A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 186 The Truth Revealed to the World (64)

Xia Yu looked at Liu Changqing as if he were a disgusting, rotten lump of flesh. She said, "My young lady has a piece of advice for General Liu and his wife. Those who like to manipulate others will eventually have their eyes pecked out by an eagle; those who think they can control the lives of others will sooner or later find themselves unable to control their own lives!"

"I wholeheartedly agree!" Ji Yue said in a low voice, expressing his approval of Li Yunyao's character and conduct.

After that, Xia Yu stopped paying attention to Liu Changqing. Her mistress had said that the greatest torment for a person was to instill fear in them, making them live in constant anxiety.

Liu Xiao sobbed and wept bitterly.

He cried because he had failed Li Yunyao's love, because he hadn't protected Huang Yiyi, because his life had been manipulated and controlled, and even more so because of the child that died in the womb.

Liu Pei was numb. He slowly closed his eyes and said in a mournful voice, "Lord Song, I only ask for a quick death. Please grant my request, Lord Song!"

Song Shuyu paused for a moment, then said, "Liu Pei, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"Nothing."

"it is good."

Song Shuyu nodded and said, "Before you die, don't you want to say a few words to your mother? And what about your younger brother? Don't you care?"

Liu Pei twitched the corner of his mouth, his tone obscure, "There are many incompetent people in this world who can't get what they want, and can't protect what they want to protect. I'm just one of them. Since I'm incompetent, I'll accept my fate."

"Brother..." Liu Xiao murmured softly, wanting to say something, but feeling that no matter what he said, it would be in vain.

Song Shuyu gave Mu Qingcheng a look. Their tacit understanding in their official duties had not disappeared despite the rift in their relationship. Mu Qingcheng's eyes flickered, and she understood what Song Shuyu was thinking.

So Mu Qingcheng spoke up: "Liu Pei, aren't you curious about who poisoned Madam Liu? Do you want to leave with an unsolved mystery?"

Liu Pei remained silent.

Mu Qingcheng's gaze swept over Madam Liu's face, and she chuckled softly, "Xia Yu scolded you for being blindly filial, but she wasn't wrong at all. Li Yunyao is intelligent and resourceful, and she dares to love and hate. How could you, Liu Pei, be worthy of her? You've been swayed by the word 'filial piety,' your heart has been clouded, and your eyes have been blinded. You can't see the truth, or rather, you see it but pretend you don't. Your mother likes to be mute, and you like to be blind!"

"I...I really don't know!" Liu Pei's face showed anxiety as she was provoked.

Mu Qingcheng asked calmly, "Is it that you don't know about the past, or that you don't know about the present?"

Liu Pei was speechless.

Mu Qingcheng waited a moment, but still didn't hear Liu Pei's reply. She couldn't help but sneer, "Liu Pei, you're such a coward!" After saying that, she stopped trying to wake the man who was pretending to be asleep, turned to Xia Yu, and said, "What else do you know about Madam Liu? Is there anything else you want to tell me about Li Yunyao?"

"Coroner Mu must be curious as to why Madam Liu is mute. Miss has been married into the Liu family for over two years. We can act as hostages or as spies. We've found out a lot about Madam Liu."

Xia Yu raised her chin. Having been a maid for so long, she was used to bowing and bending over when she spoke. Now, she could speak to these masters on equal terms. She said, "Madam Liu, while you can still speak, why don't you say a few words? Otherwise, in the near future, you won't be able to speak even if you want to."

Madam Liu reacted indifferently, as if nothing else, except for the fact that Liu Xiao had no descendants, could touch her heartstrings and was not worth her saying anything more.

Even Liu Pei, whom she had shown unusual concern for yesterday, hadn't mentioned a word about today.

Clearly, Liu Pei also realized something was amiss, but he was already deeply saddened and had lost all desire to investigate. The truth and humanity plunged him into boundless darkness; he only wished this wretched life would end quickly, and he never wanted to return to this world.

"Madam Liu, I have a question that has been on my mind for a long time and I would like to discuss it with you."

Mu Qingcheng walked up to Madam Liu and looked at this dignified, gentle, and elegant woman. She found it hard to imagine what kind of hideous face would be revealed after stripping away this outer layer.

Madam Liu raised her eyes, glanced at her indifferently, and said, "Since Coroner Mu was able to find Xia Yu, I have nothing left to hide. Ask away, consider it a reward for you asking someone to detoxify me."

"You said you took Liu Xiao's place to dispose of the body in order to absolve Liu Xiao of his crime, which I can understand. However, you upgraded your methods to expand your influence and help Li Yunyao expose the Liu family's crimes to the world. At first glance, it seems reasonable, but after thinking about it, I find the logic flawed. Since you had this intention and knew about Li Yunyao's plan beforehand, why didn't you stop her? How could you just watch Li Yunyao, carrying your Liu family's child, pay the price of losing both her and her unborn child? You could have stepped forward and personally exposed Liu Changqing. As the wife of a general, you could have filed a complaint before the emperor. No government office would have dared to neglect this case. Why sacrifice innocent lives?"

Upon hearing Mu Qingcheng's words, everyone in the hall immediately realized that it made perfect sense. Yesterday, three cases were tried in succession, and the truth was constantly being reversed. The complexity of the cases had left everyone's minds blank, and many details were overlooked.

Now, after reviewing and analyzing the situation again, and thinking about Xia Yu's description of Madam Liu as "mute," we realize that there are many suspicious points about Madam Liu!

"Mother, why?" Liu Xiao was also awakened. He knelt next to Madam Liu, his eyes red from crying, staring intently at her, his voice filled with disbelief. "That night I was too drunk, I thought it was Yiyi... Mother, you saw Li Yunyao enter my room, why didn't you tell me? You knew Li Yunyao was carrying my child, why did you hide it from me? How could you bear to let me watch my child die in front of me? Mother, you're not like this. From childhood to adulthood, the mother I've always seen has always had a gentle smile on her face. She doted on me, loved me, and granted me everything I wanted... How, how could you suddenly change like this?"

Mu Qingcheng pursed her lips and revealed the cruel truth, "Perhaps, Madam Liu has always been this kind of person, but she disguised herself so well that you didn't notice."

Liu Xiao desperately tried to explain, "No, no, my mother... she was gentle, kind, frugal, and virtuous. She was a good wife and mother, doing her best to raise her children and never being harsh on the servants. Everyone in the manor liked her..."

He suddenly stopped talking, followed by a long silence.

His twenty years of understanding were overturned in one day, leaving him frightened and at a loss. He tried hard to persuade others, but in reality, he was just trying to persuade himself.

However, the look in his mother's eyes made him realize the futility and delusion of his efforts.

Thank you all for your support! I saw the votes, keep up the good work!
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(End of this chapter)