A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 410 Ending (79)

Song Shuyu merely glanced at the Empress Dowager with disgust and did not reply.

"Minister Song, well done!" The emperor's mood finally improved. "Now that the case has been investigated and Song Shuyu has been found innocent, I hereby declare Song Shuyu innocent and reinstate him to his original position!"

"Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

Song Shuyu thanked him for his kindness, then turned and ordered Jiang Zhan to bring the mute killer to court, "It's time for you to identify him!"

Having reached this point, the mute assassin no longer needed to hide anything. Unable to speak, he wrote a confession on a piece of paper, admitting that he was a member of Liu Changshou's assassin camp and had obeyed Liu Changshou's orders to assassinate Song Shuyu and Mu Qingcheng near Wangjing Tower on the night of the winter solstice!
Qin Songyang then imprisoned Guo Xuan, Liu Changshou, Guo Yuanke, Madam Guo, Guo An, and others in the Ministry of Justice's jail, awaiting further detailed investigation. Pingping's body was also taken away and sent back to the Ministry of Justice's morgue.

Lin Ling and the mute assassin were escorted back to Jingzhao Prefecture by Jiang Zhan.

The cases of Liu Changqing and Lin Chuan were still pending. Lin Shuban was unwilling to return to the capital prefecture first. He forced himself to continue observing the proceedings.

Firstly, he wanted to see Mu Qingcheng a few more times; secondly, as a clerk in the Jingzhao Prefecture, he wanted to see the cases he had personally participated in through to the end and give himself an explanation.

After questioning Jin Zesheng, Song Shuyu agreed to let Lin Shuban stay and observe the proceedings.

Liu Heng dragged Liu Changqing into the courtroom, removed the black cloth covering Liu Changqing's head, and after a long time without seeing the light, he opened his eyes after a while. The first thing he looked at was the imperial carriage!

"Woo-"

Liu Changqing's excitement was obvious.

Song Shuyu gave a wink, and Liu Heng removed the cloth stuffed into Liu Changqing's mouth.

However, once he was able to speak normally, Liu Changqing shut his mouth again and remained silent.

Even though he heard the whole story from beginning to end and knew perfectly well that the Empress Dowager had instructed Guo Xuan to silence him, he had no intention of recanting his testimony.

Seeing this, Mu Qingcheng whispered to Song Shuyu, "My lord, it seems that Liu Changqing's weakness is not his family; what he values ​​most is still his so-called love. Can this be used as a breakthrough? If we make it public, will it affect the reputation of your Song family?"

"The Song family believes in the principle of 'no destruction, no construction.' My grandmother said that rather than covering up the past and giving others a handle to use against us in the future, it is better to take this opportunity to clean up the mud and live an open and honest life."

"The old lady's foresight and magnanimity are admirable."

After thinking for a moment, Song Shuyu said, "However, I have other ideas. Let's try them first."

To prevent Liu Changqing and Lin Chuan from committing suicide, their tendons in their hands and feet were severed.

Without anyone to help him, Liu Changqing could only lie on the ground like a dog. Perhaps, in the eyes of others, he was a death row inmate, and any posture was not surprising. But at this moment, for him, in front of his beloved, this humiliation and wretchedness was more painful than death itself.

Therefore, he quickly looked away, braced himself on his elbows, straightened his upper body as much as possible, and at the same time lowered his head deeply.

Song Shuyu bent down, grabbed Liu Changqing by the back of the neck, and whispered a few words in Liu Changqing's ear.

Apart from Mu Qingcheng, who was closest and had profound internal strength, no one heard what Song Shuyu said. However, Liu Changqing's expression changed drastically, from disbelief to collapse and despair. In just a few breaths, his heart seemed to have experienced a huge shock, and his eyes even turned red with disappointment!
"You..." Liu Changqing was unwilling to believe it, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Song Shuyu's eyes were cold and indifferent. "Do you think I would make such a fuss over something so trivial?"

Liu Changqing's shoulders slumped down, and he could no longer straighten them.

The crowd was puzzled, their inquisitive eyes fixed on Liu Changqing. After a long while, he finally raised his head again, his expression indescribably gloomy.

He said, “Lord Song, perhaps what you say is true, but what does it have to do with me? I… I am unworthy to do what I did willingly. I cannot drag her down with me because of my own personal grudges. So, Lord Song, you don’t need to bother anymore. I will not change my testimony.”

"Is that so? Then I have no choice but to expose your shady intentions to the world!" Song Shuyu straightened up, his whole body radiating coldness.

Liu Changqing was shocked and exclaimed, "No! Absolutely not! Just kill me, please! I... I beg you!"

With a disdainful air, Song Shuyu looked down at the old dog at his feet, his words dripping with sarcasm, "A beast like you, who has no regard for family and no sense of justice, dares to talk about 'benevolence and righteousness'? Do you think that without your accusation, I have no other evidence?"

After speaking, he looked at the Empress Dowager, meeting her eyes that had once held deep affection for Liu Changqing but now held only indifference. He couldn't help but sneer, "Is the Muscle Regeneration Pill any good? Your Majesty, would you like to take a look in the mirror?"

Others might not understand the meaning at first glance, but the Empress Dowager was so shocked that she stood up abruptly from her phoenix throne, frantically touching her face, her eyes revealing an unprecedented fear!

"Your Majesty, do you still remember what I said before? Three days ago, during the banquet at Yaochi Pavilion, I heard that a palace maid in Shou Kang Palace had been inexplicably disfigured, suspected to be due to poisoning. So I went to Shou Kang Palace to investigate. This palace maid is named Haitang. A few days ago, Your Majesty selected her as the palace maid to test the poison for the Rejuvenating Pill."

At this point, Song Shuyu shifted his gaze back to Liu Changqing, "Now, can you guess what Li Yunyao's revenge will be for you?"

Liu Changqing had a bad feeling. "Poisoning? Does Lord Song mean that the Muscle Regeneration Pill is poisonous?"

Song Shuyu said, "In the last batch of Muscle Regeneration Pills that Li Mu gave you, Li Yunyao secretly added snake Gu. The person who uses it will develop blood-red spots on their skin, like a spider web, spreading little by little until it covers their entire face!"

"The palace maid Haitang has developed red spots on her face?" Mu Qingcheng frowned slightly. The Empress Dowager was indeed ruthless and suspicious, and did not fully trust Liu Changqing.

Song Shuyu nodded, "Yes. But the Empress Dowager misjudged the situation, thinking that if there were no adverse reactions after three days of testing the poison, it was safe and effective. However, she did not know that the actual onset of the poison would take thirty days!"