A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 401 Ending (70)

"According to Guo Xuan's plan, I should disguise myself as Lord Song and, in the presence of Lord Liang, pretend to stab Guo Yuanke to death with a telescopic knife, thus making Lord Song the murderer. So, I went to the side room of the Jade Wine Pavilion and changed into the same outfit that Guo Xuan had prepared in advance, just like Lord Song. But I had my own plans. I wanted to take this opportunity to escalate the situation and use Lord Liang to attract more people. I knew that Lord Song was at the banquet, and the commotion in the palace would not escape his ears! In this way, I could get rid of Guo Xuan's control, and my brother and Pingping would also be dealt with properly."

At this point, Lin Shuban looked down at his body with needles stuck in it, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. "I can't move right now. The knife is hidden in my clothes. I can only take it out later."

Mu Qingcheng's thoughts raced. "So, is there something wrong with the knife, or have you changed your plans?"

"As expected of Master Mu!" Lin, the clerk, expressed his sincere admiration, his eyes shining brightly, but he quickly became solemn. "Before Lord Liang came looking for me, I discovered that Guo Xuan's so-called retractable knife was fake. In reality, it was a real knife with a sharpened blade! Guo Xuan deceived me and Guo Yuanke. His real purpose was to kill two birds with one stone, eliminating both Guo Yuanke and Lord Song at the same time!"

These words caused a stir and a wave of sighs!
Since entering the courtroom, Guo Yuanke, who had been trembling and shrinking like a quail, suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Father, you, you want to kill me? I am your most beloved daughter, you... no, what Secretary Lin said is all lies, he is lying, isn't he?"

Madam Guo was skeptical. She no longer trusted Guo Xuan at all, but Guo Yuanke was, after all, Guo Xuan's biological daughter, and his only daughter who had been pampered and spoiled for many years!

Guo Xuan looked away, his facial muscles twitching, but he didn't speak. He hadn't decided whether to admit it or deny it, to argue or to confront it directly.

Seeing this, Mu Qingcheng broke the silence, "Secretary Lin, you're still mistaken."

"Please enlighten me, Master Mu." Secretary Lin looked puzzled.

Mu Qingcheng looked at Guo Xuan with a mocking smile on her lips. "If Guo Xuan didn't lie to you and the knife he gave you was indeed a retractable knife, allowing Guo Yuanke to fake her death, then tell me, how can a fake corpse fool the coroner and me? Isn't Guo Xuan afraid that I will dissect his daughter's 'corpse'?"

Lin, the clerk, suddenly realized, "That's right! Even if the coroner in the Ministry of Justice is Guo Xuan's man, Master Mu would never let this go unchecked. The loopholes in this scheme are too obvious; it simply cannot succeed!"

"So, Guo Xuan, based on your true scheming, the corpse hidden in the wine jar is the real Guo Yuan Ke, and as for Ping Ping's role in entering the palace, I guess..."

"Mu Qingcheng!"

Guo Xuan hurriedly interrupted, "I advise you to think twice about things that lack evidence!"

"What, are you getting anxious because I guessed right, Lord Guo?" Mu Qingcheng chuckled. "Do you think you can stop my intelligence now, or stop me from revealing the truth?"

Guo Xuan gritted his teeth, "He's helped you so much, don't you really think about him at all?"

“Now that he’s involved, there’s no way he can stay out of it!” Mu Qingcheng raised an eyebrow, her smile undiminished. “However, I’m not in a hurry. We’ll talk about it later.”

Guo Xuan glared and said, "I'll say it again: without sufficient evidence, don't even think about convicting me!" Seeing this, Mu Qingcheng's tone became even more relaxed. "After Lin Shuban realized he had been deceived, he immediately changed his plan. He used the method of stuffing Guo Yuanke's mouth and nose to make her fake her death. After the charade was over, he carried Guo Yuanke back to the south gate of Yu Niang Pavilion!"

"Yes, Guo Yuanke knew about Guo Xuan's plan to make her fake her death by stabbing her. Although I changed the method of killing her at the last minute, Guo Yuanke reacted quickly. She made a symbolic cry, patted my right arm to put up a normal resistance, and then pretended to faint."

