Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 105 Danger is coming
Most of the taverns in Chang'an were located in the market districts, with small wine flags hanging in the air, and the aroma of wine from the jars could be smelled from a great distance.

Neatly dressed young men and women lean against the door selling wine, each carrying a bamboo tube. The wine is all homemade, and the taste varies drastically depending on the local reputation. As the saying goes, even the best wine needs advertising, and some owners have come up with unique ideas, hiring a foreign woman to run the wine counter, which can make their wine a hit.

Today's Star-Picking Tower is very different from the day before. Not only have the fences and scaffolding been completely cleared away, but you can also hear celestial music from a great distance.

Ten wine jars stood in front of the door, their mud seals removed. Passing drinkers could freely choose one to taste. By now, a long queue had formed in front of the door, with many literati and scholars drinking wine while waving their sleeves and swaying their heads as they spontaneously composed poems.

Through the open window on the first floor, one could see many beautiful Hu women playing music and dancing inside; it was truly a lively scene.

When Zhou Zhao and Liu Huang arrived, Su Changying had already arrived.

He leaned against an old banyan tree in front of the door, holding his sword in his hands, watching the passing crowd. When he saw Zhou Zhao and Liu Huang arrive, he stepped out from the shade of the tree.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhou Zhao noticed Liu Huang's bamboo hat nodding at Su Changying. He glanced at the two of them suspiciously and asked, "Why do I feel like you two are hiding something from me?"

Liu Huang remained unmoved, while Su Changying shook her head. "What could possibly escape the eyes of Lord Zhou of the Court of Judicial Review?"

Zhou Zhao looked the two of them up and down, and then remembered Xu Jin who had limped in earlier that day. He instantly understood most of what was going on.

A warmth filled her heart, but she shook her head with amusement, realizing that the two people in front of her had taken it to heart when she casually mentioned being bullied that day.

"Is this really worth your intervention? It's just a trivial matter. I'll deal with him using the methods of civil officials in the future!"

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he pointed to his mouth.

Military officers rely on skill to fight, but the civil officials are all cunning and shrewd, and Xu Jin is simply not worth her attention.

As soon as the three entered the Star-Picking Tower, a scholar carrying a wine jug came forward. Zhou Zhao nodded to him, "We are looking for Chu You."

Seeing this, the wine connoisseur didn't say a word more, but gestured for the three to go upstairs, saying, "Please come in, sirs. Miss Chu is already waiting in the private room."

Zhou Zhao glanced at the lobby on the first floor without making a sound. Although the first floor was not a private room, each table was separated by bamboo curtains. At this moment, it was full and there were no empty seats. Most of the diners were dressed in fine clothes, and there was no one suspicious.

Zhou Zhao stared at it, his gaze suddenly pausing for a moment.

At one of the tables sat a familiar, decrepit old man, dressed in the official robes of the Court of Judicial Review, his collar wrinkled. There were few dishes on the table, but ten jugs of wine were neatly arranged. Who else could it be but her absentee, alcohol-loving teacher, Li Youdao?
Suddenly, Li Youdao sat up abruptly, turned his head and looked in Zhou Zhao's direction, his gaze so sharp that no one could hide from him.

The moment their eyes met, Li Youdao rolled his eyes dramatically, turned his head away in disgust, and happily resumed drinking his wine.

Zhou Zhao followed the wine expert up to the second floor speechlessly. From the second floor onwards, there were private rooms, which were much quieter than downstairs, and each room had a sliding door.

The wine connoisseur silently turned left and walked through two rooms before stopping and bowing slightly, calling out, "Miss Chu, your distinguished guest has arrived."

Everything was so ordinary, even the sky was a clear blue today. Zhou Zhao stood in front of the door and could faintly hear the clear sound of a flute coming from the elegant room next door.

The door opened, and Zhou Zhao immediately saw Chu You sitting by the window, with dishes already laid out on the table.

She knelt there, her fingers moving rapidly, as if she were performing hand seals. Zhou Zhao knew she was mentally calculating a complex arithmetic problem.

