The Truth is Often Very Cruel
"You said you only provided a consultation and did not prescribe any medicine. Do you have any proof?" Mrs. Zhou Mu glared at Yu Linlang with hatred. "I questioned all the nannies around San'er, and they said you gave a reckless diagnosis. Because of you, my son's condition worsened—"
"Of course, I have proof." Yu Linlang interrupted her directly. "That night, the young master of the Marquis of Xuanping witnessed how I examined the Third Miss's pulse. He saw firsthand whether I prescribed medicine, performed acupuncture, or even boiled medicine. If you ask him, you'll know the truth. So why are you making a scene here?"
"Besides, if I had prescribed medicine, there would be written evidence. Do you have a prescription in my handwriting? Any proof at all?"
"I understand the pain of losing a daughter, but that does not justify blaming an innocent person."
"Madam, you should focus on disciplining your household! Those maids who caused trouble around the Third Miss are truly despicable.
"That day, instead of advising the young lady to leave the carriage, they encouraged her to stay for the sake of vanity. And when tragedy struck, they shifted the blame and tried to drag an innocent person down with them. If we're speaking of responsibility, wouldn't it be more accurate to say you failed to properly manage your household? If word spreads, it might even affect your husband's reputation."
Mrs. Zhou Mu's eyes widened in horror, and she collapsed to the ground. The onlookers fell into a stunned silence.
The maids who had been stirring up trouble turned pale, dropping to their knees, too afraid to even lift their heads.
"Yu Linlang, how dare you speak such nonsense?" Huo rushed to the scene, nearly fainting at what she heard.
How could this reckless girl humiliate Mrs. Zhou Mu like this?
Did she not care whether the governor's household lived or died?
"Mrs. Li, please forgive her. My daughter has just returned from a remote village and is still confused. This is all a misunderstanding—how could she speak so harshly?" Huo anxiously stepped forward, grabbing Yu Linlang's hand. "Linlang, apologize to Mrs. Li immediately! Stop talking nonsense!"
But Yu Linlang remained unmoved. She coldly shook off Huo's hand.
Her gaze fell on Mrs. Li, who was weeping on the ground, looking as if she had aged several years in an instant. Her grief had stripped away all her strength and spirit.
Yu Linlang sighed.
She crouched down beside the body covered by a white cloth. Taking a pair of gloves from Jiujin, she put them on.
"What are you doing?" Mrs. Li, snapping out of her daze, glared at Yu Linlang and tried to snatch back the white cloth.
Jiujin's expression darkened. "Madam Li, your daughter was found drowned in the back garden, yet you don't wish to confirm whether it was truly an accident?"
Yu Linlang lifted the cloth, revealing the Third Miss's pale, bluish-gray face.
The crowd instinctively stepped back, and a few even gasped in horror.
But Yu Linlang remained composed. She carefully examined the young woman's eyes, ears, mouth, nose, neck, the back of her head, hands, and feet.
"The signs of drowning before death are very different from those of drowning after death. If she had fallen into the pond due to illness or weakness, she would have struggled before dying. There should be mud and water in her mouth and nose, blue-green silt, and a slightly bloated abdomen—clear signs that she had inhaled water."
"Moreover, you claimed she fell and drowned. If that were the case, wouldn't she have sustained some bruises or injuries from the fall and her struggle?"
"But look—her hands are clenched into fists, yet there's little mud under her fingernails. Most of the dirt is on the backs of her hands, and there are no visible scratches on her forehead, the back of her head, or her limbs."
"What are you implying?" An old woman, supporting the grieving Mrs. Li, glared at Yu Linlang. "Are you saying my Third Miss was deliberately drowned? That someone held her under the water?"
Yu Linlang shook her head. "If she had been forcefully drowned, there would be mud and water in her mouth and nose, her face would be red, and there would be pressure injuries on the back of her head."
"Then what are you saying?" Mrs. Li asked in a trembling voice.
Yu Linlang gently lifted the deceased girl's head, revealing her neck. "The young lady was strangled to death."
"Impossible! Strangled victims stick out their tongues! And my daughter was found in the back garden pond. She was ill and feeling suffocated, so she went out for fresh air and accidentally fell in!" The old woman beside Mrs. Li shouted.
Yu Linlang traced the curved marks on the deceased's neck. "You still refuse to see the truth? Who told you that every strangled victim sticks out their tongue?"
"The Third Miss's strangulation marks are on her throat, blocking the blood flow. That's why her tongue did not extend. The strangulation was done with a thin silk cord. The marks are faint, but they slant up behind her ears."
"This means she was lying on her side at the time, caught off guard. She was also pinned down, preventing her from fighting back. That's why her hands clenched into fists without leaving scratches or bruises on her attacker."
"She was murdered in her bedroom while she was resting. Her body was then dumped into the pond. She did not drown by accident."
Mrs. Li's eyes widened in horror, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
"This… this is impossible…" Her lips quivered as her body swayed unsteadily.
Yu Linlang sighed. "Madam, I sympathize with your grief as a mother. But the truth is often cruel. Do you still wish to hear it?"
Mrs. Li clenched Yu Linlang's hand. "Speak!"
"Madam!" The old woman beside her protested. "Why listen to this nonsense? What does a mere girl know about forensics? The Third Miss drowned, that's the truth!"
"Silence!" Mrs. Li pushed the woman aside. "Speak! Tell me everything!"
Yu Linlang took a deep breath and leaned closer to whisper in Mrs. Li's ear. "When I examined Miss Li, I discovered she was more than three months pregnant. The child was nearly stable."
Mrs. Li's entire body went numb as if struck by lightning. She couldn't move.
Yu Linlang whispered again, "Madam, you are a wise woman. You know who had both the motive and the authority to silence her. I do not need to say more."
Mrs. Li took a shuddering breath, her entire body tilting sideways. The women around her rushed forward in alarm to support her.
"Ridiculous! What is going on here?" A furious voice rang out from the crowd.
Suddenly, a group of servants barged in, causing the onlookers to scramble out of the way.
Governor Li Zhoumu stormed forward, his expression thunderous. "My wife has lost her senses in grief and come here to cause a scene! And none of you thought to stop her?"
"Take her home at once before she humiliates herself further!"
Mrs. Li suddenly lifted her head, lunging at Li Zhoumu in a frenzy. She struck his chest with both fists.
"You tell me—did you do it? Was it you?"
Li Zhoumu's face darkened in rage. "What nonsense are you spouting? Take her home immediately!"