A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 155 The Truth Revealed to the World (41)

After taking his pulse, the physician took out a pill from his medical kit and said, "Coroner Mu, this is to replenish your qi and blood. Take it. You have mild damage to your heart and lungs and internal bleeding. You need to take your medicine on time and rest quietly for a few days. Under no circumstances should you have any emotional outbursts, understand?"

Mu Qingcheng swallowed the pill and sincerely thanked the doctor, saying, "Thank you, Your Honor. I will remember this."

"I will escort you back to your quarters to rest!"

Upon hearing Song Shuyu's words, Mu Qingcheng immediately shook his head, "No, sir, I don't need to rest now. You promised to let me participate in the public trial."

Song Shuyu was displeased, "Health is more important than anything else..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Mu Qingcheng shook him off and strode into the courtroom.

Song Shuyu was filled with worry but had no choice but to turn around, pull Lu Xun aside, and whisper a warning: "I don't care what you really think, but once you've made a decision, don't waver. Don't let others suffer back and forth between hope and despair, understand?"

Lu Xun's eyes welled up with tears. He looked at Song Shuyu and said slowly and heavily, "Brother Song, since you've already guessed, I'll tell you the truth. Mu Qingcheng is my fiancée, but for her safety, I can't acknowledge her as my fiancée right now. Brother Song is Qing'er's superior, so I hope you can look after her for me, okay?"

Song Shuyu didn't want to bring it up, but his subtle hints actually provoked Lu Xun to tell the truth.

Although he was mentally prepared, hearing the devastating news still threw Song Shuyu into disarray. He stood there for a long while before replying with a displeased expression, "I will take care of Qingcheng, but not for your sake."

After speaking, he straightened his back and walked into the courtroom.

Lu Xun stood frozen in place.

It turns out that the extremely important person Song Shuyu mentioned was not only his sworn sister, but also Mu Qingcheng, with whom he was engaged.

"Brother, you've finally come out of retirement! My future sister-in-law is getting on in years. If we keep delaying, she might end up marrying someone else."

Lu Zhao's words still echoed in his ears. At the time, he firmly refused to believe them, but now, he was beginning to waver.

"Huh? Is this Lu Shaoqing? Tsk tsk, what happened to him? His face and hands are all rotten. What happened? He volunteered to go with Lord Song to rescue people, but was he used as a pawn to risk his life?"

In a daze, Liang Ruoming's sarcastic and mocking remarks came like snowflakes!

Amidst the comings and goings of people around him, Liang Ruoming had already given up all pretense of recklessness. Like a biting dog, he completely disregarded etiquette and the feelings of being fellow officials, wanting to bark at everyone he saw. Otherwise, where would he vent his anger at being mocked and guarded by Song Shuyu? In this way, even if he failed to complete the task assigned by the Empress Dowager, she might spare his life because of his dedication.

Lu Xun looked up at the sound, his eyes still lingering with sadness.

Liang Ruoming swaggered ahead, exuding a menacing aura. Ji Yue deliberately lagged a few steps behind, his expression calm and composed.

Faced with official duties, Lu Xun quickly composed himself and said, "Greetings, Vice Minister Liang! When people from the Jingzhao Prefecture are in danger, everyone has a duty to help. Regardless of the outcome, it was all done willingly. It was my fault for causing Vice Minister Liang's misunderstanding, and I beg your forgiveness!"

These words, a feigned retreat followed by a veiled criticism, caused Vice Minister Liang's old face to flush red. "You bastard..."

"Lord Liang, you should be lenient when you can. Young Master Lu is not just a fourth-rank official; he will inherit the title of Marquis of Huai'an in the future!"

Ji Yue's timely reminder brought Liang Ruoming back to his senses. "Hahaha, Young Master Lu is a brilliant young man who prioritizes chivalry. He is a role model for us officials!"

Liang Ruoming's rapid change in expression, from being furious to bursting into laughter, was truly astonishing!

Ji Yue turned his face away and pretended to cough to suppress his laughter.

In contrast, Lu Xun remained calm and composed, saying, "Minister Liang, you flatter me. I dare not accept such praise."

Inside the courtroom, after Song Shuyu took his seat, he asked someone to add a chair and place it between the presiding judge and the supervising judge, indicating that Mu Qingcheng should take a seat.

"My lord, this...this is against the rules." Mu Qingcheng was surprised and quickly went behind the yamen runner. "This humble servant will just observe from here."

The constables, holding "water and fire sticks," stood tall and spirited, each with their eyes downcast, pretending not to see anything inappropriate.

Historically, there has never been a coroner sitting in the courtroom, equivalent to the presiding judge. Even the master's advisor is only fit to stand beside the master and offer advice when needed.

However, Song Shuyu's usually gentle face was now unreadable, and his unfathomable gaze was directed outside the courtroom. "My word is law!"

The constables stiffened and shouted in unison, "Your Excellency is mighty!"

Mu Qingcheng was originally absent-minded and couldn't concentrate on her official duties, but the yamen runner's shout woke her up!
Song Shuyu rarely showed such a domineering and powerful side, which made her forget that he was a person in a high position and held power!

But since he had given her a chance and looked after her, how could she be a cowardly, timid woman who dared not move forward? Therefore, Mu Qingcheng curtsied, her words calm yet firm, "This humble servant obeys your command!"

