A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 164 The Truth Revealed to the World (50)

"Li Mu is a person with great medical talent. He actually managed to refine the Muscle Regeneration Pill. Liu Changqing instructed my mother, the maids and old women in the mansion, including Huang Yiyi, to test it on themselves. At first, Li Mu hid it and refused to show the real medicine. So Liu Changqing used the people in the mansion to threaten Li Yunyao. In the end, Li Yunyao was kind-hearted. She couldn't bear to see those innocent people die, so she went back to her parents' home to find Li Mu and got the real Muscle Regeneration Pill."

"Later, Li Yunyao was diagnosed with pregnancy. She knew the child was mine. She was conscious when we consummated our marriage, and she believed that my father and I had conspired to humiliate her. On the surface, Liu Changqing forced Li Yunyao to commit suicide to atone for her sins by claiming that she was carrying a ghost child. In reality, it was to continue to control me and prevent me from having any rebellious thoughts!"

"Li Mu needed a woman's heart's blood to make the Love-Generating Pill. Under Liu Changqing's threat, I kidnapped the maids Shuangcui and Linglong and sent them to the Mu residence for Li Mu's use. However, Liu Changqing hated Huang Yiyi for abducting Liu Xiao and ruining his father-son relationship with Liu Xiao, so he also harmed Huang Yiyi. Later, Li Mu failed to make the pill, and all three medicine subjects died at the Mu residence. Fearing that his deeds would be exposed, Liu Changqing ordered Li Mu to hand over the medical classics and then killed the father and daughters."

"Unexpectedly, Li Mu saw through Liu Changqing's plot and secretly hid the medical classics. Liu Changqing then threatened Li Yunyao and her child with their lives. Li Mu decided to confess to the emperor in order to find a way to save his daughter's life. When Liu Changqing learned of this, he no longer cared about finding the medical classics and ordered me to kill Li Mu immediately. On the evening of September 9th, Liu Changqing and I argued about this matter in his study. I did not want to make another mistake, especially since Li Yunyao was pregnant with my child. I could not commit another murder. That stain of ink was accidentally left on her at that time."

"I thought that as long as I didn't agree, Liu Changqing could find someone else to do it, and I would still have time to move Li Mu out of the capital by the next day. But I didn't expect that Liu Changqing would rush to the Mu residence overnight, enter Li Mu's study through a secret passage, and kidnap Li Mu to the alchemy room! Li Mu still refused to reveal the whereabouts of the medical classics, so Liu Changqing slit Li Mu's throat with a dagger! I was a step too late and couldn't protect Li Mu, so I thought that I couldn't just sit and wait to die while Liu Changqing eliminated us one by one!"

"So, I switched clothes with Li Mu, carried Li Mu's body back to the Li residence, and dumped it in the courtyard of the backyard. Then, I disguised myself as Li Mu, went back to Li Mu's bedroom to sleep, and in the middle of the night, I climbed out through the back window, returned to the study, and then went back to the Mu residence through the secret passage to clean up the crime scene. I went to great lengths to create a strange atmosphere, hoping to attract the attention of the investigators, analyze that the murderer and the person who dumped the body were not the same person, and thus further uncover the filth hidden behind this case."

"Unfortunately, Li Mu's body was not discovered for a long time. Liu Changqing then used Li Mu's life to threaten Li Yunyao into handing over the ancient medical texts. After several confrontations, Liu Changqing, realizing he couldn't get the texts from Li Yunyao, decided to eliminate the root of the problem and sent Xie Da to kill her. After learning the news, I found Li Yunyao and persuaded her to leave the Liu family with me. She agreed, and I was overjoyed. I then used a 'dream' to arrange for the short, fat man and Sanhu to take Li Yunyao away from the capital to a country estate, where I would meet her in advance. Unexpectedly, Li Yunyao lied to me. She suspected that her father, Li Mu, had been murdered, and in despair, she decided to seek revenge."

"On September 15th, Li Yunyao committed suicide at Yuntai Temple. I waited and waited at the manor but she didn't come, so I sneaked back to the city to find out what was going on. When I learned that she had achieved her goal of suicide by killing her child, I was devastated. I understood her intentions. She was willing to pay the price to expose the Liu family's crimes to the world. I don't blame her. I only hate myself for not protecting her. I hate myself for dragging her and her father into the abyss from the day I killed her mother!"

"On September 16th, Li Mu's body was finally discovered by the patrol dogs of the Jingzhao Prefecture! As a result, Liu Changqing learned that I had disposed of Li Mu's body. He was furious and wanted to kill me to silence me, but then he thought that if the truth came out, wouldn't it be better to push me out to take the blame? But he never expected that his beloved son, Liu Xiao, had secretly colluded with Li Yunyao to set up the major case at Yuntai Temple, and then disappeared afterward!"

"Liu Changqing ordered me to go out and find Liu Xiao's whereabouts. If he found out I had any ill intentions, he was to send me my mother's body! On the afternoon of September 17th, I learned by following Lord Song, the Prefect of the Capital, that Liu Xiao had been arrested and imprisoned by the Capital Prefecture. The next day, the body hidden in the Mu residence was exposed!" At this point, Liu Pei seemed to have lost all his strength and energy, and collapsed to the ground.

His strength was exhausted, leaving only muttered words: "Lord Song, Coroner Mu, I'm sorry. Because I was worried about my mother and brother's lives, I dared not tell the truth, causing you trouble. I'm not afraid of death. I'm just a worthless life, I should have died long ago. But my mother gave birth to me, and I dare not be unfilial. My brother is my only blood relative. He lived a vibrant and passionate life. When I saw him, I realized that this is how a person should live..."

Song Shuyu pondered for a moment and said, "Why does Liu Changqing want to refine the Muscle Regeneration Pill and the Affection Regeneration Pill? Who is he refining them for? Liu Pei, are you sure it is Liu Changqing who truly threatens the lives of Madam Liu and Liu Xiao?"

Liu Pei was taken aback. Seeing Song Shuyu's deep gaze, he did not back down at all. He hesitated and said, "Both the Muscle Regeneration Pill and the Affection Pill are for women, so naturally they were not used by Liu Changqing himself. Behind Liu Changqing is a woman of extraordinary status. Liu Changqing is completely obedient to her, and he would go through fire and water for her. Liu Changqing once said that she could crush him with a single finger, let alone the three of us. I suppose this woman is the one Liu Changqing admires."

"Do you know this woman's name?" Mu Qingcheng pressed.

Liu Pei paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't know. All I know is that Liu Changqing has been doing evil for so many years just to find medical classics and ancient books for that woman, and to refine the Muscle Regeneration Pill and the Love Regeneration Pill."

Mu Qingcheng took a step closer, her dark eyes darkening slightly. "Then why did you repeatedly sneak into the Mu residence? What were you looking for? On the night of September 17th, you even ran into Zhang the Registrar and seriously injured him with your sword!"

Liu Pei was taken aback, then had no choice but to reply, "I'm looking for the third dagger and its scabbard! I want to trace the source of these evil deeds back to the person who committed them!"

(End of this chapter)