A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 114 The Truth Revealed to the World (2)

Officer Jiang caught Liu Xiao just in time as he fell backward!

However, in a human pyramid fashion, Jiang Butou was crushed beneath Liu Xiao's heavy body, and the back of his head hit the ground with a crisp sound that sent shivers down the spines of those around him!

Jiang, the head constable, endured the pain without making a laughable groan, but his head was spinning and stars were flashing before his eyes. Even though Liu Xiao had been carried away and was no longer carrying any weight, he still couldn't get up!

In fact, Officer Jiang had prepared for the possible reactions of Liu Xiao. He thought Liu Xiao would scream hysterically or rush over and punch and kick the glass jar. The only thing he hadn't considered was that a person who is truly grief-stricken and desperate to the extreme is actually powerless to do anything.

A huge external stimulus can damage a person's very being, causing them to vomit blood, fall into a coma, and suffer the most devastating loss of spirit.

Song Shuyu had Liu Xiao carried to a room on the ground floor, settled him on the bed, and then sent someone with his token to the Imperial Hospital to fetch someone.

The constables helped Jiang, the head constable, up and helped him out of the stilted building. They found a step and sat him down. The constables checked him over and found that Jiang had a large bump on the back of his head.

Bai Zhizhi's medicine chest was filled with both internal and external medicines, all of which were top-quality medicines she had bought at a high price from Renxintang. She picked out a bottle of blood-activating and stasis-removing medicinal oil and handed it to Constable Jiang, saying, "Here, this medicine is worth ten taels of silver. You can have it for free."

Upon hearing this, Officer Jiang felt as if the stars in his eyes had multiplied. He waved his hands repeatedly, "No need, no need, I'm fine, I'll be alright after a rest."

Ten taels of silver is more than half a year's salary for him!
"Here you go!" Bai Zhizhi tossed the medicated oil directly into Jiang Zhan's arms, a playful smile appearing on her bright face. "It's not a free gift. My sister Mu is, after all, a young lady. When you two investigate cases together, if you encounter any hard, dirty, or tiring work, you should volunteer to do more of it. Just don't tire out my sister Mu."

Jiang Zhan smiled and said, "Miss Bai, you've gone to so much trouble. Our constables in the Jingzhao Prefecture will not let Coroner Mu suffer. Our superiors will certainly not let Coroner Mu work so hard."

Mentioning Song Shuyu filled Bai Zhizhi with resentment. She had to stay by Sister Mu's side and carefully examine whether this corrupt official was worthy of entrusting her life to!

Inside the underground room, Mu Qingcheng and his clerks were busy recording and collecting evidence at the scene.

Hundreds of medicine bottles and countless medicinal herbs all need to be classified and numbered. The books on the shelves also need to be registered and cataloged in accordance with the case-handling procedures and brought back to the Jingzhao Prefecture for inspection.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhan brought in six clerks, all of whom were experienced and capable veterans. They worked together efficiently and in good order, completing the tasks in just one hour.

After the books were packed and carried away, the bookshelves were left empty. Mu Qingcheng recalled the bloodstains and the sachet, and ordered the bookshelves to be carried out of the stilted building. Under the daytime sunlight, they were inspected again inside and out.

Sure enough, several more bloodstains were found on the inner wall of the shelves at the top. They were all splattered bloodstains, and the dried blood was similar in color to the walnut-colored bookshelf. Anyone who was slightly careless would not notice them.

Mu Qingcheng was overjoyed. Li Mu was five feet one inch tall, and the perpetrator was about two inches taller than the victim, that is, five feet three inches. Among the many constables, she selected two with similar builds to conduct on-site experiments, and finally determined the position of Li Mu when he was killed, as well as the location of the murderer.

"My lord, how is the investigation by the Registrar of the Imperial Guard going? Has any news come back?"

"Not yet."

In fact, Mu Qingcheng had anticipated the outcome, but she discovered a new problem: "Sir, Liu Xiao said that his disguise skills, mechanical skills, and martial arts were all personally taught by his father, Liu Changqing. Therefore, Liu Pei's master should also be Liu Changqing! Thus, the skills of the three fathers and sons are exactly the same!" Song Shuyu frowned, "In other words, based on their killing abilities and methods, it is impossible to distinguish which of the Liu father and sons is the real culprit?"

"Yes." Mu Qingcheng nodded. "I'm afraid we can only start by investigating the murderer's height, the sachet left at the scene, and the Shu brocade clothes on Li Mu's body."

Song Shuyu stared at the bookshelf for a long time before suddenly asking a question: "Coroner Mu, don't you find it strange? There are already three dead bodies here. What difference would it make if we threw in Li Mu's body? Besides, this place is secluded and safe. If Li Mu's body is left here, unless someone comes looking for it, who will find it?"

"That's right, those three women have been missing for over two months, and no one has found them. Logically speaking, there's no better place to dump their bodies than here!"

As Mu Qingcheng spoke, she subconsciously glanced at the exit of the secret passage leading from Li Mu's study to the central courtyard of the Mu residence. Her thoughts gradually cleared. "Since it doesn't make sense logically, it means we're going in the wrong direction! Referring to the example of Li Yunyao's suicide and body disposal, which can be divided into two parts, then couldn't the person who killed Li Mu and the person who disposed of Li Mu's body also be two different people?"

Song Shuyu snapped his fingers, his tone slightly agitated, "That's right! This explains why Li Mu, who clearly died in a hidden place, had his body dumped back into the Li residence and easily found by us!"

"That raises another question: Did the Shu brocade clothes Li Mu was wearing belong to the murderer, or to the person who disposed of the body?"

"It must be the person who disposed of the body! Given the killer's caution, why would they leave evidence pointing to themselves on the victim?"

"What about the bloodstains? Who cleaned them up?"

"After committing the murder, the killer would have left quickly. There was no need for him to leave the body behind and clean up the bloodstains, which would have been a pointless effort. Therefore, it must have been the person who disposed of the body!"

"Where's the motive?"

"Logically speaking, destroying evidence and covering up traces is to protect the identity of the murderer..."

"So, the person who dumped the body and the murderer not only knew each other, but also had an important relationship!" After the two of them deduced this, Mu Qingcheng's eyes shone with excitement. "The suspicion against the Liu family father and son can never be cleared!"

"grown ups!"

After applying the medicated oil, Jiang Zhan felt much clearer-headed. He brought over Mu Qingcheng's personal coroner's toolbox and reported, "Imperial Physician Jin said that the sword that stabbed Registrar Zhang was only two inches away from piercing his lung, which was extremely dangerous! Fortunately, he was taken to the hospital in time, and with the expertise of Imperial Physician Jin, who is a master of external injuries, and the use of imperial medicines from the palace, Registrar Zhang is out of danger! However, he is still unconscious, but if there are no unforeseen circumstances, he should wake up tomorrow."

"That's great!" Mu Qingcheng was overjoyed; the weight on her heart could finally be lifted.

Song Shuyu also breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that he's alright. Send word back to tell Registrar Zhang to take good care of himself, and Lin, the clerk, will temporarily take over his official duties."

"Yes, sir!" Jiang Zhan bowed and replied.

Just then, a constable came to report: "Sir, Young Master Liu has woken up!"

(End of this chapter)