A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 238 Headless Female Corpse (26)

“You are…” Xu Yuying’s eyes revealed undisguised suspicion and wariness.

Bai Zhizhi bowed slightly, her smile undiminished, and said, "My surname is Bai, and my name is Bai Zhizhi. I accompanied my sister to visit the young master, but unfortunately, we heard that he has gone to the army. Madam just said that the young master's return date is uncertain, but we are quite busy and don't have time to come and inquire every day..."

At this point, she suddenly remembered something, turned to look at Mu Qingcheng, and suggested, "Sister Mu, why don't we go directly to the army to find the young master?"

"In the military?" Mu Qingcheng feigned surprise. "The garrison of the Capital Garrison?"

Bai Zhizhi tilted her head and thought for a moment, "I think so. I think I heard the Second Young Master mention it. It's still early, so we can make a round trip in time."

Mu Qingcheng immediately agreed, "Okay, let's go then, and come back as soon as possible."

The two men then bowed and said, "We've troubled you ladies, farewell!"

"Hey, wait a minute!"

Xu Yuying hurriedly called out to the person, wanting to say something, but seemingly mindful of the presence of the Lady Bo, she opened her mouth a few times, but only said, "Military regulations are paramount. If Young Master Song Shu... if he has anything important, I am the Lady Bo's wife, so it's the same if you give it to me. Just don't delay the Young Master's training of troops."

Even though her slip of the tongue was corrected in an instant, it still didn't escape Mu Qingcheng's ears.

Mu Qingcheng raised an eyebrow and a faint smile appeared on her lips. "Please forgive us, Madam and Lady of the Heir Apparent. We have come here not only to return something to the Heir Apparent, but also to ask for his cooperation in answering a few questions. Therefore, we must see the Heir Apparent in person."

Upon hearing this, the aunt, who had already turned away and was no longer paying attention to them, suddenly turned back and asked in a deep voice, "What is it? Why should we cooperate? Who do you two think you are..."

Lady Bo was already furious, but she didn't continue speaking. Perhaps out of consideration for the power and reputation of the Duke's mansion, she ultimately held back.

But her underlying meaning was clear: she wanted to say, what are you two?
Bai Zhizhi chuckled, but then covered her lips and offered a half-hearted apology, "I'm sorry, I'm a country bumpkin with no manners. If I've been rude, it's purely because I'm a scoundrel."

"You..." The aunt, who was born into royalty, had never seen such a vulgar and rude girl before, and was so angry that she couldn't speak!
Xu Yuying reacted quickly. After being choked for a few moments, she immediately retorted angrily, "Is this the kind of upbringing the Duke's mansion has? Coming to someone's door to curse them, isn't that too arrogant?"

“Madam, my sister did not mean to curse. She was just echoing what the Lady said and speaking on her behalf, wasn’t she?”

Mu Qingcheng showed no fear or shame; her demeanor remained composed, though the smile on her lips slowly faded. Her entire aura exuded an air of quiet authority. She said, "Madam, you seem to have forgotten that besides being the eldest son of the Duke's mansion, Young Master Song also has another identity—the Prefect of the Capital! As for us, I am Mu Qingcheng, the legal advisor of the Prefectural Government, and she is a female constable. We currently have a murder case that requires the Young Master's cooperation in the investigation. Please inform Madam of the Young Master's whereabouts truthfully!"

"A murder case?"

"A criminal investigation advisor? A constable?"

The Lady of the Bo family and the Lady of the Heir Apparent immediately gasped in surprise. They looked at the young girl in front of them again, astonished that Mu Qingcheng, a woman, could have such a piercing gaze that made them shudder and dare not act rashly!

Mu Qingcheng did not miss the changes in the expressions of the two women, especially Xu Yuying. A momentary panic flashed in her eyes, which made her glance at her eyes and ask unexpectedly, "Madam, may I ask if the young master has any concubines or maids?"

"No, no." Whether it was because Xu Yuying was nervous or because the question was too sudden, she hesitated for a moment before answering.

Mu Qingcheng stared at Xu Yuying, her tone gradually becoming sharp, "Has any woman gone missing from the manor recently? Have any female relatives or maids left the manor before the winter solstice?"

"no!"

Xu Yuying's voice was a little louder, and this time her answer was very decisive, but the frequency of her eyelashes trembling was unconsciously increasing, and the handkerchief she was holding in her hand was so tight that it seemed as if she could wring water out of it.

Lady Bo frowned, and asked suspiciously, "Weren't you going to ask the Heir Apparent? Why are you asking about the Heir Apparent's wife? What does the matter in the inner courtyard have to do with a murder case?"

Mu Qingcheng smiled and said, "Just asking. It doesn't seem to matter now, but it might not be later."

