Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 1 The Murderer Zhou Zhao
In Puningfang of Chang'an City, there is a deserted Wujin Lane, in the center of which an old locust tree has grown for some unknown time.

Four years ago, on June 15th, a bolt of purple lightning struck the crown of this locust tree. Since then, the west side has stood tall like a canopy, while the east side has been cleaved like a cliff, as if heaven and earth were divided into yin and yang, becoming a wonder of the capital.

The summer rain has just stopped.

A carriage, unusually, was parked under the old locust tree today. A slender girl stepped out of it. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with thin lips. She carried a silk lantern in her hand, and judging from her attire, she was a maidservant of high status from a wealthy family.

"A child cries in a ghostly dream, all the beasts and gods invite Boqi; wings cover the sky, beaks pierce the earth, a bright mirror hangs high to drive away plague..."

Hearing the faint chanting in the air, the maid glanced at the mansion deep in the alley and couldn't help but frown.

The gate of the mansion was mottled, and even the plaque above the gate that read "Shanming Villa" had been used by crows to build nests.

Because it was abandoned, there were no lights in the alley, and it looked dark and endless.

“Brother Tan, come with me inside to invite the girl! Several people died tragically at the Shanming Villa next door four years ago. This place is very unlucky and gloomy, and I’m feeling very uneasy.”

The coachman, called Brother Tan, hesitated for a moment before glancing at the tightly closed gate in front of the carriage. He said worriedly, "If we barge in without hearing the young lady's summons, we'll probably be punished."

"In a quarter of an hour, the gates of the ward will be locked. If we violate the curfew and the Northern Army catches us, we'll not only be punished, but the heavens will also tear a hole in us!"

As she spoke, the maidservant stepped forward anxiously and pushed the door open.

The door wasn't latched; it opened easily with a gentle push. The maid cleared her throat and said softly, "Miss, it's time..."

Before she could finish speaking, her eyes widened suddenly, as if someone had grabbed her throat, and she couldn't utter a single word.

A black figure was reflected in the tightly closed doors and windows of the main room. The person was hanging upside down from the roof beam, with their neck twisted in an eerie direction and long hair hanging down, making their head look extremely long.

What's even more chilling is that, beside the figure's head, crouched a huge ghostly creature with its gaping maw, sharp fangs clearly visible, and a pair of jagged horns of different lengths growing from its head, biting into the face of the upside-down man.

"what!"

The maid came to her senses, and all her voice burst out at once, emitting a shrill scream.

She stumbled and scrambled toward the door, not even having time to raise her hand before crashing it open and falling headfirst into the house, landing directly on the threshold.

The wind that blew the door open extinguished the oil lamp in the room. The maid covered her mouth with one hand and shakily raised the silk lamp in her other hand.

The hideous ghost had vanished without a trace, and a woman dressed in a blouse was hanging upside down from the roof beam.

Her eyes were closed, as if she were asleep. Her fair cheeks were mangled and bloody from the monster's bites, with clear teeth marks. Countless semi-transparent veils extended from behind her, making her look like prey bound by a spider web.

The woman was already dead.

Scattered beneath her were black wooden plaques, each engraved with a blood-red name...

"Girl! The girl has been bitten to death by a ghost!"

The scene was so horrifying that the maid screamed, and her hand trembled, causing the silk lantern to fall to the ground.

“Your daughter wasn’t bitten to death by a ghost, but murdered by a human. What are you waiting for, driver? Go and find the Northern Army on night patrol. There’s been a murder case.”

The maid was startled and quickly turned around to look at the doorway.

Suddenly, someone appeared behind her.

She was a girl of sixteen or seventeen. She was wearing a dark blouse and had a long blue cloth bag on her back. The evening breeze blowing through the hall lifted the ribbon tied behind her head. One ribbon was white with black characters that read "Heavenly justice is evident", and the other was black with white characters that read "No taboos".

The coachman, Brother Tan, seemed to have found his footing. He snapped out of his daze and rushed out the door.

"The presence of both the hair ornament and the forbidden hair ornament indicates that the murderer was not after money, but only wanted to kill."

"There are two teacups on the table. The noble lady meets guests in the abandoned alley after nightfall. It seems your daughter has many secrets." "There are two obvious stab wounds on the deceased's body, one on the chest and one on the left side of the neck. To determine which one was the fatal wound, the coroner needs to examine it closely."

As the girl spoke, she raised the silk lamp slightly and brought it closer to the corpse's right hand.

The hand was being pulled by a semi-transparent veil, forming an eerie arc. A faint black dot was visible in the palm of the clenched fist.

The little girl then pulled the lamp closer, illuminating the black wooden signs scattered on the ground.

The wooden plaque was about half the thickness of a finger. At a glance, one could see many familiar names: Liu Huang, the King of Chu, Zhang Qi, the Marquis of Anyang... almost all of them were prominent and powerful figures in Chang'an.

"In the palm of the deceased's hand was a wooden plaque engraved with his name."

"This could be the deceased's last words, the murderer's name, or a clue. Of course, it could also be..."

The little girl was halfway through her sentence when she heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from the courtyard and looked towards the gate.

The coachman, with his neck hunched, led a group of Northern Army soldiers in.

Judging by the time, it seems that he hadn't even left Wujin Lane when he encountered this group of night patrolmen who had come after hearing the news.

The leader of the Northern Army was a man around thirty years old with a thick beard and bulging, frog-like eyes that made him look fierce and menacing.

He had clearly heard the little girl's last few words, and with a wave of his hand, he said loudly, "Zhu Li, go and look at the wooden plaque in the corpse's hand."

"promise!"

The soldier named Zhu Li responded loudly and strode into the house. With a light leap, he took a black wooden plaque from the corpse's hand.

He glanced at it first, then turned the wooden sign towards the crowd.

On the dark wooden sign, two large characters were written in blood-red ink: "Zhou Zhao".

"Zhou Zhao? Is it Zhou Zhao, the young lady of the Zhou family of the Minister of Justice? My young lady saw her today."

The little girl let out a surprised "Eh," and glanced thoughtfully at the maid who was slumped on the ground and speaking weakly.

Her eyes flickered, and she raised the silk lantern in her hand. "Um... I think I must be the Zhou Zhao mentioned on the wooden plaque."

“It’s the Zhou family you’re talking about, the one that’s proficient in the Nine Chapters of Law and skilled in investigating cases, Zhou Zhao,” she added.

It was quiet all around.

Everyone looked at the little girl. She looked like a gentle breeze and didn't seem crazy or stupid.

After a long while, the bearded man spat out with a complicated expression, "It's true what they say, 'In a big forest, you'll find all kinds of birds!' In all my years, this is the first time I've ever seen a murderer not only kill someone but also stay to solve the case, going to great lengths to prove he's the killer!"

"What are you waiting for? Seize him!"

No sooner had the bearded man finished speaking than Zhu Li, who was closest to Zhou Zhao, had already placed his long sword against her neck without any hesitation.

Zhou Zhao remained calm, glanced back at the hanging female corpse, and then stretched out two fingers to pinch the sword.

She certainly didn't kill anyone. But the victim was holding her name in his hand, and she just happened to witness the crime scene. Was this a setup deliberately set against her?

Zhou Zhao lowered his eyes, a hint of interest flashing in them.

"No need for that, I'll go with you."

My new book is out! I've been sick lately, so I apologize for keeping you all waiting! This book tells the story of a young woman who overcomes numerous obstacles to achieve her political ambitions, reform the judiciary, and ultimately become the Chief Justice. Of course, there will also be all sorts of strange and unusual cases. I hope you will continue to support me!
(End of this chapter)