A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 270 The Corpse at the Spring Banquet (1)

The officials of the Jingzhao Prefecture all became workaholics, some keeping watch, some conducting undercover investigations, and some carrying out investigations. Not a single person neglected their duties because of the New Year.

Finally, on the afternoon of the third day of the Lunar New Year, Wang Tianzhu and two of his constables returned with An Zhong's parents!

While others gained weight during the Spring Festival, Wang Tianzhu and his two companions traveled over a hundred miles without taking a breath or a drop of water to rescue An's parents from their rural hometown and escort them all the way back to Beijing!
When they returned to the government office, the three of them were travel-worn, haggard, and had lost a lot of weight!
After Mu Qingcheng understood the situation, she quickly asked someone to help them down to rest.

At the same time, she went straight to the Southern Prison and interrogated An Zhong again.

This time, she didn't need to say much; she simply brought An's parents to An Zhong.

When the whole family met, they saw each other's situation and immediately understood it, and they burst into tears on the spot!

After they had finished crying, Mu Qingcheng signaled the constables to separate them and said, "Anzhong, do you still have any worries now?"

An Zhong knelt on the ground, snot running down his face. "Thank you, Master Mu! Thank you for saving my parents. I dare not hide it any longer, I'll confess everything!"

Mu Qingcheng gave Lin Shuban a wink, and Lin Shuban immediately picked up his pen to take notes.

An Zhong then said, “My young master was forced to marry according to his parents’ wishes. His wife is domineering and jealous, and the young master does not like her. All the maids who serve the young master have been dealt with by his wife, for fear that someone will seduce him. The lady of the house has repeatedly warned the young master, hoping that he and his wife can be a harmonious couple. The young master has grown up and outwardly he is filial and dares not disobey the lady of the house, but in private, he always uses military affairs as an excuse not to go home. The lady of the house had no choice but to arrange a concubine for the young master, hoping that he can have an heir soon.”

"When the Crown Prince's wife found out, she gave me one hundred taels of silver and asked me to find a way to ruin the marriage. How could I dare to do such a big thing? Unexpectedly, right after the Earl's family presented the betrothal gifts, the Crown Prince's wife sent people to my hometown, kidnapped my parents, and forced me to agree! I had no choice but to compromise, but I really didn't know how to ruin it. Just when I was worrying about it, the Crown Prince's wife told me that the matchmaker Wang Ruhua in Xiahegou had connections and could sell the bride without anyone knowing. So, I went to Wang Ruhua, gave her fifty taels of silver, and the matter was settled."

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingcheng repeated the key question: "Who was the mastermind behind the abduction of Liao Ruyi?"

An Zhong said with certainty, "The mastermind is the Crown Prince's wife, Xu Yuying! I was coerced. After the matter was successfully completed, the Crown Prince's wife released my parents as promised, and I thought I had finally gotten through this ordeal. Unexpectedly, a few days ago, Master Mu suddenly came to our door. The Crown Prince's wife panicked and ordered me to take all the blame if the matter came to light, fearing that I would turn against her. She also kidnapped my parents, which is why I dared not betray the Crown Prince's wife even if it meant my death!"

"How did Xu Yuying get to know Wang Ruhua?" Mu Qingcheng asked thoughtfully.

An Zhong shook his head, "This, I do not know."

"You say Xu Yuying instigated and coerced you, do you have any evidence?"

An Zhong's face fell. "No, the Crown Prince's wife is very shrewd. It was all just verbal. There were no notes, letters, or objects. After she tied up my parents, she only showed them their personal belongings to me, and then burned them in front of me."

Mu Qingcheng lifted her eyelids and suddenly asked, "Has Xu Yuxiao been to the Earl's residence?"

“Miss Yuxiao?” An Zhong was taken aback, then nodded. “I’ve been there. This summer, the Crown Prince’s wife fell ill, and Imperial Censor Xu assigned Miss Yuxiao to the Earl’s residence to serve her elder sister. She stayed at the Earl’s residence for quite some time.”

"Has the young master met Miss Yuxiao?"

"I've seen it before."

Mu Qingcheng cut to the chase, "What's the relationship like between those two?"

“This…” An Zhong hesitated for a moment before replying tactfully, “The young master and Miss Yuxiao get along well.”

"Specifically, it manifested as..." "When Miss Yuxiao was in the manor, the young master returned home much more often, and he even had a smile on his face."

"Are they having an affair?"

"This, this humble servant does not know. This humble servant is an outsider and can only move around in the outer courtyard. He is not allowed to enter the inner courtyard."

Mu Qingcheng paced back and forth, pondered for a moment, and then asked one last question: "Does the young master agree to take Liao Ruyi as a concubine? Has the young master ever considered taking Yuxiao as a concubine?"

An Zhong sighed, “To be honest, the young master can’t even decide on his own marriage, let alone taking a concubine. The madam only informed the young master, and he had no chance to object. But I think the young master is unwilling. As for Miss Yuxiao, the young master… he should be genuinely happy to see Miss Yuxiao, but he hasn’t mentioned taking her as a concubine.”

Mu Qingcheng had not yet met Wu Fei, so it was difficult for him to make a judgment at the moment.

After Lin finished recording the statement, he took it and had Anzhong sign it.

After leaving the South Prison, Clerk Lin asked, "Master Mu, Xu Yuying abducted Liao Ruyi, kidnapped An Zhong's parents, and coerced An Zhong into committing crimes. The facts are clear, and we have witness testimonies and statements. Should we bring her back for questioning first?"

Mu Qingcheng said, "Wait a little longer. I estimate that Constable Liu will be back soon. If Constable Liu has made a discovery, then Xu Yuying will not escape the charge of murder!"

Lin Shuban frowned. "I'm just afraid that things might get complicated if I wait too long..."

“I’m scared too,” Mu Qingcheng sighed. “But Imperial Censor Xu is very difficult to deal with. We only have An Zhong’s testimony now, without any physical evidence. Xu Yuying will definitely deny it to the death and will even turn around and accuse An Zhong of slander. What should we do then? If we want to arrest someone, we need to have evidence that can kill her and make it impossible for her to recover!”

Lin, the clerk, said with a sigh, "Master Mu is right. We can only wait for Officer Liu's good news."

……

Over the past few days, Mu Qingcheng has basically gone through the entire "Great Zhou Gazetteer".

She circled a few points of doubt, and after discussing them with Dou Zandian, Zhang Zhubu, and Lin Shuban, she had a general direction. She just needed to ask Lu Xun to take another look and confirm some details.

However, Lu Xun had not visited the Jingzhao Prefecture since the beginning of the year.

Mu Qingcheng initially thought that Lu Xun was on leave and spending time with his parents at the Marquis's residence, so she didn't want to disturb him.

But now she couldn't wait any longer. Liao Ruyi and the four girls might still be alive and waiting for the government to rescue them!
So, early the next morning, Mu Qingcheng sent someone to the Marquis of Huai'an's residence to invite Lu Xun.

Unexpectedly, the messenger returned to say that Lu Xun was ill, suffering from palpitations and a high fever, and was currently bedridden.

“Master Mu, I heard from the servants of the Marquis’s residence that Lu Shaoqing’s illness is serious. He suddenly fell ill outside on New Year’s Eve and collapsed as soon as he returned to the residence.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingcheng accidentally broke the teacup.

(End of this chapter)