EBE Chapter 260 Thinking of Su Mu
Chapter 260 Thinking of Su Mu
Even a simple and honest person like Ji Wan knew that what Huai Mu had said earlier was probably false as soon as he came out of Qingyan Alley.
Fortunately, we have some leads on the arsonist.
So the group split into two groups. Shen Lin and Ye Feng went to search for the person based on the clues they had just obtained, while Lin Shu led the other three to the county government office.
Anxian County Government Office.
"This is a restricted area of the county government; unauthorized personnel are not permitted to approach!"
As soon as Lin Shu and her companions approached, two yamen runners with knives at the door issued a stern warning.
Ji Wan snorted, placed the hammer on the ground, moved to Lin Shu's side, winked at her, and then made a beckoning gesture.
Lin Shu understood immediately and reluctantly handed over the imperial envoy's seal to her.
Having obtained the seal, Ji Wan immediately held it up in front of the two constables, almost pressing it against their faces, and said with a touch of bullying:
"See that! The imperial envoy's seal! Report it immediately!"
Although the two constables had never seen the imperial envoy's seal before, they dared not be negligent. One of them stayed behind to guard the seal, while the other took it to the county office to report the matter.
Huai Mu, who was hiding at the back, was also horrified.
Inside the county government hall, a plaque inscribed with "Upright and Honest" immediately catches the eye.
Beneath the plaque, Gu Qing was looking at the files of the previous two murder cases. No, now with Huai Mu added, it should be three! However, as he looked, his thoughts involuntarily drifted to Su Jing, who had looked so miserable last night.
"My lord, my lord! Something terrible has happened! The imperial envoy has arrived." The yamen runner's report interrupted Gu Qing's thoughts, and he handed over the imperial seal.
"What!" Gu Qing took it and glanced at it, and was shocked.
I heard months ago that the Queen appointed an imperial envoy to tour various regions, but there has been no news of him since. Why is he here now? The murder case has remained unsolved for so long; doesn't that clearly demonstrate his incompetence?
But since the person had already arrived, it would be futile for her to do anything at this moment. So, Gu Qing got up, straightened her official robes, and after confirming that everything was in order, hurriedly went out: "Quickly come with me to greet them."
Doorway.
"Gu Qing, the magistrate of An County under the jurisdiction of Mengzhou Prefecture, greets all the esteemed officials!" Gu Qing spotted the six people from afar, and upon approaching them, he hurriedly bowed and handed back the imperial seal above his head.
Lin Shu felt the name sounded familiar, but couldn't quite place it, so she didn't dwell on it and spoke in a calm voice:
"Lord Gu, there's no need for such formalities. I happened to be passing through An County when I came across a murder case. It involves human life and cannot be taken lightly. Let's go inside the yamen and talk."
"Please follow me, esteemed lords." Gu Qing straightened up, his brows furrowed, and he stepped slightly to the side, leading the way for Lin Shu and the others. He moved with appropriate grace and demeanor.
Once inside the hall, Lin Shu took the main seat, with Ji Wan and the others standing behind her. Gu Qing seemed a little nervous, standing meekly at the lower end of the table.
Lin Shu looked around and her gaze fell on Gu Qing:
"Please sit down, Lord Gu. There's no need to be so formal."
"Yes," Gu Qing replied and sat down.
Lin Shu then spoke again: "I came here mainly for the murder case I just mentioned. In fact, this case has some connection with Lord Gu."
"What? It concerns me?" Gu Qing looked up abruptly upon hearing this, and unconsciously stood up from the ground, not understanding Lin Shu's meaning.
When he saw Lin Shu's face clearly, his face turned even paler! He murmured two words: "Lin...Shu!"
Upon hearing this, Ji Wan nudged Lin Shu with her elbow and whispered, "Hey! She knows you."
Lin Shu: "...". You have to say it!
At the same time, Lin Shu was also carefully searching her mind for the name 'Gu Qing'. When she remembered him, she couldn't help but glance at Huai Mu, who was standing behind her pretending to be a quail, and then turned to look at Gu Qing with sharp and unfriendly eyes.
Huai Mu! Huai Mu! Ah! Someone is thinking about her husband, why does Lin Shu feel so uncomfortable?
So she didn't give Gu Qing a friendly look either, pointing at Huai Mu, her tone much colder: "Lord Gu, do you know this person?"
