A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 324 Corpse Hidden in Wine Jar (4)

Shen Che was startled and stood frozen in place, stammering, "Master Mu, are you unwilling to forgive me? Although the arranged marriage was my father's decision, I... I was sincere..."

"Heh, Shen Che, do you want to die?"

Song Shuyu immediately turned hostile, clenched her fist, and was about to slap Shen Che across the face!

"grown ups!"

Mu Qingcheng spoke up promptly, taking a sniff of both her own and Shen Che's wine, then said sternly, "Stop fooling around! Quickly give me the Emperor and Empress Dowager's wine!"

Upon hearing this, Song Shuyu was taken aback at first, then quickly stepped forward, walked to the dragon throne, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, please lend me some of the imperial wine!"

The emperor was taken aback. "Borrow? You're using my imperial wine to curry favor with your advisor, Master Mu?"

After considering it for a moment, Song Shuyu replied, "Master Mu is not drinking it for himself; he must have some other purpose."

"So, she sent you to ask me for the imperial wine? A subordinate instigating his superior?" the emperor asked leisurely, with an expression that seemed to see right through him.

Song Shuyu felt no shame whatsoever, but instead replied with pride, "Yes, because Master Mu's words and actions are always right."

The emperor was speechless and said irritably, "Zhou Chun, bestow a pot of imperial wine upon Master Mu."

"Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty!" Song Shuyu smiled.

Zhou Chun picked up a golden wine pot and presented it with both hands.

After Song Shuyu took it, his gaze shifted and landed on the jade wine bottle in front of the Empress Dowager. He hesitated for only a moment before rushing over and snatching it from her hand, leaving behind the words, "Thank you for the reward, Aunt." Then he turned and left.

The Empress Dowager was stunned for a few moments before she came to her senses, and she was so angry that she gasped for breath.

Song Shuyu handed both wine jugs to Mu Qingcheng, who smelled them one by one and asked, "Is the Emperor and Empress Dowager's wine supplied separately?"

Song Shuyu nodded. "Yes, the finest imperial wine can only be supplied to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. The wine that the officials drink is wine brewed exclusively for the palace."

"Fortunately, the imperial wine was normal."

Mu Qingcheng felt a slight sense of relief and returned the two wine jugs to Song Shuyu. She glanced around and saw that everyone was still drinking. Although some people had furrowed brows and seemed hesitant, they still opened their mouths and poured the wine down their throats.

"Master Mu, what do you mean by that? Imperial wine is normal, but is palace wine abnormal?" Shen Che was completely confused, and a bad feeling rose in his heart.

Mu Qingcheng did not answer, but said, "My lord, I would like to check all the wine on the table. Perhaps we should tell them to stop drinking for now?"

"Okay." Song Shuyu agreed without hesitation.

He approached the emperor again, and in a low voice, he requested, "Your Majesty, please order all ministers and their families to refrain from drinking alcohol. Master Mu wishes to investigate."

"How about we give her your position as Prefect of the Capital?" The Emperor almost smashed his wine cup over Song Shuyu's head! Song Shuyu agreed quickly, "Your humble servant would be delighted!"

The emperor rolled his eyes mercilessly, "You good-for-nothing."

"Your Majesty, please give the order quickly." Song Shuyu, preoccupied with the mission, urged, "Think about what kind of background Master Mu has? She didn't drink, yet she spilled my wine. Clearly, there's something wrong with the palace wine!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately stopped joking and ordered, "Zhou Chun, you personally take Master Mu to investigate."

"Your servant obeys the decree!" Zhou Chun bowed and accepted the order.

The Empress Dowager noticed the commotion, her beautiful eyes darkened, and then, as if she had thought of something, a faint, dark light shone from the depths of her slightly lowered eyes.

Zhou Chun came over, whispered a few words to Mu Qingcheng, and then led Mu Qingcheng to the seat of the Prince of Zhongshan. Before he could convey the emperor's decree, he grabbed the wine pot on the table, opened the lid, and handed it to Mu Qingcheng. His eyes were full of anxiety and unease!
The King of Zhongshan looked at Shen Che, his dissatisfaction growing stronger. "What are you planning to do now?"

Shen Che didn't have time to explain, he just stared at Mu Qingcheng with a heart pounding wildly. He hoped it couldn't be what Mu Qingcheng had guessed!

Song Shuyu followed Mu Qingcheng closely, partly to cooperate with Mu Qingcheng's work in a timely manner, and partly to prevent any fools from bullying his precious sweetheart. He could not tolerate even a single unfriendly glance!
Mu Qingcheng's sense of smell was as keen as a professional patrol dog. After smelling the wine jug of the King of Zhongshan, she looked at Shen Che with a hint of sympathy. However, since the matter was not yet settled, she could not speak plainly. She could only subtly remind Shen Che, "Stop drinking and go rinse your mouth."

Shen Che's expression immediately turned ashen, as if he had swallowed a fly. A wave of nausea surged through his stomach, and he couldn't help but turn to the side and gag.

The lively banquet gradually quieted down!

"Chai'er!"

The Prince of Zhongshan was shocked. Princess Ningchang quickly rose from her seat, helped Shen Che up, and angrily berated Mu Qingcheng, "What did you do to my brother? You poisonous woman, you dare to harm my brother, I'll make you wish you were dead..."

"Snapped--"

The crisp sound of a slap landing on the face was like a sharp blade cutting off a throat, successfully stopping Princess Ningchang's insults!
Princess Ningchang's fair face quickly swelled and turned red. She raised her eyelids in disbelief, tears of pain, humiliation, and hatred streaming down her face. "Brother Yu, you...you actually hit me? How dare you hit a princess like me?"

For a moment, the whole place was silent!

The Prince of Zhongshan was the first to recover from his shock and threw a punch at Song Shuyu!

Song Shuyu did not dodge, but instead grabbed the Prince of Zhongshan's arm with his large hand. His sharp voice resounded throughout the hall, "When the princess was beaten, the prince immediately jumped out to protect her. But when the princess called Master Mu a 'poisonous woman' and said she wanted Master Mu to die a horrible death, where was the prince when he restrained her? The prince is a protective person, but how could he know that I, Song Shuyu, am not?"

He swung him hard, and the Prince of Zhongshan staggered backward, almost falling onto the mat!

Fearing he would lose his composure before the emperor, Shen Che clutched his throat tightly to stop himself from vomiting. But his troublesome father and sister only made his stomach churn more. Without even having time to take his leave of the emperor, he ran out!

Song Shuyu glanced at Princess Ningchang with disdain and disgust, and rebuked her mercilessly: "You have a foul mouth and a vicious heart, yet you dare to flaunt your status as a princess? You even dare to question why I hit you? Mu Qingcheng is not only a criminal clerk in the Jingzhao Prefecture, but also a member of our Duke's Mansion! She is quiet and doesn't like to argue with others, but if anyone dares to bully or humiliate her because of her background, then I, Song Shuyu, will have no choice but to use my status and power to suppress them!"

These words were not only directed at the King of Zhongshan and his daughter, but also served as a warning to everyone!
In an instant, everyone's heart was filled with turbulent waves. Countless eyes were fixed on the dragon throne. They had already experienced the power of the Song family and the arrogance of Song Shuyu, and were wary of them. But whether they could maintain their power for a long time depended on the emperor's attitude!

(End of this chapter)