A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 283 Entering Langshan (4)

As they spoke, Song Shuyu escorted Mu Qingcheng into her room.

He beckoned to the waiter and ordered a cup of ginseng tea.

"You've already worked hard for many days, so don't go out and waste your energy. Drink some ginseng tea and go to sleep soundly. You'll be busy tomorrow."

"Oh, by the way, I've spoken to the military commander in Wuzhou. He'll send someone to keep an eye on things and ensure my father-in-law's safety before he returns to the capital."

"So just focus on your own things and don't worry about your father-in-law. I'll take care of everything."

Song Shuyu kept talking, while Mu Qingcheng sat on the stool, staring at him blankly.

After a long while, when he didn't hear any response from her, Song Shuyu realized something was wrong. He placed his large hand on her forehead and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Mu Qingcheng gently shook her head, her eyes slowly reddening.

"No fever. Then..." Song Shuyu felt a surge of nervousness and asked cautiously, "Are you angry with me? Because I didn't let you go out with Lu Xun? Or are you angry that I made the decision on my own?"

Mu Qingcheng opened her arms and hugged his waist, pressing her face against his hot chest and listening to his strong heartbeat. She felt a lump in her throat, "How did such a good adult end up on my head? What incredible luck I have."

"It's alright if you don't blame me." Song Shuyu breathed a sigh of relief, stroked her hair with his large hand, and smiled gently. "We were both lucky to meet each other and fall in love."

Mu Qingcheng sniffed, looked up at him, her eyes serious. "My lord, if you do it this way, marrying me will be a huge loss for you. Besides, I haven't saved up much dowry."

"Hehe, how can you calculate the gains and losses when marrying a wife? As the saying goes, a son-in-law is half a son, and my father-in-law is also family to me. When it comes to family, sincerity is more precious than a thousand pieces of gold." Song Shuyu laughed, "As for your dowry, my grandmother doesn't allow me to get involved, but she will prepare it for you in full."

Mu Qingcheng was utterly shocked. "This...how can this be?"

"Grandmother's only request is that you cannot break off the engagement!" Song Shuyu's handsome face turned serious. His biggest bargaining chip right now was her affections; otherwise, what could he use to compete with Lu Xun?
However, Mu Qingcheng did not nod. She let go of Song Shuyu's hand, pressed him down to sit on the stool opposite her, frowned, and said, "Sir, I originally planned to talk to you after I finished this case. Now that we've come this far, I... I would like to advise you to reconsider our marriage."

Upon hearing this, Song Shuyu's handsome face immediately darkened. "Why? I don't need to consider it. I've already made up my mind..."

"grown ups!"

Mu Qingcheng restrained the agitated Song Shuyu, maintaining her composure, and frankly stated, "From Xu Yuying to Guo Yuanke, and then to Princess Ningchang, the number of noble ladies who admire you and want to curry favor with you will only increase, not decrease. Even if we get married, there will be people eager to offer their daughters to you. Now we have the Empress Dowager bestowing a marriage upon us, and in the future, the Emperor may bestow one as well. To be honest, I'm not sure if I can accept you taking a concubine, or having mistresses, when that time comes. Men having multiple wives and concubines is an established rule of this world. I have no power to overturn or stop it, nor can I selfishly demand that you be with me for life, so..."

Looking at his gradually darkening expression, she suddenly felt as if she had a lump in her throat and couldn't speak.

Song Shuyu's Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed his emotions and asked, "So what?"

"So, if you insist on marrying me, please sign a divorce agreement with me at the same time as the marriage contract. If I can't accept it, we can part amicably." Mu Qingcheng took a deep breath and finally spoke her mind.

"Mu Qingcheng!"

Song Shuyu suddenly stood up, the disappointment in her eyes like a cold, sharp knife, stabbing Mu Qingcheng's heart with pain. "We're not even married yet, and you've already prepared a way out for divorce? You don't trust me, and you don't love me, or rather, you don't love me enough to not be jealous, not care, and not ask me to be your only wife for the rest of my life!" Mu Qingcheng was speechless for a moment.

Is it wrong for her to overthink and act prudently? Jealousy and concern are just unnecessary worries; what good do they do? Why is he so angry?
Seeing that she didn't speak, didn't explain, and completely acquiesced, Song Shuyu was so angry that she turned around and left, slamming the door shut with a loud bang!
Mu Qingcheng was a person who rarely lost her temper, but seeing Song Shuyu being so unreasonable, she couldn't help but get angry. She finished the ginseng soup in one go, and without even taking off her clothes, she went to bed to sleep.

A good night's sleep.

The next morning at dawn, the group had breakfast in the lobby downstairs.

Jiang Zhan was originally sitting at the same table as the constables, but before he could even sit down, Song Shuyu snatched his seat!

"My lord?" Jiang Zhan asked, puzzled. He leaned closer to Song Shuyu and said in a low voice, "You are the commander, you should sit at the same table as Master Mu and Young Master Lu."

Song Shuyu glanced at Jiang Zhan sideways, his expression cold and hard, and said, "Mind your own business? Stop talking nonsense and go find a place to eat yourself."

Jiang Zhan shrank back and obediently moved to Duan Qianzhong's side, even insisting on adding a chair for him.

Mu Qingcheng glanced at Song Shuyu from time to time, her heart filled with helplessness. They had never argued so fiercely since they met, but she really didn't understand what she had done wrong. What did it mean that she didn't love him enough? What did it mean to love someone?

"Let's eat."

Lu Xun's reminder brought Mu Qingcheng back to her senses. She sighed almost imperceptibly, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat her breakfast.

"What's wrong? Did you have a fight?" Lu Xun glanced at Song Shuyu, who had her back to them, and asked in a low voice while serving porridge to Mu Qingcheng.

Mu Qingcheng drank half a bowl of porridge before replying with just two words: "No."

When official duties are at hand, discord between generals and commanders can easily affect morale.

If she had known it would end like this, she wouldn't have said anything yesterday.

After the meal, the group set off for the Great Wilderness Mountain.

Indeed, hanging coffin burials were prevalent in this area, and hanging coffins of varying heights could be seen everywhere on the cliffs outside the city.

After leaving Yuyang Town, Duan Qianzhong, holding a hand-drawn map, reported: "My lord, Master Mu, I learned last night that there are four entrances to the Great Wilderness Mountain. The eastern entrance is next to Yuyang Lake, where you can reach the foot of the mountain by water and then ascend. The western entrance is steep and difficult to travel on, so almost no one uses this route. The southern entrance is the easiest to travel, and it is very safe, with many hunters and mountain people coming and going daily. As for the northern entrance, a landslide occurred a few years ago, completely destroying the road, so it has been abandoned."

“Floating egrets…” Lu Xun pondered, “Does it mean Yuyang Lake? Then how do you explain the hanging coffins on the parchment scroll?”

Mu Qingcheng said, "Given Wang Ruhua's level of knowledge, the phrase 'Floating egrets fly, black pheasants enter Wolf Mountain' must have been heard from someone else. The illustrations on the parchment scroll are the location markers that she saw with her own eyes and drew herself."

(End of this chapter)