Gu Qing was still reeling from the shock of discovering that the imperial envoy was Lin Shu when she suddenly heard Lin Shu's question. Her gaze followed Lin Shu's direction, and by the time she realized what was happening, she blurted out in a tender voice, "Mu'er."
Of all those present, perhaps only Lin Shu, with her dark expression, knew that she wasn't calling for Huai Mu, but for Su Mu.
Hearing Gu Qing call him so affectionately, Huai Mu pinched his thigh, his eyes blurry with tears, and went to meet her, sobbing as he leaned on Gu Qing's arm:
"Qingniang, I thought I would never see you again... Waaah..."
"Huai Mu?" Gu Qing finally realized what was happening and quickly pushed Huai Mu away. She glanced at Lin Shu with some embarrassment, and seeing the other woman's all-knowing gaze, she wished she could disappear into the ground...
Lin Shu, impatient to watch the two being so affectionate, slammed her gavel and said coldly:
"Lord Gu, please be mindful of your conduct in court."
After saying that, she looked at Huai Mu, who was forcibly nestled in Gu Qing's arms, and said, "Huai Mu, is Gu Qing your fiancée?"
"Yes...yes, that's right." Upon hearing Lin Shu's question, Huai Mu knelt down and nodded tremblingly.
"Alright. You must tell the truth about the fire in Qingyan Lane and the pursuit, without uttering a single falsehood, or you will be severely punished!" Lin Shu slammed her gavel and said solemnly.
Huai Mu repeated what he had said to Lin Shu and the others earlier.
Gu Qing's eyes narrowed slightly. She was not a fool. Even though Su Jing had fooled her last night, upon reflection, he did not seem to deny that she was the one who did it.
"Summon Su Jing." Lin Shu summoned him according to protocol.
When Su Jing was brought to the scene, he was terrified upon seeing Huai Mu. Although he quickly regained his composure, his youth and subtle movements betrayed his true feelings.
"My lady, what is the meaning of this today?" Su Jing stood in the hall, her hands already soaked with sweat, and cast a pleading look at Gu Qing not far away.
Gu Qing was in a state of utter confusion and had no time to pay attention to him.
Just then, Shen Lin and Ye Feng returned, seemingly with someone else in tow.
Seeing this, Lin Shu's calm voice rang out at the right time: "Your Excellency Su Jing, Huai Mu has accused you of instructing others to commit arson and murder, and after the attempt failed, you pursued and killed two people and injured one. Do you plead guilty?"
Su Jing then looked up and saw Lin Shu. In his astonishment, he hurriedly protested, "I don't admit it! This matter has nothing to do with me. This person is my wife's servant. I suspect he is crying wolf and trying to frame me."
Two days have passed, and those two must have already left Mengzhou Prefecture. Without evidence, even if it was truly their doing, it would be difficult to convict them.
Therefore, what surprised him most at this moment was Lin Shu, who was sitting upright in the high hall. Judging from her appearance, her current official position was even higher than Gu Qing's!
Now that Lin Shu has arrived, has Su Mu also come?
"Bring witnesses," Lin Shu said to Shen Lin in a deep voice.
Before long, the man named Lu Jun, whom they had met in Qingyan Lane that morning, was brought up, along with two women who were dressed in rags and had bluish eyes.
Su Jing felt uneasy whenever she saw the two women. It was Ah Cong who arranged the hitman, so she had never met the two women before. But the two women should have fled south.
When Lu Jun saw Lin Shu, his eyes lit up. He then knelt down obediently, pointed at the two women, and accused them: "My lord, these two are the arsonists. I saw it with my own eyes."
The two women were blinded by gambling and took the risk. After being arrested, they lived in constant fear. When they were accused, they couldn't think of a defense and confessed everything.
It turned out that a man claiming to be a servant of the county magistrate's husband had offered the two women fifty taels of silver to set fire to the brothel in the alley. The two women, momentarily bewitched, agreed.
Little did anyone know, on the night of the arson, Huai Mu was in bed with a woman. Neither of them had ever been with a man before, and they were overcome by lust, which is why they let her escape. In the end, they had no choice but to grab a machete from Huai Mu's house and chase after her...
Once the matter was clear, Lin Shu looked at the two men who were constantly kowtowing and begging for mercy. These two were gamblers, and how could a gambler possibly carry money in his pocket? So Lin Shu asked Shen Lin and the others to go to the two gambling dens on the only way out of An County to look for the man, and they actually found him.
Fortunately, Su Jing was still young and didn't have the kind of ruthless mentality; otherwise, this case would probably have taken much longer to solve.
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