A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 175 Lu Shaoqing, please take good care of your eyes!

Lu Xun suddenly realized something. He grabbed Song Shuyu's arm and said angrily in a low voice, "You actually lied to me? Song Shuyu, how dare you lie to me about matters of the heart?"

"When did I lie to you?" Song Shuyu felt bewildered.

Lu Xun said, "If Qing'er loved you, why would she whip you? A person's subconscious reaction is the most genuine!"

"I...I was just joking. I'm her superior, how dare she disrespect me?" Song Shuyu retorted quickly. "But you, aren't you ashamed? Did you think that by disfiguring half your face, she wouldn't recognize you? She's the smartest person in my Jingzhao Prefecture! I strongly suspect she's here to slap you!"

Lu Xun suddenly shut his mouth!
He had no hope of successfully disfiguring himself; it was a last resort. If Mu Qingcheng saw through his plan, given her temper, she was unlikely to actually attack him, but a cold war… Thinking of this, Lu Xun felt a cold sweat break out.

Song Shuyu enjoyed seeing Lu Xun make a fool of himself. He had no compassion for his rival in love, so his mood improved considerably in an instant. "Song Li, please invite Coroner Mu in."

"Yes!"

While Song Li was busy inviting people, Song Shuyu didn't forget to tease Lu Xun, saying, "Qingcheng and I will go out to see the stars and the moon later. You, an outsider from the Dali Temple, should stay in your room and recover from your injuries."

Lu Xun's composure and steadiness crumbled repeatedly tonight, but unfortunately, Mu Qingcheng entered just in time, giving Lu Xun no chance to retaliate.

Mu Qingcheng stepped forward and stopped, glancing at Lu Xun's face out of the corner of his eye, before bowing to Song Shuyu and saying, "This humble servant has disturbed you, sir!"

"No need for formalities." Song Shuyu, intending to annoy Lu Xun, said with a bright smile, "No matter when, as long as it's you, it's not considered a bother."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the man opposite him noticeably relaxed.

Mu Qingcheng, used to Song Shuyu's ambiguous and flirtatious remarks, merely frowned in disgust without correcting him, because his shamelessness could not make him realize his mistakes and correct them.

So she went straight to the point, saying, "Sir, Xia Yu wishes to claim the bodies of Li Mu and Li Yunyao so that they can be transported back to their hometown in Suzhou for burial after the case is closed. I wonder if Your Excellency would be so kind as to grant this request?"

Song Shuyu pondered for a moment and said, "Li Mu, as an official of the imperial court, committed the grave crime of taking three lives. It would not be too much to leave his body exposed for seven days and then grind his bones to ashes!"

"Exposing the corpse?" Mu Qingcheng objected. "Let's forget about it. If you hang Li Mu's corpse from the Giant Temple on the city wall, wouldn't that terrify the people of the capital?"

Song Shuyu thought for a moment, "From what you're saying, you've already agreed to Xia Yu's request?"

"I've agreed to half of it." Mu Qingcheng was eager to help Xia Yu, so she naturally had to work hard to win Song Shuyu's favor. Therefore, disregarding Lu Xun's presence, she started to flatter him, "This subordinate told Xia Yu that Your Excellency is wise and mighty. Considering that Li Mu had already shown remorse before his death and was planning to turn himself in, he might be lenient."

Upon hearing this, Song Shuyu felt even more cheerful. He glanced at Lu Xun, his smile dazzling and eye-catching. "Coroner Mu knows me very well. I have indeed considered this, but I have not yet made a decision."

Mu Qingcheng was a shrewd person, and took the opportunity to block Song Shuyu's escape route, "This humble servant thanks you on behalf of Xia Yu, sir!"

"You really know how to manipulate me." Song Shuyu smiled, her shimmering eyes filled with doting affection.

Mu Qingcheng responded smoothly, "My lord, you misunderstand. I am simply used to sharing your burdens."

