A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 60: Thick Fog
So, the seat that originally belonged to Constable Liu was given to Mu Qingcheng because he voluntarily stepped down. Constable Liu and Constable Luo stood on either side of the chair, looking like Mu Qingcheng's subordinates, obedient and compliant.

Mu Qingcheng said, "Shuanzi, do you know what the Second Young Master intends to do?"

"I don't know. Why would my master tell me his thoughts? Our primary principle as servants is loyalty. We should never ask questions we shouldn't ask." Shuanzi became honest, his eyes completely devoid of light. The last glimmer of hope he had before had been utterly destroyed by Mu Qingcheng.

Mu Qingcheng raised an eyebrow noncommittally, "I believe you on that point. But, since the Second Young Master ordered you to monitor Xie Da, why didn't you go with him when Xie Da went to see the temple keeper?"

"I...I want to move the table..."

"lie!"

"I'm following!"

Seeing Mu Qingcheng's anger, Shuanzi was afraid that the boning knife in her hand would plunge into his stomach at any moment. He was so anxious that he couldn't speak properly: "I really did follow Xie Da, but I, I was discovered by him. He almost strangled me to death. He also said, said... said that the only way to survive this job is to be blind and mute, otherwise it's a deadly job!"

Mu Qingcheng changed the subject, "What benefits did you get from this mission? Did you already know that the First Madam would die? And did you prepare her confession beforehand?"

"Xie Dayun promised each of us a reward of one hundred taels of silver and a promotion upon returning to the manor. I don't know if the three of them knew about the First Madam's affair beforehand. I only know that I was secretly carrying out the task assigned to me by the Second Young Master! As for the statements, we did indeed prepare them in advance. You might not believe it, but on our way to Yuntai Mountain, the First Madam personally instructed us on how to obtain statements. Her reason was that she had a nightmare that night, dreaming that the Second Madam, Huang, was divorced and died a particularly tragic death, which was probably an ominous sign. If anything went wrong with the almsgiving, the government would definitely intervene. At that time, it was better to avoid trouble. By giving a unified statement, we could protect ourselves and avoid affecting the reputation of the Liu family."

Shuanzi's words seemed to give everyone a vague clue, but it all vanished in an instant!

Mu Qingcheng slowly rose from her chair, her expression terrifyingly calm. "So, you'd rather die than confess? Is it worth risking your life for these things?"

Shuanzi suddenly burst into tears, “I didn’t kill anyone, why would I want to die? But I’m not stupid. If the master can offer a hundred taels of silver as a reward, he’s just buying our lives! Whether the mistress committed suicide or was murdered, the mistress is dead. We servants who have signed a death contract will not escape being beaten to death even if we return to the mansion! At that time, not only will we not be able to save our own lives, but we will also not be able to save the lives of our parents, brothers and sisters.”

Mu Qingcheng gestured to Constable Luo to pull the man out of the urine, and then poured him a bowl of hot tea to calm him down.

However, the delay should not be too long. Interrogation requires skill. One must take turns playing the stern and lenient roles, and use both soft and hard tactics. One must give a slap and then a sweet treat. Once the other loosens their grip, one must press on with full force, then weaken, and finally exhaust the enemy. When the enemy is exhausted and we are at our peak, we can defeat them.

“Shuanzi, tell us about the Second Madam, Madam Huang. As far as I know, she was originally a courtesan at Shuanghua Pavilion, with the nickname Wantang. The Second Young Master was infatuated with Wantang and abandoned his fiancée, Li Yunyao, to elope with Wantang. How could such a touching love end up with him divorcing her?”

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(End of this chapter)