"So, Madam, where exactly is the young master?" Bai Zhizhi crossed her arms and asked again.

Lady Bo glanced at the Crown Prince's wife, something flickering in her eyes, but she suppressed it angrily. She said, "The Crown Prince is indeed in the army, but not at the capital's garrison. He has been sent to the northwest to carry out military duties."

Mu Qingcheng asked, "When will you return?"

"I don't know."

"Alright, we will verify this with the Imperial Guard station. If the Crown Prince returns to the capital, please immediately send someone to inform the Jingzhao Prefecture!"

At this point, Mu Qingcheng took out his identity token and showed it to the two ladies, saying, "Made by the Jingzhao Prefecture, it's genuine, no need to worry about being deceived!"

"Please take care, gentlemen. We won't see you off!" The lady nodded, clearly indicating that they should leave.

However, Mu Qingcheng suddenly stopped at the hall door. She slowly turned around and asked casually, "Madam, what day did the young master leave home? Didn't he spend the winter solstice at the manor?"

"Having left home the day before the winter solstice, military affairs are of utmost importance, and I dare not neglect them," the aunt replied without much thought.

"Thank you, Madam." Mu Qingcheng's smile was bright and clear. "To be honest, Madam, I've come here because of the headless female corpse case. The murderer is rampant, beheading people like cutting cabbage. Please remind the women in the household to be careful! Don't you agree, Madam?"

She abruptly changed the subject of her speech, startling the dazed Xu Yuying, who stammered, "Huh? What?"

Mu Qingcheng smiled slightly, "I'll take my leave now. If there's anything in the case that requires the Crown Prince's wife's cooperation in the investigation, we'll come and bother you again."

After speaking, she clasped her hands in a respectful gesture, and then walked away with Bai Zhizhi.

After the people had gone, Madam Bo dismissed the servants with a gloomy expression and said sternly, "Yu Ying, how much does the headless female corpse case that the female advisor mentioned have to do with you and your husband?"

"No, no, Mother, how could we possibly be involved in a murder case?" Xu Yuying was shocked and quickly denied it.

Lady Bo scoffed coldly: "If there were no connection, would the Jingzhao Prefecture have sent a criminal investigator to our door? Would the second young master of the Duke's mansion have disregarded the scandal surrounding your marriage to return the items to the heir? And where did Yuxiao go?"

Xu Yuying's face suddenly turned deathly pale, and she clenched her hands tightly...

……

After leaving the Pingnan Marquis's residence, the two walked back to the yamen. Along the way, Bai Zhizhi couldn't help but laugh every now and then, making Mu Qingcheng think that she was still upset by the Marquis's words.

Mu Qingcheng then said, "If you're unhappy, she'll be even more unhappy. Just think about that, and you should be happy."

Bai Zhizhi swung her belt playfully all the way, her face beaming with joy. "Hehe, I'm not unhappy at all. I'm the kind of person who takes revenge on the spot. Anyway, with Lord Song backing me up now, what am I afraid of? The Earl's Mansion isn't as big as the Duke's Mansion, and the Earl doesn't have the military power of the Duke. So, I'm just riding on the coattails of the Duke and I'm very confident!"

"Then what's wrong with you?" Mu Qingcheng observed the little girl carefully and felt that she was acting strangely.

Bai Zhizhi suddenly leaned close to Mu Qingcheng's face and said in a teasing tone, "Sister Mu, to be honest, Xu Yuying is a great beauty. They say it's easy for a woman to pursue a man, but do you think our adults are really so heartless and unmoved?"

Mu Qingcheng nodded. "I believe you, sir. If you say you don't like it, then you really don't like it."

"Tsk tsk, judging from what I saw today, Xu Yuying probably still has feelings for you, sir. She almost excitedly called out the name 'Song Shuyu'," Bai Zhizhi sighed with a smile.

Mu Qingcheng frowned without realizing it. "So that's all you've been paying attention to?"

"Of course not. I only keep an eye on romantic matters. What I care about is the case." Bai Zhizhi joked for a moment before getting back to the point. "Sister Mu, I think what Madam Bo said is more credible."

Mu Qingcheng nodded, "Yes. The Crown Prince's wife is still young and doesn't have the composure of the Lady of the Heir Apparent. Moreover, the Crown Prince's wife's panic is not normal."

"The day that Prince Wu Fei left home happened to be the day before the winter solstice, which was also the day the deceased was murdered."

"So, we might have found the key to solving the case!"

The two exchanged a smile; this trip hadn't been in vain, they'd gained quite a bit!

Upon returning to Jingzhao Prefecture, Mu Qingcheng reported the situation to Song Shuyu.

Song Shuyu immediately dispatched Song Li to the garrison of the capital's guards to verify Wu Fei's whereabouts and return date.

