A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 129 The Truth Revealed to the World (15)

At the beginning of noon on September 19th, the Jingzhao Prefecture mobilized a large force and surrounded the Ningyuan General's Mansion!
Mu Qingcheng led the troops, with Chief Constable Liu Heng as his deputy. Constables Jiang Zhan, Yang Bing, and Duan Qianzhong each led a team to block the side gate, back gate, and south gate of the Ningyuan General's Mansion!

Mu Qingcheng and Liu Heng led their men in through the main gate!

Upon seeing this, the gatekeeper turned pale with fright. "You, which government office are you from? Let me report to my master..."

Mu Qingcheng brandished his token and announced loudly, "This is an investigation by the Jingzhao Prefecture! Remain where you are and do not obstruct the investigation; otherwise, you will be severely punished!"

Liu Heng drew his official sword with a swift motion, and the servant immediately froze, no longer daring to think of reporting the news.

Thus, the soldiers led by a woman marched straight in, and the servants who passed by were all terrified. Anyone who opened their mouth to shout was gagged by the constables and held in place!

Mu Qingcheng walked briskly, saying as he went, "Captain Liu, grab a few prisoners to lead the way, and search the courtyards of Liu Changqing, Liu Pei, and Liu Xiao respectively!"

"understand!"

Officer Liu immediately divided his men into four teams, leaving one team to stand by while the other three teams rushed towards the three courtyards of the Liu family!

The afternoon tranquility vanished in an instant. The sound of soldiers breaking down the gate and rushing in was like a storm, catching everyone in the general's mansion off guard!
Mu Qingcheng and Constable Liu burst into the hall. The servants inside rushed out in panic, only to be caught one by one by the constables outside and ordered to stand in a line, not to make a sound!

Mu Qingcheng stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the hall, his sharp eyes looking out from the open hall door, taking in everything in the courtyard!
Half an hour ago, the secret guards that Song Shuyu sent out to keep watch brought news that Liu Pei disguised himself as a servant transporting vegetables and entered the Ningyuan General's Mansion through the back door!

With Liu Xiao's clear identification of the Shu brocade outer garment and the jade pendant with the character "Liu" that Zhang Zhubu pulled off, the Prefect of the Capital, Song Shuyu, immediately ordered that the initial door-to-door inquiry be changed to a door-to-door arrest to bring the murder suspect Liu Pei to justice!
Moreover, it must be a grand spectacle, striving to make it known to everyone!

Mu Qingcheng didn't understand Song Shuyu's purpose in making such a big fuss, but she believed in Song Shuyu's political foresight and that his decision must have been made after careful consideration!
Soon, Liu Changqing and his wife arrived upon hearing the news!

Upon seeing only a woman dressed simply with her sleeves tied and a man in a constable's uniform in the hall, Liu Changqing immediately flew into a rage: "Your Jingzhao Prefecture is going too far! How dare you, lowly and unranked nobodys, trespass in my dignified General's Mansion!"

Upon hearing this, Constable Liu drew his sword again, pointed it angrily at Liu Changqing, and shouted sternly: "General Liu, I am Liu Heng, the chief constable of the Jingzhao Prefecture. I have been ordered by Lord Song, the Prefect of Jingzhao, to assist coroner Mu Qingcheng in arresting the murder suspect Liu Pei at your residence. I hope that General Liu will cooperate fully and hand over Liu Pei, otherwise you will be punished for the crime of harboring a criminal!"

"presumptuous!"

Liu Changqing, being a military man by birth, roared in anger, "A female coroner and a constable dare to come to my door and arrest me? Do you think my general's mansion is full of dead people? Besides, my son Liu Pei died of illness half a year ago. How could he be accused of murder? If you, the Prefect of the Capital, do not give me a reasonable explanation today, I will definitely submit a memorial to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager for judgment and punishment!"

"General Liu is overthinking it!" Mu Qingcheng completely disregarded Liu Changqing's clamor and threats. Her expression remained calm and composed. "When our Jingzhao Prefecture arrests people, we insist on solid evidence. We would never fight a battle we can't win! If General Liu cooperates, then each member of the Liu family who commits a crime will be held accountable, and no one else will be implicated. But if General Liu insists on going his own way and reports it to the Emperor, then Liu Pei's crime will be confirmed, and General Liu will be guilty of deceiving the Emperor, which will punish his entire family!"

"You..." "I'm just kindly reminding you, General Liu, you must be grateful for my help!"

Mu Qingcheng's unadorned beauty did not appear dull at all; on the contrary, her strong inner confidence added to her aura that could not be underestimated!

Looking at the nonchalant smile on her lips, Liu Changqing's initial arrogance, which had shown him no regard for others, slowly dissipated. He tentatively asked, "Coroner Mu? The first-class female coroner of the Capital Prefecture?"

"Exactly!" Mu Qingcheng's expression remained unchanged, his tone becoming increasingly urging. "I am Mu Qingcheng, ordered to investigate the case of the hanging corpse at the temple gate, the murder of Li Mu, and the case of the corpse hidden in the Mu residence! These three cases are related, involving your esteemed lady Li Yunyao, eldest son Liu Pei, and second son Liu Xiao. Liu Xiao has already been apprehended. I request General Liu to persuade Liu Pei to surrender himself to the authorities and strive for a lenient sentence!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu could no longer contain herself and urgently said, "Has Xiao'er been arrested? He is innocent, you can't arrest him!"

Officer Liu, quick-tempered, immediately retorted, "Innocent? Where are you innocent? Everyone who has entered my Jingzhao Prefecture prison cries out for innocence, but who is truly innocent?"

"Madam Liu, how do you know Liu Xiao is innocent? Then who is not innocent?" On the other hand, Mu Qingcheng remained calm and composed. She was best at using stillness to control movement, seizing the loopholes in the other party's words, and then conducting a surprise interrogation.

As expected, Madam Liu was outmaneuvered and panicked. "I... I just felt sorry for Xiao'er. I didn't know anything!"

"Coroner Mu, my wife is just a woman confined to her quarters, don't scare her!" Liu Changqing put his arm around Madam Liu's shoulder and patted her gently to comfort her, his anger growing as he stared at Mu Qingcheng.

Mu Qingcheng suddenly smiled lazily, "General Liu, do you still complain that my master only sent me, a female coroner, and a constable to confront you?"

Liu Changqing was speechless.

Indeed, the woman before him was far beyond the reach of a young lady from a noble family, nor was she an ordinary minor official. Her wisdom, wit, demeanor, and strong mentality made him no longer dare to underestimate her!
Mu Qingcheng's gaze shifted slightly, then landed on Madam Liu's face, her tone intriguing, "I personally captured Liu Xiao. Along with Liu Xiao, Granny Yang from the mortuary was also thrown into prison. Madam Liu, do you know Granny Yang?"

Madam Liu shuddered, the handkerchief in her hand twisted out of shape. "I...I don't know any Granny Yang."

"Oh? In that case, I see that Madam Liu is a woman who loves her son dearly. How about I take you back to the capital and allow you to visit Liu Xiao?"

Mu Qingcheng walked slowly toward Madam Liu, looking regretful, and said, "Madam Liu, you may not know this, but Liu Xiao has been planning to commit suicide by starving himself since yesterday! I just visited Liu Xiao before coming to your residence. He asked me to convey his last words to you two elders: please take care of yourselves, and we will never see each other again in this life!"

"Xiao'er!"

Madam Liu was shocked and fainted on the spot!
(End of this chapter)