A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 151 The Truth Revealed to the World (37)

"The pearl came from the Liu family? It is..." Song Shuyu was slightly surprised, "It is Madam Liu's pearl?"

Mu Qingcheng replied, “I interrogated the head maid overnight. Her name is Pingniang, and she is in charge of the household affairs. All the young mistresses of the Liu family are dead, and all the young masters are in prison. Only the master and mistress remain. One is poisoned and unconscious, unable to manage the household affairs, and the other is involved in a case and awaiting arrest. With the main family in ruins and the entire family wiped out, the servants began to have selfish thoughts. According to Pingniang’s confession, the golden pearl she stole was taken from a set of jewelry that Madam Liu liked the most! In early spring this year, Madam Liu went out for a spring outing wearing the jewelry and accidentally lost a pearl. Madam Liu was heartbroken. She couldn’t find the pearl and had no matching pearl to repair it, so she could only put it in the storeroom. The golden pearl was very valuable. Pingniang is a shrewd person. The whole set of jewelry was too big and too conspicuous. It was not easy to take it out and it would be easy to be discovered. So, she took off three pearls and planned to hide them and find a way to take them out of the General’s Mansion after our Jingzhao Prefecture people left.”

"Was the place where Madam Liu went for her spring outing the South Village on the outskirts of the city?" Song Shuyu pressed.

"According to Pingniang's confession, I found the coachman, servant, maid, and nanny who accompanied Madam Liu on her spring outing that day. Their testimonies were consistent. They all said that Madam Liu liked the scenery in the south of the city and would go there every spring. However, whenever they reached Luerling, Madam Liu would get off the carriage, leave all the servants at Luerling, and walk alone towards Nanzhuang. She would not return for about an hour."

"So, Madam Liu visits Granny Yang in Nanzhuang every year? Are they old acquaintances with a special relationship?"

"It's pretty much true. I've confiscated Madam Liu's jewelry and the three pearls, and handed them over to Constable Jiang to be locked up as evidence. The servants are being held in Liu Pei's courtyard, and their statements have been signed and sealed. I ask you, sir, to decide whether to send them back to the Jingzhao Prefecture for further processing."

“Pingniang committed theft and must be punished. The others have not broken the law and will be released after they are confronted by Madam Liu.”

"Yes."

"But the pearl alone can only prove that Madam Liu and Granny Yang knew each other, not that she disposed of Li Yunyao's body!"

"I dealt with this matter in the first half of the night, and in the second half of the night I wanted to find a place to take a nap, but Liu Changqing wouldn't stop. He pretended to have dysentery and went into the outhouse for half an hour without coming out. Liu, the head constable, was afraid that something might happen, so he forced his way into the outhouse, which angered Liu Changqing. The two of them got into a fight, and the outhouse was razed to the ground! After dawn, I had the servants of Liu's mansion clean up the ruins and planned to rebuild the outhouse to prevent Liu Changqing from using this incident to sue our Jingzhao Prefecture for damaging the people's property."

At this point, Mu Qingcheng couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "My lord, it's true what they say: you can't always get what you want, but a good thing can happen! Do you know what's hidden in Liu Changqing's private outhouse? I find it both funny and ironic!"

"What?" Song Shuyu's curiosity was piqued, and he subconsciously leaned forward, getting much closer to her.

Mu Qingcheng laughed, her eyes sparkling. She said, "Liu Changqing set up a secret compartment in the outhouse. Inside, there was a notebook and several exquisite little objects. The notebook was about love between men and women, filled with the pain of a man who couldn't have the woman he loved, and the guilt he felt for betraying his wife."

"What? Liu Changqing... he actually talked about his feelings in the outhouse?" Song Shuyu was utterly shocked. "He's betrayed his wife, or does he have someone else he loves?"

Mu Qingcheng chuckled and said, "After reading the notes, I gave Liu Changqing face and asked him privately, but he was so embarrassed and angry that he refused to say anything."

"This is truly unbelievable!" Song Shuyu found it hard to believe that Liu Changqing, at his age, would still be so attached to matters of the heart. And the fact that he hid his private chambers in his own outhouse was clearly because he was afraid that his filthy thoughts would be discovered, especially by Madam Liu!

Mu Qingcheng had talked too much and was thirsty. She subconsciously wanted to get up to reach for the teacup on the bedside table, but she forgot about her broken left arm. So, with a slight strain on her wrist, a piercing pain shot through her, and she blurted out, "Ah—" Song Shuyu snapped back to reality and almost instinctively hugged Mu Qingcheng. Her scolding words were filled with deep concern, "The injury you sustained a couple of days ago hasn't fully healed yet, and today you broke your arm. Why don't you take care of yourself? If you want something, just send someone over. Don't do everything yourself!"

Mu Qingcheng's eyes suddenly stung with tears. She sniffed and whispered, "My lord, I want some water."

Song Shuyu quickly let go of her, and with his clumsy hands, he awkwardly picked up the kettle from the table, poured a cup of water, and brought it to her lips.

Mu Qingcheng took the water glass with her right hand, took a few sips, then clenched it in her hand, quietly looking at Song Shuyu, a lump in her throat. "My lord, I was the one who applied the medicine and bandaged the knife wound on your left arm. I know how deep the wound is. Today, to save me, you went into battle injured and dug with your bare hands. You... you don't have to do everything yourself. Take care of yourself first, then show kindness to others..."

“You’re not just anyone!” Song Shuyu interrupted her, his expression resolute and his tone firm. “Even if these hands of mine are ruined, I must save you!”

Mu Qingcheng remained silent for a moment before murmuring, "I don't like it when my lord is so disobedient, and I won't appreciate it."

"I'll listen to you. I'll apply the medicine properly and won't abuse my body anymore." Song Shuyu immediately made a promise, her eyes carefully fixed on her, afraid that she would say something about distancing herself from her identity again.

Mu Qingcheng nodded, "Alright, please keep your word, sir."

Song Shuyu smiled broadly, "Qingcheng, I want to..."

"My lord, let's get back to the main topic."

Mu Qingcheng didn't want to dwell on personal matters anymore. The case was still unsolved, and the cause of Mu Xun's death had not yet been investigated. She had many things to accomplish, so how could she get bogged down in such mundane affairs?

Song Shuyu sighed inwardly and said, "Alright, let's get back to business. Liu Changqing's letter only shows that there is a woman behind him, but there is currently no evidence to prove whether this woman is involved in the case."

"Yes, let's leave that matter aside for now. What I want to say is that after Liu Changqing made a scene, his clothes were stained with latrine filth and smelled terrible, so he summoned his personal attendant to bathe and change him. As usual, Constable Liu inspected the clothes, shoes, and socks brought by the attendant, and then came to complain to me, saying that Liu Changqing was being dishonest, putting a thick layer of insoles in his boots, as if he was afraid of losing face because he was shorter than him?"

Mu Qingcheng couldn't help but let out a cold laugh when she said this: "Back then, because Liu Xiao said that Liu Changqing was half a head shorter than him, we couldn't identify Liu Changqing as the murderer of Li Mu. Now we know that Liu Changqing lied about his height!"

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(End of this chapter)