A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 132 The Truth Revealed to the World (18)

Liu Changqing remained silent for a long time before finally shutting up, saying only, "Although it concerns me, I have nothing to say. If you want to arrest and punish me, just do it."

Mu Qingcheng really ran into a brick wall!

Arresting someone solely for concealing Liu Pei's death would only result in a slap on the wrist, neither leading to imprisonment nor solving the core issue of the case. Arresting someone as a suspect in Li Mu's murder, however, lacks single, definitive evidence!

Moreover, Madam Liu still needs Liu Changqing's care. The matter of Madam Liu's poisoning may be a new breakthrough. Therefore, today we can only arrest Liu Pei and bring him back to the Jingzhao Prefecture. We cannot take Liu Changqing with us!
After a moment's thought, Mu Qingcheng said, "General Liu, our Jingzhao Prefecture is not entirely unreasonable. Since Madam Liu is ill, we will allow you to attend to her at her bedside. We will settle the matter of the cover-up with you in a day or two. In the meantime, the Jingzhao Prefecture will continue to seal off the Ningyuan General's Mansion. No one, including General Liu, is allowed to step out of the mansion!"

"Did my Liu family commit a heinous crime that led to the confiscation of property and the extermination of the clan? Is your Jingzhao Prefecture acting so drastically in accordance with the law? Aren't you afraid of being impeached by the Censorate?" Liu Changqing's eyes were cold. "Furthermore, my entire household has more than a hundred people. If you forbid them from coming and going, how will they take care of their basic needs?"

Mu Qingcheng remained unmoved and retorted one by one, "The General's Mansion is a large and wealthy family, and it is impossible for it to be without food reserves. It should be able to last for a few days without any problem. Secondly, once Liu Pei is brought to justice, the Prefect of the Capital will hold court as soon as possible. As long as the case is closed and as long as General Liu and Madam Liu are not involved, the General's Mansion will be unsealed! As for whether the Censorate will impeach him or not, that is a matter for the Prefect of the Capital to worry about. You and I do not need to worry about it."

"Why are we getting involved with Liu Pei again..."

"It seems General Liu absolutely refuses to believe his eldest son is still alive! Very well, then I'll invite General Liu to watch the play, shall we?"

Mu Qingcheng smiled noncommittally and gave a slight curtsy, "General Liu, please move to the front courtyard!"

Liu Changqing remained as steady as Mount Tai. "Coroner Mu, please make yourself at home. I still need to take care of my wife."

"Somebody come!"

Mu Qingcheng called out to the outside, and Liu Heng, accompanied by the yamen runner Li Daguo, pushed open the door and entered. "Coroner Mu, please give your orders!"

"Guard Madam Liu well. No one except General Liu is allowed to contact her. Report back immediately if she wakes up!"

"Yes!"

Mu Qingcheng turned around and invited Liu Changqing again, "It's just watching a show, it won't take up too much time, General Liu, please do me the honor!"

Liu Changqing's emotions, which had just calmed down, were once again provoked. "You're nothing more than a female coroner who was forced into public by Lord Song. In the end, aren't you just a woman from the inner quarters..."

"But it was I, a woman, who just saved Madam Liu's life!" Mu Qingcheng interrupted him impatiently, unable to resist sarcasm, "You are a man, and Madam Liu's husband, yet you didn't know she had been poisoned for a long time, and you didn't know that the physician was committing evil deeds right under your nose! General Liu, let me give you a piece of advice: those who look down on women will suffer greatly at their hands sooner or later!"

Liu Changqing's sore spot was hit, and his face instantly turned ugly!

Mu Qingcheng sneered again, "Heh, it seems General Liu doesn't value Madam as much as he appears. The physician of Chunhui Hall is renowned throughout the capital, yet General Liu trusts the family physician implicitly and has never sought out any outside doctors to treat Madam. What, is that family physician a relative of yours? Or was he recommended by some important figure? Why would he want to harm Madam Liu?"

Liu Changqing's breathing was noticeably turbulent, but he pursed his lips and remained silent.

“If General Liu is unwilling to be honest, I will not force you. In any case, once the physician of the Imperial Physician has entered the Jingzhao Prefecture, he will speak frankly and without reservation. At that time, if there is anything that requires General Liu’s cooperation, we will summon him for a hearing at any time.”

Having probed this far, Mu Qingcheng had already made up her mind. She then changed the subject, "But now, General Liu must come with me to watch the show! Whether you yield to gentle persuasion or force, General Liu, please choose for yourself!"

In his entire life, Liu Changqing had never felt such an imposing aura from any woman. She was clearly a lowly woman without any official rank, of humble origins like an ant, yet through her eyes, he saw a fear he shouldn't have felt towards her!

Her keen insight, courage, strategy, ability to manipulate people, and rhetoric are no less than any veteran criminal investigator in the Great Zhou Dynasty! "I never expected that Song Shuyu, a dissolute son from a noble family, would become such a discerning judge of character and a skilled official after entering officialdom!"

Liu Changqing expressed his heartfelt feelings for a few moments, then finally stood up, reluctantly giving in.

……

forecourt.

All the servants of the General's Mansion, regardless of age or gender, were driven here by the constables.

Men on the left and women on the right, standing on either side.

When Mu Qingcheng and Liu Changqing arrived, they saw several buckets of water in the courtyard. Liu Changqing's expression changed slightly. "Coroner Mu, what are you doing?"

Mu Qingcheng smiled, "These are props for a theatrical performance. General Liu, I heard you are skilled in disguise, so I invited you to watch this face-changing magic show!"

Liu Changqing took a deep breath, "Coroner Mu is truly thoughtful!"

Mu Qingcheng's smile deepened, and she ordered the constables, "Eliminate all those who are between five feet and five feet five inches tall!"

Take a snapshot.

Soon, most of the nearly one hundred servants were eliminated, leaving only thirty-four people, including thirty men and four women!
Mu Qingcheng scanned the group one by one. Among them were an old man with a beard, a weathered servant, a fair-skinned young servant, an old nanny over fifty, and a beautiful and tall maid.

Then she ordered, "First check if all the men are wearing human skin masks, then cleanse everyone's face!"

The constables were numerous and acted decisively. They checked and cleaned faces, and it only took a quarter of an hour for all thirty of them to finish!
However, none of these thirty faces showed any signs of disguise!
However, Liu Changqing's expression did not relax at all; instead, it showed a hint of tension.
Mu Qingcheng observed their expressions and guessed their thoughts, and her smile grew even wider. Her gaze swept over the faces of the two old nannies, a young maid, and a middle-aged servant woman in turn, and she commanded, "All of you, tilt your heads back and expose your necks!"

"Coroner Mu, they are women. Do you want them to live or not?" Liu Changqing blurted out.

Mu Qingcheng frowned slightly, then asked leisurely, "General Liu is in such a hurry, could it be that Liu Pei is hiding among these four people?"

"No……"

"General Liu is right to be concerned about the women's reputation. How about this, I have an idea. I am also a woman, how about I bring them into the room to examine their bodies?"

"you……"

"We'll either clean your face on the spot and check for an Adam's apple, or you can go back to your room for a physical examination. General Liu, you can choose!"

However, just as Liu Changqing was swallowing hard and hesitating, the beautiful and tall maid suddenly attacked, pressing the gleaming tip of her knife against the throat of the old nanny beside her!

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(End of this chapter)