A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 315 My Heart Aches Too

Jingzhao Mansion.

The night is dark.

Under the eaves of the small courtyard house, two lanterns swayed gently.

At the desk by the window, Mu Qingcheng read the case files by lamplight.

Song Shuyu hurried over carrying a food box, but slowed down outside the courtyard gate. He checked it again, making sure everything was normal, before calmly stepping over the threshold.

The hidden guards on the roof, after recognizing the newcomers, bowed respectfully from a distance. Song Shuyu then gestured for the guards to disappear temporarily.

He would raise his hand and knock on the door, one long knock followed by two short knocks—his exclusive code.

The door opened, and Mu Qingcheng, dressed in her nightgown with an outer robe draped over her shoulders, calmly asked, her fingers resting on her collar, "It's so late, has Your Excellency come in person for something important?"

Song Shuyu was stunned. Her expression showed neither anger nor joy. In addition, she only opened half of the door and blocked it with her body, seemingly not intending to invite him in!
"Qingcheng, you..." His breath hitched, his handsome face filled with panic, "Are you distancing yourself from me?"

Mu Qingcheng pursed her lips. "No."

"You have!"

Song Shuyu spoke with certainty. He tentatively reached out to hook her finger, but before he could touch her, she moved her hand away and said with a slightly impatient expression, "It's late, I'm sleepy, you should go back and rest, sir."

"Qingcheng, what's wrong?" Song Shuyu asked anxiously. He picked up the food box and said as if presenting a treasure, "I just came back from the Duke's mansion. I brought you some snacks and candied hawthorns. Can you let me in? If I've made a mistake, just tell me and I'll definitely correct it and not make you angry!"

Mu Qingcheng's gaze fell on his hand holding the food box, and she tightened her grip slightly. "Is Your Excellency truly willing to admit your mistakes and correct them?"

"I'm willing!" Song Shuyu nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with caution. "Since my wife is giving me this opportunity, how could I refuse?"

Mu Qingcheng's face flushed, and her feigned indifference could no longer be maintained. A hint of helplessness appeared between her brows. "Please, my lord, correct your habit of speaking without thinking!"

"Oh," Song Shuyu replied reluctantly.

Mu Qingcheng turned and went back to her room.

Song Shuyu quickly followed him inside, closed the door and bolted it, placed the food box on the table, and took out four plates of snacks, a plate of candied hawthorns, and a bowl of pigeon soup.

He picked up a piece of He Yi cake and brought it to Mu Qingcheng's lips, his dark eyes shining brightly, "Qingcheng, these are all your favorite flavors, try them."

Mu Qingcheng paused for a moment before opening her mouth to eat.

His eyes were full of anticipation as he pressed on, asking, "How is it? Is it delicious?"

Mu Qingcheng nodded.

Song Shuyu immediately fed her the mixed fruit cake, followed by the eight-treasure lily gold and silver roll and the green shrimp dumpling, one piece after another, so much so that Mu Qingcheng couldn't even speak.

"grown ups……"

She tried to pronounce the words clearly, but a spoonful of pigeon soup was already at her lips. Song Shuyu said, "Eat it while it's hot, it will hurt your stomach if it gets cold."

Helpless, Mu Qingcheng could only act as an obedient child and satisfy his tenderness.

The candied hawthorn was meant to be shared between two people. Song Shuyu clearly couldn't eat sour food, but for the sake of the romance of sharing, he forced himself to kiss her and eat the hawthorn from her mouth.

Mu Qingcheng's face was no lighter than the color of a candied hawthorn. She clenched her fist shyly, wanting to punch him, but because of a certain guess, she secretly loosened her fingers.

She took his right hand and asked gently, "What kind of ruthless assassin is it that even Song Li and his guards couldn't handle, requiring you to take action personally?"

Song Shuyu was taken aback, only then noticing several small scars on his palm!
He couldn't help but curse inwardly. It must have been when he was beating Song Shuyan and Song Shushen that he was accidentally scratched by the gold nugget. Even though he had carefully checked, he still couldn't hide it from her sharp eyes!

"There was no assassin; I was just accidentally scratched by a tree branch."

Song Shuyu forced a smile, instinctively trying to pull her hand back. Mu Qingcheng's brows furrowed. "What did you just say? You don't know you're wrong, you won't correct your mistakes, and you're a string of lies?"

"I'm sorry!" Song Shuyu suddenly straightened her back. "I hurt myself. I shouldn't have lied to you."

Mu Qingcheng's expression immediately changed. "You're hurting yourself again? Song Shuyu, didn't you promise me that if you encountered bad emotions that you couldn't let go of, you would tell me and never do anything self-harm again?"

She excitedly pulled up his sleeve to examine his arm. There was no wound on his left arm, so she went to check his right arm. Her heart was filled with nothing but heartache and anxiety.

Song Shuyu felt as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat.

"Where exactly is the injury?"

There were no new injuries on either of his arms, but his eyes were red and he refused to answer. Mu Qingcheng broke out in a cold sweat and immediately began to untie the jade belt around his waist!
This startled Song Shuyu, who hurriedly grabbed Mu Qingcheng's hand, saying, "No need to check, I have no wounds!"

However, in Mu Qingcheng's eyes, it was more of a cover-up than a genuine attempt. She stared at him intently, her gaze resolute, "I must witness it with my own eyes!"

Song Shuyu swallowed hard, a blush creeping onto his handsome face. "Qingcheng, Grandmother just warned me not to have any private relations with you, to protect your reputation. So, wait until our wedding night..."

"Shut up!" Mu Qingcheng was both embarrassed and annoyed. "What's there to hide? It's not like I haven't seen a man's body before. You're not the first, and you won't be the last!"

"I..." Song Shuyu was stunned with anger, "What you saw was a male corpse, a dead person, but I am alive, a living person!"

The more he tried to stop her, the more Mu Qingcheng felt he was lying. Just as she was about to take action, Song Shuyu suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, sitting her on his lap with her arms around her waist. He sighed and said, "Qingcheng, I can explain this. Don't worry, okay?"

"Fine, tell me. If you dare to lie to me even half a word, I won't let you off the hook!" Mu Qingcheng rarely showed such a fierce side.

Song Shuyu was startled. Was this still his gentle and understanding fiancée? This was it; his fear of his wife was now a certainty!
"Say it!"

"Yes!"

Song Shuyu had no choice but to tell the whole story of what happened that night, but he omitted the fact that the Song brothers had insulted Mu Qingcheng and that he had beaten them up. As for the scars on his palms, he made up an excuse: "Those two beasts tried to fight back, and I stopped them, and I accidentally got scratched."

"Is that so?" Mu Qingcheng's expression remained unchanged.

Song Shuyu replied guiltily, "Yes."

Mu Qingcheng cursed inwardly, "This idiot, doesn't he know his words are full of holes?" At this point, even if he wasn't telling the truth, she had guessed the reason.

She got up, took the first-aid kit from the cabinet, and carefully applied the medicine to his wound. Before leaving, she couldn't help but say, "Sir, how many people can be silenced by gossip? There's no need to get angry. I don't care." After a pause, she added, "What I care about is whether you will get hurt. Even if it's just a few scratches, it will hurt me."

(End of this chapter)