A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 406 Ending (75)

Mu Qingcheng was a little worried about Madam Guo's condition and her mind wavered. If she ruined Madam Guo's reputation in front of the world today, wouldn't that force her to have no way out?
Or should we move it back to the inner court and hold a closed trial?

"Master Mu."

Unexpectedly, Madam Guo suddenly spoke, her empty eyes barely shining, "I've lived half my life in a daze, unable to distinguish between human and ghost. Thank you, Master Mu, for clarifying right and wrong for me. Having experienced this, I finally understand. In life, nothing is more important than life and death, but even in death, one should die with clarity! Master Mu, you need not worry about my reputation. Since I have already withered away, why fear rotting into the dust? My son Pingping needs to rest in peace. As parents, we must also be open and honest!"

Mu Qingcheng felt as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat.

A mother is strong.

Despite her weak and submissive nature, Madam Guo managed to stand tall even when faced with a life-or-death situation.

Caught off guard by Liang Ruoming's dazed expression, Mu Qingcheng paused. A pebble thrown into the sea will inevitably create ripples, and those affected will extend far beyond Madam Guo.

"If she, a mere woman, can be so fearless, wouldn't it be beneath me if I hid away?"

Liang Ruoming murmured to himself, as if speaking to Mu Qingcheng, or perhaps trying to convince himself. His confused gaze swept across the faces of Madam Guo and Guo Yuanke, finally settling on Pingping. Suddenly, his eyes burned intensely. "Please, Master Mu, continue the trial. Whatever the outcome, I, Liang Ruoming, will accept it!"

Mu Qingcheng nodded slightly.

Since that was the case, she no longer needed to worry and said frankly, "When Madam Guo went to court and passed by Lord Liang, I noticed that their micro-expressions were not very natural, so I guessed that they were old acquaintances. As the case progressed, I became suspicious of Pingping's background. Because even the most wicked people in this world are rarely the ones who would abandon or kill their own daughters, so I made a bold assumption, carefully verified it, and intentionally tested Madam Guo."

"From a medical perspective, if parents have conditions such as narrow dental arches or insufficient jawbone length, their children may inherit similar skeletal structures, leading to insufficient space when teeth erupt and the formation of canine teeth. Interestingly, when I mentioned the household registration certificate and Pingping's canine teeth, Madam Guo seemed quite alarmed, and Lord Liang also happened to have canine teeth. Later, Guo Xuan repeatedly implied things about Lord Liang, and coupled with Pingping's humiliation, it is not difficult to clarify the cause and effect."

As Mu Qingcheng finished speaking, her gaze toward Guo Xuan grew increasingly cold, and her words became more and more impolite. "Whether they're stupid or not is another matter. How many brains do you think you have that's enough to go toe-to-toe with me?" "Hahaha, as expected of the female coroner and advisor appointed by Song Shuyu in her autocratic way, smart enough and arrogant enough!"

Guo Xuan laughed incoherently, unable to distinguish whether it was resentment or admiration. When he was tired of laughing, he slowly recounted the past: "Back then, Liu Changshou favored Liang Ruoming. Not only did Liang Ruoming not understand, but he also disliked Liu Changshou's habit of dressing as a woman and advised me to break off my relationship with him. But he didn't know that Liu Changshou had once saved me from drowning, and we had spent a night together in a cave. We had a very deep bond. So, on the surface, I listened to Liang Ruoming's advice, but in private, I kept in touch with Liu Changshou."

"Later, Liang Ruoming and I passed the imperial examination and entered officialdom. At that time, Zhang Bichun, the Prefect of Jingzhao, planned to marry his second daughter, Zhang Yuanlang, to Liang Ruoming and even arranged for the two of them to meet. Soon, news spread that the Zhang and Liang families were about to get married. When Liu Changshou found out, he was very jealous. He wanted to repay the favor and asked me to help him ruin Liang Ruoming's marriage. I couldn't bear to see Liu Changshou suffer, nor did I want to see Liang Ruoming climb the social ladder and surpass me. So, I agreed."

"We orchestrated a scene where Zhang Bichun witnessed Liang Ruoming drunkenly arguing and behaving indecently with a man. Zhang Bichun was furious and immediately canceled the engagement. Zhang Yuanlang's reputation was damaged, and he fell ill and never recovered. I seized this opportunity to propose marriage and married Zhang Yuanlang..."

Upon hearing this, Madam Guo trembled violently and screamed in despair, "So it was you who plotted to break me up with Liang Ruoming? Our marriage was also something you schemed to achieve? Guo Xuan, you are shameless!"

Guo Xuan seemed not to hear him, and his next words were even more cold-blooded and ruthless: "When I fell into the water, I hit a reef, damaging my foundation and rendering me unable to have children. Two years after our marriage, Zhang had no offspring. To make up for her guilt towards me, she took a concubine for me and even begged my father-in-law to promote me. Life could have continued like this, but then Liang Ruoming got engaged and married, and had a son a year after the marriage. Not only was Liu Changshou jealous, but I was also resentful. Why should he have many children while I am childless?"

"So I came up with a plan to kill two birds with one stone. I invited Liang Ruoming to my residence for drinks, drugged Zhang's and Liang Ruoming's drinks, and then put them on the same bed. After they finished their illicit affair, I separated the two unconscious people. I lay down next to Zhang, and arranged for Liang Ruoming to be a maid from my residence. When Zhang woke up, she did not suspect anything. Liang Ruoming, in his drunken state, had no choice but to take the maid back to the Liang residence and make her his concubine."

"More than a month later, Zhang was diagnosed with pregnancy, which covered up my infertility. Later, Zhang gave birth to twin daughters, and my revenge against Liang Ruoming officially began. I abandoned the lame Pingping on the farm, forcing her and her daughter to be separated. But I doted on Yuan Ke, raising her to be arrogant and domineering. I originally planned to marry Yuan Ke to Liang Ruoming's son, so that Liang Ruoming would suffer the pain of their sibling rivalry. But the Empress Dowager wanted to bestow Yuan Ke to Song Shuyu, and Pingping also got out of control."

"Actually, Master Mu is right. My initial plan was to kill Yuan Ke, take the opportunity to kill Song Shuyu, and leave Pingping alive to threaten Liang Ruoming and turn him into my pawn. But later, something changed, and I had to change my plan and kill both of Liang Ruoming's bastard children!"

"Speaking of which, that girl Pingping is really disobedient. I rescued her from Sanqing Mountain, and instead of being grateful, she dared to follow me, trying to find something to use against me. She witnessed me having an affair with Liu Changshou, so how could I spare her life? Her mouth is so sharp. Since she doesn't acknowledge me as her father, I forced myself on her and made her my woman... Haha, this revenge should be enough to make Liang Ruoming feel like his heart is being ripped out, right? It's a pity that Lin Fu spared Yuan Ke's life. I have no choice but to kill Pingping first, then send Yuan Ke out of the palace and switch places with her, using Yuan Ke to keep Liang Ruoming in check."

In the end, Guo Xuan sighed with regret: "In the end, man proposes, God disposes. Mu Qingcheng and Song Shuyu have caused me to lose everything!"