A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 252 Headless Female Corpse (40)

The cause of death is beyond doubt. The key is to prove whether the knife was inserted by the man in black or by Wang Ruhua herself by accident.

Mu Qingcheng calculated the angle of the stab and had He Ye and Wu Liu conduct many simulation experiments. Finally, it was confirmed that Wang Ruhua had committed suicide!

"Put the body in the underground cold storage room."

"Yes!"

By the time I finished the autopsy and left the morgue, it was already night.

The short days and long nights of winter made Mu Qingcheng, who was eager to solve the case, always feel that there wasn't enough time.

She rubbed her aching shoulders and neck, then dragged her weary body toward the side room.

……

One hour ago, at the Dali Temple.

Lu Xun was invited into the interrogation room and sat in the position of the suspect being interrogated. Opposite him, in a high-backed chair, sat Guo Xuan, the high-ranking Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

The dim candlelight reflected on the wall, like leaping will-o'-the-wisps, sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes short, sometimes long, casting a gloomy glow on Guo Xuan's face.

"Lu Xun!"

Guo Xuan clenched his fist and banged on the table, his expression fierce but his heart pounding. "Do you think this matter will be over if you just stay silent? Or are you hoping someone will come to rescue you?"

Since being brought back, Lu Xun has not uttered a single word. No matter what Guo Xuan asks or tries to coerce or extract information from him, he remains deaf and unresponsive.

Compared to Guo Xuan's furious outburst, Lu Xun remained calm and composed.

Receiving no answer, Guo Xuan jumped to his feet, trembling with rage. "Lu Xun, you'd better tell the truth to avoid physical punishment! Did you take Mu Xun's case file without my permission? Are you and the third-ranked scholar Mu Xun the same person?"

Seeing this, Lu Xun raised an eyebrow and finally spoke: "What, does Lord Guo intend to torture me?"

His eyes remained calm and unwavering, as if he were merely chatting casually with his superior.

Guo Xuan's lips twitched, his expression gradually becoming ferocious in the candlelight. He said, "Do you think I wouldn't dare? A higher-ranking official can crush a lower one, don't you understand?"

Lu Xun said calmly, "I am Lu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, bestowed by the Emperor, and I also hold a noble title. Lord Guo, are you sure you dare to make a move? Are you sure your Guo family of several hundred people will not be implicated because of you?"

"you……"

"According to the laws of our Great Zhou, if Lu is truly guilty, Lord Guo must first inform His Majesty, who will then issue an order to investigate. Once the evidence is conclusive and Lu confesses, His Majesty will then make the final decision."

At this point, a rare smile appeared in Lu Xun's eyes. "In the end, although my official rank is below Lord Guo's, I am also the heir of a marquis. Apart from princes and the Emperor, no one else has the right to lay a finger on me. Unless, Lord Guo dares to disregard the law and show contempt for the Emperor!"

Despite his anger, Guo Xuan wasn't completely out of his mind. Lu Xun was right; this was a special right granted by the founding emperor after the establishment of the dynasty to protect the interests of noble families.

Therefore, he could only interrogate, not dare to use torture. But after so long, Lu Xun hadn't uttered a single word!
Seeing Guo Xuan's appearance, so angry he seemed to be internally injured, Lu Xun's usually stern and handsome face broke into a smile. "Lord Guo, let me kindly remind you again, given my rank, the Court of Judicial Review cannot conduct internal investigations; they must be submitted to the Censorate. If criminal cases are involved, the Ministry of Justice will also intervene and work jointly with the Censorate. Lord Guo's actions today have violated procedure. Perhaps, right now, Lord Guo is already being watched by the Censorate!"

Guo Xuan's face turned a deep purplish-red. He knew this kid was difficult to deal with, but he never expected him to be such a troublemaker!
After saying all that, Lu Xun was too lazy to say anything more. He crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and rested on the spot.

However, Lu Xun fell asleep shortly afterward.

He had been busy all night in Xiahegou yesterday, barely closing his eyes. He had just returned to the city and hadn't even had time to change his clothes before arriving here. By now, he was indeed exhausted and sleepy.

Lu Xun had a dream.

In his dream, he returned to the Mu family in Wuzhou, Jiangnan.

He was well-behaved in his eating, speaking, sitting, walking, and sleeping, which contrasted sharply with the free-spirited and unrestrained Mu Qingcheng.

Father Mu then asked him if he came from a wealthy family. He dared not tell the truth and could only shake his head, saying that he had amnesia and did not remember.

Qing'er then teased him, saying he was like a rigid old scholar, utterly boring. Afraid that Qing'er would dislike him because of this, he shamelessly asked her to teach him how not to be like an old scholar. Qing'er rested her chin on her hand, stared at him for a long time, and then smiled slyly. She said he didn't need to change; he should continue to maintain his upright and self-disciplined demeanor. That way, others would praise his father for his excellent upbringing, and her studies as a coroner would be overlooked.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he could finally help Qing'er.

However, when Qing'er was a little over ten years old, he secretly read a storybook. The man in the story was dashing and unrestrained, and often crossed his legs. Qing'er forced him to do the same. He finally managed to do it, but it made Qing'er laugh out loud...

Lu Xun, still asleep, unconsciously curled his lips into a smile, his happiness coming without any warning.

But in Guo Xuan's eyes, it was undoubtedly a provocation. He finally couldn't bear it any longer, grabbed the whip, and lashed it out from a distance!
"Lu Xun!"

Guo Xuan roared angrily, "You're too arrogant!"

Lu Xun slowly opened his eyes, his anger at having his sweet dream shattered turning his gaze cold. "Lord Guo, you don't have much time left! Either release me now, or I'll wait for the Emperor's decree to order you to leave!"

"Lu Xun, you have embezzled from your post. I, as your superior officer..."

"Oh, is Lord Guo angry?"

Just then, a lazy voice interrupted Guo Xuan!

Guo Xuan was startled. Looking over in the dim light, he saw Song Shuyu and Ji Yue, dressed in official robes, standing together at the door!
Song Shuyu's gaze fell on Lu Xun, who shook his head to indicate that he was alright. Song Shuyu nodded, slowly walked into the interrogation room, put his hands behind his back, and didn't even bother with formalities. He curled his lips into a half-smile and said, "Lord Guo, you have quite the air of authority!"

Guo Xuan was furious when he saw the Dali Temple constables with their heads hanging outside the interrogation room. "Song Shuyu, how dare you trespass on the Dali Temple?"

Song Shuyu said casually, "Heh, Lord Guo, you misunderstand. This isn't trespassing, it's carrying out an imperial decree! Tell me, with His Majesty's decree, where can't I go? Who would dare to stop me?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Xuan's expression changed drastically. "By imperial decree?"

"I had no idea that the deputy commander of the city garrison had become Lord Guo's ally, actually helping the Court of Judicial Review against my Jingzhao Prefecture's men?" Song Shuyu's tone was calm, but his eyes sent a chill down Guo Xuan's spine. "Regarding the injuries suffered by my Jingzhao Prefecture's constables today, Lord Guo, you and the deputy commander of the city garrison should discuss who will compensate for them. Medical treatment, medicine, lost wages, and emotional distress—add it all up, and give five thousand taels!"

(End of this chapter)