A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 229 Sleepless Night
Bai Zhizhi's sketchbook accidentally fell onto the bed. She was stunned for a long time before slowly coming back to her senses. "Sister Mu, does Lord Song know everything about me?"

Mu Qingcheng nodded, "My lord cares about you, and I don't want to hide it from him, so..."

“Sister Mu, I didn’t mean to blame you.” Bai Zhizhi quickly interrupted, a bitter smile on her lips. “It’s just that it’s a bit embarrassing to have Lord Song laugh at us.”

Mu Qingcheng rubbed the little girl's head and said with a smile, "How could that be? When the master heard this, his first thought was how to help you break off the engagement."

"Oh? How can you help?" Bai Zhizhi's interest was piqued, her gaze intense. "By using power to oppress people?"

Mu Qingcheng then told him about the two methods.

Bai Zhizhi stood excitedly on the bed, one hand on her forehead and the other on her hip. "Lord Song is such a cunning genius! He's bound us together so tightly, I've become his sworn sister. How could you possibly escape, Sister Mu? How could I possibly find fault with him? Tsk tsk, a man's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea!"

"You're half right!" Mu Qingcheng smiled sweetly, her eyes sparkling with shyness. "He was indeed afraid I would run away, but he wasn't afraid of you correcting his mistakes. He used you as a mirror to reflect on himself."

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhizhi was somewhat surprised, "So, Lord Song's character is not bad at all!"

"Therefore, write a letter to Master Bai tomorrow, asking him to continue to stall and delay. At most, he can hold out for a year or two. Either the Censorate will question him, or the Duke will intervene. The worst-case scenario is that you, sir, will have to take action yourself."

"it is good!"

"However, before things are settled, you should not tell Master Bai the truth, lest it cause unnecessary complications. Just say that you have met a benefactor in the capital, have devised a good plan, and that everything is fine."

"Yes, I know."

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Liu Mama's voice came from outside: "Master Mu, this old servant has prepared a petal bath and a change of clothes for you."

Mu Qingcheng paused, then quickly went to open the door. To her surprise, she saw Liu Mama waiting outside with four maids, carrying a bath tub, clothes, a flower basket, and incense and cosmetics. They greeted her respectfully, saying, "This servant greets Master Mu!"

Faced with such a grand display, Mu Qingcheng instinctively refused, "Uh, no, no need, I'm a little tired, I'll wash up when I get back to the yamen tomorrow."

The maidservant below Liu Mama curtsied and said, "Master Mu, you can just lie in the bathtub and sleep peacefully. We servants will take care of you and make sure you won't get tired."

Mu Qingcheng recognized the voice and looked closer. She saw that the maids who came were Bai Shao, Bai Zhi, Ban Xia and others whom she had met on her first visit to Lu Ming Courtyard.

She smiled and said, "Oh, it's you guys."

"We were unaware of Master Mu's identity before, and we overstepped our bounds. There is a difference between superiors and inferiors. We will never dare to offend you again in the future. Please forgive us, Master Mu." The maids did not dare to get close to her and behaved very respectfully.

Upon hearing that familiar tone, Mu Qingcheng immediately understood the reason and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. He said, "I'm not used to these formalities. Just treat me as you normally would. When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor's orders, understand?"

Liu's mother immediately agreed: "Everything is to be done according to Master Mu's wishes."

"Yes!" the maids replied in unison.

Mu Qingcheng felt relieved. "Put your things down. I can take a shower myself. You all go back and rest."

……

That night, Empress Dowager Song Zi of Shou Kang Palace also suffered from a headache for half the night. Eunuch Qin knelt on the ground, awaiting his judgment.

The old woman bent over, massaging the acupoints on the Empress Dowager's head. The Empress Dowager narrowed her phoenix eyes, her tone unpredictable, "Qin Huai, do you know exactly how many secret guards the Duke left for Song Shuyu?"

"Your Majesty, this servant is unaware of such confidential matters," said Eunuch Qin, his forehead covered in sweat.

The Empress Dowager's red lips curled slightly, letting out a cold sneer, "I didn't expect that he had already begun to be wary of me! Since he won't let me have an easy time, then none of us will have an easy time either."

"Your Highness, please think it over!" the old woman pleaded earnestly. "We've already alerted the enemy by losing one tonight. Your probing should end here! Don't forget, there's another one in prison. What if..."

The Empress Dowager interrupted impatiently, "What's there to be afraid of? Even if that person in prison dies a thousand times, he won't dare to implicate me. As for the mute tonight, I'd like to see what Song Shuyu can do."

"Yes." The old woman had no choice but to agree, as she couldn't persuade her any further.

The Empress Dowager suddenly opened her eyes. "Qin Huai, keep a close eye on that female coroner for me. She can be my bargaining chip if necessary! By the way, did someone else attack the mute tonight? Did you see clearly who it was?"

"Your Majesty, it was a young gentleman. According to our spies, he was rescued by Lu Xun and then boarded Song Shuyu's carriage together." After saying this, Eunuch Qin frowned and added, "However, the spies outside the Duke's mansion said that when the carriage arrived, two young ladies got off, and the young man was nowhere to be seen. We couldn't keep an eye on him during the journey, so we don't know if he got off halfway."

The Empress Dowager's expression suddenly turned cold. "Investigate!"

"Yes!"

"Get out!"

Eunuch Qin performed the farewell ceremony and left the palace with trepidation.

After a moment's thought, the old woman boldly advised, "Your Highness, shouldn't we make plans soon? Song Shuyu has been assassinated, and neither he nor the Duke of Song will let this go!"

"Does he have any evidence?" The Empress Dowager's eyes were cold and disdainful. "I would send someone to assassinate my own nephew? Who in the world would believe that? He's nothing to fear! But I'm always worried about that Lu Xun. Apart from twins, how can there be two people in the world who look exactly alike?"

"Is Your Highness thinking of Mu Xun, the third-ranked scholar from back then?" The nanny asked, startled.

The Empress Dowager nodded. "The events of that year took place in Jiangnan. Mu Xun also came from Jiangnan and shared the same name as Lu Xun. It's too much of a coincidence!"

"Your Majesty's concerns are indeed reasonable. This servant will increase manpower to monitor the Marquis of Huai'an's residence and Lu Xun!"

"Not enough! Send someone to Wuzhou in Jiangnan. I need to know Mu Xun's life story!"

"My slave understands!"

The Empress Dowager slowly turned her gaze to her stunning reflection in the bronze mirror. Her expression relaxed, and her eyes sparkled with alluring charm and boundless beauty. She murmured, "Granny, tell me, did that little bastard Song Shuyu deceive me? Did Brother Yan really return to the capital for the Spring Festival? Why haven't the Emperor and the Ministry of War received his memorial requesting to return to court yet?"

The old woman said, "Your Highness, ever since Song Shuyu became uncontrollable, it's hard to tell whether his words are true or false. However, there's still a month until the Spring Festival, so perhaps news from the border will come back in a few days."

"If Brother Yan returns..." The Empress Dowager's expression suddenly changed, her eyes filled with anxiety. "Granny, look at my face. Has it aged? Should I take some muscle-regenerating pills?"

(End of this chapter)