A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 221 Won't you be used as a sacrifice?
"Song...dog...!"

Bai Zhizhi thought it was the corrupt official Song Shuyu and was about to curse him when she saw that the person pulling her was Mu Qingcheng. In an instant, she performed a dramatic change of expression, happily throwing herself into Mu Qingcheng's arms, whining and sobbing, "Sister Mu, I fell from the third floor, boohoo...it hurts so much!"

Lu Xun climbed into the carriage and saw Song Shuyu sitting at the head of the table. He wanted to greet her, but Song Shuyu's fierce, predatory gaze was fixed entirely on Bai Zhizhi, who was dressed as a man, and he didn't bother to give her even a little bit of attention!

Bai Zhizhi clung to Mu Qingcheng like a human pendant, sitting on the bench covered with fox fur and cotton on the right. Mu Qingcheng only glanced at him before busying herself with expressing concern for the little girl.

Lu Xun sat down opposite him without thinking.

"Where are you hurt? Are you alright?" Mu Qingcheng anxiously checked Bai Zhizhi's injuries, pinching her arms and legs, which only made Bai Zhizhi giggle. "Sister Mu, it tickles..."

"You're lying to me?" Mu Qingcheng pretended to be angry, pinching Bai Zhizhi's pink and tender face. "I was really confused in my haste. It's only the third floor, how could I have hurt you?"

Bai Zhizhi clung to her again, resting her head on Mu Qingcheng's shoulder and wrapping her arms around Mu Qingcheng's waist, openly revealing her little thoughts, "Hehe, I want to make Sister Mu feel sorry for me."

"I heard that the human body has 365 vertebrae, which corresponds to the number of 365 days in a year."

Song Shuyu's jealousy finally reached its breaking point, "Why do I see that Miss Bai doesn't even have a single bone in her body?"

Bai Zhizhi clicked her tongue and said leisurely, "Tsk tsk, Lord Song, you don't know, but whenever I see Sister Mu, I turn into a boneless kitten, wanting to kiss and hug her. What, did I break one of Lord Song's rules? Or is Lord Song jealous..."

Mu Qingcheng covered Bai Zhizhi's mouth, both angry and helpless, "Zhizhi, stop fooling around. Do you want Lu Shaoqing to laugh at you?"

Upon hearing Lu Xun's name, Bai Zhizhi instinctively fell silent.

Mu Qingcheng released her grip, ordered Bai Zhizhi to sit up straight, and then faced Lu Xun, saying directly, "Lu Shaoqing, what are you doing here? And how did you happen to save Zhizhi?"

"I, I should be, I am..." Lu Xun was finally not ignored, but he stammered and couldn't answer the question.

Unfortunately, he was not good at lying, especially when facing Mu Qingcheng. One look from her was enough to expose him!

At this moment, Song Shuyu slowly spoke up: "Young Master Lu, how about I explain things to you?"

“There’s no need for that!” Lu Xun immediately refused. If he had only made a one-point mistake, Song Shuyu’s explanation would have made him make an eight-point mistake. So he might as well confess himself!
"cough--"

Lu Xun cleared his throat and said, "Master Mu, I have planted people outside the Jingzhao Prefecture government office. As soon as they see you walk out of the office, they will report to me. So I... I came here and happened to see someone fall from the building. I didn't know it was Miss Bai in danger. Only after I rescued the person did I realize it was Miss Bai."

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhizhi's face darkened, and she asked quickly, "Why is Lord Shaoqing keeping an eye on my sister Mu?"

Lu Xun did not answer.

Or rather, he didn't need to answer; Mu Qingcheng already understood his thoughts. She was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, "You don't need to be so tense. There is indeed danger, but I'm not made of paper. I have the ability to protect myself. She probably wouldn't dare to openly send someone to kill me. Sending one or two petty thieves in secret would be nothing more than a tickle. Besides..."

She turned to look at Song Shuyu, paused, and said, "Sir, wouldn't manipulating me and kidnapping me pose a greater threat to you?"

Song Shuyu nodded, "Yes!"

"What is meant to be will be. We can't avoid it all the time. Constantly on guard isn't a good thing." Mu Qingcheng lowered her eyes slightly and said thoughtfully, "When Heaven wants to destroy someone, it first makes them go mad. When it wants to take something, it first gives it to them. This is called subtle wisdom. Instead of passively defending ourselves, why don't we take the initiative, disrupt her formation, and force her to make a mistake?"

Lu asked, "How should we launch the attack?"

"You've withdrawn your protection, giving her the opportunity to strike! If she dares to make that move, we'll exaggerate the assassination of the official to an extreme degree, spreading it from the court to the common people, from the capital to the whole country, making advance preparations to guide public opinion towards the inner palace! At that time, with a joint trial by the three judicial departments, she'll either have to put forward a scapegoat to clear herself of suspicion and dare not act rashly again; or she'll go all out and fight to the death! I'm confident that no matter what choice she makes, we'll always find a way to deal with it, counter her moves, and destroy her!"

"no!"

Song Shuyu took the lead in opposing the plan. He stared at Mu Qingcheng with a serious and unyielding expression. "Qingcheng, I will never use you as bait to take a gamble! Don't try to persuade me. Even if this plan has an 80 or 90% success rate, I will not gamble on the remaining 10 or 12%!"

Lu Xun nodded in agreement, "Yes, it concerns your safety, and there can't be the slightest risk! Anyway, starting with Liu Changqing, she has already come up from underwater, and it's only a matter of time before she surfaces. We have the time and patience to wait."

Mu Qingcheng couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, "Weren't you two at odds? Now you're on the same side."

"That's a different matter!" Song Shuyu's expression remained firm. "In short, you are not allowed to act without my permission in this matter!"

Mu Qingcheng pursed her lips and remained silent.

She wanted to seize the opportunity and adapt to the situation, but the two men stared intently at her, insisting on her verbal consent before they would feel at ease.

Left with no other choice, she could only reply, "Alright, sir, I will obey your orders and will never disobey them."

Song Shuyu breathed a sigh of relief and comforted her, "Don't worry, and don't think we're being overprotective. You don't understand that person's methods. I'm really scared. Just bear with it for a while longer, okay?"

Mu Qingcheng hummed in agreement.

Song Shuyu finally had a moment to deal with Bai Zhizhi. He said sternly, "Miss Bai, why did you jump off Wangjing Tower?"

"Lord Song, what kind of attitude is this? I saved you!" Bai Zhizhi was furious. "I saw archers on the opposite rooftop, preparing to assassinate you. I risked my life to stop the assassins and even jumped off the building to warn them. Instead of thanking me, you're yelling at me?"

Song Shuyu's face was ashen. "You still know this is a life-threatening matter? Your intervention has ruined their plans. Do you think you can live a peaceful life from now on? If they can't kill me, won't they use you as a sacrifice?"

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(End of this chapter)