A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 243 Headless Female Corpse (31)

"Identify the body?"

Butler Liao was shocked. His body went limp and he fell to the ground. The tears that he had just stopped silently streamed down his face. He cried in suppressed pain, his clenched fists pounding heavily on his chest, a heart-wrenching sight to behold.

"No, no, my daughter can't be dead. That body isn't her, it can't be her..."

"Butler Liao!"

Bai Zhizhi felt a pang of pity, her eyes stinging with pain. She bent down to help Butler Liao up, but he seemed to have lost all strength, as if glued to the ground, and she couldn't lift him up no matter what she did.

Seeing this, Officer Luo stepped in to help, and the two of them together helped Steward Liao to a chair.

Bai Zhizhi reassured her, "We didn't say the headless female corpse was definitely Liao Ruyi, it's just a possibility. Once we identify the body and confirm it's not her, we'll look for Liao Ruyi through other channels."

"Actually, as soon as the news of the discovery of the female corpse in Suhe came out, I...I was mentally prepared, but I just didn't want to believe it. As long as I didn't identify the body, then Ruyi was still alive. She was just missing, just hiding somewhere..."

Seeing Butler Liao's heartbroken state, everyone was deeply moved, but no amount of comfort could change the outcome.

Mu Qingcheng said gently, "What is meant to be will be. What is meant to be will be faced sooner or later. It's getting late, Steward Liao, you and your wife should prepare yourselves and set off with us."

Butler Liao nodded and walked out, sobbing.

Liao Ruyi disappeared more than three months ago, and the headless female corpse died more than ten days ago. The possibility that the two are the same person is logical.

Mu Qingcheng glanced around at everyone and made a decisive decision, saying, "We'll split into two groups. Constable Luo and Constable Bai, you two take the matchmaker's portrait and head to Xiahegou to bring her back to Jingzhao Prefecture tonight!"

"Yes!" the two men replied, bowing respectfully.

Mu Qingcheng's gaze shifted to Lin Shuban's face. "We'll take Mr. and Mrs. Liao, change our route to Shiliting first, and then return to the yamen."

"Okay, sure." Secretary Lin nodded.

Mu Qingcheng thought for a moment, then said, "Secretary Lin, tomorrow find a few highly skilled painters and keep them in the yamen. Once it's confirmed that the headless female corpse is not Liao Ruyi, plaster Liao Ruyi's portrait all over the city... No, we need to expand the search area. I will ask the magistrate to issue official documents for assistance to the several counties under the jurisdiction of the Jingzhao Prefecture. We must find her alive or dead!"

"I see."

Lin Shuban used to obey Mu Qingcheng's every command without question, and now that she's his superior, he follows her every word. Firstly, he admires her abilities, and secondly, he harbors feelings for her that he's never dared to express.

Half an hour later, Master Chen presented three portraits. Although the painting skills were mediocre, the facial features were captured fairly well.

Mu Qingcheng handed the matchmaker's portrait to Bai Zhizhi, and sent her and Constable Luo ahead.

The portrait of Lin Jiao shows him as a robust, unassuming man with a square face and a full beard, a rugged and fierce figure.

Mu Qingcheng examined him carefully. "This Lin Jiao really does look like a blacksmith. But..." She paused, her brows furrowing slightly.

"What's wrong, Master Mu?" Master Chen asked hurriedly when he saw her pause in her speech.

Mu Qingcheng asked, "Master Chen, did you beautify or uglify the Lin Jiao you painted?"

Master Chen immediately assured him, "I wouldn't dare. Lin Jiao really looks like this. I drew her portrait accurately."

Mu Qingcheng stared at the eyes in the portrait, lost in thought. "Nothing else is particularly noteworthy, but these eyes are piercing and sharp, subtly revealing a hint of murderous intent!"

Upon hearing this, Lin, the clerk, looked surprised. He leaned closer, examining the man and asking suspiciously, "Where does this murderous aura come from, you little blacksmith? Master Mu, where is this murderous aura? I don't see it at all."

Master Chen was also completely baffled. "I really did paint a true portrait. It's just that when Lin Jiao returned from the Pingnan Marquis's mansion that day, his eyes were rather fierce, which was a bit scary."

Mu Qingcheng handed the portraits of Lin Jiao and Steward An to Lin Shuban for safekeeping, then smiled slightly, "It's nothing, maybe I saw it wrong."

Those who practice martial arts have a natural sensitivity to danger. The murderous intent in Lin Jiao's eyes was her intuition, but judging a person solely based on a portrait is inaccurate. She needs to see the real person in person before drawing a conclusion.

After Officer Luo left, and Registrar Zhang had only recently recovered from his injuries and still needed to recuperate, Lin, the clerk, volunteered to drive him.

