A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 141 The Truth Revealed to the World (27)

If someone intentionally distances themselves from another, no matter how well they disguise it or how eloquent their words are, their tone, demeanor, eyes, and emotional changes will inevitably reveal their true intentions.

Song Shuyu felt dejected for a moment. He really didn't understand what Mu Qingcheng meant by being hot and cold towards him.
"On a dark and windy night, when murder and arson are most likely to occur. Coroner Mu, for the sake of the judge's personal safety, let me accompany you. More people means more protection."

Seeing Song Shuyu lower himself to plead and beg, his expression showing a hint of grievance and sadness, the judge was shocked and astonished. It was as if he had stumbled upon a shocking revelation...

"Judge, what do you say?"

Song Shuyu gave him a suggestive look, which made the judge of the court shudder. Since Lord Song was actually using him as an excuse, he should go along with it and speak up for Lord Song. After all, fortune favors the bold, and if he could get on Lord Song's good side, he could secure a bright future!

So the judge cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, "Lord Song is right. I am still young and really cherish my life. If Lord Song were to accompany me, I would feel much more at ease."

Mu Qingcheng glared at the judge secretly, and could only compromise, saying, "I will leave it to Your Excellency to decide!"

Song Shuyu was, after all, the chief official of the Jingzhao Prefecture, and he could not afford to lose face and dignity in front of outsiders.

However, before Song Shuyu could rejoice, a guard from the Duke's mansion happened to rush in from outside the gate, urgently saying, "Second Young Master, the steward requests that you return to the mansion immediately, as the Old Madam has fallen ill again!"

Song Shuyu was startled. "How is Grandmother now? Have we called a doctor?"

The guard, who had rushed on the way, was out of breath. "Reporting to the Second Young Master, the Old Madam has caught a cold and is suffering from a terrible headache. The doctor gave her some acupuncture, but it didn't help!"

Song Shuyu took off the identity token tied to his waist and handed it to his personal guard, saying, "Go and fetch Physician Jin immediately."

"Yes!" The guard rushed out the door, jumped onto his horse, and galloped away.

Song Shuyu looked at Mu Qingcheng and instructed, "I must return to my residence and cannot accompany you. Remember, you must not eat or drink anything from the General's residence, and be wary of Liu Changqing's desperate measures!"

Mu Qingcheng cupped his hands and solemnly said, "This humble servant will remember your teachings, sir!"

The two then parted ways, heading in opposite directions, one to the south and the other to the north.

……

The Duke's Mansion.

Three years ago, the late emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, and Song Zirong became Empress Dowager. In order to pray for the well-being of her son, grandson and the soldiers of the Song family army stationed at the border, the old lady moved into Jingxin Hall to live alone, spending her days eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures, not concerning herself with worldly affairs, and not associating with the various prominent families in the capital.

Since his wife Yu Wan's difficult childbirth, Duke Song Yan has never remarried. His two sons, Song Shuxing and Song Shuyu, are both in their early twenties but neither is married, not even with concubines or maids. Therefore, the large Duke's mansion has neither female relatives nor a mistress to manage the household affairs; the management of the household is left to the steward and the head matriarch.

At this moment, the old lady leaned against the headboard, her face gloomy, tormented by a headache and unable to release the pent-up frustration in her heart.

Song Shuyu rushed into the bedroom in a hurry and called out, "Grandmother!"

Only the head matriarch remained to serve the old lady; all the other servants had been dismissed to the outer courtyard. "Second Young Master!"

The head matron bowed, nodded to the old lady, and then withdrew.

Song Shuyu realized something, quickly walked over, sat down beside the old lady's bed, took her hand, and whispered, "Grandmother, has the Empress Dowager come to see us?"

The old lady's face was ashen, and she was not in good spirits, but the anger that had been lingering on her face for a long time had dissipated considerably. She calmly asked, "Shuyu, what did you do in the palace today?"

"The Emperor summoned me to discuss the public trial tomorrow," Song Shuyu replied.

The old lady frowned. "Anything else?"

Song Shuyu lowered his eyes, quickly weighed the situation in his mind, and then said with a light laugh, "Grandmother, I didn't do anything. Don't you believe me? Is your headache any better? I've sent someone to invite Physician Jin. He'll be here soon."

"Relieve the surplus!"

The old lady grasped Song Shuyu's hand tightly, her expression filled with anxiety. "What's the use of hiding this from your grandmother? During dinner, the Empress Dowager sent Eunuch Qin to deliver tonics, saying that you disobeyed her today, which is a great act of filial impiety. She has punished you by making you copy the Classic of Filial Piety three hundred times, and after the morning court tomorrow, you will kneel outside the Shou Kang Palace for five hours!"

Upon hearing this, Song Shuyu let out a cold laugh. It seemed that the old hag had not only been cured of the poison, but also had enough strength to deal with him! Kneeling for five hours to stop him from conducting the trial? She was dreaming!

Seeing this, the old lady became even more worried. "Shuyu, what exactly did you do? Tell your grandmother, otherwise she won't be at ease! You know perfectly well that your father and brothers are at the border and can't reach you from afar, so why did you have to provoke them? A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan!"

Song Shuyu calmed himself down and said, "Grandmother, please forgive me for not being able to go into details. I can only say that after enduring for more than ten years, I no longer want to endure it, nor can I endure it any longer. As for the punishment of copying and kneeling, I will assign someone to do it for me. From now on, whenever anyone from the palace comes, Grandmother must be careful in dealing with them. All gifts must be inspected, and regardless of whether they are poisonous or not, they must all be sealed and stored away!"

"Shuyu, did you...did you discuss this with your father beforehand? Otherwise, if you act rashly, you might suffer a great loss!"

“Grandmother, don’t worry. Father said he will definitely return to the capital within six months, so I can do whatever I want now and don’t have to worry about that woman anymore.”

"really?"

"Ok!"

The old lady wept with joy, "I've finally heard the news of my son's return to Beijing! My grandson has suffered for more than ten years, and from now on he will be loved every day."

“Father also said that if the military council allows, he will petition the Emperor to allow my brother to return to the capital to visit his family.” Song Shuyu said, taking out a family letter from his bosom. “Grandmother, look, this is a letter we just received this morning.”

Song Shuyu was a chatterbox from a young age, especially fond of chatting with the Duke of Song and his elder brother Song Shuxing. Therefore, when he learned that his father and brother were to be stationed at the border, he cried for three days and three nights, and only reluctantly let them go after they promised to write to him every day.

Therefore, over the years, the father and son shared every detail of their family affairs, both big and small, as well as the trials and tribulations on the frontier. However, Song Shuyu concealed the fact that he had been abused by the Empress Dowager for many years, while the Duke of Song concealed his several brushes with death and serious injuries sustained on the battlefield. Reporting only good news and not bad news was a way of protecting their family.

However, there was one topic they did not shy away from: severing ties with Empress Dowager Song Zi and supporting the new emperor to seize power!
Because no one understands Song Zi better than the Duke of Song, and no one hates Song Zi more than the Duke of Song!

Please vote for me, my darlings! Give me lots of support!


(End of this chapter)