A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 209 Headless Female Corpse (3)

Jingzhao Mansion.

The former government office.

Song Shuyu glanced at the pile of official documents on the desk in front of him, then at Lu Xun sitting in the chair below, leisurely sipping tea, cup after cup. Unable to bear it any longer, he questioned without any mercy, "Lu Shaoqing, you've been drinking tea for more than half an hour. Can your stomach still hold any more? Why don't you go back to the Dali Temple to rest for a while?"

“No need.” Lu Xun smiled slightly and said slowly, “I’m here on official business today. If I can’t complete my duties, how can I face going back to Dali Temple? Brother Song knows Lord Guo’s temperament better than anyone. As a subordinate, I dare not offend my superior.”

Song Shuyu's fingers tightened, almost breaking the vermilion pen in his hand. He took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, "Minister Lu, do you think I'm easier to mess with, don't you? It's just checking a case, is it really necessary for a junior official like you to make the trip in person?"

Lu Xunyi retorted righteously, "Why wouldn't we need to? This involves lives, so we must conduct a rigorous review and absolutely cannot afford the slightest mistake!"

"Fine, you're right!" Song Shuyu was genuinely amused by his anger. He put down his vermilion brush, stood up, flicked his sleeves, and gestured for him to proceed, saying, "Minister Lu, let's go. To demonstrate the importance our Jingzhao Prefecture attaches to this case, I will personally coordinate with you for review. What do you say?"

“There’s no need for Lord Song to personally get involved. After all, this case was handled by Master Mu, who has a more comprehensive understanding of the facts. So I think it would be more convenient to coordinate with Master Mu.” Lu Xun sat still, his dignified face showing no sign of abusing his power for personal gain.

Song Shuyu held out his palm, pondering, and said, "Young Master Lu, tell me, if we were to fight, would it be better for me to get hurt or not?"

“Brother Song, please don’t break the law.” Lu Xun remained calm and composed. “Since Master Mu is in charge of criminal cases, let’s not add to his workload.”

Song Shuyu walked up to Lu Xun in a few steps, looking down at him with great displeasure. "Didn't we agree to compete fairly? It's during duty hours now, and you come to the Jingzhao Prefecture under the guise of official business, taking the opportunity to get close to Qingcheng. Isn't that a bit shameless?"

"Ha, Brother Song, you're right. It's impressive that you still remember the words 'fair competition'! It's been almost three months since October, and you've been giving Qing'er an endless stream of cases, even taking up her time off. You won't let me see her during my shifts, so have you given her any time to rest after her shift?"

Lu Xun had been harboring resentment for a long time and finally found an opportunity to vent. He stood up abruptly in anger, his teeth clenched. "You even keep an eye on her. Whenever she leaves the Jingzhao Prefecture alone, you immediately follow her, not giving me any chance to meet and talk to her!"

Song Shuyu disagreed with the accusation, retorting, "Lu Xun, you don't understand Qingcheng at all. She's incredibly busy. Do you think I'm torturing her? It's just that she's very career-driven and can't stand having cases piling up or people suffering injustice. Do you understand? Besides, I... I'm with her to protect her, okay? You know perfectly well where our enemies are and how sophisticated their methods are!"

"I've also arranged for people to protect her. They'll follow her secretly as soon as she leaves the government office, and I'll be notified immediately..."

"Lu Xun!"

Song Shuyu raised his hand to suppress his agitation and said, "There's no point in arguing with you. Qingcheng once told me that she was engaged to Mu Xun. Since Mu Xun is dead, the engagement is null and void. So, now that you've returned to being the heir of the Marquis of Huai'an, put the past behind you and start your new life."

"Impossible!" Lu Xun's eyes were bloodshot, and his tone was unusually firm. "I am both Lu Xun and Mu Xun. As long as I live, our engagement cannot be nullified. I do not agree!"

Song Shuyu scoffed, "What? You think you can force her to marry you if she doesn't want to? Lu Xun, let me tell you, matters of the heart are about fate. Not every missed opportunity can be made up for or restarted. At least for now, the person she loves isn't you, and she will never renew her engagement with you!"

"She doesn't like me? Does she like you?" Lu Xun was so angry that he clenched his fists. He had just been advising Song Shuyu not to break the law, but now he was thinking of committing a big crime!
Song Shuyu's eyes darted around a few times. "Hmm... Although she didn't say it, I feel that she likes me. Her care and love for me are obvious to everyone in the yamen. Isn't that proof that she likes me?" "Do you want to hear how guilty you are when you say that?" Lu Xun scoffed. They're all in the criminal business. Who can hide anything from whom?

"you……"

"grown ups!"

Finally, the duel was interrupted by the constables waiting outside: "Master Mu has returned with his men!"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall immediately changed from tense to harmonious. The two men tacitly adjusted their robes and facial expressions, striving to be in the best possible condition to greet Mu Qingcheng.

Mu Qingcheng returned weary from her journey. Stepping into the hall, she was somewhat surprised to see Lu Xun there.

She hadn't seen Lu Xun for a long time.

It was probably the four years of separation that made her used to life without Mu Xun. So in the past few months, her life and mind have been filled with official duties. She has no time to overthink and seems to have forgotten about Lu Xun.

Song Shuyu was the first to greet him, "Master Mu, you're back."

"grown ups!"

Mu Qingcheng stepped forward and bowed, then bowed to Lu Xun and said, "Greetings, Young Master Lu!"

A gentle smile appeared on Lu Xun's handsome face. "Master Mu, I came to see you today specifically to discuss official business. Do you have some free time now?"

"Official business?" Mu Qingcheng was taken aback. "Is there a problem with one of the cases?"

Lu Xun said, "It was the murder case in Laoguanmiao Village that you reported to the Dali Temple a month ago. When Lord Guo reviewed and approved the death sentence, he believed that the murderer was suspected of being induced to confess, so he requested a review with the Jingzhao Prefecture."

"Okay, I understand. Please wait a moment, Mr. Lu."

"Ah."

Mu Qingcheng turned around and reported to Song Shuyu: "A headless female corpse was indeed found downstream of the Su River. According to the initial on-site examination, the deceased had suffered severe caning. Her head was severed with a single blow, and the cut on her neck was very clean and smooth. I and the coroner examined the traces at the scene and discovered the murderer's route. We speculate that the murderer put the deceased in a sack and disposed of the body, then took the sack with him. In addition, the deceased was not wearing any outer clothing, and no items that could identify her were found on her body."

(End of this chapter)