Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 123 Zhou Xuan's Unexpected Turn of Events

Zhou Zhao felt a pang of panic. She hadn't seen anyone for the past few days, and if she saw Zhou Wan again, she didn't know how he would try to bully her!

Thinking it over, she jogged back to her courtyard, stood in front of the door and looked around. "I can't give away this skeleton. I can't let my second sister use it to scare people when she can't win in the power struggles in the inner quarters. I can't give away this poison either. What if my descendants' land becomes barren? Wouldn't that be a sin I've committed!"

"Zhou Zhao, you're just teasing me! Do you think I, Zhou Wan, am so useless as to dress up as a ghost to scare people? Or do you really think I'm that kind of vicious woman who poisoned her husband's entire family?"

Zhou Zhao felt a chill on the back of his head, as if a female ghost was breathing on him from behind.

She turned around and saw that only Zhou Wan was there, not Zhou Xuan, and immediately perked up again.

"Are your eyes on the front door? You'll know as soon as I get back."

Zhou Wan snorted coldly, "Otherwise? Who do you think governs this Zhou family? A grandmother who goes crazy and curses, a father who is content with his son, or a sickly mother who is melancholic and indifferent to everything? Oh... and you, little Lord Zhou, who sneaks home like a thief in the middle of the night..."

Zhou Zhao was speechless!

The loser does not lose the formation!
She raised her chin and looked at Zhou Wan, "You don't kill your husband's entire family, but you curse your own! Tell me, what do you want for your dowry?"

Zhou Wan glanced at Zhou Zhao with disdain, "I didn't curse the whole family! There's still the best older sister and older brother, and the good-for-nothing Zhou Cheng'an, isn't there?"

Good heavens, that's really something!
As Zhou Zhao listened, his eyes kept glancing towards the courtyard gate, but he didn't see anyone. Zhou Wan, who was now in control of the entire mansion, knew that no one would come at this hour!
Seeing Zhou Zhao's actions, Zhou Wan rolled her eyes and lifted her foot to walk into Zhou Zhao's room, but when she reached the door, she pulled her foot back. "Although the Lu Marquis's mansion is not a good place, it belongs to Su Changying. You two shouldn't pretend to be high and mighty and give it to someone else."

“If you don’t know how to defeat that stepmother, I’ll teach you. With your flaunting, if you had the title of Lady Lu, you could have saved your life. Otherwise, I don’t know whether I should go to the mountains to collect your body or go down into the river to fish you out of the water.”

As Zhou Wan spoke, she glanced at Zhou Zhao up and down speechlessly, noticing that her nose was a little red from the cold.

Unable to hold back, he cursed again, "What kind of idiot are you? The Northern Army and the corpse retrievers are all here, and if all else fails, there's Su Changying. Isn't he a war god? Let them go into the water and retrieve it, why are you showing off?"

"If you die, hehe, Lord Zhou will become Dead Zhou!"

Zhou Zhao felt that these words sounded familiar. Li Youdao was not her master, but Zhou Wan's master!
"My second sister has become the acting princess, and she's really radiating confidence! She's so powerful!"

Zhou Wan raised her chin. "Good to know! Keep your salary for yourself. If I don't squeeze more out of Grandmother and Father, all those things will just end up benefiting Zhou Cheng'an for nothing. But there is something I really want."

Zhou Zhao was somewhat surprised. She and Zhou Wan had never gotten along since childhood, and this was the first time Zhou Wan had asked her for something so seriously.

"Second sister, you say it."

Zhou Wan raised an eyebrow. "I want you to write a book for me about those silent methods of murder within the inner quarters. One should not have the heart to harm others, but one must be wary of others. For example, there are poisons that can silently kill a person and cause death. How can I distinguish them? And if I am accidentally poisoned, how can I cure them?"

"I also want to know about the interactions between different foods, and the various uses of flowers, herbs, and roots."

"And if someone were to force their way in and try to kill me by grabbing my neck from behind, how would I escape? These palace maids have taught me a few things. But the only one I can trust is you."

