A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 189 The Truth Revealed to the World (67)

"Your Excellency, I have been entrusted by Miss Li Yunyao to present you with the complaint and confession written by Miss herself. Please make a decision!"

Xia Yu took out two letters from her sleeve and held them high above her head.

Mu Qingcheng took it and personally handed it to Song Shuyu for review.

Song Shuyu opened the letter, read it carefully word by word, and then passed it on to Ji Yue. After Ji Yue finished reading it, it was passed on to Liang Ruoming and Lu Xun in turn, and finally returned to Mu Qingcheng.

"Take a look too."

"Yes!"

After Mu Qingcheng finished reading, Song Shuyu spoke: "Li Yunyao accused Liu Changqing and Liu Pei of murdering her mother Yang Caiyu and her father Li Mu. She also confessed to giving Liu Xiao a drug that would prevent him from having children and to silencing Lu Ruyue. However, she said the specifics would be revealed in court in three days. Regarding the suicide, she also explained the motive and reasons, which are consistent with our investigation. The only difference is that the child in her womb was not intentionally killed by her, but rather..."

At this point, he turned his gaze to Liu Xiao and slowly revealed a belated truth: "Because Li Yunyao was harmed by Liu Changqing in her early years, damaging her health, although she was fortunate enough to become pregnant, she could not keep the pregnancy. Even if she managed to give birth, it would be a stillbirth, and it would also endanger the mother's health. For this reason, Li Yunyao chose to commit suicide in such a tragic way."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiao was stunned for a moment, going from surprise to relief, and finally falling into regret, unable to let go of the feeling.

Mu Qingcheng stared coldly at Liu Xiao, mercilessly ripping off his hypocritical mask. "Regretful now? In the end, you're nothing but a selfish, irresponsible person! Your father wanted to kill her, your mother chose to ignore it, and you chose to help. Not one of you showed her even a shred of kindness, didn't become her salvation! If only..."

She took a deep breath to calm her agitated emotions and continued, "If you can give her a way out, I believe she will never go to the point of certain death!"

"I didn't kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me... Yes, I killed her. I was an accomplice. I'm the one who deserves to die the most!"

Liu Xiao burst into tears!

He knew that he would be a sinner for the rest of his life, and that he would never have the chance to atone for his sins.

He recalled Li Yunyao gazing deeply at him before her suicide. As she plunged the dagger into her abdomen and collapsed into his arms, she said, "Liu Xiao, if you hadn't saved me that day, if I had died then, would my suffering have been less? If there is an afterlife, let us never meet again, or if we do meet, let us only glance at each other from afar, then you go east and I go west, never to cross paths again..."

Mu Qingcheng's evaluation of Liu Xiao is quite complex.

As Liu Pei said, Liu Xiao lived a passionate and unrestrained life. He could be a chivalrous knight-errant who saved Li Yunyao from dire straits, or he could impulsively elope without considering the consequences. He fell in love with a courtesan and bravely eloped to marry her. Whatever he did, he did it as he pleased, and he got what he wanted. Even his crying was unrestrained, spontaneous, and earth-shattering.

It seems only natural that someone like that would be loved by Li Yunyao and Huang Yiyi.

While she was pondering, she heard Song Shuyu ask, "Lu Ruyue, do you know who Liu Changqing's sweetheart is? If you are willing to reveal who is behind Liu Changqing, I can petition the Emperor to consider it a major meritorious service!"

“Liu Changqing is an extremely meticulous person. He never calls that woman by her name, and even when he’s drunk and talking nonsense, he keeps his mouth shut,” Madam Liu replied.

Song Shuyu frowned. "Then how do you know that the person Liu Changqing mentioned is her, and not you?" Madam Liu looked helpless. "My name is Lu Ruyue. He was muttering 'Nannan,' which is how elders address young girls. How could it be me? Besides, the story he told about meeting and getting to know Nannan is something I've never experienced."

"What things?" Song Shuyu immediately pressed.

Liu Changqing hurriedly stopped Madam Liu, "Don't make up stories!"

Little did he know, Madam Liu had given up all pretense and was no longer pretending. The more he tried to hide his despicable behavior, the more she wanted to expose it, so that the world would condemn and ridicule his vile love and trample on his dignity! Only in this way could her years of resentment and injustice be extinguished.

So she recounted all the fragmented events she had heard over the years: "They met under the moon, strolled through the Lantern Festival together, she was startled while riding her horse, and Liu Changqing came to her rescue; she was forced by her family to marry another man; Liu Changqing was suppressed in the military camp, his future was hopeless, and she stepped in to help him, ensuring his promotion. In Liu Changqing's eyes, she was like a fairy from heaven, noble and flawless, sacred and inviolable. As for me, a mortal woman, I was only fit to be a pawn to cover for them."

In the end, she still inadvertently revealed a faint self-mockery and self-pity. The more than twenty years she had deeply hated Liu Changqing, wasn't it also a form of self-torture and self-imposed confinement?
The tension that had gripped Liu Changqing's throat finally subsided. Countless women in the world had the nickname "Nannan" (囡囡), who could possibly find it? Those events happened many years ago, and there was no specific clue; searching for them would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, practically impossible. Therefore, he had nothing to worry about.

As for Lu Ruyue, Liu Changqing had nothing more to say. For years, they had maintained a facade of peace and harmony; as long as this crack remained unbroken, they would forever be a harmonious couple. Once it was broken, there was no going back.

So he calmly said, "Lu Ruyue, let's get a divorce. I have no chance to make up for the harm I caused you in the first half of my life. I'm setting you free. For the rest of your life, live freely with Xiao'er. Forget me, forget the Liu family. From now on, you will just be Lu Ruyue."

Having said that, he turned to Liu Xiao and instructed him, "You and your mother have no blood on your hands, so you can't be sentenced to death. Since your mother poisoned herself, there should be an antidote. Let's put an end to all the rights and wrongs, the grudges and grievances, here."

Madam Liu did not speak, but a tear slid down her cheek...

Liu Xiao lowered his eyes, feeling as if his heart was a desolate wasteland, unable to find any meaning in life...

All three major cases have been concluded.

However, Song Shuyu did not pronounce the verdict in court.

He ordered all the prisoners to be escorted back to the Jingzhao Prefecture prison, where they would be consulted with the jury and supervising officials, and then reported to the Emperor before being sentenced according to the law.

Xia Yu expressed her wish to visit Li Mu's residence, and Song Shuyu dispatched a special person to escort her back.

As I walked out of the courtroom, the gloomy weather gradually cleared up.

Song Shuyu turned his head, gazing at Mu Qingcheng's profile, and asked in a low voice, "How does it feel to reveal the truth to the world?"

"It's not as easy as I imagined." Mu Qingcheng truthfully revealed her true feelings. "I thought I would feel relieved and happy, but I feel sad."

(End of this chapter)