A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 117 The Truth Revealed to the World (5)

"I, I..." Liu Xiao was caught off guard by the question that was suddenly thrown at him. His chaotic mind was buzzing, and he mechanically moved his lips, but he couldn't come up with a coherent answer for a long time.

Mu Qingcheng gave him no time to catch his breath and continued to press, "From the beginning of midnight to the end of the morning on the tenth of September, did you kill Li Mu here?"

"Kill Li Mu?" Liu Xiao suddenly snapped to attention, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You mean I killed Li Mu? Here? Killed someone?"

Everyone was also shocked. Since the incident, they had never suspected Liu Xiao!
Only Song Shuyu immediately understood Mu Qingcheng's intention. He took out a black sachet and, keeping pace with Mu Qingcheng, asked aggressively, "Liu Xiao, this is what we found at the scene where Li Mu was killed! Look at it yourself, isn't it your sachet?"

Liu Xiao's gaze involuntarily fell on the sachet in Song Shuyu's hand. His expression was as if he had been hit on the head with a club, blank, bewildered and helpless.

A moment later, as if waking from a dream, he exclaimed, "It's my sachet! No, it's not necessarily mine, my father, my elder brother, we all have this sachet!"

"Be more specific!" Mu Qingcheng said.

Liu Xiao swallowed hard, his eyes filled with shock. "At the beginning of the year, my mother got a piece of fine cloth and made a sachet for each of us, father and son, by hand!"

"Exactly the same?"

"Yes, they came from the same piece of cloth, were made by the same person, and are exactly the same in color, size, stitching, cut, and embroidery pattern!"

Song Shuyu said coldly, "Then how can you prove that this sachet isn't yours?"

Liu Xiao paused, then suddenly remembered, "My sachet is in the treasure chest in my bedroom! That chest holds the most important things for me and Yiyi!"

"Alright, we'll talk about it after we verify!" Mu Qingcheng nodded, then changed the subject and asked again, "Where were you from the evening of September 9th to the early morning of September 10th?"

Liu Xiao thought for a while before saying, "On the night of September 9th, I went to Shuanghua Pavilion and stayed in the room where Yiyi used to live all night."

Can someone vouch for you?

"Yes, there were many guests at Shuanghua Pavilion that night. When the madam saw me, she joked that since I had married Wantang, why was I still thinking about having an affair? I asked the madam if I had seen Wantang recently, and if Wantang had ever been to Shuanghua Pavilion. The madam looked very surprised. What kind of reformed girl would return to the brothel where she used to sell herself? The madam thought I was there to cause trouble and ordered her to kick me out. I gave the madam a hundred taels of silver and asked her to let me stay in Wantang's room for a while. The madam agreed, and I stayed there all night. I couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep in the early morning. I slept until noon the next day before leaving Shuanghua Pavilion."

"And what about your father? Where was General Liu on the night of September 9th?"

“I don’t know. Ever since Yiyi disappeared, my father and I have fallen out. I suspect that my father couldn’t tolerate Yiyi and kicked her out behind my back. I’ve argued with my father about this many times, and he even disciplined me. My father and I haven’t seen each other for a long time. Until the afternoon of September 10th, after I returned to the mansion from Shuanghua Pavilion, my sister-in-law Li Yunyao came to me and said that her father Li Mu had disappeared. In a fit of anger, I went to my father and mother to ask them. As a result, my father scolded me and then confined me to my quarters, forbidding me from having any contact with my sister-in-law.”

How tall is General Liu?

“My dad isn’t as tall as me, he’s half a head shorter.”

"And what about Liu Pei? What is his height?"

“My older brother is probably about five feet three or four inches tall. I haven’t measured him, but he’s roughly that tall.” Liu Xiao finally realized what was going on, “What, you suspect the murderer is my father or my older brother?”

Mu Qingcheng said calmly, "We will not suspect anyone casually, but will only make reasonable speculations and suspicions based on evidence and clues."

Liu Xiao panicked, "But..."

"No buts!" Song Shuyu interrupted him. "You're done for now. Go back to jail to continue reflecting on your actions and await your trial." Seeing Song Shuyu's resolute actions, Liu Xiao quickly turned his gaze to Mu Qingcheng and said urgently, "Coroner Mu, can I take Yiyi out of the water? I... even if Yiyi is really dead, I'm qualified to prepare her body for burial, right?"

"No!" Mu Qingcheng refused outright. "Body of unnatural deaths must be examined by a coroner. Only after the case is solved can the body be returned to the family for burial."

Song Shuyu waved his hand dismissively, "Take him away!"

Liu Xiao resigned himself to his fate, and even as the constables dragged him out the door, his affectionate and sorrowful gaze remained fixed on Huang Yiyi's face.

Jiang Zhan couldn't help but sigh, "Tsk tsk, I never thought someone like Liu Xiao would be such a devoted lover!"

Song Shuyu looked at Jiang Zhan and instructed him methodically: "You personally escort Liu Xiao back to the prison and keep him under strict guard! Also, send word to Lin Shuban to take some men to Shuanghua Pavilion to verify Liu Xiao's alibi!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Jiang Zhan bowed and accepted the order, then quickly left.

Mu Qingcheng reminded him, "Sir, when we get back to the yamen, remember to have Liu Xiao identify that Shu brocade garment!"

"Alright." Song Shuyu nodded, his expression grave. "It seems the sachets also share common characteristics, so they're not strong evidence anymore. Now, the only thing that points to Liu Pei as the culprit is his height, and the only other hope is the Shu brocade clothing!"

Mu Qingcheng smiled wryly, "This case is almost turning into a crime committed without evidence!"

Song Shuyu also felt helpless, "It is indeed quite bizarre that a father and son committed the crime. They are like twins, with too many things in common, making irreplaceable evidence extremely scarce."

"Sister Mu," Bai Zhizhi quietly approached and asked in a low voice, "Should we invite Young Master Zisong over to identify the body? He's been looking for Wantang too."

Mu Qingcheng waved her hand, "No."

"Liu Xiao can identify the body, so why won't Young Master Zisong allow it?" Bai Zhizhi asked, puzzled.

Song Shuyu snorted and answered for Mu Qingcheng: "Because Liu Xiao is Huang Yiyi's husband and the master of the two maids! Asking Liu Xiao to identify the body is not only to confirm the identity of the body, but also to take the opportunity to interrogate him and get more clues."

"Zhizhi, the master is right, listen to me." Mu Qingcheng patted Bai Zhizhi's hand to comfort the little girl. "After the case is solved, you can tell Young Master Zisong, so that he won't be too saddened to see the tragic death of Wantang."

Bai Zhizhi nodded, "Okay, I'll listen to Sister Mu." After saying that, she also snorted at Song Shuyu as if in a fit of pique.

Mu Qingcheng ignored the two's childish behavior and invited the three academy judges inside to begin examining the medicinal herbs, pills, and powders.

After Liu the constable finished his search, he rushed over to report: "Sir, we've searched every courtyard, and I found signs of tampering in every room!"

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Also, I recommend my completed novel of the same genre, "Dragon's Bone Mirror," a suspenseful detective story with a unique twist!

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(End of this chapter)