A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 409 Ending (78)

"Shut up!"

Upon hearing that sharp, urgent shout, Guo Xuan reflexively stopped speaking. But he quickly realized that the woman could no longer control him, and he no longer needed to cling to the truth.

Therefore, Guo Xuan paused briefly before continuing, “Of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no descendants. I have failed to continue the Guo family line, and I am ashamed before my parents and ancestors. How dare I harm my parents and the Guo clan because of me? Therefore, I must serve the Empress Dowager and dare not have the slightest thought of betrayal.”

"The jade pendant for Song Shuyu was given to me by the Empress Dowager, who ordered me to set a trap for him. Originally, there was no need for such a hasty plan; a more thorough one could have been devised. Unexpectedly, the Duke of Song suddenly encountered trouble, and Song Shuyu simultaneously fell out of favor and lost his support. Yet, instead of tempering his ambition, Song Shuyu launched a massive purge within the Song family, forcing his trusted confidants, who held important positions in the court and local governments, to approach the Empress Dowager, demanding that she remove this thorn in their side. Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager is also troubled by Liu Changqing and others imprisoned in the Jingzhao Prefecture. The Duke of Song is only crippled, not dead. Once he returns to the capital, those three death row inmates awaiting execution might recant their confessions!"

"Although I am not clear about the connection between the Empress Dowager and Liu Changqing, the Empress Dowager is obviously very wary of them and wants to get rid of them as soon as possible, and she must do so before the Duke of Song returns. However, the Jingzhao Prefecture is like an impregnable fortress, and assassination is not an option. The only way is to send someone in to infiltrate the area and then strike when the opportunity arises. Therefore, the Empress Dowager entrusted this important task to me."

"Because of my discord with Song Shuyu and our numerous conflicts, my daughter was also punished by Song Shuyu and demoted to a maid in the palace. Therefore, the Empress Dowager felt that the deep hatred between us was a strong motive for Song Shuyu to kill. Thus, in the process of eliminating Song Shuyu, the poisoning of Liu Changqing and the other two could be accomplished, killing two birds with one stone! As for me, I also have my own plans. The bait I planted many years ago can be dug up with this favorable wind to realize my revenge against Liang Ruoming."

After hearing Guo Xuan's confession, Song Shuyu couldn't help but chuckle. "A triple win?" His deep, dark eyes suddenly pierced the Empress Dowager, his sinister smile sending chills down one's spine. "I'm afraid the Empress Dowager has another purpose in killing me, isn't it? And it's the most important one!"

The Empress Dowager was flustered and lost her composure, crying out, "You...you're talking nonsense! I didn't do it!"

"Is this all that hinders the Empress Dowager from having me? As long as I live, the Empress Dowager's long-cherished wish will never be fulfilled! So, all these years, the Empress Dowager has been hoping for my death day and night, hasn't she?"

"You, no, you mustn't slander me..."

"Whether the Empress Dowager admits it or not doesn't matter. Some old debts are due for reckoning. No matter how many dogs the Empress Dowager keeps, or how fiercely they bark, they can't protect their master!"

Song Shuyu's emotions were fluctuating wildly, which the Emperor noticed and became increasingly worried about. At the same time, he became more and more curious about what the Empress Dowager's long-cherished wish was and why it was being thwarted by Song Shuyu.
Unfortunately, Song Shuyu did not intend to make it clear, nor did he want to waste any more words with the Empress Dowager. He quickly adjusted his breathing to calm himself down.

When his casual gaze swept over the old woman, no further explanation was needed; she immediately confessed, "Second Young Master, this old servant knows her crime. Your jade peace pendant was stolen while you were hastily changing clothes, following the Empress Dowager's orders!" Mu Qingcheng had expected the Empress Dowager to be heartbroken, even more furious than if betrayed by others, since both the old woman and Qin Huai were trusted servants who had served her for over twenty years. However, the Empress Dowager remained indifferent, showing no other emotion, and her thoughts seemed solely focused on Song Shuyu.

"Master Mu, didn't you want to know what official business I assigned to Liu Heng?"

Upon hearing Song Shuyu's words, Mu Qingcheng was slightly taken aback. "Weren't we supposed to be searching for Lin Shuban and protecting Guo Xuan and Granny's relatives? Could there be something else?"

Song Shuyu's expression was gentle. "I've transferred half of the constables from the Jingzhao Prefecture. How can they only do such a trivial matter? Wouldn't that be a waste of talent and manpower?"

Before Mu Qingcheng could even ponder it, Liu Heng couldn't contain his excitement and blurted out, "Master Mu, our lord is incredibly insightful! Through the mute assassin, he deduced that besides wielding power in the palace and cultivating relationships with the imperial guards and palace guards, the Empress Dowager must also be keeping assassins outside the palace! Therefore, our lord ordered us to disguise ourselves and infiltrate the world, breaking into smaller groups to monitor several of the Empress Dowager's key confidants, including Guo Xuan!"

"Guo Xuan?" Mu Qingcheng exclaimed in surprise. Her gaze swept quickly across the room, taking in everyone in the hall connected to Guo Xuan. Then, a sudden realization dawned on her. "It's Liu Changshou! Guo Xuan is both a high-ranking official and a civil official, and his every move is closely watched. He would never personally train assassins. Therefore, they used Sanqing Mountain and Sanqing Temple as cover. Liu Changshou's cultivation of Taoism is a lie, and his Taoist disciples are also fake!"

Liu Heng nodded repeatedly, "Master Mu hit the nail on the head!"

The emperor could no longer remain calm. He slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, furious. "Guo Xuan, you really are something else!"

"Your Majesty, please understand!" Guo Xuan prostrated himself on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "I committed this crime entirely because the Empress Dowager forced me to! If I had not obeyed, not a single member of my family would have been spared!"

Song Shuyu bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, Liu Heng, leading the constables of the Jingzhao Prefecture, has captured all the small number of assassins who had infiltrated the capital. The large number of assassins hiding in Sanqing Mountain should have already been wiped out by the troops sent by Father!"

The Empress Dowager was startled. "The Duke? My brother... he's back?"