A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 310 Let go of grudges and return to the way things were

"Two years?" Song Shuyu chewed on the word, his narrowed dark eyes flashing with a sinister light. "Why is it only being reported now? Were there any reports submitted before?"

Xu Chunshan hesitated for a moment. “The magistrate of Heyang County comes from a poor family. Although he reported it to the Jingzhao Prefecture, he could only turn a blind eye. This time, a life has been lost, and the people’s resentment is boiling over. It can’t be suppressed, so I have no choice but to report to Your Excellency for a decision.”

Song Shuyu nodded slightly. "Hmm, it's expressed quite subtly."

"This humble official dares not!" Xu Chunshan was terrified and immediately knelt on the ground to beg for forgiveness.

As powerful maternal relatives, the Song family could get away with murder without suffering any consequences. Therefore, upon receiving the report about a crime committed by a collateral branch of the Song family, he was terrified and immediately reported it to Song Shuyu for handling. He dared not issue any instructions whatsoever.

However, Song Shuyu was not angry. Instead, he instructed: "Notify the magistrate of Heyang County that, in accordance with the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, all those who have committed crimes, from master to servant, must be arrested and dealt with impartially!"

Xu Chunshan was greatly shocked, "My lord, this, this is Song..."

"I am the Prefect of the Capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, not a protector of the Song family parasites!" Song Shuyu said calmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Xu Chunshan was deeply moved. He prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed, sincerely praising, "Your Excellency is wise!"

"When the constables from Heyang County came to the capital to arrest people, Liu Heng was ordered to accompany them to avoid being beaten out by Song Shushen."

"Your Excellency's considerations are thorough; I understand!"

After Xu Chunshan took his leave, he straightened his back considerably as he left the administration building.

……

The side room.

Mu Qingcheng had a maid serve tea, and she and Lu Xun sat around a stove burning silver charcoal and chatted.

Lu Xun finished his bowl of tea, his gaze fixed on Mu Qingcheng's face, and suddenly he smiled freely and gently, "Qing'er, there is actually someone else who has wanted to see you for a very long time."

"Uh, who is it?" Mu Qingcheng was taken aback.

Lu Xun said, "My younger brother, his name is Lu Zhao. We are twins, and we look almost identical, but our personalities are completely different. Hmm, speaking of which, Lu Zhao and Miss Bai are quite similar; they are both mischievous, active, and unrestrained." Mu Qingcheng was speechless!
Before she could process this fact, Lu Xun sighed and said, "However, Lu Zhao is unable to see anyone now. According to the official records, Lu Zhao died when he was eight years old."

"Dead?" Mu Qingcheng was shocked in waves, her brain couldn't keep up, and her tongue stammered, "Why, why?"

Lu Xun picked up the kettle and poured himself another bowl of tea. The steam rising from his face added to his unspeakable sorrow.

After keeping his life experiences buried for over a decade, he was finally able to share them with Mu Qingcheng without reservation: "I am the heir of the Marquis of Huai'an's mansion, and I was raised as the heir from birth. My parents respected each other, and my younger brother Lu Zhao and I were very close. Before I was eight years old, my life was happy and perfect. The change happened at the end of that year when my parents took my brother and me back to our hometown to visit relatives for the New Year. On New Year's Eve, Lu Zhao felt bored at home and begged me to go out with him. We stubbornly shook off the servants and sneaked out into the streets. We ended up in the Linjiang area, where we happened to encounter a group of masked assassins in black who were wreaking havoc in a brothel called 'Shuiyunjian'! As a result, Lu Zhao and I became the targets of the assassins to silence us!"

"To save Lu Zhao's life, I rushed out to distract the assassins, but unfortunately, I was stabbed several times and fell into Taihu Lake. I lost the jade pendant that belonged to Lu Zhao. Later, the government found the jade pendant and determined that the missing person was Lu Zhao. My father, fearing that the assassins would find out the truth and eliminate me, went along with the mistake and had Lu Zhao take my place, while announcing to the outside world that Lu Zhao had accidentally fallen into the water and drowned. After I fell into the lake, I miraculously survived and was rescued by fishermen. However, not long after, the fishing boat sank, the fishermen perished, and I, who had survived, unfortunately became a beggar. Fortunately, I was not destined to die, and soon I was lucky enough to meet my adoptive father, and from then on, I went into hiding among the common people under the name Mu Xun."

“I thought that after eight years, everything had faded away. I returned to the capital to take the imperial examination. Whether I passed or not, at least I could return to the Marquis’s mansion and find protection for my adoptive father and you. Therefore, I made many plans. I wanted my father to bring you to the capital to live, to buy you houses and land, so that you could enjoy wealth and honor and no longer have to suffer from people’s contempt and live a life of poverty and hardship. We are both of marriageable age, and I want to marry you in a grand and glorious way, and then we can take care of our parents together.”

"However, things are unpredictable. I came in third in the imperial examination, and the Emperor personally appointed me as the Tan Hua (third-ranked scholar). My identical appearance with Lu Zhao also made it easy for my father to find me. But I miscalculated one thing: the 'Shuiyunjian' family massacre case has not been solved, and the murderer is still at large! Lu Zhao was afraid that I would suffer another misfortune, so he insisted on changing my identity back, letting me return to the Marquis's mansion and become the real heir, Lu Xun, while Lu Zhao would enter and leave the court as the Tan Hua Mu Xun to test the murderer!"

"As a result, Lu Zhao was assassinated twice within a month. We then realized that Mu Xun's face and name were the same as Lu Xun's, which aroused suspicion that the mastermind behind the 'Shuiyunjian' family massacre was behind us! We were in the open, while the murderer was in the dark. Moreover, the murderer's identity and strength were not to be underestimated. We dared not risk our lives any longer."

"So, in order not to implicate the entire Marquis's mansion, not to implicate you and your adoptive father, and also to lull the murderer into a false sense of security, I orchestrated a scheme to fake the death of the third-ranked scholar. From then on, my brother and I stayed at home, biding our time and waiting for the right day. My father resigned from his official post, refused to associate with any official families, and simply lived a life of quiet humility, holding onto his title without a care in the world."

As the steam from the tea slowly dissipated, Lu Xun's features gradually became clearer.

Mu Qingcheng felt a lump in her throat and her eyes were blurry with tears.

She covered Lu Xun's cold hand with her own, her lips trembling slightly as she said, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have helped you. I wasn't afraid of being implicated."

Lu Xun's moist eyes were fixed on Mu Qingcheng, the curve of his lips was like a smile mixed with tears, "But I'm scared! Qing'er, if it were you, you wouldn't be willing to put me and my godfather in danger, right?"

Mu Qingcheng was speechless. It's always easier to advise others than to advise oneself. Between family members, one would rather suffer a thousand cuts than see a loved one bleed even a little.

Lu Xun put down his teacup and leaned in to embrace Mu Qingcheng.

The estrangement caused by four years of separation has finally been overcome, and they can finally let go of all grudges and return to how they were before. The longing that has been suppressed in her heart for so long finally has a chance to be expressed, "Qing'er, you will never know how excited and scared I was when I learned that you were in the capital. I missed you and longed for you, but I didn't dare to see you. I could only secretly follow you again and again, silently watching you and feeling sorry for you..."

(End of this chapter)