldly stared at the woman in front of him.
Xu Jing, however, naturally said to the government official beside her, "Please prepare some hot rice vinegar, a few clean towels, a couple of glutinous rice balls, and several mice."
The government official was taken aback, somewhat at a loss, and looked towards Xiao Yi. After a moment of silence, Xiao Yi said, "Do as Ms. Xu said."
"Yes!"
After Xu Jing finished instructing, she returned to Peng Shi's body, suddenly squatting down, ready to untie the clothes on Peng Shi's body.
Mrs. Cao, who had been silent, immediately turned pale and lowly shouted, "What do you intend to do?"
Xu Jing paused her actions, thinking that this behavior might be too shocking.
Even though she's never thought of hiding her nature and indeed finds it difficult to conceal, being new here, it's best not to be too aggressive, better to take things slowly step by step.
Otherwise, she's afraid she would really be burned at the stake.
She withdrew her hand, stood up, and said coolly, "The method I read in the book requires removing the clothes from the corpse. As a weak woman, I'm indeed not quite suitable for such things."
Everyone present: "..."
With what you just did, which of them matches the profile of a weak woman!
Moreover, you're only now realizing you're not suitable for such things? What were you doing earlier!
After Xu Jing finished speaking, she looked around and suddenly pointed at a government official who looked very honest and said, "You, come help me."
The government official opened his mouth, incredulously pointing to himself, "Me?"
"Yes, you."
Xu Jing surmised that without Xiao Yi's permission, he wouldn't dare to assist her wholeheartedly, so she lifted her eyes and looked at the man at the head, saying, "Vice Minister Xiao wouldn't mind lending me someone, right?"
Xiao Yi: "..."
Not sure if it was his illusion, but this woman seemed to become more and more arrogant.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a calm voice, "Okay."
He wanted to see if she was just bluffing or if she indeed had such prowess.
Since even their superior's superior had spoken, the government official dared not say anything more and quickly stepped forward. Under Xu Jing's command, he stripped off Peng Shi's clothes.
Considering there were women present, he used a piece of white cloth to cover Peng Shi's body before undressing him, exposing only Peng Shi's head and feet the entire time.
After he finished undressing, the things Xu Jing had asked for also arrived.
She first reached out to test the temperature of the rice vinegar, feeling it was indeed freshly boiled and still steaming hot. She nodded in satisfaction and instructed the government official, "Soak the towel in the rice vinegar, and start washing from the lower abdomen of the corpse, slowly moving upward, until the abdomen becomes slightly warm or even hot, then you can stop."
As she spoke, she walked to Wu Wuzuo's side, smiling without reaching her eyes, "Wu Wuzuo, I'd like to borrow your silver needle."
Wu Wuzuo immediately exploded, "Didn't you say the silver needle test was useless?! If you're capable, don't use my silver needle!"
Xu Jing squinted her eyes, too lazy to talk to people with no skills who only shout foolishly, "As I said, I never said the silver needle test was useless. Furthermore, it's just useless in your hands. In mine, it can serve its purpose."
Wu Wuzuo: "!!!!"
This woman is truly... truly so arrogant!
What a waste of such a beautiful face!
But Vice Minister Xiao was clearly backing this woman. No matter how aggrieved Wu Wuzuo was, he could only hand over his tools, albeit with a fierce remark, "I'd like to see how you put it to use in your hands! Just don't end up being a laughingstock!"
Xu Jing responded with a half-smile, "Rest assured," and then took the silver needle back to Peng Shi's body, carefully cleaning it with soap water before inserting it into the throat of the corpse once again.
At this point, the government official assisting Xu Jing also began to slowly wipe the corpse with the hot rice vinegar as Xu Jing instructed.
Everyone couldn't help but stare at Peng Shi on the ground. In the vast courtroom, the silence was such that one could even hear a pin drop.
After diligently wiping for quite some time, the government official hesitantly looked at Xu Jing, "Miss Xu, the abdomen of the corpse has warmed up. Is this... is this okay?"
Xu Jing moved her hand slightly, subconsciously wanting to reach out and touch, luckily she held back.
To be safe, she said, "Wipe it a little longer."