"Alright, let's not disturb Young Master Lu any longer. Let's go for a walk and talk as we go." "My lord!"

Song Shuyu stood up, but Mu Qingcheng remained standing. She shifted her gaze to Lu Xun's face and said in a flat tone, "This subordinate has not yet paid her respects to Young Master Lu!"

Lu Xun immediately said, "Coroner Mu, there's no need for such formalities."

"In that case, I thank you, Vice Minister Lu."

Mu Qingcheng's expression was neither angry nor pleased. She slowly extended her right hand, which had been behind her back, to the front. The two looked closely and saw that she was indeed carrying a long black whip!
Song Shuyu touched his nose and subtly stepped back half a step to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Adhering to the principle of responding to all changes with constancy, Lu Xun asked in a gentle voice, "I wonder what advice Coroner Mu has?"

"I wouldn't presume to offer advice." Mu Qingcheng twirled the whip, then suddenly smiled. "Besides reporting official business to you, sir, I have another matter I wish to ask for your assistance, Young Master Lu. I wonder if Young Master Lu would be willing to show me some consideration?"

Lu Xun nodded, "Coroner Mu, please speak freely."

Mu Qingcheng stepped aside, found Song Shuyu, and said directly, "My lord, I have some private matters to discuss with Young Master Lu alone. May I ask you to excuse me for a moment?"

"No way!" Song Shuyu said without hesitation. "You're a young lady. If word gets out that you're spending the night in a room with a man, what will become of your reputation? Can you bear the consequences for Lu Shaoqing's career and the reputation of the Marquis of Huai'an's mansion?"

Lu Xun was truly conflicted. He wanted to spend more time with Mu Qingcheng, but he was also afraid that she would reveal his identity and acknowledge him as her. As for his reputation, that didn't matter. If it really damaged his reputation, he would just go with the flow and formally marry her.

Looking at Song Shuyu's intense reaction, Mu Qingcheng was quite helpless. "My lord, will adding another man like you make no difference?"

Song Shuyu immediately nodded, "That's right! Two people are easily accused of having a secret rendezvous, but three people mean that in a group of three, there must be one who can teach me!"

"My lord, do you want to hear what nonsense you're spouting?" Mu Qingcheng was furious. Why couldn't she shake off this clingy lord? Many times, Song Shuyu was even more troublesome than Bai Zhizhi!
Song Shuyu curled his lip, deciding to carry on with his shamelessness to the end, "Anyway, I'm not leaving. I'm staying to protect the two of you!"

Lu Xunshi didn't know whether to thank Song Shuyu for saving the day or to be annoyed that Song Shuyu had interrupted his rare meeting with Mu Qingcheng.

Since he couldn't get rid of Song Shuyu, Mu Qingcheng stopped wasting his breath.

She had originally intended to ask Song Shuyu to help her access the case files, and since she didn't plan to keep it from him, it wouldn't hurt for him to hear about it.

So, she stared into Lu Xun's eyes and slowly began to speak: "Three years ago, the new emperor held an imperial examination, and the third-ranked scholar was exceptionally talented and renowned throughout the Great Zhou. Unfortunately, not long after, the third-ranked scholar died unexpectedly at a young age! Young Master Lu, you have lived in the capital for a long time, I wonder if you have ever seen the third-ranked scholar?"

Lu Xun's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, his gaze darting left and right. "Never seen it before."

"Oh? That's a pity. The appearance of the third-ranked scholar is very similar to that of Young Master Lu!" Mu Qingcheng feigned regret and sighed deeply. "To be honest, Young Master Lu, the third-ranked scholar is an old friend of mine. We grew up together and know each other very well. For some reason, although Young Master Lu's face has been disfigured, making him quite different from the third-ranked scholar, his eyes seem particularly similar, to the point that I had a misconception and thought... Hehe, Young Master Lu, please take good care of your eyes!"

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(End of this chapter)