Hearing the door open, Chu You said to the wine vendor without any politeness, "Please tell the guest in the private room on the right that there is music playing downstairs. Why is he playing the flute? It's too noisy."

The wine connoisseur smiled and agreed, then bowed and withdrew when Zhou Zhao and the other two entered.

"Sister Chu You, this Star-Picking Tower is really great. Even the wine expert is well-trained."

Chu You shook her head. "It's all just formalities. You'd be better off cooking a couple of good dishes."

Zhou Zhao sat down opposite Chu You by the window, leaning on the railing and looking out. Many of the covered boats on the water had already left the boardwalk and started rowing. Only now, sitting here, did he realize that this small building, perched on the water, was suspended above the eastern river. Zhou Zhao peeked out, and as he turned back to sit, he met a resentful face.

Min Zangzhi was sitting in the elegant room next door, holding a bamboo flute in his hand!
Zhou Zhao immediately revealed a gloating smile. She thought to herself, "Who would give up a perfectly good meal to come to a tavern and play the flute? Looking around Chang'an, who else could it be but Min Zangzhi, that famous playboy from the red-light district?"
Unfortunately, her elder sister Chu You didn't even bother to look at the peacock spreading its tail feathers.

"Ah Zhao, what are you looking at? Come and try this Starry Cake from the Star-Picking Pavilion. It was a gift from the tavern today. They say it's their specialty pastry, made with a family secret recipe."

Zhou Zhao raised his voice a few decibels, "Look how heartless the flowing water is."

Chu You nodded. "Indeed ruthless. They even washed away Wang Liu's body just two days ago."

Zhou Zhao turned her head back, and could feel that Min Cangzhi's resentment had deepened. She smiled and looked at the starry cake that Chu You had put in her bowl.

This pastry is golden yellow and smells of peas. At first glance, its shape does resemble stars, making anyone who sees it want to take a bite.

Zhou Zhao saw Chu You pick up a piece of food and bring it to her mouth. Her eyes lit up, and she asked, "Sister, are there any hidden mechanisms in this building?"

When asked about something that interested her, Chu You immediately put down her chopsticks. She opened her mouth, but then shook her head. "I would like to tell you, but according to the rules of the trade, I can't tell anyone other than my employer."

As she spoke, her eyes sparkled, “I never imagined that I could build a small house. Back when your brother was still alive, we even discussed that after we got married, we would buy a piece of land and build a summer retreat, just like Princess Changyang.”

“I’ll draw the plans, and your brother will be in charge of writing the inscription on the gate plaque. Unexpectedly, the villa was never built, but this Star-Picking Tower was built instead.”

As Chu You spoke, she looked at Su Changying and said, "Changying, do you still remember Ayan? You two used to be inseparable. If Li Shen knew you were back, he would definitely rush back to Chang'an as fast as he could."

"No one knows where he went."

Fan Lishen was the son of Princess Changyang. After the Shanming Changyang case, he left Chang'an with his father and never returned.

As Zhou Zhao listened to Su Changying's conversation with Chu You, his mind raced.

After they entered the Star-Picking Tower, everything was perfectly normal; she didn't sense any danger whatsoever.

What could possibly be in this bustling little building that could take Zhou Zhao's life?
As Zhou Zhao was thinking, he suddenly heard a faint clicking sound.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she interrupted Chu You and Su Changying's conversation, "Did you hear any strange noises, like a breaking sound..."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, her expression changed. She looked at the table and saw that the tea in the teacup in front of her had tilted.

Just then, another click sounded.

The sound was exceptionally pleasant to hear; anyone who wasn't deaf could hear it.

The teacup on the table slid towards the water's edge, and the small building was already tilting.

Click!

Zhou Zhao felt a tremendous force strike him, and the entire Zhaixing Tower crashed down towards the east water!

"Ah! Ah!" A piercing scream rang out!
The awning boats still near the boardwalk sensed the approaching shadow and scattered frantically, rowing away into the distance!

The tallest building is the Zhaixinglou (Star-Picking Tower).

collapsed.