A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 328 Corpse Hidden in Wine Jar (8)

What is Guo Yuanke holding in her hand?

The old woman's sudden words pulled Mu Qingcheng back from her reverie. Following the old woman's gaze, she looked at Guo Yuanke's clenched right fist, which was indeed bulging, as if she were holding something.

Just as Mu Qingcheng was about to make a move, the nanny quickly grabbed Guo Yuanke's hand and pried open her stiff fingers!

A crowd suddenly swarmed around!
Even if those who drank the corpse-soaking wine knew that the deceased was not an ordinary palace maid, but Guo Yuanke, a daughter of an official, she was still a dead person. Who wouldn't feel disgusted, nauseous, or angry?

So they were holding their breath, determined to see for themselves what was going on!
On the palm of the deceased Guo Yuanke lay a jade pendant without a cord. It was entirely green with excellent translucency, and a small amount of blood was stained on it, which had seeped into the carving.

"Why does this thing look so familiar?"

The old woman muttered to herself, her expression shifting several times, shock and doubt swirling in her eyes. She glanced at Mu Qingcheng subconsciously, then suddenly grabbed the jade peace pendant, pushed through the crowd, and hurried over to present it to the Empress Dowager, saying, "Your Majesty, this is something Guo Yuanke is clutching tightly in her hand. This servant is unsure of its authenticity, so please take a look!"

Mu Qingcheng did not stop her at all. A thousand thoughts were swirling in her mind, but she did not show it at all. Instead, she took the opportunity to quickly check the condition of the deceased's body!
As the jade peace pendant came into view, Song Shuyu's gaze suddenly darkened!
The Empress Dowager looked at it from side to side, her expression changing drastically. Then she turned sharply to Song Shuyu, pointing to the character "Yu" on the back of the plaque, and said in disbelief, "Shuyu, this is a jade peace plaque that your father made for you, and it was blessed at a royal temple. How... how could it be in the hands of a dead man?"

Upon hearing this, the emperor felt a chill run down his spine. No wonder he had a bad feeling; it turned out that this was where they were waiting!
Upon hearing this, the officials were greatly shocked and immediately returned, kneeling down in unison!
Song Shuyu remained calm and composed. "Your Majesty, my jade peace pendant was lost three years ago. I would also like to know why it ended up in the hands of the deceased."

"emperor!"

Just then, Guo Xuan staggered in from the outer courtyard, knelt before the emperor, and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I beg you to spare my daughter and release her, for the sake of my years of service to the court! Someone has died in the palace and is being preserved in wine jars. I only have one daughter, and I am truly worried about her!"

The emperor lowered his lips and remained silent.

The Empress Dowager raised her chin and pointed to the corpse not far away. "Lord Guo, your daughter has been taken out of the wine jar. Go and take a look."

"what?"

Guo Xuan was shocked and collapsed to the ground, but he immediately got up and rushed toward the corpse.

Fearing that the chubby-bear-like Guo Xuan might disturb the state of the corpse, Mu Qingcheng urgently warned, "Don't move!"

Seeing Guo Yuanke lying stiffly on the ground, Guo Xuan instantly broke down. "Yuanke! Yuanke!" In his agitation, he grabbed Guo Yuanke's shoulders and shook her desperately. "Get up, don't sleep! Dad's here to take you home. Get up now!"

Father and daughter reunite, but are forever separated by death.

This scene inevitably caused everyone present to sigh with regret.

Mu Qingcheng remained rational and calm throughout. Out of professional habit, she observed Guo Xuan's expressions, actions, and appearance without making a sound.

Her wandering gaze lingered on the web of Guo Xuan's left hand, where several bloody scratches were visible, though they were covered by the wide sleeves. From the angle from which she was crouching on the ground, she could see them clearly!
"Lord Guo, please accept my condolences!"

"Lord Guo, Miss Guo is dead. There's no point in being sad. We should find the murderer as soon as possible to comfort her soul in heaven!" "That's right, Lord Guo. Miss Guo was holding a peace token in her hand, which may be related to the murderer. You are a former Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, so you should go and investigate!"

Although the women who were watching the corpse were disgusted by the fact that they had drunk Guo Yuanke's corpse-soaking wine, Guo Xuan was, after all, a third-rank official, so he still had to offer them some consolation.

After being reminded, Guo Xuan immediately stopped wailing and questioned Mu Qingcheng, "Where are the things?"

"It has been presented to the Empress Dowager," Mu Qingcheng replied.

"The jade peace pendant belongs to Song Shuyu!"

Supported by her nanny, the Empress Dowager slowly approached, her tone both authoritative and dignified. "Although I come from the Song family and am Song Shuyu's aunt, I am also the Empress Dowager of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I will never let personal matters interfere with public duty and protect Song Shuyu! However, Song Shuyu says that his jade pendant was lost three years ago. Without other evidence, I find it hard to believe that Song Shuyu would be the murderer!"

Upon hearing this, everyone stared in shock, their eyes widening in disbelief!

Who would believe that the Prefect of the Capital, who was in charge of the capital's government affairs and criminal cases, would become a murder suspect?
Mu Qingcheng's pupils contracted sharply. Across the crowd, she met the gaze of Song Shuyu, who was walking with the emperor. Song Shuyu shook his head slightly, his lips moving as he silently uttered two words: "Framed!"

Mu Qingcheng felt relieved and then focused her attention on the corpse.

"Song Shuyu?"

Guo Xuan, however, was furious upon hearing this. He rushed over, grabbed Song Shuyu's clothes, and, with tears streaming down his face, demanded, "Why did you kill my daughter? She offended you before. You slapped her in public and punished her by sending her to the palace as a slave. Wasn't that enough punishment for her? Why won't you let her go!"

Song Shuyu curled his lips, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor. "Lord Guo, I will let bygones be bygones for your rudeness out of consideration for your loss of your beloved daughter. However, you were once the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, so why don't you use your brain? With my power, if I really wanted to kill someone, would I do it myself? Would I do it so sleazy?"

After speaking, he pushed Guo Xuan away with one hand.

Guo Xuan steadied himself hastily and retorted, "Yes, what you say makes sense, but... but when you slapped my daughter, didn't you do it yourself? Who in the entire capital doesn't know that you're capable of anything for Mu Qingcheng? You even slapped the Princess of Ningchang yourself..."

"What's all the commotion about?" the emperor interrupted coldly, his brows furrowed with obvious displeasure. "Is the way to settle cases by arguing?"

"Wei Chen is guilty!"

"This old minister admits his guilt!"

Song Shuyu and Guo Xuan hurriedly knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

The emperor's gaze fell on Mu Qingcheng's face, and he said, "Master Mu, you are a professional coroner, so tell me, when did the person die? What's the story behind the jade peace pendant?"

Mu Qingcheng bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, considering the rigor mortis and the fact that the body was soaked in wine, which affected the time of death, we can deduce that the time of death was approximately within one hour. The jade peace pendant may have been torn off by the murderer during the fight, or it may have been placed in the victim's hand by the murderer."

(End of this chapter)