A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 271 The Corpse at the Spring Banquet (2)

Mu Qingcheng was absent-minded all afternoon.

She read that book, "The Great Zhou Gazetteer," over and over again, especially the parts she circled, staring at them until she almost saw double, but her mind remained completely blank.

Lu Xun's palpitations were an old ailment. In his youth, he had suffered a severe injury that damaged his heart and lungs, nearly costing him his life. His father took him in and cared for him for many years before he recovered completely. However, if he experienced any significant stress, the condition would relapse.

The onset of the illness on New Year's Eve was clearly related to her.

It would be a lie to say she didn't regret it, and it would be a lie to say she didn't feel heartache. After all, that was her brother who had been with her for eight years.

But what can she do now?

Should I go to the Marquis of Huai'an's residence to visit him? In what capacity? How will I explain it to the outside world? Won't it ruin his plans?

It's getting dark.

There were shadowy figures moving outside the window, accompanied by hurried footsteps.

Soon, someone outside shouted, "Master Mu, Constable Liu is back!"

Mu Qingcheng quickly regained her composure, got up from the table, picked up the fur cloak, tied it on, and strode out of the side room.

After many days of hard work, Officer Liu finally found Su's mother, who had retreated to the countryside.

"After asking around from house to house and asking around, it cost seven or eight taels of silver before we finally found out the whereabouts of Su Mama, who had once taken care of Xu Yuxiao!"

Liu, the constable, looked like he had just been through a battle; he was completely exhausted. "Master Mu, I'm leaving the man to you now. I can't go on anymore; I need to rest."

Mu Qingcheng said sincerely, "You've worked hard, go and rest."

Seeing that Su's mother also looked tired, Mu Qingcheng asked someone to bring food so that Su's mother could fill her stomach first.

However, Su's mother, having eaten and drunk her fill, remained silent, seemingly ignoring whatever Mu Qingcheng asked her.

Mu Qingcheng could only wait patiently.

Later, Su's mother fell asleep on the chair in the interrogation room. She dreamt of something, and tears streamed down her face in her sleep.

Mu Qingcheng couldn't bear to force him, so she went back to her room to rest.

When dawn broke, she went to check on the situation again. Su's mother had already woken up, but she was still in a daze and remained silent.

With a heavy heart, Mu Qingcheng took Su's mother to the morgue so that she could see the headless female corpse with her own eyes.

"He was beaten to death with a stick, thrown into a mass grave, and then beheaded and his body dumped in the Su River."

Mu Qingcheng spoke each word carefully, and Su's mother's expression went from grief to disbelief, then to collapse, and finally she knelt down beside the corpse and wailed loudly!

She held her breath and asked, "The deceased was Xu Yuxiao, wasn't she?"

Mother Su cried as she said, "I don't know if she was Miss Yuxiao, but Miss Yuxiao was indeed beaten to death! They... they even put Miss Yuxiao in a sack and threw her into a mass grave!"

"Who are they?" Mu Qingcheng immediately asked.

Mother Su was speechless with grief, "Yes, it was the guard from the estate!"

"How many people are there? What are their names? Where do they live?"

“There are five people: Xu Sanji, Wang Fushan, Wang Fushui, Zhang Xiao, and Zhang Heng. Xu Sanji is a servant born into the Xu family. The Wang brothers live in Wangjiazhuang, and the Zhang brothers live in Zhangjiacun.”

Mu Qingcheng made a note of the five people and assigned Constable Yang Bing to lead a team to arrest them immediately!
Then, she said to Madam Su, "Tell me in detail the time and process of Xu Yuxiao's murder!" Madam Su recalled the past, her tears flowing even more. "On the eve of the winter solstice, the eldest young lady, Xu Yuying, suddenly brought Miss Yuxiao to Yangpo Manor. I raised Miss Yuxiao and have a deep affection for her. Upon hearing the news, I rushed over to see Miss Yuxiao. Who knew that the eldest young lady would tie Miss Yuxiao to a bench in the servants' quarters, angrily cursing her as a vixen and a slut who seduced the young master, and then ordering the guards to beat her to death!"

"I wanted to plead for Miss Yuxiao, but she discovered me hiding behind the door. She shook her head at me, refusing to let me out. We all know the young lady's temper; when she's angry, she'll beat even those who plead for her! I never imagined they would actually be so heartless as to beat Miss Yuxiao to death!"

Mu Qingcheng felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this.

That day, there was actually another reason she didn't mention for her suspicions about Xu Yuying.

Judging from Xu Yuying's ruthless attempts to force Song Shuyu into marriage, Xu Yuying is a selfish and extreme person who is willing to disregard any consequences in order to achieve her goals!
Such a person has extremely low moral standards. Xu Yuxiao's life, like that of her birth mother Yang, is as worthless in the eyes of the legitimate wife and daughter.

……

Today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

The case of the female corpse in Suhe has made a major breakthrough. All that is needed is for Yang Bing to bring back the five guards and obtain their confessions before the operation to arrest Xu Yuying can begin!

Filled with excitement, Mu Qingcheng rushed to the front office to report to Song Shuyu.

However, Song Shuyu was not there!
Upon arriving at the main courtyard of the inner residence, they bumped into Liu Mama. When asked why, Liu Mama replied, "The Second Young Master asked me to tell Master Mu that the Empress Dowager is holding a spring banquet at the royal gardens on the outskirts of Beijing to celebrate the return of the Prince of Zhongshan and his son to the capital. The Second Young Master has been invited to attend and has already gone there."

Mu Qingcheng was surprised, "Spring Banquet? What kind of banquet is this? Is it just a feast?"

Madam Liu explained, "Master Mu, you may not know this, but there are banquets of various kinds in every season, such as poetry gatherings, flower appreciation parties, and flower-adorning banquets, etc., which are for social interaction among the various families and for unmarried men and women to meet."

"You mean..." Mu Qingcheng blinked thoughtfully, "a blind date?"

Mrs. Liu's face tightened, and she quickly said, "He does seem to be interested in blind dates, but... but our second young master definitely won't..."

"It's alright, I was just asking. I have something to do, I'll be going now."

Mu Qingcheng coughed and turned to leave.

Mrs. Liu was dumbfounded. Could she be angry? Oh no, it's all her fault for being so talkative and bringing up the topic of unmarried couples!

Mu Qingcheng returned to the Office of State Affairs and began studying how to crack Shenmo Village again.

However, Lu Xun's illness and Song Shuyu's blind date were two things that were fighting back and forth in her mind, making her restless!

Men, they really are all scumbags who are two-faced!
One of them lied to her, and the other lied to her too!

"Wuhuan, Langshan..."

She practically ground those words to powder between her teeth, but as she chewed, a sudden inspiration struck her. She quickly flipped through the Great Zhou Gazetteer and found the page recording the nomadic Wuhuan people…

"Master Mu!"

Just then, Jiang Zhan rushed over, "The people monitoring the Xu Imperial Censor's residence have reported that Xu Yuying has left the residence, and the man in black followed her!"

Mu Qingcheng suddenly stood up, "Where did Xu Yuying go?"

Jiang Zhan said, "I asked the people at the Imperial Censorate, and they said I was going to attend the Spring Banquet!"

"Oh no! Xu Yuying is in danger!"

Mu Qingcheng's mind raced. "We can't wait for Yang Bing to arrest anyone. We have to get Xu Yuying back before the men in black do!"

(End of this chapter)