Chen Yuan arranged a carriage and sent a coachman to take Steward Liao and his wife to the yamen.

As night fell, the two carriages, one after the other, hurried toward Shili Pavilion at top speed.

……

Jingzhao Mansion.

At the same time, Song Shuyu received a message from Wu Fei.

Upon returning from the Imperial Guard's garrison, Song Li reported: "The commander of the Imperial Guard personally told his subordinates that Wu Fei was dispatched to the Northwest to carry out military duties the day before the Winter Solstice. If all goes well, he should return to the capital to report before the Spring Festival. The commander also said that as soon as Wu Fei returns, he will immediately send someone to inform the master."

"Alright, I understand." Song Shuyu nodded, thought for a moment, and then said, "I'm just afraid that the Marquis of Pingnan might send someone to contact Wu Fei in secret. If Wu Fei really killed someone, he might not come back!"

Song Li was thirsty and tired after the round trip. He quietly moved to the table, turned his back, poured himself a bowl of tea, and secretly gulped it down. But he was still thirsty and was thinking of having another bowl...

"Song Li, go to the Beijing Garrison again!"

"what?"

Song Li whirled around, looking at Song Shuyu in disbelief. "Master, I just got back and haven't even caught my breath yet! You...you can't just be picking on one sheep, can you?"

Song Shuyu just smiled and remained silent.

Song Li felt like crying, her voice choked with emotion as she tried to argue, "Master, I am your personal bodyguard, aren't I? Ever since you became the Prefect of the Capital... no, ever since you started to heavily rely on Master Mu, you have blurred the lines between public and private matters!"

Song Shuyu walked over slowly, personally poured tea for Song Li, and fed it to him with his own hands, saying with a smile, "Why are you being so formal? Helping Master Mu is the same as helping me. If Master Mu solves the case, isn't that also an achievement for your master and me? When my father comes back, I'll put in a good word for you. What won't you want then? A wife, silver notes, famous swords and knives..."

"Your subordinate wishes to be personally instructed in martial arts by the Duke!" Song Li said hastily.

His eyes were filled with longing and excitement, which made Song Shuyu frown. "Can't you be a little more ambitious? All you ever think about is my father's Falling Flower Sword Technique. Can't you get married? Isn't the life of a wife, children, and a warm bed wonderful enough?"

“Everyone has their own ambitions!” Song Li gritted his teeth, forcing a smile. “Unlike my master, I haven’t plunged headlong into the sweet trap of my ‘enemy’ and haven’t been able to climb out for over a decade!”

Song Shuyu pried open Song Li's mouth and poured the tea down his throat!
"Cough-cough-"

Song Li's eyes reddened from the spit, and she became even more indignant, "Master, you only dare to discipline your subordinates. If it were Master Mu, would you dare? Powerful to outsiders, but afraid of his wife at home! Heh, be careful that the Duke and the young master don't laugh at you."

Song Shuyu was ruthless and didn't talk much. He raised his foot and kicked Song Li away!
"Go find the commander immediately and ask him to secretly issue a military order to have someone monitor Wu Fei. Wu Fei must be brought back to the capital!" Song Li rubbed his sore bottom, bowed, and then went off to run errands again.

You should complain if you want to, but you still have to do the work you need to do.

Sigh, what can he do when he's stuck with a master who loves his wife so much?
Song Shuyu returned to his desk and sat down, his face extremely displeased. He had been counting on Song Li to handle this task well, using it as an excuse to get close to Mu Qingcheng and seek reconciliation! But that damned Song Li was lazy, unambitious, and even went on and on mocking him!

……

Ten miles west of the city, there is a dilapidated octagonal pavilion, also known as the Ten Mile Pavilion, which divides the official road into two routes, north and south.

Mu Qingcheng and his group came from the north.

After getting off the car, she led Lin Shuban and Zhang Zhubu to look around, but found nothing unusual.

Lin Shuban analyzed: "Assuming that Liao Ruyi disappeared here, then she has three possible routes: south or north, or to the capital."

“No matter which path she takes, I don’t think she can possibly be alone!” Following this line of thought, Clerk Zhang continued, “She’s a weak sixteen-year-old girl who grew up in a rural courtyard. She has neither experience nor the ability to defend herself. If she sets off alone, she might really ‘set off’!”

Mu Qingcheng nodded slightly. "That's right. Unless Liao Ruyi is stupid, she won't leave on her own. Unless... she was forced."

"Could it really be a scheme orchestrated by the Marquis of Pingnan's mansion?" Lin, the clerk, was astonished. The more he thought about it, the more illogical it seemed. "What would the Marquis's purpose be in setting this up? In other words, what would they gain? Steward Liao has neither money nor power. What benefit could he possibly gain from plotting against Liao Ruyi?"

