A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 348 Ending (17)

Jiang Zhan opened his mouth, but then stopped himself from speaking.

Seeing this, Mu Qingcheng examined the poem on the paper more closely and said, "Does Officer Jiang have some different ideas? Judging from the handwriting, it is indeed Lin Shuban's own handwriting, but this poem has a resolute tone..."

She suddenly stopped speaking.

Jiang Zhan thought she had realized something, but unexpectedly, he heard her tone turn sorrowful, "So, it seems that Secretary Lin really has a problem!"

“Master Mu…” Jiang Zhan took a deep breath and handed over the blue hair tie. “You, take a look at this.”

Mu Qingcheng hadn't noticed it at first, but upon closer inspection, a hint of surprise flashed in her dark eyes. "This hair tie... seems somewhat familiar?"

The blue hair tie has a butterfly embroidered at the end, but it is stained with vermilion.

"is it possible……"

Jiang Zhan swallowed hard. The words "It's yours" rolled around on his lips a few times, and he hesitated whether to say them or not. Just then, Mu Qingcheng placed the hair tie and papers in Jiang Zhan's hands. The disguise cream on her face covered her expression, but her eyes remained clear and calm. She said, "Captain Jiang, if you have the chance to see Secretary Lin again, give them back to him. This is his private matter and has nothing to do with the case. It shouldn't be involved."

"Oh." Jiang Zhan was slightly taken aback. Did she not see it, or did she see it but not understand its meaning?

Mu Qingcheng paused for a moment, then said, "Don't tell anyone about this, especially not the adults. Is that alright?"

This time, she gave a request, not an order.

Jiang Zhan suddenly understood.

He put his things away and solemnly replied, "Don't worry, I understand."

Mu Qingcheng looked around. "Any other discoveries?"

"No," Jiang Zhan replied. "Secretary Lin has very few personal belongings, only a few sets of clothes, and we didn't find anything special."

Just then, the constable who had gone to the Office of State Affairs returned and presented the assessment book to Mu Qingcheng.

She checked the duty roster of the Lin office for the past few days. He was on duty the day before yesterday and yesterday, but today... he was off duty!
"Master Mu, Officer Jiang!"

Another constable rushed back and reported, "Clerk Lin left through the south gate of the government office last night and has not returned yet!"

After saying this, he presented the entry and exit records of the four gates of the Jingzhao Prefecture.

After verifying the information, Jiang Zhan's expression turned quite grim. "Such a coincidence probably confirms Master Mu's suspicions!"

Mu Qingcheng asked, "Does Secretary Lin have any properties outside the yamen? For example, houses, shops, or places to rent?" Jiang Zhan shook his head, "I don't know."

Mu Qingcheng pondered for a moment, then stepped out of the house and headed towards the third side room next door.

"Master Mu, are you looking for Registrar Zhang?" Jiang Zhan followed.

Mu Qingcheng hummed in agreement. "I remember that Zhang, the registrar, served the longest in the Jingzhao Prefecture and had frequent private dealings with Lin, the secretary. He should be the one who knows Lin the most."

Zhang, the registrar, had already gone to bed. When he heard Jiang Zhan knocking on the door and calling out, he quickly rubbed his sleepy eyes, lit a lamp, got dressed, and opened the door to welcome him.

"Captain Jiang, what's wrong? Has Master Mu returned?"

As they were talking, Zhang, the registrar, noticed the person beside Jiang Zhan. He was taken aback at first, then exclaimed in surprise, "Officer Bai? What have you been doing here? Why are you dressed like that?"

Mu Qingcheng did not respond and stepped into the house.

Jiang Zhan gestured for Zhang, the registrar, to come inside, saying, "It's the middle of the night, and it's quite cold outside."

After closing the door, the group sat down. Mu Qingcheng briefly explained the current situation. Zhang, the registrar, was shocked and focused on two key points: "Master Mu, your marriage to Prince Shen was fake, wasn't it? And Lin Shuban's betrayal wasn't fake, was it?"

Jiang Zhan's lips twitched when he heard his awkward question. "Registrant Zhang, wasn't your first question redundant? Our lord..."

"Ahem." Mu Qing cleared his throat and said helplessly, "The focus now is on solving the case of the corpse hidden in the wine jar. What does it have to do with you, sir, whether I get married or not?"

However, upon hearing this, the expressions of the people in front of him changed!
But Mu Qingcheng didn't give them a chance to continue gossiping and went straight to the point, "Registrar Zhang, tell me about Lin Shuban outside of his work, and where he might be hiding."

Registrar Zhang could not inquire further, so he said, "Scribe Lin entered the Jingzhao Prefecture more than two years ago. He is from Quzhou and came to the capital alone to make a living. He has always lived in the side room of the yamen. I have never heard of him owning a house or shop outside. Apart from his colleagues in the yamen, I have never heard of or seen him interacting with outsiders. I really can't imagine where he would be hiding."

It was only when this was brought up that they realized how little they knew about Lin Shuban's private life.

Mu Qingcheng rubbed her throbbing temples, her eyes showing exhaustion. After a moment's thought, she instructed, "Registrar Zhang, Constable Jiang, you must find Lin the Clerk at all costs and find out his background. We only have three days, so be quick, understand?"

"Yes!" the two replied in unison.

"I will find an opportunity to inform the master and have him arrange for someone to secretly investigate Lin Shuban's whereabouts in the palace. By the way, regarding my return to the capital tonight, give the instructions that anyone who knows anything about it must keep quiet."

"Yes!"

After leaving the side room, Mu Qingcheng went to the morgue to retrieve her personal autopsy kit, changed back into ordinary clothes, and then headed towards Minister Liang's residence under the cover of night.