Liang Ruoming, Ji Yue, and Lu Xun entered side by side and paused when they saw a woman sitting to the side of Song Shuyu.
"Lord Song, what do you mean by this? How can you allow a woman to be tried in the courtroom? This is contempt of court and trampling on the laws of our Great Zhou!" Liang Ruoming struck first, his eyes revealing barely suppressed smugness. He had finally caught Song Shuyu in a bind and was now able to turn the tables and win back some ground.

Ji Yue secretly observed Mu Qingcheng. Seeing her fearlessness and composure, he became interested. It seemed that this woman was the only one qualified to be the first-class female coroner in the capital.

Lu Xun pursed his lips and remained silent, walking straight to his seat on the jury bench. This was Song Shuyu's territory; it wasn't his place to get involved, and besides, he had no legitimate reason to interfere.

Mu Qingcheng's gaze swept casually over Lu Xun, then met Liang Ruoming's eyes, gave a slight curtsy, and said, "This humble servant is Mu Qingcheng, a coroner from the Jingzhao Prefecture. I am honored by my master's high regard for me and have been allowed to participate in the public trial. Please forgive me, Your Excellency."

Song Shuyu's expression remained unchanged, but his tone was impatient, "Minister Liang, do you have any objections to my decision?"

Liang Ruoming scoffed, "Ha, Lord Song acts recklessly and is arrogant. How could he possibly take my opinion seriously?"

"Now that you know this, Vice Minister Liang, you should speak and do less, listen and observe more, so as not to spoil my mood for judging the case."

Song Shuyu spoke without reservation, his gaze fixed on Liang Ruoming like a sharp blade, causing Liang Ruoming to feel a sense of dread. He dared not say another word and slunk back to his seat as a juror.

Ji Yue, however, bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Lord Song!" After saying this, he turned slightly to the side and said to Mu Qingcheng, "I have long heard of the great name of Counselor Mu. It is my honor to meet you today!"

"Lord Ji, you flatter me. I dare not accept such praise!" Mu Qingcheng returned the greeting, trying to discern the man's identity from his official robes.

Ji Yue smiled and walked over, taking his seat in the supervisor's seat next to Mu Qingcheng.

The clerk and the record scribe then went up to the hall and sat at the long table behind the yamen runners, with pen, ink, paper and inkstone prepared for recording the testimonies.

The second round of public trial has officially begun!
As Song Shuyu slammed his gavel down, Liu Pei was summoned to court once again!

Song Shuyu asked, "Liu Pei, the criminal, do you have anything to say about the murder of Li Mu?"

"May I ask, sir, how is my mother now?" Liu Pei asked instead of answering, his expression showing great anxiety.

After a moment's thought, Song Shuyu said, "Liu Pei, now that I think about it, since the incident involving Liu Changqing and his wife, the only person you've ever spoken of caring about is your mother, Madam Liu. You've never asked about Liu Changqing at all. What, do you not have a good relationship with your father?"

“Lord Song, this question is irrelevant to the case.” Liu Pei refused to answer, his attitude becoming stiff.

Song Shuyu had lost all interest in playing the hawk-training game with Liu Pei. He sneered, "Ask your father, and he says it's unrelated to the case. Then is your mother related to the case? On what grounds should I answer you?"

Liu Pei was so choked up that he stood there stunned.

Song Shuyu grabbed a red-tagged slip of paper and said, "Liu Pei, if it weren't for the fact that you provided the blueprints today and helped me save Coroner Mu, I would have made you suffer!"

"Lord Song, I am not afraid of being flogged. I only ask that you tell me how my mother is doing?" Liu Pei asked earnestly, his voice slightly choked.

Mu Qingcheng felt a pang of pity and spoke up in his defense, "My lord, please grant Liu Pei's wish, considering his filial piety. Once he has no more worries, he can confess truthfully and without fear of reprisal."

Song Shuyu glanced at Mu Qingcheng, a smile playing on his lips. "Then tell him I'm too lazy to waste my breath."

"Yes, my lord!"

Mu Qingcheng's gaze met Liu Pei's across the distance. She said directly, "Madam Liu originally had a chance to be cured, but Liu Changqing set the fire, burning the black-tailed snake, the key ingredient for the antidote, to ashes. That black-tailed snake had been soaking in the medicinal wine for over ten years and is considered a rare medicinal material; it's probably hard to find again. As for the injuries caused by today's collapse, they won't affect her life, but they will ultimately be detrimental to her health. The doctor said that Madam Liu should wake up later. At that time, we will summon Madam Liu to court, and perhaps you and your son can see each other."

It took Liu Pei a long time to process and accept this reality.

A deep sadness and despair enveloped his ashen face, making him look like a living dead.

Song Shuyu gave Mu Qingcheng a look, and Mu Qingcheng nodded, got up from her seat, and walked slowly to Liu Pei, saying, "Liu Pei, a gentleman keeps his word. It's your turn to confess. Tell me, what case did you commit, and how did you commit it?"

Liu Pei remained silent for a moment before mechanically moving his lips and saying, "On the night of September 10th, at midnight, the criminals killed Li Mu with a dagger and then threw Li Mu's body into the courtyard of the Li residence."

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingcheng chuckled, "Liu Pei, compared to your younger brother Liu Xiao, you're really not an honest person! Fine, since you're determined to take the blame for certain people, then we'll break it all down, one by one, and lay it all out on the table!"

Thank you everyone for your votes!



(End of this chapter)