A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 206: Old Case Closed, New Case Begins

Jin Zesheng is not only a surgical master, but also skilled in treating various difficult and complicated diseases.

This person is arrogant and has an eccentric temperament. Although he belongs to the Imperial Medical Academy, ordinary nobles cannot persuade him to come, and even the head of the Imperial Medical Academy cannot obey his orders.

Aside from the emperor, the only person who could mobilize Jin Zesheng at any time was probably Song Shuyu.

Outsiders speculated about the reasons, but no one could understand how two people with a difference of more than twenty years could develop such a deep friendship.

After taking his pulse, Jin Zesheng remarked, "You timed it perfectly."

"So there's still hope?" Mu Qingcheng's eyes lit up.

"It can still be saved now, but if it's delayed any longer, the Gu worms will start to take effect, and then it will be difficult to save her." Jin Zesheng said, taking out a pill and letting Madam Liu take it.

Madam Liu's smile was bleak. "Someone like me, even if I go to hell, I'll suffer the pain of having my tongue pulled out. Why waste manpower and resources to save me? It's not worth it."

"Whether it's worth it or not is not up to you to decide." Mu Qingcheng's eyes returned to calm. "In your eyes, human lives have different values, so you decide whether to save this person based on their value. As a result, things have come to this. But whether it's a commoner or a high-ranking official, in the eyes of the Jingzhao Prefecture and the law, all human lives are equal. No one will stand by and watch someone die, nor will anyone bend the law for personal gain."

"Today, I have cracked Li Yunyao's scheme. It is my duty to invite the imperial physician to treat you. As for whether you are willing to accept treatment, that is your own choice. We will not force you."

After speaking, she turned and left.

Song Shuyu urged, "Time is of the essence, please make a decision quickly, Madam Liu."

"Madam Lu thanks Lord Song! Thank you, Imperial Physician!" Madam Liu kowtowed once and then swallowed the pill.

Jin Zesheng made a cut on Madam Liu's wrist with the tip of his knife, then connected one end of the red thread to a blood vessel, and began to administer acupuncture.

Before long, a tiny white worm, about the size of an ant, crawled up the blood vessel to the red line and slowly emerged from Madam Liu's body.

Jin Zesheng put the Gu worm into a small glass bottle and explained, "Once this thing takes effect, it will grow rapidly inside the human body, gnawing away every day until it is as big as a thumb and bites through the throat, at which point it can crawl out of the person's seven orifices on its own."

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu's face turned deathly pale, a sense of relief washing over her as if she had escaped a calamity! She was not afraid of death, but to be tortured to death like this was truly terrifying!

Shocked, Song Shuyu couldn't help but exclaim, "Li Yunyao is truly unfathomable!"

Madam Liu got off the prison bed, kowtowed again, and said in a devout tone, "It was my fault for being ungrateful and almost disappointing Master Mu's kindness. Please convey my gratitude and apologies to Master Mu on my behalf, Lord Song!"

Song Shuyu nodded, said nothing more, and accompanied Jin Zesheng out of the prison.

Mu Qingcheng waited for news in the North Prison compound.

Song Shuyu explained the situation to her and conveyed Madam Liu's words. Mu Qingcheng smiled indifferently and asked, "My lord, what should be done with Zisong?"

“Zisong has provoked trouble and deceived the government. He should be severely punished. However, considering that he confessed and prevented Li Yunyao from committing the crime, he will be detained for seven days as a minor punishment to serve as a warning.”

"Yes!" Bai Zhizhi hid behind a pillar in the corridor and watched Song Shuyu leave before walking out dejectedly.

She called out, "Sister Mu."

Mu Qingcheng went up to Bai Zhizhi, hugged her, and asked in a low voice, "Zhizhi, do you already know?"

Bai Zhizhi's eyes reddened with sadness. "I just ran into Secretary Lin and asked him about the situation. He told me everything."

"Don't take it to heart. Everyone has their own difficulties. It just so happens that you are the one who can help him solve them." Mu Qingcheng gently stroked the back of the girl's head, comforting her. "The relationship between people has no length. If it can't continue, then it's time to end it."

Bai Zhizhi hummed in agreement, raised her hand, and quietly wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

……

Three days later, Song Shuyu presided over the court and delivered his verdict.

"The criminal Liu Changqing murdered the bandit Lei Tuo, attempted to murder the wet nurse Yang, and instructed Liu Pei to murder five nameless beggars, Bai Li, and Yang Caiyu. He also coerced Li Mu into concocting medicine, resulting in the deaths of Huang Yiyi, Shuang Cui, and Linglong. In addition, he committed multiple serious crimes, including resisting arrest, arson, and assaulting government officials! After investigation by the Jingzhao Prefecture, the evidence is conclusive, the charges are true, and the criminal confessed in court. Therefore, he is sentenced to death in accordance with the law and will be executed next autumn!"

"The criminal Liu Pei murdered seven people. Although he was coerced, he was involved in multiple deaths and his crimes are heinous. He is sentenced to death according to the law and will be executed next autumn!"

"The prisoner Lu Ruyue is guilty of dumping a corpse, destroying a corpse, and failing to report a crime. She is sentenced to three years of detention for multiple crimes, and is also stripped of her civil status and demoted to a lowly status!"

"The criminal Liu Xiao is guilty of kidnapping, provoking trouble, and assisting another person to commit suicide. He is sentenced to five years of detention for multiple crimes, and is also stripped of his good citizenship and demoted to the status of a lowly person, and is barred from taking the imperial examinations and entering officialdom for life!"

"The offender, surnamed Yang, is guilty of assisting others in disposing of a corpse, damaging a corpse, and failing to report a known crime. He is sentenced to two years of detention for these crimes!"

"The criminal Xia Changxin is guilty of attempted murder and defamation. He is sentenced to five years of detention for multiple crimes, and is also stripped of his civil status and demoted to a lowly status, and is forbidden from practicing medicine for life!"

Shuanzi and Xie Da were sentenced to six months of detention according to the law. Because the three tigers kidnapped the officials, which was a serious crime, they were sentenced to three years of detention according to the law.

Thus, this infamous case, which turned into three separate cases and even more cases within cases, finally came to an end!
Mu Qingcheng, who rose to fame in one battle, was promoted to the position of Criminal Advisor of the Jingzhao Prefecture, in charge of criminal cases in the capital, thus taking the first step for a woman to enter officialdom!
As the Prefect of Jingzhao, the highest administrative official in the capital, Song Shuyu was in charge of the economy, agriculture, water conservancy, transportation, and justice of the six counties surrounding the capital, making his official duties extremely busy.

Fortunately, the division of judicial and administrative affairs to Mu Qingcheng relieved some of the pressure on Song Shuyu.

Mu Qingcheng selected eight clerks from various departments to review the judicial files of the Jingzhao Prefecture over the past three years. He compiled all the uninvestigated or unsolved cases left by the previous Jingzhao Prefect, dividing them into civil and criminal cases, and striving to complete them before the end of the year.

So, he was busy all day long!
Mu Qingcheng spends his days either investigating or judging cases. In several cases, the deceased had been dead for several years and buried, but the Jingzhao Prefecture had no autopsy records. In order to clear the name of the deceased, with the consent of the relatives, the deceased were dug up from the grave for autopsy.

As the cases were solved one by one, the people gained more and more trust in the Jingzhao Prefecture and in the female clerk, Mu Qingcheng.

However, just when the people's hearts were with them and everything seemed to be going smoothly, on the morning of the winter solstice, the Jingzhao Prefecture suddenly received a report about a headless female corpse...

(End of this chapter)