The two listened calmly to the commotion outside, which was so loud it seemed as if people would storm in at any moment.
Soon, the noise subsided, and after about fifteen minutes, it grew quiet outside.
Gu Sinian lifted the curtain and entered. "Someone was instigating the crowd. They've been dealt with. The deceased did indeed take the medicine prescribed by Baicaotang on time. The body has been brought in, and someone has already been sent to the yamen to fetch the coroner."
Luo Wanqing frowned. Although the patient wasn't her direct patient, when the family had caused a scene, she had familiarized herself with the patient's condition and the prescription. It was appropriate, and the medicine was fine. How could he have died?
Had something gone wrong in the process?
The coroner was soon invited, and after an examination, the results were in.
"Poisoned."
Upon hearing this, the deceased's family became agitated again. "You still said it had nothing to do with you! What do you have to say now? You black-hearted scoundrels, may you die a terrible death!"
Luo Wanqing, skilled in poisons, personally stepped forward to examine the body. It was indeed poisoning.
She dared to stake her life on the prescription from Baicaotang; there was no issue with it.
So, how was the poison administered?
Luo Wanqing carefully inspected the deceased's body and discovered several peculiar spots.
So that's how it was.
After taking the prescription from Baicaotang, the deceased had also consumed Gelsemium. Gelsemium, when it encountered a specific ingredient in the prescription, became a potent poison. This was why he had died of poisoning.
Luo Wanqing informed the coroner of her findings. The coroner examined the body and agreed with her assessment.
"Therefore, the cause of death was not the prescription from our Baicaotang. As for why the deceased consumed Gelsemium, that is something you, the family, must answer," Luo Wanqing stated calmly. "Gelsemium is not commonly found, so I believe it was not an accidental ingestion. Think about it, after taking the medicine, what did the deceased eat or drink?"
The deceased's family shook their heads. "He didn't eat or drink anything."
Their expressions were sorrowful, and they did not appear to be lying.
"Uncle didn't eat anything, but Uncle drank talisman water," one of them said, patting his head.
His uncle had been sitting in the sun by the stone at the entrance of their home. A Taoist priest had passed by, said something, and then gave his uncle a talisman.
Drinking talisman water was a common practice in the countryside, so no one paid it any mind.
If, after taking the decoction, the deceased had consumed nothing else but talisman water, then the problem must lie with the talisman water.
The deceased's family was dumbfounded. They hadn't thought there was anything wrong with drinking talisman water. They had even thought that by drinking the decoction and then the talisman water, it would be a double dose, helping him recover faster. This way, they wouldn't need to get more medicine and could save a lot of money.
In the end, they saved money, but lost the person.
"Gelsemium is not a raw material for making paper. Talismans are usually drawn with cinnabar, or even with chicken blood if not done meticulously. Therefore, this was not an accident," Luo Wanqing said calmly.
The coroner nodded. "I will report this to the magistrate upon my return to the yamen."
Gu Sinian advised the family to carry the body and accompany the coroner back to the yamen. Since it was not an accident, it was a deliberate murder, and deliberate murder naturally required reporting to the authorities.
The family was stunned. They had come to Baicaotang seeking compensation. The person was gone, so why not give them some money? Baicaotang was such a large medical clinic, with many people daily, surely it made a lot of money. If they were given a few hundred taels of silver, their family could improve their lives. But now, it had nothing to do with Baicaotang. If it had nothing to do with them, they were even being asked to report to the yamen. The yamen, was that a place for ordinary folk like them to go?