A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 397 Ending (66)

At this point, Lin Ling suddenly became emotional, filled with shame and indignation. He turned back to look at Liu Changshou, who was restrained below the stage, and gritted his teeth in disgust. "In the end, you can know a person's face but not their heart. This abbot is a beast. He actually drugged me and intended to keep me in the abbot's temple for him... for his amusement!"

The entire place was completely silent; you could hear a pin drop!
Liang Ruoming's statement that Liu Changshou was a pervert who liked to dress up as a woman was already shocking enough. But after hearing Lin Ling's experience, everyone felt that their understanding had been completely overturned!
There has been a saying about male homosexuality since ancient times, and there are many male prostitutes in brothels who use their looks to serve men. But Liu Changshou is a Taoist, and he is also a famous Taoist priest in the capital, who is highly respected by the world!

Liang Ruoming's chest heaved rapidly. He suddenly drew the official knife from the constable's waist and slashed at Liu Changshou, cursing, "You filthy bastard, you should be chopped up and made into a eunuch!"

Everyone was shocked!
But Liu Changshou neither dodged nor avoided Liang Ruoming, looking at him with a smile, without the slightest shame or fear.

The constables on the stage and the head constable below reacted quickly, stopping Liang Ruoming's impulsive act!
Liang Ruoming, already irritable from having his knife taken away, was further provoked by Liu Changshou's confident smile and was about to lunge forward to attack again.

"Master Liang!"

Mu Qingcheng's eyes darkened, displeasure rising in them. "Should this case still be tried?"

Liang Ruoming immediately lost his temper, looking embarrassed.

Mu Qingcheng turned to Lin Ling and asked, "So how did you escape?"

“I would rather die than allow it! The abbot actually tied up Pingping and was going to throw her off the cliff. Below the cliff is the Sanqing River. It had rained before dusk that day, and the water level in the river was quite high. Moreover, Pingping has difficulty walking. Once she fell into the water, her life or death would be uncertain! I had no other choice but to compromise, but Pingping refused. She broke free of the people binding her and jumped off the cliff!”

Recalling the horror of that night, and seeing Pingping's lifeless body, Lin Ling's tears flowed like rain again. "I was powerless, held captive, unable to save Pingping, unable even to die..."

Mu Qingcheng closed her eyes briefly, looked at Guo Xuan, and said with a lump in her throat, "So, the person who fell into the Sanqing River was not Lin Ling, but Pingping."

"Do you want to keep listening?" Guo Xuan sneered, his eyes conveying an ambiguous meaning.

Lin Ling choked up and said, "Master Mu, it was Lord Guo who saved Pingping and me. So, before today, although I was coerced by Lord Guo, I was also full of gratitude towards him."

"Look, I'm their savior," Guo Xuan said proudly.

Mu Qingcheng ignored him, glanced at Guo Xuan, and then looked away. "Lin Ling, continue."

Lin Ling forcefully wiped his wet eyes and continued, "After Pingping jumped off the cliff, I was imprisoned by the abbot. He wanted to harm me, but I knew medicine, so I used silver needles to prick his acupoints, paralyzing his limbs and preventing him from succeeding. Three days later, Lord Guo's men suddenly broke down the door and rescued me. In the farm, I saw Lord Guo again, and Pingping, who was still alive. Having escaped death, we cherish life even more, but we wouldn't give up being together just to survive." "Lord Guo gave me two choices. One was to drag Lin Fu into it and persuade him to get rid of the prisoner in the capital." He offered two options: either he would kill Lin Fu and then give Pingping to me in marriage, or he would kill Lin Fu and allow Pingping and me to elope. Needless to say, I couldn't choose either. As a result, Lord Guo took Pingping away and imprisoned me again. I wanted to send a message to Lin Fu and ask Lord Song for help, but I couldn't find an opportunity. Until three days ago, Lord Guo came to find me early in the morning, giving me Lin Fu's personal jade buckle, saying that Lin Fu had fallen into his hands, and that Lord Song and Master Mu would be leaving the Jingzhao Prefecture soon. He instructed me to take advantage of the situation, disguise myself as Lin Fu, and enter the Jingzhao Prefecture to complete the poisoning mission.

“I didn’t agree. First, I didn’t believe Lin Fu would be arrested; the Jingzhao Prefecture’s security shouldn’t be that useless. Second, whether this mission succeeds or fails, Lin Fu and I are doomed, and even our Lin family relatives will be implicated. But less than half a day later, Guo An came to me again, saying that Guo Yuanke had been killed by Lord Song, and Lord Guo only had Pingping as his only daughter. If I agreed, Pingping could officially return to the Guo family and become a young lady again. If I remained obstinate, the next person to die would be Pingping, followed by Lin Fu. If I felt that wasn’t enough, my relatives in Quzhou could also be used as bargaining chips.”

With trembling hands, Lin Ling took out a blood-stained cloth from deep inside her clothes. Hot tears kept rolling from her bloodshot eyes. "To prove that what they said was true, Guo An gave me another big gift."

A bad feeling rose in Mu Qingcheng's heart, "This, this was done by Lin Shu..."

“Yes, it’s my brother’s left index finger. I recognize it.” Lin Ling spread out a cloth, showing a bloody finger to everyone. “When we were little, my brother was burned, and there was a willow leaf-shaped mark on his index finger. So, I had no choice but to believe that the lives of Pingping, Lin Fu, and our Lin family were all in Lord Guo’s hands, and I could only compromise and embark on this path of no return.”

Mu Qingcheng's eyes burned. She slowly reached out, picked up the cloth, and stared at the blood-red, dried-out severed finger. Her throat tightened, and she couldn't speak.

"Guo An gave me a map of the Jingzhao Prefecture, marked the prisons where serious criminals were held, Lin Fu's official robes, the master who disguised me, and a deadly poison that would kill on contact with blood. Then he plotted today. Guo An said that the Jingzhao Prefecture was leaderless, most of the constables had been transferred away, and the rear was empty, making it the best time to act. Lin Fu and I are similar in build and appearance, and after the disguise, there was no difference between us. I also knew Lin Fu's habits, so I entered the Jingzhao Prefecture prison without any hindrance. But fortunately, we failed. Lord Song was a master strategist who had planned everything in advance and laid a trap."

After speaking, Lin Ling bowed deeply, sobbing uncontrollably, "Master Mu, I have explained everything. Please send someone to rescue Lin Fu!"

Mu Qingcheng's eyes reddened. She gripped Lin Fu's severed finger tightly and said, "Guo An, you only have one chance for a lenient sentence for your serious crime! Tell me, where is Lin Fu?"

Guo An hesitated for a moment, then said, "I don't know. Lin Fu disappeared in the palace three days ago."

"Missing?" Mu Qingcheng was taken aback, then realized something. "Did she disappear after Pingping was murdered?"

Guo An nodded. "Yes."

Mu Qingcheng took a half step closer, her expression cold and stern. "When was Lin Fu's severed finger cut off? Where was it cut? Who did it?"

“I killed Pingping, and I also cut off Lin Fu’s index finger. I did it at the Jade Brewing Pavilion. Master Mu, you don’t need to interrogate me anymore, I confess…”

"Master Mu!"

Just then, Liu Heng's booming voice, like a resounding bell, suddenly pierced through our eardrums—