Seeing that Zhou Zhao did not agree directly, Zhou Wan said seriously, "Don't worry, I won't use this to kill someone. If I, Zhou Wan, want to bring someone down, there are countless ways."

The two sisters looked at each other and fell silent. Zhou Wan was about to become the Princess Consort of Dai, which seemed glamorous, but the royal family was not so easy to navigate. The Prince of Dai could not possibly have only one person in his harem; the struggles would inevitably be bloody and fierce.

Zhou Zhao didn't say anything to dissuade her. This was the path Zhou Wan had chosen herself. Although they had different personalities, they were both people who would not turn back or regret their decisions once they made up their minds.

"I'll have Ah Huang prepare some antidote for you."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he went into the house.

Zhou Wan watched as she rummaged around in some nook and cranny and pulled out a brocade box.

"This is for my elder sister to add to her dowry."

Zhou Wan took the box and opened it. Inside lay a set of jewelry, the string of beads in particular being entirely purple and quite unique. Zhou Wan looked at it, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes, followed by a hint of nostalgia.

“I’ve never seen you wear it even once. I remember it clearly. It was the first prize bestowed upon me by the Empress when we played Liubo in the palace. I was overjoyed when I saw it and couldn’t forget it. Unfortunately, I lost halfway to Princess Nan’an, and you won it in the end.”

"This is a gift from the Emperor; you will become the Lady of Lu in the future..."

Zhou Zhao interrupted Zhou Wan, raising her chin with a hint of pride, and said, "I'll be wearing official robes in the future, so this jewelry is better suited for you, elder sister. When you become the Princess Consort, you'll have something presentable to wear, so people won't laugh at our Zhou family for being poor and lacking in talent..."

Zhou Wan became an instant hit again upon hearing this!
Just as she was about to retort, she heard familiar footsteps. She lowered her eyes and revealed a sweet smile. "Have you taken your medicine? I still have some remedies to dispel the cold. It's already autumn now, and you've been soaking in the water for so long, you can't be careless."

"After your elder sister is no longer in Chang'an, you must listen to your parents and elder sister and take good care of yourself."

Zhou Zhao's lips twitched. Without turning around, she knew it must be Zhou Xuan who came to help Zhou Wan with her makeup.

She reached out and grabbed Zhou Wan's arm tightly, flashing a sweet smile. With a flicker of her eye, she steeled herself and leaned directly on Zhou Wan's shoulder. Zhou Zhao felt Zhou Wan's body stiffen, turning into a wooden statue in an instant, and she grinned triumphantly.

"Second sister, you've married far away, so you must take care of your health. If your husband treats you badly, you must send a letter home, and see if my eldest sister and I won't come after you."

Zhou Wan glared at Zhou Zhao, and the two sisters turned around at the courtyard gate, revealing fake smiles of sisterly affection.

Zhou Zhao's eight teeth hadn't yet retracted, but she frowned, "How come you've lost so much weight, elder sister?"

She had seen Zhou Xuan the day she returned to Chang'an from Tianying City. At that time, she looked a little thinner, but still alright. But today, the autumn clothes she wore last year were now too loose on her. The haggard look on her face couldn't be concealed even by the face powder.

"What could be wrong with me? I just ate some fresh crab a few days ago and had some diarrhea. The doctor said it was because I ate too much cold food. Why isn't Awan staying in the courtyard? There are quite a few relatives and friends who came to help you with your wedding today."

As Zhou Xuan spoke, she took a small brocade box from the maid behind her and handed it to Zhou Wan, saying, "This is a dowry that your elder sister and brother-in-law prepared for you."

When Zhou Wan opened the box, she saw a pair of jade bracelets carved with peony patterns and a pair of transparent glass bracelets inside. The glass bracelets were carved with auspicious clouds, and they were clearly not ordinary items.

Zhou Wan looked at it and her expression changed instantly. "Sister, has something happened? Is your husband treating you badly? I remember these two bracelets were part of your dowry."