A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 125 She's just a substitute
The white powder was sprinkled on the wound, and Song Shuyu finally felt the pain. His beautiful eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes were covered with a thin layer of mist. "Madam, it hurts, it hurts so much."

Mu Qingcheng could detect a hint of coquetry in his tone, and her already burning face and ears became even hotter.

"Just be patient, it will be fine soon."

"But it really hurts."

Song Shuyu stopped cooperating. He twisted his arm and said willfully, "Madam, blow on it. As long as Madam blows on it, it won't hurt anymore."

Helpless, Mu Qingcheng could only sprinkle the medicinal powder while gently blowing on it. After working like this for a long time, when it came time to bandage with white gauze, Song Shuyu started acting up again, "Madam, I'm so sleepy, can you sleep with me for a while?"

"Huh?" Mu Qingcheng was so shocked that she almost bit her tongue. "My lord, sleeping together is not allowed. Although I am not too concerned about the separation of men and women, sleeping together is a serious transgression and absolutely unacceptable!"

Song Shuyu's face was filled with disappointment and confusion. "Why not? You are my wife. We've been married for a long time. Why can't we sleep together?"

"..."

Mu Qingcheng had only heard that drunkards were difficult to deal with and unreasonable, but she never expected that an adult who had gone hysterical would be even more unbearable!
She quickened her pace, and after finishing the bandaging, she took out clean undergarments from the wardrobe and dressed him in them.

“Madam, there’s still some hair.” Song Shuyu pointed to his loose black hair, his eyes seemed to clear a little, and even contained a hint of playfulness. “It’s kind of you, Madam, to tie up my hair.”

Mu Qingcheng looked at him suspiciously a few more times, but he returned to his previous state, innocent and obedient, like a child who knew nothing of the world.

Taking a comb from her vanity case, Mu Qingcheng styled Song Shuyu's hair into a half-up bun, making it easier for him to sleep. Having gone to such lengths, she thought for a moment, then asked Xue'er for a basin of water to wash Song Shuyu's face and hands, making sure he was thoroughly clean.

After finishing everything, Mu Qingcheng calculated the time and quickly coaxed Song Shuyu to go to bed to rest.

In his current state, the best medicine for him is a good night's sleep to recharge.

But to his surprise, Song Shuyu was persistent enough to hold onto Mu Qingcheng's hand tightly and refuse to let go. "Madam, please stay with me. Don't you like such an obedient husband?"

"My dear, please go to sleep first. I still have things to do. I will come and keep you company when I have time."

"It seems that A Yuan doesn't like me anymore. Even though I'm injured, she's still heartlessly abandoning me."

Song Shuyu turned her face away sadly.

Mu Qingcheng was glad that she still had her senses. Otherwise, with Song Shuyu's unparalleled beauty in the capital, she would have had a hard time resisting him. Moreover, his current clingy and persistent behavior was really testing one's willpower!

and many more!

What did he just call her?
Mu Qingcheng suddenly realized what was happening. She yanked Song Shuyu's head back and stared at him, asking, "Who is A-Yuan?"

Song Shuyu blinked her eyelashes and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Madam is A-Yuan! What, doesn't Madam remember her own name?"

Mu Qingcheng was filled with disbelief. It turned out he had indeed mistaken his wife for someone else; his wife's name was A Yuan, not Mu Qingcheng!

Even if his world was a dream, the fact that he treated her as a substitute still weighed heavily on her heart. The man who kept saying he wanted to marry her already had someone he had chosen in his heart, so why was he so insistent on marrying her for the sake of her reputation?
Seeing her lost in thought, Song Shuyu quietly leaned in and kissed her rosy lips. Mu Qingcheng was startled!
The word "substitute" pierced her heart like a thorn, driving her to push Song Shuyu away violently and slap him across the face!
Song Shuyu stumbled and bumped into the table, nearly falling over!
"My lord, please have some self-respect!" Mu Qingcheng said angrily, her face flushed with anger.

Song Shuyu was confused and stood frozen in place. "A Yuan, are you angry? You said it yourself that as long as I listen to you and go with you to see the corpse, you will become my wife, stay with me forever, and never leave me. I... can't I kiss my wife?"

Mu Qingcheng couldn't understand his words. The more she listened, the more her head ached, as if something she had lost had run out of her head, moving so fast that she couldn't catch it!

Before Song Shuyu could get a reply, he suddenly slumped to the ground and fell into a deep sleep!

Mu Qingcheng patted her temples, feeling that she was losing control of her emotions. She picked up Song Shuyu in a fit of anger and anxiety, put him on the bed, and covered him with a blanket.

……

Once outside, Mu Qingcheng had lost all interest in facing Liu Mama and Xue'er. She simply said, "The adults are asleep," and left on her own.

On the way back to the South Prison, Mu Qingcheng kept asking herself, what was her relationship with the adults now? But apart from being in a superior-subordinate relationship, she couldn't define anything else.

From childhood, she had no friends or hobbies; she devoted all her energy to learning autopsies. After her mother's death, only her father remained by her side. Later, her father adopted Mu Xun, giving her a foster brother for companionship. Her father said that when they grew up, Mu Xun would marry her; otherwise, given her status as a coroner, even stable boys, night watchmen, and men selling vegetables and tofu on the street would probably refuse to marry her, deeming her unlucky.

However, before they could get married, Mu Xun died.

Three years later, she met Song Shuyu.

Song Shuyu was the second person to propose marriage to her. Like Mu Xun, he didn't mind that she was a coroner, spending her days handling corpses, a dull and rigid profession. He treated her very well, gentle and considerate, supporting her pursuit of her dreams. But she knew that their social statuses were worlds apart, making marriage impossible. So, she rejected him without a second thought.

Today, she learned that the person he truly wanted to marry was A Yuan, and she was just a substitute.

To say I'm not sad would be self-deception.

She was melancholy all the way, and when she arrived at the archway of the South Prison, she took several deep breaths to compose herself before striding inside.

The clerk immediately came forward, "Coroner Mu, it's almost time."

"Row."

Mu Qingcheng responded and walked over to check the softened flesh of the corpse.

She uncovered the thin cloth and charcoal ash covering the body and found that the flesh had softened to a decent degree. She then carefully stretched out the limbs of the corpse as much as possible and ordered the officials to wash the corpse with hot vinegar.

As the clerk worked, he asked, "Coroner Mu, will this make the wounds visible?"

Mu Qingcheng didn't hold back, generously teaching: "For areas that need to be examined and suspected of having injuries, mix scallions, pepper, salt, white plums, and wine lees together, grind them into a paste, make it into a cake, and heat it over a fire. Before doing this, line the corpse with paper, then apply the wine lees cake to the burn, and the injuries will definitely show up."

(End of this chapter)