As Lin Shuban spoke, he couldn't help but look at Guo Yuanke with an extremely complicated expression. "The sad thing is that Guo Yuanke was completely unaware that her father intended to use her as a sacrifice. After entering the South Gate and seeing Guo Xuan, she immediately opened her eyes, completely oblivious to how shocked and abnormal Guo Xuan's expression was when he saw her alive and kicking!"

Hearing this, Guo Yuanke tried hard to recall the events of that day, and she couldn't help but shudder!
Mu Qingcheng pondered for a moment, her gaze falling on Lin Shuban's severed finger, and her throat tightened. "What happened next?"

Lin Shuban, who had worked with her for a long time, could sense her rare emotional fluctuations. He felt a warmth in his heart and said, "I did not obey Guo Xuan's orders, so Guo Xuan wanted to kill me. He first forced me to write a false accusation, fabricating crimes against Lord Song. When I refused, he ordered Guo An to cut off one of my fingers. When he forced me again, and I refused again, he ordered Guo An to kill me to silence me. He stabbed me in the chest and in the back, and I fainted on the spot."

"When I regained consciousness, I was already in a swill bucket. I guess Guo An thought I was dead and used the swill cart in the back kitchen of the imperial kitchen to transport my body out of the palace, and then dump or dismember the body. I took advantage of the moment when the people escorting the cart went to relieve themselves, climbed out of the swill bucket, and hid in the hay pile in the stable in the backyard of the Brocade Cloth Shop."

"I was unconscious for several days until I heard the coachman say that Master Mu was going to marry the heir of the Prince of Zhongshan as a concubine. I suddenly woke up. I begged the coachman to deliver a message to the Jingzhao Prefecture for me. The coachman met Constable Liu on the way, and then Constable Liu came to pick me up and brought me here."

Upon hearing about Lin Shuban's murder, Song Shuyu was filled with shock and disbelief. "Lin Fu, you...you are foolish! I am upright and have nothing to fear. How could Guo Xuan possibly harm me? How could you risk your life for this?"

“I understand your kindness, sir, but we people of the Jingzhao Prefecture are all people of integrity and cannot disgrace you.” Lin Shuban finally couldn’t hold back his tears, which reddened his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.

Song Shuyu's eyes also reddened, as if a fishbone was stuck in her throat.

Liu Heng and Jiang Zhan, two tough martial arts men in the audience, were both moved to tears by this truth, their grief overwhelming.

Mu Qingcheng closed her eyes tightly, then spoke again, her voice slightly hoarse, "Secretary Lin, can you tell me about what happened before you entered the palace?"

Song Shuyu asked Jiang Zhan for a handkerchief and personally wiped Lin Shuban's eyes dry.

After calming his agitated emotions, Lin Shuban continued, "My elder brother, Lin Ling, came to the capital as a doctor and by chance saved Guo Xuan's daughter, Pingping. They fell in love over time, but Guo Xuan opposed and punished them. Later, Lin Ling approached me and conveyed Guo Xuan's intention to recruit me to work for him, but I refused. I thought that was the end of it, so I didn't make a fuss. After all, Guo Xuan held a high position, and I couldn't afford to offend him."

"Unexpectedly, Guo Xuan's despicable nature exceeded my imagination. Not long after, Lin Ling disappeared. I searched everywhere but couldn't find him. I had a feeling something was wrong and was about to report to Lord Song when I received a threat from Guo Xuan: if I dared to leak it, he would chop off Lin Ling's head and send it to me!"

“I dared not risk Lin Ling’s life, so I had to pretend to agree to work for Guo Xuan. In my heart, I also wanted to find out what Guo Xuan wanted from me. Three days ago, Guo Xuan finally revealed his trump card. He asked me to kill Liu Changqing, the mute killer, and Lin Chuan, who were being held in the Jingzhao Prefecture. I refused. He then gave me a second option, which was to frame Lord Song for murder at the farewell banquet. Between two evils, I chose the lesser one. So, I entered the palace under Guo Xuan’s arrangement.”

“So…” Mu Qingcheng’s expression changed, and she clenched her fists tighter and tighter, “You were prepared to die, which is why you left behind that final poem?”