A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 158 The Truth Revealed to the World (44)

Mu Qingcheng suddenly smiled, "But I asked the steward of the General's Mansion and learned that this ink was a gift from the Emperor, and only one box was given to General Liu. But I wonder, where did your ink come from?"

“I…” Liu Pei was speechless.

"In the face of irrefutable evidence, stubbornness is useless." Mu Qingcheng's smile remained unchanged. She turned around, took out another item from the evidence box, tied it with a rope, and hung it in front of Liu Pei and Liu Xiao. "Do you two recognize this item?"

Liu Xiao frowned. "Is this the same sachet we found at the Mu residence?"

Mu Qingcheng nodded, "Yes, but the most accurate statement should be that this sachet was found at the scene of Li Mu's murder!"

Liu Xiao's face turned pale; those uncertain guesses were almost becoming certain.

"Since you three, father and sons, possess the same sachet, shall we use the process of elimination to determine the owner of this sachet?"

As Mu Qingcheng spoke, she took out a gilded box and handed it to Liu Xiao, "This was found in your room. You can open it and verify it yourself!"

"Now?"

"Yes!"

Left with no other option, Liu Xiao removed the hairpin from his hair ornament, unlocked the gilded box on the spot, and took out his sachet.

Mu Qingcheng examined it and handed it back to Liu Xiao, saying, "Congratulations, Second Young Master, you have been cleared of suspicion."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiao became even more nervous, his eyes filled with helplessness.

Mu Qingcheng then instructed the yamen runners, "Summon Hongxing, the maid of the General's Mansion, and the head of the Imperial Medical Academy to the court!"

The constable accepted the order and left.

During the wait, Song Shuyu glanced at the jury box and said leisurely, "Minister Liang, be careful not to stay under the table for too long, or you'll suffocate!"

Liang Ruoming couldn't bear the mockery, but he couldn't bear the horror brought to him by Li Mu's corpse even more. He could only reply tremblingly, "I sprained my ankle and will rest for a while. Lord Song, you don't need to worry about me."

Song Shuyu raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone neither warm nor cold, "Oh? What a coincidence, the Imperial Physician will be arriving shortly. How about the Imperial Physician examine Vice Minister Liang?"

"No need, I can still manage."

Liang Ruoming was furious. He had been hiding under the table, which was truly embarrassing. He had no choice but to crawl out and shield his eyes with his hands, trying his best to ignore the horrifying corpse.

Seeing Liang Ruoming's pale face, Song Shuyu felt much better. Even the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who was used to seeing corpses, was a coward. It was understandable that he would faint at the sight of a corpse, right?
Looking at Ji Yue, this twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, he was truly a remarkable person. Despite being equally timid, he used his fingers to prop open his eyelids, forcing himself to watch Mu Qingcheng preside over the case, which was both comical and amusing.

Lu Xun, on the other hand, was conscientious and serious in fulfilling his duties as a jury member.

The maid Hongxing and the judge entered the courtroom. After bowing, they stood respectfully below, awaiting their questioning.

Mu Qingcheng asked, "Hongxing, where is Liu Pei's sachet?"

"Half a year ago, the eldest young master passed away. I secretly kept his sachet because I sewed it myself and wanted to keep it as a memento." After saying this, Hongxing took out a sachet from her sleeve and presented it with both hands.

Mu Qingcheng compared the two sachets and then said, "The fabric and stitching are indeed different."

Liu Pei remained silent, his brows and eyes drooping completely.

Liu Xiao, confused, eagerly asked, "What does this mean? Wasn't my brother's sachet sewn by my mother herself?" "Replying to Second Young Master, the First Young Master's original sachet was destroyed by the First Madam. This one is a replica sewn by this servant," Hongxing explained simply.

Liu Xiao was stunned.

Mu Qingcheng then asked, "Hongxing, are the contents of the two sachets, the old and the new, the eldest young master, the same?"

“Completely the same.” Hongxing was determined to exonerate Liu Pei and dared not hide anything. “The young master suffers from asthma, so I followed the doctor’s advice and put ephedra, cinnamon twig, white peony root, asarum, pinellia, schisandra, apricot kernel, perilla seed, coltsfoot flower, licorice, and earthworm in the sachet. Although it has been ground into powder, please let the doctor know once he examines it.”

Mu Qingcheng handed Liu Pei's imitation sachet to the judge.

The court, after on-site inspection, confirmed Hongxing's testimony, stating, "It is indeed true, there is no falsehood."

"Please trouble the judge to examine this one again." Mu Qingcheng handed over the sachet from the crime scene as well.

The judge untied the rope, examined the contents carefully, and then replied: "The powder in this sachet contains Scrophularia, Angelica sinensis, Acorus calamus, Sichuan pepper, Cinnamomum cassia, Borneol, Panax notoginseng, etc., which are used to prevent and treat palpitations."

"Liu Pei, Hongxing is your personal maid. What do you have to say about what she just said?"

"..."

Liu Pei remained silent.

Mu Qingcheng was not annoyed, and immediately ordered the yamen runners to escort the judge and Hongxing down from the courtroom.

She then asked Liu Xiao, "Does your father, Liu Changqing, suffer from a heart ailment?"

"I..." Liu Xiao was speechless, not knowing how to answer. If he still didn't understand Liu Pei's intentions by now, he would have lived in vain!

But with his father on one side and his brother on the other, how should he choose?
Seeing this, Mu Qingcheng sighed softly: "Liu Xiao, according to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, anyone who harbors a murderer will be imprisoned for at least three years, or exiled to the border for life, and will never be allowed to return to the capital. You should think carefully before you answer!"

Liu Xiao gritted his teeth and said, "I don't know, and I have no obligation to answer!"

Mu Qingcheng couldn't help but laugh. "If you don't answer, I will ask the Imperial Physician to examine Liu Changqing's pulse! Do you think you can change the outcome?"

"Coroner Mu, when will you ever stop? Why must my brother be implicated in my case?" Liu Pei shouted angrily, unable to bear it any longer.

Mu Qingcheng said with a smile, "Because you overestimated yourself and insisted on taking responsibility for things that weren't yours!"

"you……"

"Guards, bring the deceased Li Yunyao to the hall!"

With Mu Qingcheng's command, Liu Pei's throat seemed to be gripped, and he immediately fell silent, unable to breathe properly!
"Why are we bringing a corpse to court again?" Liang Ruoming was devastated. "Isn't it clearly stated in the autopsy file? Why do we have to..."

Song Shuyu slammed the gavel down, his expression fierce but his voice weak. "Minister Liang, you are merely a juror. Please refrain from offering any opinions! Coroner Mu has her own rhythm and methods for handling cases. Just observe and see what happens!"

Liang Ruoming glared at Song Shuyu, his tone disdainful, "Lord Song is nominally the chief judge, yet he has a coroner preside over the case. I will certainly impeach Lord Song to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor for deceiving the Emperor and neglecting his duties!"

"Is Vice Minister Liang, nominally a juror, fulfilling his duties as a juror?" Song Shuyu's expression was full of mockery. "I hope that Vice Minister Liang's act of being so frightened by the corpse that he wet his pants will not be known to the onlookers outside, and will not become a topic of conversation in the streets, alleys, taverns, and teahouses!"

Liang Ruoming was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged. He slammed his hand on the table and roared like a shrew, "Song Shuyu, how dare you slander me! You are committing insubordination!"

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(End of this chapter)