A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 395 Ending (64)

"Lord Guo was angry that I was useless, so he beat me up and locked me up. In order to rescue me, Pingping wanted to go to the Jingzhao Prefecture to accuse Lord Guo of concealing the population. Lin Fu personally wrote the petition for Pingping, saying that I had lost my virtue and damaged Pingping's reputation. If Lord Guo were to accuse me in return, I would also be guilty. But I had indeed done wrong and should bear the consequences. However, Lord Guo did not want both sides to suffer, so he imprisoned Pingping as well."

"Madam Guo doted on Pingping and arranged for us to elope. It was my foolishness that led me to forget that Pingping had no household registration or travel permit. As a result, we not only couldn't leave the city, but Lord Guo also found our trail. That night, we fled to the Sanqing Temple and begged the abbot to take us in, but Lord Guo sent more than a dozen men in black, determined to capture us and take us back..."

Just as Lin Ling was getting to the point, a loud voice suddenly rang out from below the stage: "Lord Lu, the Abbot of the Sanqing Temple has arrived!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the head constable of the Dali Temple escorting a man in his thirties, dressed in a Taoist robe, through the crowd to the front of the public trial platform.

Mu Qingcheng glanced at it once, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

This person... doesn't quite seem like a man, but doesn't seem like a woman either.

Well, although it sounds like a paradox, that's how Mu Qingcheng felt. Over the years, she's met countless people—the cunning, the stupid, the loyal, the kind—and she's basically always right, with no major misjudgments.

But this abbot, judging from his appearance, gave her a strange feeling that was neither male nor female!

So she spoke up, asking directly, "Has your identity been verified? Is it a man or a woman?"

The head constable of the Dali Temple was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Lu Xun. He belonged to the Dali Temple and, in principle, only obeyed Lu Xun's orders.

Lu Xun showed no unusual expression and said nothing more, only instructing, "Cooperate fully with Master Mu's questioning."

"Yes!" The constable immediately replied, and then answered Mu Qingcheng, "I have confirmed with the people of Sanqing Mountain and the Taoists in Sanqing Temple that this person is indeed the abbot, whose secular name is Liu Changshou, and he is known as the Taoist Master Sanqing. As for his gender, everyone thinks he is a man, and I also thought so based on his appearance, so I did not deliberately verify it."

After listening, Mu Qingcheng paused and said, "Take him down for testing."

"Alright, please wait a moment, Master Mu."

The head constable was a straightforward man. No matter how many doubts arose in his mind, he did not ask any questions. Instead, he quickly led the abbot out of the crowd and towards a nearby house.

Faced with a crowd of surprised and puzzled looks, Mu Qingcheng pursed her lips and offered no explanation.

Her gaze lingered on Guo Xuan for a moment, but he appeared completely at ease, as if the abbot could truly prove his innocence. She looked away, inadvertently catching a glimpse of Liang Ruoming's expression. Suspicion, confusion, deep thought… he was completely lost in thought.

"Lord Liang?"

A soft call startled Liang Ruoming. He turned to face Mu Qingcheng, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "What advice does Master Mu have for me?"

"What, does Lord Liang know the abbot?"

"I……"

Liang Ruoming swallowed hard, somewhat hesitant. "I wonder why Master Mu wants to verify the abbot's gender? Does Master Mu suspect that the abbot is a woman in disguise?"

His question truly voiced what everyone was thinking, so they all pricked up their ears and stared intently at Mu Qingcheng.

Mu Qingcheng thought for a moment and replied carefully, "I felt that the abbot's demeanor and temperament were somewhat feminine, and there were traces of makeup on his face. That's why I wanted to confirm."

The others looked enlightened upon hearing this, while Liang Ruoming frowned, deep in thought.

Mu Qingcheng immediately became suspicious, "Lord Liang, do you know something?"

"I……"

"Master Mu, it has been verified that the abbot is a man."

At this moment, the head constable rushed back and reported the results of the inspection.

Liang Ruoming looked at the abbot and said in a deep voice, "Master Mu, if I am not mistaken, this person is my former classmate and also a good friend of Lord Guo."

Guo Xuan suddenly looked over, his eyes dark and unreadable.