A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 345 Ending (14)

Liang Ruoming was very confident, but Mu Qingcheng expressed doubt, "Can you tell a person's temperament from their back? Lord Liang, although I subjectively believe in Song Shuyu's innocence, I will not show the slightest favoritism in this case!"

"I understand what Clerk Mu means. I know that Clerk Mu is meticulous in investigating cases and impartial. However, now that I think about it, the murderer could not possibly be Lord Song, because..."

Liang Ruoming was speaking excitedly, but when he got to the crucial point, he suddenly stopped. His old face was filled with embarrassment in the dim light. Seeing the impatience in Mu Qingcheng's eyes, he lowered his voice and continued, "Because I am very afraid of Lord Song. Whenever I see Lord Song, I can't help but feel weak in the knees, palpitations, and a sore buttocks. I'm afraid that the unpredictable Lord Song will find fault with me again and punish me. But... but when I saw that murderer, I felt nothing but shock!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingcheng was both amused and exasperated. This was a case of being bitten by a snake once and being afraid of a rope for ten years!

At this point, Liang Ruoming finally understood why he felt something was amiss after identifying Song Shuyu.

Mu Qingcheng composed himself and said, "Lord Liang, please recount the process in more detail, including any parts that you feel are amiss, or any particular person."

Liang Ruoming was lost in his memories. During the daytime testimony, he was under immense pressure from all sides and his mind was not sharp enough. He only gave a rough outline of his movements and the details were very rough. Now, thinking about it carefully, there was something unusual about it!
"I usually have a decent capacity for alcohol; I can down two or three jugs without feeling any discomfort. But today, after sitting down for the banquet, I only managed three cups of wine before feeling a headache and a burning sensation in my stomach. Fearing I might offend Your Majesty, I left the banquet and went outside to cool off. I walked along the covered walkway towards the Water Wave Pavilion..."

"Wait!"

Mu Qingcheng abruptly stopped her, slowing her speech as she confirmed, "Lord Liang went to Shuibo Pavilion? I remember when Lord Liang testified, he said you went near the Imperial Kitchen. Are Shuibo Pavilion and the Imperial Kitchen in the same direction?"

Liang Ruoming blurted out, "No, the Water Wave Pavilion leads to the Imperial Garden, and the Imperial Kitchen is in the opposite direction from the Water Wave Pavilion!" After saying that, something suddenly flashed through his mind, "That's right, when I was halfway there, I saw someone coming towards me. I felt strange, so I turned around and followed that person. In the end, I arrived near the Imperial Kitchen!"

"Who?" Mu Qingcheng's breathing quickened. Liang Ruoming looked at her with a complicated expression. "It's someone from your Jingzhao Prefecture. If I'm not mistaken, it's...it's the clerk I saw in court during the public trial of the hanging corpse case at the temple gate."

"The Lin family office? Lin Fu!" Mu Qingcheng exclaimed in surprise.

Liang Ruoming nodded.

"Are you sure?" Mu Qingcheng asked incredulously.

Liang Ruoming frowned. "I saw that person's face and confirmed it was Lin Shuban. Otherwise, why would I find it strange? Why would I follow him?"

Mu Qingcheng slowly lowered his gaze.

Given Lin Shuban's status, it would be impossible for him to enter the palace, let alone move freely within it!

So, was it a deliberate frame-up, or was there a problem with Lin Shu's office?

Although Liang Ruoming lacked investigative skills, he was still quite clever, having come from the Ministry of Justice. He came up with a possibility: "Could it be that I was set up? Someone drugged my wine, making me feel unwell and causing me to leave, then Lin Shuban led me to the Imperial Kitchen, where I witnessed the murder and became a strong witness to identify Lord Song as the murderer?"