A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 57 Secret
Shuanzi nodded, his tone certain, "I'm sure. But this matter is a secret of the Liu family. The master forbids anyone from mentioning it. If it is leaked, they will be sold off. If there are daughters in the family, they will be sold directly into brothels to become prostitutes, and if there are men, they will be sold into the palace to become eunuchs, thus ending their family line."

Officer Liu's eyes widened in astonishment. "Why?"

"I don't know," Shuanzi shook his head.

Officer Liu slammed his hand on the armrest of the chair and roared, "Then what do you know?"

Shuanzi was startled and spoke quickly, "I served in the Second Young Master's courtyard. One night about half a year ago, the Second Young Master had already gone to sleep when someone came to report that the Eldest Young Master had suddenly fallen ill and was unconscious. The Second Young Master rushed to the Eldest Young Master's courtyard, and soon after, he heard the maids crying and saying that they wanted to ask the Master and Madam to take care of themselves. However, when the Second Young Master returned, he strictly ordered us servants to keep the news of the Eldest Young Master's death a secret! There was no funeral in the mansion, and I heard that the Eldest Young Master's body was sent to the mortuary in the suburbs overnight."

Constable Liu and Constable Luo looked at each other in dismay. This was indeed a big secret. What family would keep the death of their eldest son a secret and be afraid of outsiders finding out?
After a pause, Officer Liu suddenly remembered something else, "The eldest young master is definitely dead, right? Then how did the eldest madam get pregnant?"

"This... I really didn't know! In fact, before I was imprisoned, I didn't even know that the First Madam was pregnant. I thought she had just gained weight!" Shuanzi was so anxious that he was almost crying.

Officer Liu clicked his tongue twice. "So, you're one of Second Young Master Liu Xiao's men?"

"Yes, I have been serving in the Second Young Master's courtyard for five years, taking care of his daily life."

"So, who selected the four of you?"

"The second young master asked me to go and help the first madam, so I went. Xie Da must have been following the master's orders. The short, fat man and Sanhu were originally from the first young master's courtyard, so they must have been chosen by the first madam."

"What exactly happened on the day we went up the mountain? Why did the First Madam die at the temple gate?" Upon hearing this, Shuanzi remained silent for a long time, seemingly lost in thought, his brows furrowed tightly.

Officer Liu didn't rush him, giving him enough time to think. There were too many strange things about this case, and even those of them involved probably didn't know the whole story!

"Sir, to be honest, I also want to know why the First Madam died. She was always with us!" Shuanzi's expression was full of confusion, clearly this was also a knot in his heart.

Officer Liu's gaze sharpened. "Tell me from the beginning, starting from where you set off. Explain every detail, especially anything that seems illogical."

Shuanzi racked his brains to recall, "We set off before dawn that day. The goods were loaded into two carts. Xie Da and I were in one group, Sanhu and the short, fat man were in another, and the First Madam rode alone in a carriage driven by Xia Yu. When we reached the foot of the mountain, the First Madam said that she would walk up the mountain to show her sincerity, and told us to rest before continuing, and not to rush... Oh, right, if there's anything unusual, the short, fat man went to the outhouse while resting, but he slipped and fell, getting covered in mud and smelling terrible. Wouldn't that be considered a problem?"

"And what about the First Madam? Is there anything unusual about her?" Officer Liu then asked.

Shuanzi said, "The First Madam dislikes the short and fat man, and like Xia Yu, she wears a veil on her head."

That's all for today's update. See you tomorrow! Thanks for your support!

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(End of this chapter)