A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 182 The Truth Revealed to the World (60)

The first quarter of the hour of Si (9-11 AM).

The trial for Li Yunyao's suicide has officially begun!
After resting for a night and feeling a little better, Liu Changqing was roughly escorted to the courtroom by the yamen runners.

Madam Liu, frail and ailing, was pale and almost bloodless. She must have been up all night in prison, or perhaps she had cried too much worrying about Liu Xiao's injuries; her eyes were red and swollen, with dark circles under them. The oversized prison uniform made her appear even thinner, as if a gust of wind would shatter her like glass.

Liu Pei was emaciated, his pupils were dull and lifeless, without a trace of light.

Liu Xiao committed suicide with a hairpin yesterday due to an emotional breakdown. In order to save his life and enable him to recover quickly, he was brought to court for trial. The court prescribed him only expensive and high-quality medicines, since Song Shuyu was rich and didn't have to worry about reimbursement.

Having learned their lesson, the constables conducted body searches on all the prisoners to ensure that they had no weapons on their bodies that could aid in suicide or murder.

Having already faced death, Liu Xiao, even if his will to die had not completely vanished, had lost the ability to commit suicide. This was because the yamen runners had cut off his fingernails, bound his hands and feet, stuffed a cloth in his mouth, and even given him a small amount of muscle relaxant, making him weak all over and unable to even bang his head against the wall.

Because none of this family members are normal; they are paranoid, extreme, and cold-blooded. In their eyes, there is only distorted love and selfish filial piety. They regard the lives of others and their own as worthless and not worthy of respect.

Interestingly, Liang Ruoming also entered the hall, supported by a servant. He moved with small, shuffling steps, his face sallow and his expression listless. Every few steps, he would grit his teeth and inhale. The pain in his buttocks made him completely lose the ability to control his expression. He looked cowardly and weak, which aroused contempt from everyone in the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Ji Yue was determined not to be laughed at. Although his head was wrapped in thick gauze, he still insisted on walking with his feet turned outwards, chest out and head held high, his imposing manner undiminished. He had been accidentally injured by Mu, the coroner of the Jingzhao Prefecture, which was completely different from Liang Ruoming being punished by the Jingzhao Prefect and could not be compared. Therefore, he received respect and apologies, and even the servants who greeted him along the way expressed their sincere gratitude to him.

As the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, wielding real power, he was disfigured by a lowly clerk but made no attempt to retaliate. This demonstrates that he was a kind and upright official, both in office and in his personal life. Such an official easily wins the hearts of the people.

Lu Xun suffered from severe insomnia last night, sleeping only for two hours. He felt drowsy and listless. Before going to the hall, he drank two bowls of strong tea to refresh himself.

In contrast, Song Shuyu was radiant and handsome. He flicked his official robes and sat down in the presiding judge's seat. His every move exuded elegance and nobility, and he commanded respect without anger.

Mu Qingcheng arrived late. As she stepped across the threshold, she habitually glanced at the main seat in front of her. Their eyes met, and both of them were startled. Then, as if by telepathy, they immediately turned their faces away, neither looking at the other.

"This humble servant greets Your Excellency!" Mu Qingcheng stepped forward and curtsied.

Song Shuyu lowered his eyes, cleared his throat, and said, "No need for formalities."

"Thank you, sir!"

After the ceremony, Mu Qingcheng consciously walked to the seat she had taken yesterday and sat down.

Ji Yue glanced at Song Shuyu, who was looking down at the case files, and then turned to look at Mu Qingcheng, who was quiet and silent beside him. He felt that the atmosphere today was not quite right!
Meanwhile, Lu Xun on the other side kept glancing this way, intentionally or unintentionally. Who exactly was he looking at?
In the short time before the trial, Ji Yue was bored and imagined a few scenarios. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the Jingzhao Prefecture was an interesting place.

"His-"

As soon as Liang Ruoming's buttocks touched the chair in the jury box, he couldn't help but cry out in pain!
Song Shuyu glanced at him indifferently, his tone cold, "Someone, get a soft cushion for Vice Minister Liang."

Liang Ruoming said stiffly, "Thank you."

Having experienced this calamity, he finally understood the principle that even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake, and a wise man does not suffer losses in front of him. A gentleman's revenge is never too late.

There's still a long time ahead!
"Snapped--"

"Password to Xia Yu to come to court!"

The sudden slam of the gavel startled Liang Ruoming, causing him to shudder as if by reflex!
Xia Yu, who was waiting outside, entered the courtroom and knelt down respectfully to pay her respects. "This servant greets Your Excellency! This servant, Xia Yu, is a servant in the household of Li Mu, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy. I have served Miss Li Yunyao for many years and am also her dowry maid."

Song Shuyu said, "Xia Yu, do you know why I summoned you?"

“This servant understands, it’s about Miss’s suicide,” Xia Yu replied.

Song Shuyu nodded. "Good that you understand. You must know the most about what happened before and after Li Yunyao's suicide, so please tell me, the more detailed the better."

Xia Yu hesitated for a moment, then looked at Mu Qingcheng's face and said softly, "Coroner Mu, I am mentally prepared. Please allow me to see Miss. Once I have seen Miss, I will tell you everything and will not hide anything."

“In that case, I will grant your wish. Originally, I also wanted Li Yunyao to attend the trial so that she could witness the final judgment.” After Mu Qingcheng finished speaking, he consulted Song Shuyu according to protocol, “My lord…”

"That's right."

Before she could finish speaking, Song Shuyu readily agreed. He stared straight ahead, his expression cold and stern, not even glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

Mu Qingcheng clenched her fingers slightly and turned to look at the entrance of the courtroom.

The officials carried in Li Yunyao's body. Liu Xiao, Liu Changqing, and Madam Liu all turned their faces away. They each had their own reasons for not wanting to see Li Yunyao again. Only Liu Pei's lifeless eyes, like fish eyes, suddenly rekindled and shone brightly!

Xia Yu personally lifted the white sheet covering the corpse. She looked at it gently and carefully, moving down from Li Yunyao's pale face to the stillborn fetus pushed out of the mother's womb. Her peaceful eyes finally changed!
Mu Qingcheng suddenly stood up!
She could see clearly that there were no tears or sorrow in Xia Yu's eyes; what was leaping wildly was an overwhelming hatred, a raging fire!
"Xia Yu!"

Mu Qingcheng gave a deep shout, quickly rose from his seat, and silently blocked Li Yunyao's corpse, coldly saying, "No one is allowed to act recklessly in court!"

Xia Yu looked up at Mu Qingcheng from below, and gave a desolate smile, "What, does Coroner Mu think that this servant wants to harm Miss?"

Instead of answering, Mu Qingcheng asked, "You hate this fetus, don't you?"

Xia Yu nodded and readily admitted, "As expected of Counselor Mu, he always hits the nail on the head."

Mu Qingcheng glanced sideways at Liu Pei, "Is it because of him?"

Following her gaze, Xia Yu slowly looked at Liu Pei, her eyes filled with extremely complex emotions. She gritted her teeth and said, "Yes, because of Liu Pei, this servant wishes she could stab this fetus a few more times!"

"How could you be so heartless!" Liu Pei couldn't help but exclaim, "The child is innocent!"

(End of this chapter)