A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 42 Establishing Prestige
Liu Heng was originally a scout who served under the Duke of Song. Later, he made a mistake and was sent back to his hometown in the capital by the Duke of Song. In order to make a living, he became a constable in the Jingzhao Prefecture. Because of his skill in tracking, he captured a serious criminal who had been wanted by the government for many years, and was thus promoted to the chief constable of the Jingzhao Prefecture.

After Song Shuyu took office, Liu Heng respected the son of his former master very much. So, out of love for Song Shuyu, he also showed more respect to Mu Qingcheng, the coroner whom Song Shuyu valued. In addition, Mu Qingcheng was indeed talented, so he listened to whatever she said and never embarrassed her or had any disagreements with her.

However, he was a straightforward person and a highly regarded chief constable. With just a casual remark, she negated his and his brothers' ability to carry out their duties. How could he not be angry?

From now on, Liu Heng will be labeled as "incompetent" in the eyes of the magistrate and everyone in the yamen. How can he stand on his own two feet?
The council chamber was completely silent.

Those whose official rank was lower than Liu Heng dared not offer advice; those whose official rank was higher than Liu Heng, however, were reluctant to do so because he was a subordinate of the Duke of Song.

Lin Shuban was anxious. He knew that Mu Qingcheng was just stating the facts and was not questioning Liu Butou's ability, but he was a nobody and his words would not only be ineffective, but would probably only make Liu Butou even angrier.

"Song Li".

Fortunately, Song Shuyu spoke up, but he only said in a calm tone, "The tea is weak, don't you know to change it with fresh tea?"

Song Li was not under the jurisdiction of the Jingzhao Prefecture; he was Song Shuyu's personal guard, responsible only for Song Shuyu's daily life and safety. Therefore, he was stationed outside the council hall. Upon hearing the call, he hurried inside and respectfully replied, "Master, it was my fault. I will immediately bring you a fresh cup of tea."

Song Shuyu glanced at Liu Heng, his tone ambiguous, "Officer Liu has been investigating for two days, which is truly tiring. Let's have a cup of tea for Officer Liu to cool him down, lest the dry autumn weather harm his health."

Even if Liu Heng were stupid, he could tell that Song Shuyu was angry. He panicked and immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness, "Your Excellency, please forgive me. It was my fault for failing in my duties. I am willing to accept punishment..."

"Get out!" Song Shuyu's originally gentle face was instantly covered with frost. He had thought that Liu Heng was shallow, but he did not expect him to be this shallow. No wonder Liu Heng was plotted against and made the scapegoat in the army back then.

If it weren't for his father, the Duke of Song, valuing Liu Heng's talent and showing him some care, only punishing him with thirty strokes of the military rod and removing him from the military, Liu Heng would have been beheaded long ago for his crimes.

Liu Heng had never seen Song Shuyu's fierce and cold eyes before, or rather, no one in the Jingzhao Prefecture had ever seen it.

The adults they encountered daily were either all smiles or spoke gently. Even though they knew the adults were laughing at them for being cowardly and fainting, they never held it against them.

At this moment, fear welled up in everyone's hearts. They realized that even the most docile tiger is still a tiger, and its innate majesty cannot be disrespected at will!

Liu Heng dared not utter a word, and quickly left the council hall with his head down.

The other party involved, Mu Qingcheng, was somewhat embarrassed. Song Shuyu acted too quickly, leaving her no opportunity to reconcile with Constable Liu. Instead, it caused Constable Liu to be disliked by Song Shuyu and lose his prestige.

"My lord..." Mu Qingcheng stammered, then boldly stroked the tiger's whiskers, "It was all my fault for speaking inappropriately, which has implicated Officer Liu. I hope you will not be angry."

Sigh, the adults don't want to pretend anymore...



(End of this chapter)