A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 327 Corpse Hidden in Wine Jar (7)

The emperor said, "Just do your thing, don't be so restrained."

After bowing, Mu Qingcheng followed Zhou Chun into the Jade Brewing Pavilion.

Near the exit on the south side of the first floor, there are three huge wine jars.

The head eunuch of the Jade Brewing Pavilion, Eunuch Yue, along with two of his men, stood guard beside the wine jar, large beads of cold sweat constantly sliding down his forehead.

Zhou Chun introduced, "Master Mu, this is Eunuch Yue, who is in charge."

Mu Qingcheng looked up and nodded slightly. "Eunuch Yue, tell me about these wine jars."

"Yes!" Eunuch Yue's back hunched even more, and his voice trembled noticeably. "The wine jars numbered one to three are all made of primitive earthenware. The glaze is safe, odorless and non-toxic, durable, and easy to store for a long time. They will not lose their flavor, and the longer they are stored, the stronger the aroma becomes. Each jar can hold 150 catties of wine."

About seven or eight steps behind, a huge crowd of people stood, with the emperor at the head.

Mu Qingcheng walked over and compared the height of the number three jar. The mouth of the jar reached the bridge of her nose. She pushed open the heavy lid, and the strong smell of wine instantly entered her nose!

She frowned and remained motionless.

A faint, unusual aroma, very light and subtle, was mixed in with the fragrance of the wine, almost imperceptible.

If it weren't for her familiarity with the corpse and her exceptionally keen sense of smell, it would have been difficult to detect it in a short period of time.

Looking into the jar from her height and angle, the wine above is clear and transparent, but below the rim, due to the light and the color of the jar's inner wall, it is basically indistinct.

Mu Qingcheng took a few steps back and said, "Pour out the wine and smash the wine jar!"

Eunuch Yue was startled and quickly asked Zhou Chun, "Master Steward?"

"Just do it."

"Yes!"

With Zhou Chun's approval, Eunuch Yue quickly led his eunuchs to bring six or seven large wooden barrels to repackage the contents.

After filling four barrels, Mu Qingcheng called a halt. She approached the wine jars and peered inside again.

The surrounding area was so quiet you could hear a pin drop!
The air was thick with tension; everyone held their breath, not daring to even make a sound like swallowing.
They had seen prisoners executed at the execution ground before, especially the military officers and officials of the three judicial departments, who had seen quite a few dead people in their daily lives.

But today, a chill ran through them, nausea filled their stomachs, and the fear that there might be dead bodies in the wine jars outweighed everything else!
Mu Qingcheng pondered for a moment, then returned to the Emperor and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I am about to smash the water vat! To avoid alarming Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and all the officials and ladies, I humbly request that a screen be erected to separate them." "No need," the Empress Dowager retorted. "A mere girl like you, stop with your charade! If you dare to spout nonsense and mislead the public, I wouldn't be too harsh to order your execution!"

Song Shuyu frowned, about to speak, when Mu Qingcheng promptly replied, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is right, this humble woman will obey Your Majesty's decree."

The emperor remained silent. He glanced at Song Shuyu and, for some reason, had a premonition that things were about to spiral out of control!

Mu Qingcheng asked around and picked a bold eunuch, instructing him to stretch his strength and swing the hammer to smash things.

The waiting process was incredibly agonizing.

The eunuch struck again and again with his hammer, as if hitting everyone's hearts. Everyone stared wide-eyed, not daring to even blink.

The ceramic shattered, and the wine gushed out!
As the opening slowly widened, human hair came into view first, followed by the head, arms, waist, hips, and limbs!
Until, a complete corpse rolled out of the jar, lying face down, fully revealed to everyone!
"Dead! Dead man!"

"There really are dead people!"

"It's a female... female corpse!"

"A palace maid? She's dressed as a palace maid!"

"So the wine we were drinking really was corpse-soaking wine!"

"evil……"

A cacophony of exclamations and retching sounds instantly engulfed the Jade Brewing Pavilion!
The emperor and Song Shuyu exchanged a glance, and both saw confusion in each other's eyes!
The Empress Dowager was bold enough to look directly at him without flinching, and ordered, "Granny, go and take a look."

"Yes!"

The old woman hurried to the corpse and ordered Mu Qingcheng, "Turn it over and see which lowly maid from the palace it is!"

Mu Qingcheng paused, glanced at the old woman indifferently, then bent down and turned the corpse onto its back, laying it flat on the ground!

The woman's face was covered by her disheveled hair, which Mu Qingcheng carefully brushed aside strand by strand.

However, when that slightly swollen face, soaked in alcohol, came into full view, she was so startled that she stood up abruptly and subconsciously took half a step back!

The old woman was horrified and screamed deafeningly, "The corpse is...it's Guo Yuanke, the daughter of Guo Xuan, the Vice Minister of Works, who was punished to be a maid in the palace!"

Upon hearing this, the female relatives of the officials, who were so shocked they were about to vomit bile, were first stunned, and then erupted in uproar!
Song Shuyu was stunned for a moment, then quickly glanced at the group of officials. Guo Xuan hadn't come over.
(End of this chapter)