Registrar Zhang shook his head. "I don't think that's very likely. A concubine is still a servant in front of the principal wife. Whether she beats, punishes, or even sells her, it's all up to the principal wife. No matter what she's after, once she's brought into the household, she can do whatever she wants with her. Why make things like this and cause trouble for herself? If this gets out, it will have a huge impact on the reputation of the Yu family!"

Lin Shuban agreed with this view, "That's right, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, and the Earl's Mansion cannot be unaware of this."

"The more illogical and bizarre something is, the more likely it is to conceal a sinister conspiracy." Mu Qingcheng sighed, looked around, and pondered, "Whether we go south or north, we'll pass through several counties. Regardless of whether the headless female corpse is Liao Ruyi, the missing head must be found. So, let's launch a large-scale search!"

The two men cupped their hands and replied, "Yes!"

……

The carriage returned when the moon was high in the sky.

Because everyone and the horses were exhausted, Mu Qingcheng arranged for Steward Liao and his wife to have a meal and rest, and to identify the body the next morning.

After asking the guards at the government office, Mu Qingcheng learned that Bai Zhizhi and Constable Luo had not yet returned. She was a little worried, but then she thought that both of them knew martial arts and were wearing official robes and carrying the waist token of the Jingzhao Prefecture. Under normal circumstances, no one would dare to attack the officials.

She was relieved and went to the side room.

Upon entering the courtyard, Mu Qingcheng saw figures moving about by the window. She narrowed her eyes, took light steps, and slowly approached.

"Lu Xun, aren't you going a bit too far?"

"I wonder what brings you to say this, Brother Song?"

"This is a woman's boudoir!"

"But Brother Song came in too, didn't he?"

"Do you think I'm the same as you? Don't you know that yourself?"

"Brother Song, you are mistaken. If we are talking about closeness and distance, Brother Song is the outsider who doesn't know the truth!"

"Ha ha……"

"What are you laughing at, Brother Song?"

"You probably don't know yet, but Qingcheng has already agreed to marry me."

"Brother Song, you're overthinking it! Qing'er's marriage was arranged by her father. I'm afraid your Song family wouldn't even meet my godfather's standards."

"..."

The first time I ever eavesdropped was when I overheard two men arguing, arguing over a woman!

Mu Qingcheng was utterly speechless.

"Master Mu, you're back!"

Unfortunately, just then, Liu's mother's voice rang out from the courtyard gate, and the volume of her shout was quite loud, which startled the people inside the house!
Mu Qingcheng smiled awkwardly, "Yeah, I just got back. Um, I suddenly remembered that I have something to take care of."

Having said that, she leaped up and ran off!

When Song Shuyu and Lu Xun rushed out, they only caught a glimpse of Mu Qingcheng's clothes!
The two exchanged a glance, and both saw murderous intent in each other's eyes!
"Get out!" Song Shuyu directly ordered him to leave. "I will give instructions that anyone who dares to let Lu Shaoqing into the gates of the Jingzhao Prefecture in the future will be fired!"

Lu Xun raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconcerned, his words dripping with provocation, "Why bother? Brother Song, have you forgotten the principle that it's better to guide than to suppress?"

Song Shuyu laughed, "Sure, I'll give you a chance to experience firsthand what it means to be 'heartbroken'."

While they were arguing, Mu Qingcheng went to see Lin Shuban.

The two dined together in the kitchen, discussing their next steps in the investigation as they ate.

Lin Shuban was a humble and diligent person, which Mu Qingcheng greatly appreciated.

After finishing their meal, the two went to the government office to check the records of concubines taken in the Pingnan Earl's residence.

The results proved that the Pingnan Earl's Mansion did indeed arrange a marriage between the heir Wu Fei and Liao Ruyi, and that Liao Ruyi would be Wu Fei's first concubine!
Moreover, after comparing the seals, the engagement document in Butler Liao's hand was confirmed to be genuine!
Lin, the clerk, asked, "Master Mu, should we summon Steward An immediately?"

Mu Qingcheng glanced at the pitch-black outside. "It's better to summon him at night than to come and interrogate him during the day, right? After all, it's the Earl's mansion. Before the charges are settled, we should at least protect Earl Wu's reputation."

"Hmm." Lin Shuban didn't know what to say. He was just a lowly clerk and couldn't consider everything. So he suggested, "How about we consult with the magistrate?"

Mu Qingcheng immediately shook his head, "No need, sir. You are busy, there is no need to bother you."

She didn't want to face those two men who didn't think about how to improve their careers and only knew how to get caught up in such mundane things as love and romance!

After a moment's thought, Mu Qingcheng made up her mind, "Gather a few constables, and we'll set off immediately!"

(End of this chapter)