Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 108 One More Corpse

If it weren't for the "Letter to My Deceased Wife" making Zhou Zhao cautious, Su Changying wouldn't have arranged for the Northern Army to wait near Zhaixing Tower in advance.

With the Star-Picking Tower collapsing, in order to save more people, she would inevitably have to push herself again and again...

Perhaps she wouldn't even be able to surface before the building collapsed a second time. Even if she had held on until now, she and Su Changying would have split up to rescue people, and her being crushed into the water by the heavy object, along with this mysterious corpse, would have become a new secret.

Was her death destined, or was it deliberately orchestrated?

According to the first letter to his deceased wife, she died in Tianying City. So, what will be the ending of the story? Will Ah Huang return to Chang'an with Su Changying, who has no memory of her past?

If she were to die today, what would the outcome be? Chu You, the builder of the Star-Picking Tower, would be trapped in a deadly predicament; she would be besieged and then imprisoned…

Zhou Zhao took a deep breath.

The collapse of the Star-Picking Tower was not a one-day event. So, could it be that today's situation is not actually aimed at her, but at Chu You?

But why would anyone do that? The Chu family has declined, and Chu You has kept an extremely low profile in recent years. Why would someone want to set a trap for her?

Or perhaps, the reason they repeatedly found themselves in peril was because of the Shanming Changyang case from back then.

Could it be that the murderer was lurking in the shadows, watching them all along?

As Zhou Zhao thought about it, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

"Ah Zhao, come up quickly!"

Liu Huang's shouts brought Zhou Zhao back to her senses instantly. She calmed herself and, together with Su Changying, swam towards the shore with the corpse.

Once they reached the edge, Liu Huang reached out and pulled on both sides, lifting Zhou Zhao and Su Changying up at the same time.

The moment Zhou Zhao stepped ashore, Min Zangzhi handed him a bowl of ginger soup.

He looked at Su Changying beside him, his expression a complex mix of emotions. "Zhu Li has done as you said, barricading the surrounding streets with barricades. The people from Zhaixing Tower are all here."

“Zhaixinglou has a total of six wine masters who are skilled at attracting guests. These people are all well-trained and can basically remember the faces of the diners, as well as how many people are in each private room and what dishes they want. I made a list according to what they said, and the one you just dragged up is the last one.”

"Four people died, seven were injured, and one is missing."

As Min Zangzhi spoke, her expression was somewhat sorrowful. Just moments ago, the Zhaixing Tower was bustling with activity, but now it was filled with the sound of weeping.

"The injured have been treated by a doctor and are out of danger. All those who fell into the water have been given medicine to dispel the cold and calm their nerves, and are also fine. Among the dead, one was the head chef of the restaurant, another was the musician who played the zither on the top floor, there was a male customer in his early twenties, and the fourth was the one you just dragged up."

"There's still one person we haven't found. We can only wait for news from the body retrievers."

As Min Cangzhi spoke, she looked around and lowered her voice, saying, "Most of those who came to Zhaixing Tower today are not ordinary people..."

"How could a perfectly good tavern collapse on the very first day it was built?"

"That's right! Where is the owner of Zhaixing Tower? My lady brought her young master and young mistress out today, and they were not only frightened, but they almost lost their lives!"

"Where is the master? Do you even know who my young master is? Is your Star-Picking Tower some kind of paper replica?!"

"I shouldn't have come! This Zhaixing Tower used to be Linjiang Tower, and the owner was burned to death in it! A few days ago, someone else was killed here! This is a cursed tower!"

Previously, everyone was anxiously trying to save lives, and no one investigated the matter further.

Now that the dust has settled, public outrage has begun.

Those who come to the Star-Picking Tower for drinks at midday are mostly not ordinary people; many, like Li Youdao, hold official positions. After all, ordinary people might not even have enough to eat, so why would they come to a restaurant?
As they were talking, a fat man in the crowd stood up shakily. Zhou Zhao stared at him and was speechless. She recognized the fat man clearly. Wasn't he the guy who had jumped up and grabbed her leg while she was trying to get away, almost killing her?
The fat man clasped his hands, bowed deeply, and spun around in a deep bow with teary eyes. “I am Du Ziteng, the owner of this Zhaixing Tower.”

"You're all wronged, but I'm wronged too! I spent all my savings to have this Star-Picking Tower built. Even if it collapsed and hit me in the face, I never would have imagined it would collapse! I'm truly... truly wronged to death... I haven't even earned a single penny yet!"

As Du Ziteng spoke, he searched through the crowd and shouted, "Where's Chu You! Where's Chu Hang? You two, uncle and nephew, must give me an explanation!"

"You built this Star-Picking Tower. I spent so much money on it, and you gave me this building that's going to collapse!"

Zhou Zhao and Min Zangzhi exchanged a glance, both of their eyes flashing with seriousness.

Until things are cleared up, Chu You and Chu Hang will probably not escape this jail time!

"Brother Du, I've advised you long ago not to let women..."

Before the old man could finish speaking, Zhou Zhao forcibly interrupted him, "The Court of Justice will naturally reach a conclusion after its investigation. We are all respectable people who have just escaped death; are we going to start implicating each other now?"

As Zhou Zhao spoke, his sharp gaze fell upon the old man who had spoken last.

"Your memory is far too good. Just now you were trying to cling to my leg, begging me to save you. And in the end, it was indeed I who dived into the water and snatched you back from the clutches of the King of Hell."

Zhou Zhao's voice was loud and clear, and everyone present looked over.

Her hair was wet, her official robe clung to her body, and the cuffs were torn, yet no one present dared to look down on her.

Everyone saw it just now; it was Zhou Zhao and Su Changying who went into the water again and again to rescue them.

Upon hearing this, the old man turned his head away in shame, avoiding Zhou Zhao's gaze.

Zhou Zhao didn't dwell on him. She looked coldly at everyone and said decisively, "Take Chu You, Chu Hang, and Master Du of Zhaixing Tower back to the Court of Justice. I will take the bodies back for the coroner to examine. Everyone who was at Zhaixing Tower today needs to tell Min Wenshu where you were and who was with you at the time."

"The collapse of the Star-Picking Tower was a man-made disaster. Even if you are just trying to vent your anger, you should tell the truth so that the culprit can be brought to justice as soon as possible."

"Afterwards, I will trouble the brothers of the Northern Army to escort you all back to your residence."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he leaned close to Min Zangzhi's ear and whispered a few words.

Min Zangzhi was taken aback, then nodded solemnly.

Seeing that Zhou Zhao acted decisively and had a plan, everyone fell silent.

Without hesitation, Zhou Zhao waved to the group of wine merchants standing together. All six wine merchants walked over. "Identify the corpse on the ground. See if it came with him or any other guests."

The wine connoisseur who had led Zhou Zhao and his group upstairs immediately stepped forward, "Young Master Zhou, it was I who led him. There were two other people in the same room."

As Dr. Jiu spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to another corpse lying on the ground. It was a man of about twenty years old. Beside him, a young man with a grief-stricken expression was squatting. He had a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes and thin lips pursed into a line.

Seeing Zhou Zhao looking at him, he burst into tears, "The three of us brothers came to drink, but now I'm all alone."

Zhou Zhao gave him a deep look, then heard a splash of water behind her.

She turned around, her pupils suddenly contracting, and saw two body retrievers who had somehow gotten back into the water, each carrying a corpse on their back as they floated to the surface.

One of them carried a thin man in his forties on his back, while the other carried a mummified corpse...

Min Zangzhi just said that one person is missing.

And now, there's one more.