A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 168 The Truth Revealed to the World (54)

Mu Qingcheng interjected, "Where did these ancient medical texts come from? And why, after so many years, did they end up in Yang Caiyu's hands?"

"I will only confess to the crimes I committed and the people I killed. You don't need to ask me anything else. I know nothing about it, and even if you torture me, I still won't know," Liu Changqing replied.

"That old bastard, still so stubborn?" Song Shuyu cursed under his breath. He tugged at Mu Qingcheng's sleeve. "Let him say everything he can say and wants to say."

Mu Qingcheng nodded. "Alright, Liu Changqing, continue your explanation."

Liu Changqing paused before continuing his confession: "Yang Caiyu is just as ungrateful as Bai Li. I gave her a way out, but she refused to take it, insisting on lying to me that the medical classics and ancient books had been burned. Since she brought this upon herself, I had no choice but to send her to hell. Li Mu is a smart man who knows when to yield, and he is indeed capable. He actually succeeded in refining the Muscle Regeneration Pill. So, I gave Huang Yiyi, Shuangcui, and Linglong to him to refine the Love-Giving Pill. The agreement was that if it failed, the corpses would be completely dissolved with bone-dissolving water, so that no one could find any clues. But that old bastard actually secretly developed a potion that could prevent corpses from decaying behind my back, and preserved the three corpses perfectly!"

"Li Mu not only preserved the body, but also listened to Li Yunyao's instigation and attempted to confess to the Emperor! Therefore, killing Li Mu was imperative! But I overlooked one thing: I grabbed the dagger as the murder weapon and forgot it at the scene! Oh, and the sachet that Li Mu tore off before he died... cough cough..."

After Liu Changqing finished speaking, he coughed up a mouthful of blood!

Madam Liu's lips moved, but she swallowed back the words that were about to come out. Their marriage had come to an end, and there was no point in saying more.

Liu Xiao crawled forward, grabbing Liu Changqing's collar, sobbing uncontrollably: "Are you still my father? You monster, you killed so many people, you didn't even spare my wife... Everyone said I was a spoiled brat and crazy, but I never thought you were the madman. You turned our whole family into madmen. I hate you, I wish I could kill you..."

“Xiao’er…” Liu Changqing paused for a moment before turning to look at Liu Xiao and said, “Whether you believe it or not, your father truly loves you. Huang Shi came from a brothel; she is not worthy of you, and her death is no loss.”

"what--"

Liu Xiao screamed shrilly, "You are not worthy to be a father! You are not worthy, not worthy—"

Madam Liu trembled all over, spat forcefully at Liu Changqing, and gritted her teeth in hatred: "Liu Changqing, you are unworthy of being a father, worse than a pig or a dog! For a woman you can't have, you have harmed your own son and daughter-in-law, you have torn this family apart, and caused the destruction of your family..."

Liu Changqing laughed loudly, "So I got my comeuppance! You all betrayed me, you all wanted to kill me! Including you, my wife! But because you've been with me for so many years, because we were husband and wife, I didn't expose you. I even felt sorry for you when you were poisoned. But what about you? You were the first to stand up and testify against me!"

Madam Liu took a deep breath, then raised her hand and fiercely wiped away the tears streaming down her face. She said, "I thought you would only marry me and be faithful to me, but I never imagined that you would use me as a cover to deceive the world in order to hide your secret love, manipulate me, control me, and abuse my son! Liu Changqing, I hate you, but I hate myself even more! It was my lust for your affection, my guilt over the bandits' abduction, and my cowardice and incompetence that led to my son's death!"

This scene caused everyone in the hall to sigh with emotion.

Mu Qingcheng could see clearly that Liu Pei moved his lips several times, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't speak.

After a moment's thought, she spoke up: "Liu Changqing, I want to hear a heartfelt answer from you. You harbored resentment because Liu Pei was a bastard, and you abused him for many years. Now that you know Liu Pei is your biological son, how do you feel? Do you regret it? If time could turn back, would you still have dragged Liu Pei into this abyss of no return?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Pei cast a grateful glance at Mu Qingcheng, having voiced his innermost thoughts. Although he had never received fatherly love, the desire for parental love was an innate human instinct.

However, Liu Changqing fell silent, avoiding everyone's gaze and keeping his eyes down.

Liu Pei gave a self-deprecating smile. "Thank you, Coroner Mu. It's alright, I can die in peace, without regrets." Song Shuyu slammed his gavel and said sternly, "Liu Changqing, who exactly is the mastermind behind you? If you confess the truth, I can plead with the Emperor on your behalf, and your entire Liu family will not be implicated!"

Liu Changqing said calmly, "Lord Song, there is a woman behind me, but she is not the mastermind. All the crimes I committed were done by me alone, without any instigation from anyone!"

Song Shuyu clenched her fist. "Is it worth it? Is it worth sacrificing the future of your entire Liu family to protect that woman?"

"Lord Song, there's no need to coerce me. I will take full responsibility for my actions. Even if you torture me, I will not falsely accuse others!" Liu Changqing gradually calmed down, his expression serene and composed.

This outcome was within Song Shuyu's expectations. He had long suspected something was wrong, so it's not hard to understand Liu Changqing's choice.

Perhaps the time is not yet ripe!

Mu Qingcheng suddenly remembered a sentence that Song Shuyu had told her when they were at Yuntai Mountain. He said that Li Yunyao's mother and the Empress Dowager in the palace were once close friends.

Therefore, the mastermind behind Liu Changqing is...

"Snapped--"

Just then, Song Shuyu's gavel interrupted Mu Qingcheng's thoughts. He said, "The cases of Li Mu's murder and the corpse hidden in the Mu residence have both been thoroughly investigated. Next, we should try the case of the corpse hanging at the temple gate! Someone, summon Granny Yang and Xie Da to court!"

Not long after, the suspect was brought to court.

Surprisingly, the person escorting Granny Yang was none other than the seriously injured Constable Liu!

"See my lord!"

After bowing, Constable Liu took out a note from his sleeve and said, "Reporting to you, sir, Coroner Mu asked me to investigate Granny Yang's life and past. My men have found out, please take a look!"

Song Shuyu raised her chin slightly. "Just say it!"

Constable Liu then said, "Twenty years ago, Granny Yang was Liu Pei's wet nurse, taking care of Liu Pei in the Liu family's villa. When Liu Pei was three years old, Granny Yang suddenly disappeared, and Madam Liu took Liu Pei back to the Liu family in the capital. For many years afterward, Granny Yang lived in anonymity in the countryside of Madam Liu's family until a few years ago when she returned to the capital and became a mourner at the mortuary in the suburbs."

Upon hearing this, Liu Changqing's gaze suddenly fell on Granny Yang, and after a few breaths, he exclaimed in surprise: "You...you are not dead!"

My darlings, some of the free chapters have been revised, and the titles are marked "Revised". Those of you who have already read them can go and take a look again!

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(End of this chapter)