After about a quarter of an hour, she said calmly, "It's fine now."
Then, under the tense and curious gazes of everyone, she slowly took the silver needle out from Peng Shi's mouth.
To their surprise, the end of the silver needle had already turned black!
Aunt Xue immediately sneered, "Isn't this the same result that Wu Wuzuo found just now? I thought with such a grand setup, you were going to do something extraordinary!"
The only thing different was that the black on the silver needle seemed to be even darker this time.
It was utterly absurd.
The other members of the Peng Family also showed mocking expressions on their faces.
But the Government Officials standing on the sides, craning their necks to see the result, couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
Indeed, they shouldn't have believed that such a woman actually had any skills!
They thought they could witness a rare spectacle today!
Holding the silver needle, Xu Jing couldn't help but laugh softly, "Who said my test result is the same as Wu Wuzuo's?"
Everyone was startled, and then they saw her take a cloth soaked in soap water and rub the blackened end of the silver needle vigorously.
When the cloth was removed, everyone was shocked to find—the black on the silver needle was still there!
It hadn't disappeared; it was still there!
It was different now! This result was indeed different from Wu Wuzuo's!
Xiao Yi couldn't help but be slightly taken aback, abruptly stood up, left the public bench, and walked down, his eyes fixed intently on the silver needle in Xu Jing's hand, and said in a deep voice, "Why is it like this?"
Xu Jing glanced at him, organized her words in her mind, and said, "The silver needle test can detect specific poisons, but generally, when the poison enters the body through the mouth, if too much time has passed, or if the deceased consumed something else after ingesting the poison that pushed the poison deeper into the body, just inserting the silver needle into the mouth of the deceased won't detect the toxin.
At this time, using hot dregs vinegar to slowly wash upwards from the lower abdomen of the corpse, the poison gas hidden in the stomach area can be steamed up, and then it can naturally be detected.
Luckily, the poison in Peng Shi was just the kind that could be detected by the silver needle."
As she spoke, she unintentionally met Xiao Yi's deep gaze, her voice paused, and she added sincerely, "Of course, all of this I learned from reading books."
Xiao Yi was silent for a moment, then suddenly pulled at the corner of his mouth, and in a bland voice said, "I wonder whose great work Miss Xu read, I should also take the time to go and read it."
Tsk tsk, finally, this guy dropped the "Ms. Xu" thing.
He even switched to the more formal self-address used by men at the time—"mou".
Although she knew that ancient women's social status was low, as someone educated in modern times, Xu Jing instinctively disliked being called "Ms. Xu."
Meeting the man's scrutinizing gaze, Xu Jing smiled slightly, just pretending to be naive, "I forgot, I was raised by my family in a manor since childhood, with no other pastime, so I could only read miscellaneous books. Many of these I've read and then discarded; how would I bother to remember who wrote them or what they were called?
These forensic techniques just seemed too miraculous, as I usually had no chance to encounter them, I couldn't help but remember them."
When working on poison identification in modern times, she usually used body slice analysis or blood analysis, but ancient times didn't have this technological level, they could only use these ancient and clever methods.
These were just simple little tricks, and this man was so surprised? In fact, she had already been quite restrained. Even without modern technology, she had plenty of ways to detect toxins in the body of the deceased.
Directly dissecting the corpse for examination is one way, but for this kind where the poison is deposited in the stomach and intestines, there is another simpler way—insert the silver needle into the corpse's anus for testing.
However, if she used this method, she feared she would become famous throughout Great Chu by the next day.
Aside, the only two who knew the truth, Chunyang and Chunxiang: "..."
Couldn't help but deeply ponder, which book that lady read contained these terrifying forensic methods?
It must be a pair of unique and peculiar protagonists who would discuss such uniquely flavored topics while talking about love!
Xiao Yi's brows gradually furrowed, staring at Xu Jing without speaking.
Just as there was an inexplicable subtlety between them, a slightly trembling yet sharp female voice sounded, "You say it was poisoning, then it was poisoning? Clearly, Wu Wuzuo tested it just now, and our Lord wasn't poisoned! Who knows if you used some means to turn the silver needle black!
After all, this so-called method of yours is unheard of, of course, you can say whatever you want!"