A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 404 Ending (73)

The recantation was expected.

The trees fell and the hozens scattered.

At this point, self-preservation is a basic human instinct.

Mu Qingcheng looked at the coroner, Chen, "And what about you? Why did you conceal the autopsy results?"

“Because…” Coroner Chen took off his sleeve, his eyes red, “because my mother was sick, very sick. Guo Xuan saved my mother’s life with a century-old wild snow ginseng. I… have to repay this kindness.”

Mu Qingcheng frowned. "He's taking advantage of your kindness, using you to make you his accomplice!"

“I understand, but what can I do? Pingping is already dead. Am I supposed to just watch my mother die too?” The coroner, Chen, became unusually agitated as his emotions surged. “As a son, how can I be unfilial? Besides, I have no other relatives left but my mother!”

These words left the listener feeling quite uncomfortable.

Even the most hateful person has a pitiable side.

A hint of warmth appeared in Mu Qingcheng's eyes. She sighed deeply and cupped her hands toward the presiding judge, saying, "Due to time constraints, the details of the crimes committed by Coroner Chen, Xiao Fuzi, and Xiao Cui will be transferred to the three judicial departments for review at a later date."

Qin Songyang was humiliated and gave an awkward reply before ordering the bailiffs to drag the three away.

He had assumed that Lin Shuban and Chen the coroner were in the same boat, and that he and Song Shuyu were evenly matched. Who would have thought that the interrogation results would only condemn him to shame?

Mu Qingcheng turned her attention back to Guo Xuan. She pointed to the statement in her hand and said, "You wrote down your whereabouts three times, and each time it was exactly the same, not a single word different. Guo Xuan, you're not only stupid, but you're also thinking you're so clever!"

"Because it's the truth..."

"You fabricated this false testimony!"

Mu Qingcheng gradually lost patience. "Human memory and language expression are not printing presses; they can't be perfect enough to be exactly the same every time! Unless, you've prepared the answers in advance and copied them like memorizing a book! The biggest mistake is the absence of errors!"

Guo Xuan opened his mouth, but was speechless.

Indeed, he was too clever for his own good.

"Guo Xuan, stop trying to justify yourself. Your chances are running out." Mu Qingcheng handed the case file back to Liang Ruoming and asked, "During the search of the Jade Wine Pavilion, were any tools such as ropes found?"

Liang Ruoming shook his head. "The scene was thoroughly cleaned up, but no useful physical evidence was found. Guo Xuan may be stupid, but he is still from the public sector and has some experience."

"I...I know where the rope is!" Guo Yuanke suddenly interjected, her tense expression tinged with excitement. "Master Mu, I was the only eyewitness when my father murdered Pingping. If I tell you everything without missing a single word, can it be considered that I'm making amends? I didn't intentionally escape from the palace!"

"You wretch, how dare you!" Guo Xuan roared in fury, her eyes filled with disappointment. "I've let you be a pampered young lady for over a decade, spoiling you and letting you enjoy all the riches and honors, and yet you betray me time and time again?"

"You tried to kill me first!" Guo Yuanke screamed back, tears welling in her eyes. "Pingping and I are your own daughters! How could you be so heartless as to kill us? Are you even human?!"

"you……"

“I didn’t want to suffer as a palace maid. I told you this in the hope that you would plead with the Emperor for me. But you said that the Emperor listened to Song Shuyu’s slander and wanted to kill me. I had no choice but to fake my death and escape the palace to survive! You are my most respected father. I trusted you and left everything to you. I never expected that the person who really wanted to kill me was you!”

When Guo Yuanke spoke of her sorrow, she burst forth with boundless hatred. She clenched her fists and recounted the entire process of Guo Xuan's murder in one breath: "My father arranged for Lin Shuban to disguise himself as Song Shuyu and act out a play with me outside the Imperial Kitchen. For some reason, Lin Shuban did not stab me with his extendable knife, but pressed down on my mouth and nose. I was shocked and thought he really wanted to kill me, so I resisted, hit him, and even tried to pry his hands off. He winked at me and loosened the pressure on my mouth. I immediately realized his intention and cooperated with him to pretend to faint."

"After that, Lin Shuban carried me through the south gate of Yu Niang Pavilion. My father was very surprised to see me awake and asked about what had happened outside. Then he forced Lin Shuban to frame Song Shuyu. When Lin Shuban refused, he ordered Guo An to cut off Lin Shuban's fingers. Pingping tried to save Lin Shuban, but my father knocked her unconscious with a karate chop. Then, Guo An, on my father's orders, stabbed Lin Shuban twice, once in the chest and once in the lower back, killing him. After that, he carried Lin Shuban to dispose of the body."

"There were only three of us left. My father originally wanted to throw Pingping directly into the wine jar to drown her. I was terrified and questioned my father about why. My father said that there were no palace maids who died of illness in the palace. Pingping looked the same as me and had a similar figure, so he could only use Pingping as a substitute. I... I didn't want to hurt Pingping, but I was too weak and couldn't stop my father at all. Just as we were arguing, Pingping suddenly woke up. She cursed my father as a beast and said he deserved to die a horrible death. She struggled desperately. My father casually untied a rope that was used to seal the wine jar and strangled Pingping from behind, but Pingping pushed him away with all her might."

“Pingping wanted to escape, but she had difficulty walking. My father caught up with her in a few steps, covered her mouth and nose, and Pingping scratched my father’s left wrist. She tried to escape again, but my father threatened Pingping that if she did not obediently accept her death, he would kill the itinerant doctor Lin Ling! So, Pingping stopped trying to survive and obediently let my father replicate the scene between me and Lin Shuban. She was shoved in the mouth and nose and died. After her death, her body was thrown into wine jar number three!”

“I was so scared that my whole body went limp and I couldn’t muster any strength. My father said that he had no choice but to kill Pingping in order to protect me. He told me to keep my mouth shut. He gave me the rope and told me to wait for Guo An to return. He then disguised me as a servant in the Guo family and smuggled me out of the palace. He hid me in a farm outside the city.”

After Guo Yuanke finished confessing, seeing Guo Xuan's expression of wanting to devour her alive, she burst into laughter. "Do you regret not silencing me back then? Well, you have another regret. You told me to burn the rope, but I didn't listen to you. Although I'm stupid, I know that the rope is the only physical evidence. What if something unexpected happens? So, I hid the rope in Pingping's room, right under her pillow!"

Guo Xuan's face was deathly still!

Lu Xun immediately sent people to collect evidence.

Madam Guo clutched her clothes to her chest, gasping for breath, almost fainting!
"So, Pingping died protecting me!" Lin Ling murmured, then burst into tears.

Mu Qingcheng seized upon a crucial piece of information. She grabbed Lin Ling's collar and whispered, "Don't cry! Tell me, did you take Pingping's virginity?"

Lin Ling was stunned, tears and snot streaming down his face. He paused for a moment before realizing what Mu Qingcheng meant, and asked in surprise, "It wasn't me! Master Mu, was Pingping bullied? Although we have pledged our lives to each other, we are not yet married. How could I dare to overstep the bounds of propriety?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingcheng turned around abruptly, and with a flick of her elbow, Guo Xuan was sent flying to the ground!

A surge of crimson light welled up in her eyes. "It's you, isn't it? You beast! She called you 'father,' and you disregarded all human ethics!"

"Father? Call me father?" Guo Xuan seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, and he went into a frenzy. "Didn't you already guess? They are not my biological daughters at all!"