"Don't worry, if it's really related to Wu Fei, he won't escape. The commander of the Imperial Guard is my father's comrade-in-arms; the two of them went to the battlefield together."

Hearing his words of comfort, Mu Qingcheng's deeply furrowed brows did not ease; in fact, they deepened. She said, "My lord, I am not worried about Wu Fei running away, but I am worried that Wu Fei will not be able to come back for the Spring Festival. If that happens, the case will drag on into the new year."

“It’s alright, the length of time doesn’t matter, as long as we can solve the case. Let’s look for clues and evidence first. If necessary, I will ask the commander of the Imperial Guard to urgently summon Wu Fei back to the capital.”

"it is good."

Mu Qingcheng picked up his teacup, about to take a sip, when suddenly hurried footsteps sounded outside the administration hall, accompanied by Zhang, the registrar's excited shouts: "Master Mu! Master Mu, have you returned?"

Displeasure flashed across Song Shuyu's brow. "No manners."

"Perhaps something urgent has come up," Mu Qingcheng offered as an excuse, then put down her teacup and quickly left the hall. "I'm here!"

Registrar Zhang rushed over, and despite the cold winter weather, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and nose from running so fast. He handed over several sheets of paper and said with a beaming smile, "Master Mu, we've made a major discovery!"

Mu Qingcheng was taken aback, and quickly unfolded the manuscript to examine it carefully.

Zhang, the registrar, said urgently, "Master Mu, please take your time to read it. Let me give you a brief overview first. In the process of comparing the information, we discovered that more than three months ago, the Pingnan Earl's Mansion arranged for its heir, Wu Fei, to take a concubine. However, before the concubine even entered the household, she broke off the engagement and remarried to another man, becoming his principal wife. Meanwhile, in Chenjia Village near the Suhe River, there is a wealthy man named Chen Yuanwai. Old Liao, the steward of the Chen family, has a daughter named Liao Ruyi. More than three months ago, she married into a noble family in the capital as a concubine!"

"Liao Ruyi!"

Mu Qingcheng's pupils focused quickly. She narrowed her eyes and pondered, "Get ready. We'll set off for Chenjia Village in half an hour!"

"Yes!" Clerk Zhang replied, then continued, "Also, we have reviewed the statements of the tattoo artists that Zhao Chengsi brought back, and we have discovered another clue!"

Mu Qingcheng quickly flipped through the manuscript in her hand, "Which page?"

“The last page,” said Registrar Zhang. “That tattoo artist named Lu Ping said he learned his tattooing skills in Jiangnan in his early years. During his apprenticeship, he saw a young man whose skills were superb, tattooing their family totem so lifelike that it looked almost alive. At the time, we didn’t think this information was useful and ignored it. Now that we’ve confirmed that the deceased’s tattoo is the totem of the Hejia family, and that Wu Fei, the heir of the Marquis of Pingnan, happens to be from Jiangnan, we all agree that the young man skilled in tattooing is very likely Wu Fei!”

Even though Mu Qingcheng was usually calm and collected, her voice couldn't help but carry a hint of excitement. "Well done! Constable Bai has returned to the side room. Go and find her for me."

"it is good."

Zhang, the registrar, moved with lightning speed and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Mu Qingcheng returned to the main hall and carefully studied the two clues he had gathered. The joy on his face lingered for a long time.

"Finally, the clouds have parted!" Song Shuyu listened to every word in the hall and excitedly handed the teacup to Mu Qingcheng, "Have some."

Mu Qingcheng didn't bother to sip his tea, gulping it down in one go, and then said, "My lord, I want the constables to dress up as ordinary citizens and monitor the Pingnan Marquis's residence! In particular, to monitor the Marquis's wife and the Heir Apparent's wife!"

Song Shuyu nodded. "Alright, if you think it's necessary, then make the arrangements."

"Thank you, sir." Mu Qingcheng smiled brightly. "I sparred with the Crown Prince's wife, Xu Yuying, today. I don't know if she is naturally irritable or if it's because we were sent by you, sir, but her overall performance was quite flawed."

"cough."

Song Shuyu clenched his fist, coughed lightly, and muttered, "What does this have to do with me? Don't try to make me take the blame, I won't."

Mu Qingcheng teased him intentionally, covering her mouth and laughing, "Hehe, Zhizhi and I both think that Xu Yuying is a great beauty."

Song Shuyu suddenly looked at her, her eyes filled with disbelief, "Are you two blind? How did you come to the conclusion that she's a beauty?"

"I can tell from head to toe." Mu Qingcheng blinked her eyelashes, her tone very serious.

Song Shuyu rolled her eyes at her, exasperated, "Mu Qingcheng, go back and wash your eyes, then take a good look in the mirror!"

(End of this chapter)