A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 84 Plan
When Granny Yang saw the pearl that had been found, she was first stunned, then seemed to remember something and said, "I found it. I thought it was pretty, so I planned to give it to Miss Qingcheng. I never expected that I wouldn't have seen Miss Qingcheng for the past few months..."

Mu Qingcheng tried her best to suppress her emotions and interrupted, "Where did you find it?"

"In...in the nearby mountains."

"Which mountain?"

"It's the mountain where the Cui family, a prominent family in the capital, is buried."

Mu Qingcheng grabbed Granny Yang's trembling hands, her voice filled with anxiety, "Granny Yang, you're so old. Even if you don't suffer severe torture, just being locked up in jail for a few months won't be enough for your body!"

“I’m telling the truth. Qingcheng, I’m not young anymore. I’ll live one day at a time, it doesn’t matter.” Tears welled up in Grandma Yang’s reddened eyes. “Don’t worry about me. Just do what needs to be done. I don’t blame you.”

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

Song Shuyu ordered Liu Xiao to be brought over and asked, "Do you recognize this Eastern Pearl?"

Liu Xiao glanced at it a few times, then frowned and said, "Although Eastern pearls are expensive, they are not rare. Which prominent official family in the capital doesn't have them?"

Song Shuyu understood that this Eastern Pearl didn't have a single, definitive indication; the scope of the investigation was too broad, involving too many people, and it was still unknown whether it was related to the case. Therefore, it wasn't advisable to take drastic measures.

"Do you have any at home?" Mu Qingcheng asked in return.

Liu Xiao frowned even deeper. "I'm not in charge of the household, how would I know?" Mu Qingcheng nodded. "Alright, then tell me, why do you suspect Granny Yang? Do you have any evidence?"

"I have no evidence. If I did, I would have already turned Granny Yang over to the authorities for punishment!"

"Ok?"

"But I'm not just making baseless suspicions; I have my reasons! On September 15th, I was at Yuntai Temple when I went to the outhouse and was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I was lying on Granny Yang's bed!"

Liu Xiao grew angrier as he spoke, his face turning bright red. "Such an outrageous thing, and this old woman actually claims she knows nothing about it! She found me at the entrance of the mortuary! How is that possible? I'm not some wild chicken or rabbit from the mountains that she just happened to find! After that, I discovered that my elder brother Liu Pei's coffin was empty, and his body was gone! When I asked her again, she said she knew nothing about it. Can you believe how infuriating that is?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingcheng's expression churned. She exchanged a glance with Song Shuyu, and the two asked almost simultaneously, "Liu Xiao, weren't you the one who disposed of Li Yunyao's body?"

Liu Xiao nodded and then shook his head. "The original plan was for me, but I was ambushed along the way. So, I'm very curious now, who exactly replaced me behind the scenes?"

"A plan?" Mu Qingcheng's eyes brightened slightly. "Li Yunyao committed suicide, and you were responsible for disposing of the body. What is the purpose of your collaboration?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiao remained silent for a moment before finally making up his mind. His knees buckled, and he knelt before Song Shuyu and Mu Qingcheng, choking back tears as he said, "Lord Song, Coroner Mu, I was wrong today. I shouldn't have tested your abilities under the guise of teasing you, but I really had no other choice! You could say that Li Yunyao and I have reached a dead end. She chose to commit suicide to find her father, and I helped her dispose of the body to find my wife, Huang Yiyi. We each have our own purposes, and we must join forces to create a sensational case that will shake the entire city, so that we can attract the attention of the Jingzhao Prefecture, and even the Emperor, and only then can we possibly protect our loved ones and families."

(End of this chapter)