A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 276 The Corpse at the Spring Banquet (7)

On the cutting board used for butchering fish in the backyard of the kitchen, a corpse lay stiffly.

Large amounts of blood flowed from the corpse's neck, staining the chopping board beneath it, and even the ground was covered in a pool of blood!

The strong smell of blood, mixed with the smell of fish, was both pungent and offensive!

Unable to determine whether the men in black had lost control or would indiscriminately kill innocent people, and to prevent them from using the nobles of Xiangmei Garden to escape, Song Shuyu gathered everyone in the front yard of the kitchen and assigned ten imperial guards to watch over them.

The remaining Imperial Guards and constables from the Jingzhao Prefecture searched the ground thoroughly for the man in black!

Upon hearing the news of Xu Yuying's death, Imperial Censor Xu fainted on the spot!
The front and back yards were separated only by an archway. Shock and curiosity made everyone stand on tiptoe, crane their necks, and peer inside!

Discussions and murmurs rose and fell in waves.

"So this female advisor surnamed Mu really is here to investigate a case!"

"Wasn't Xu Yuying said to have committed multiple serious crimes such as kidnapping, coercion, human trafficking, and murder? How come Xu Yuying was the one who was killed?"

"He's probably done a lot of bad things and is being targeted for revenge!"

"The Lady of Pingnan did not come today; I'm afraid the people in the Earl's residence are unaware of this yet?"

"The daughter of a high-ranking censor and the wife of the heir of a noble family, she committed murder and was murdered herself—truly an unprecedented and bizarre tale!"

"Good heavens, how could a woman from a secluded household commit so many serious crimes? How will Imperial Censor Xu and the Marquis of Pingnan ever face anyone again?"

"How can you even care about being a decent human being? If you can avoid being implicated, or suffer as little as possible, you should consider it a blessing from your ancestors!"

"We're doomed. We intercepted Master Mu, but it resulted in bloodshed. Will Lord Song hold us accountable again?"

"Such a big matter will soon be known to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. We should take the initiative to submit a memorial to apologize!"

"Oh, it's all Miss Guo's fault..."

"It's also our own fault. We were used as pawns by others, and in the end, we ruined ourselves!"

"..."

Guo Yuanke, who was lying on the maid, had just opened her eyes when she heard these words, and quickly closed them again, pretending to faint.

Guo Xuan's heart sank. He couldn't care less about his previous heartache for his daughter or his hatred for Song Shuyu. The criminal had indeed made a mistake, and a huge mistake involving human lives!
Moreover, because of Guo Yuanke, the noble ladies of various families and officials of various departments have been implicated. In order to protect themselves, they will also side with Song Shuyu and push all the blame onto Guo Yuanke!
Therefore, not only is Guo Yuanke doomed, but he, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, will also be purged by the emperor!
Standing before the chopping board, Mu Qingcheng stared at the corpse, her brows furrowed.

"The murderer has brought the concept of 'being the butcher' to life' to life!" Song Shuyu stood to the side, her gaze a few inches away, trying her best not to look directly at the deceased.

Jiang Zhan's expression was filled with disbelief. "This corpse, it's said to be Xu Yuying, but it doesn't seem to be Xu Yuying! Looking at the skin and flesh of the deceased's face, it doesn't look like she just died!"

Song Shuyu's scalp tingled. "Master Mu, what's going on?"

Mu Qingcheng didn't bring any autopsy tools, not even pigskin gloves. She could only roll up her sleeves, ask someone to fetch a basin of water, wash her hands, and then proceed with the preliminary examination.

Mu Qingcheng immediately noticed the doubts raised by Jiang Zhan, but she needed to examine them before drawing a conclusion.

She lifted the deceased's sleeves to examine the condition of the arms and hands, then checked the face. After comparison, the result was obvious! She said, "The body and head of this corpse are not the same person!"

"what?"

"Two people?"

Jiang Zhan and Song Shuyu were so shocked that their eyes widened instantly!
Mu Qingcheng explained, "Judging from the state of the body's decomposition, the time of death was no more than an hour. The head, having been frozen and then thawed, is no longer a fresh head. Although the time of death is affected by freezing and cannot be accurately determined, it is at least more than ten days ago. In addition, there is a clear difference in the circumference of the head and neck, with gaps and insufficient fit, indicating that they were intentionally pieced together."

At this point, she raised her head, looked around at it, and continued, "The head to which the body belonged had been completely severed. The reason it is now connected, making it appear as if it were a complete corpse, is because the murderer used fishing line to sew the head and neck together!"

Song Shuyu gasped, his handsome face turning pale.

"Then...is that really Xu Yuying?" Jiang Zhan's thoughts were somewhat confused. "No, that's not right. I should say, is the corpse Xu Yuying?"

"The head is definitely Xu Yuxiao's!"

Mu Qingcheng pondered and said, "I have seen Xu Yuxiao before, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye is a unique facial feature of Xu Yuxiao. It is understandable that Constable Jiang judged the deceased's face to be Xu Yuying after looking at her. Although the two sisters are not born of the same mother, they do have some resemblance in appearance."

At this point, she looked around and said, "Where is Xu Yuying's maid? Now that Xu Yuying's head is gone, we can only let the maid identify whether the body belongs to Xu Yuying."

Jiang Zhan replied, "When we searched the kitchen, we found that all the cooks and cooks had been knocked unconscious, including Xu Yuying's maid, Xiaodie, who was lying unconscious by the archway. They are all currently in rooms in the front yard, being watched over by our people. We will report to them immediately once they wake up."

Mu Qingcheng nodded.

Her gaze shifted downwards, landing on the spot where the corpse's head and neck were tightly joined. She paused, then turned to Song Shuyu and said gently, "My lord, I am thirsty. Would you please find me a cup of hot water?"

Song Shuyu grunted in agreement and strode away.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhan lowered his voice and teased, "Master Mu, you've gone to great lengths to get the master out of the way. But then again, there are so many people outside, we can't let the master faint and lose face."

Mu Qingcheng curled her lips into a meaningful smile and said, "I hope Officer Jiang can hold on as well."

Jiang Zhan was confused.

But Mu Qingcheng stopped explaining and ordered, "Find me a sharp pair of scissors!"

"Yes!"

Jiang Zhan rushed into the kitchen and found a pair of fish fin cutters.

Mu Qingcheng cut the thin fishing lines connecting the head and neck one by one, and then held the head up with both hands!
The bodies are separated!

Fresh blood gushed from the corpse's head and neck, nearly splashing Jiang Zhan's face!
Jiang Zhan quickly dodged and retreated, his steps clearly hurried!
The bloody and horrific scene made Jiang Zhan's face turn pale and his stomach churn with nausea. He tried desperately to suppress it, not wanting to embarrass himself, but he couldn't hold it in and suddenly rushed to the side, vomiting uncontrollably!
The people in the front yard could see a little bit of the scene through the archway. They first saw a head without a body, and then heard the sound of vomiting. They screamed in terror!

Song Shuyu stayed in the kitchen and did not go out.

He knew that Mu Qingcheng was deliberately making excuses to get rid of him, and he could roughly guess her next move, so he obediently avoided her.

(End of this chapter)