A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 233 Headless Female Corpse (21)

Just then, the cavalry arrived.

"Uu——"

Mu Qingcheng reined in her horse and saw Song Shuyu, wearing a cloak, standing tall in the cold wind at the entrance of the yamen. She raised her eyes in surprise, "My lord!"

The group dismounted one after another, lined up, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Excellency!"

Song Shuyu said, "You've all worked hard. Hot soup and dishes have been prepared in the kitchen. Please go wash up and eat to warm up."

"Thank you, sir!"

Jiang Zhan led his men into the yamen, along with An Si'er.

Mu Qingcheng reminded Jiang Zhan, "Find him a thick coat, have the yamen runners keep an eye on him, and make sure the other prisoners don't bully him. Add a meat dish to his meals every day."

Jiang Zhan nodded. "Yes. Master Mu, how long should this kid be locked up?"

After a moment's thought, Mu Qingcheng said, "Let's keep him locked up until the case is solved, lest he be silenced."

"Yes!"

Jiang Zhan accepted the order and turned to grab An Si'er again, only to find An Si'er's eyes red and tears streaming down her face. "Thank you, sir. Your kindness is like that of my parents..."

Mu Qingcheng raised her chin and smiled, "Alright, go ahead!"

Bai Zhizhi was exhausted, cold, and hungry. She didn't even have the energy for small talk. With her head drooping, she followed behind Jiang Zhan. Just as she was about to step through the door, she suddenly heard someone call her: "Miss! Miss, it's me, Old Zhang!"

"Old Zhang?" Bai Zhizhi turned around and saw Manager Zhang kneeling on the ground. She asked in confusion, "Why are you here? What's wrong? Did the sky fall? Why did you come to the yamen to find me?"

“Young Miss, the secret agent has delivered a letter from the master, saying it is of utmost importance. Old Zhang dares not neglect it and must personally deliver it to you, Young Miss.”

After finishing speaking, Manager Zhang took out a locked camphor wood box from his sleeve and presented it to Bai Zhizhi with both hands.

Bai Zhizhi took the item with one hand, casually weighed it in her hand, and didn't pay much attention to it. "Alright, I received it. You can go back now. Don't leave your post so easily, or the Bai Family Business will go bankrupt."

Manager Zhang was both amused and exasperated. "Miss, you...you should at least have some hope for the best. Who would curse their own business to go bankrupt every day?"

"Hehe, I'd love to!"

Bai Zhizhi smiled mischievously and skipped into the yamen.

Manager Zhang smiled helplessly, took his leave, and departed.

With Mu Qingcheng left alone, Song Shuyu whispered, "Let's go to the back office to talk."

Mu Qingcheng took a half step back, intentionally distancing himself from Song Shuyu. "My lord, I've rolled around in the mountain of corpses in the mass grave several times. I really don't smell good. I'd better go back to my quarters to wash up and change."

“Mass burial grounds…” Song Shuyu pondered these words, his expression slightly strange. After a brief pause, he said, “Alright, I will have someone send the food to your room.”

"Thank you, sir!"

"Let's go."

After returning to the yamen, the two walked together for a while before Mu Qingcheng turned and headed towards the side rooms.

Song Shuyu slowed her pace, staring blankly at Mu Qingcheng's retreating figure. "Master?"

Song Li followed and called out, but Song Shuyu didn't respond. Her mind raced for a moment before she tentatively asked, "Are you thinking about your mortal enemy again?"

"Hmm." Song Shuyu pursed her lips, a hint of melancholy creeping into her eyes. "I wonder if, when she returns to this familiar place, she recalls that time from her youth, or even a single thought of me?"

Song Li opened her mouth, then slowly closed it again.

Song Shuyu glared at him, "Speak quickly!"

"I think Master Mu is no different from usual, and probably hasn't thought of you, Master." Song Li was being honest, but fearing a scolding, he added, "Of course, Master Mu is always scheming, but he doesn't show it on his face, so who knows?"

Song Shuyu nodded slowly. "Hmm, that's a fair assessment."

"Master, have you considered why Master Mu has absolutely no memory of meeting you when you were young? Our people have investigated thoroughly, and they even brought back a portrait of Master Mu's father, Mu Yan. You are sure it is indeed Mu Yan, and you are sure that Mu Yan only has one daughter, Master Mu. But such an important memory, even if it has become somewhat blurred over time, should not have left no trace and be completely forgotten under normal circumstances, right?"

Having analyzed the situation to this point, Song Li observed Song Shuyu's expression and boldly stated his conclusion: "Therefore, I believe that either this Master Mu is a fake, and the daughter that Mu Yan took from the capital back then was not the little girl who tricked you into going to the mass grave; or Master Mu had some accident that caused her to lose her memory."

"Impossible!" Song Shuyu denied it immediately. "Qingcheng is definitely Mu Yan's daughter, she must be A Yuan. Her appearance is somewhat similar to when she was young, and her eyes are exactly the same as A Yuan's. I can't be mistaken!"

Song Li sighed: "Then that's the second possibility."

Song Shuyu fell into deep thought.

……

The side room.

Haitang, the maid who was in charge of taking care of Mu Qingcheng's daily life, had prepared plenty of hot water early in the morning.

Mu Qingcheng and Bai Zhizhi took a shower and changed their clothes. Just then, the kitchen staff arrived with a meal consisting of three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, a soup, rice, snacks, dried fruit, and fresh fruit, plus two bowls of bird's nest soup.

Bai Zhizhi stroked her chin and praised, "Lord Song's affection for the house extends to the crows; his performance is quite good."

"You must be starving, hurry up and eat," Mu Qingcheng urged with a smile.

Bai Zhizhi's eyes darted around. "Sister Mu, what do you think about me donating some silver to the Jingzhao Prefecture and asking Lord Song to arrange a job for me?"

Mu Qingcheng smiled and said, "Hehe, you are the heir to the richest family in Jiangnan. Would your father agree to you becoming a lowly clerk in a government office?"

"Ha, do I care about his opinion? If it weren't for seizing the family business, would Ye have poisoned my mother? If it were a trade, I would rather use all of the Bai family's assets to keep my mother alive!" Bai Zhizhi snorted coldly, her hatred deeply rooted in her heart.

Mu Qingcheng sighed softly with heartache: "It's alright, Zhizhi. Whatever you want to do, I'll support you. When you have time, talk to the adults about it, and I'll put in a good word for you."

"Mmm." Bai Zhizhi smiled, revealing her teeth, and picked up her chopsticks. "Let's eat!"

Mu Qingcheng's gaze fell on the camphor wood box that Bai Zhizhi had thrown on the dressing table. Her mind stirred. After the two finished their main course and Haitang cleared the table, she advised, "Zhizhi, since Manager Zhang said that Master Bai's letter is very important, why don't you open it and take a look? What if it really is something important?"

“What could he possibly have to do? It’s just a lot of nagging and reminders.” Bai Zhizhi picked up a dried apricot and popped it into her mouth, chewing as she spoke.

Mu Qingcheng laughed, "What's wrong with taking a look? Have you forgotten? Didn't you write to Master Bai a while ago, asking him to postpone the wedding? Perhaps there's been a new twist in that matter?"

Bai Zhizhi frowned, picked up the camphor wood box, and said, "Alright, let's see what kind of nonsense he wrote."

(End of this chapter)