Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 134 Left Courtyard and Right Courtyard
a bolt from the blue.

Li Zhengde stood frozen in place, as if petrified.

Zhou Zhao nodded to Min Zangzhi, who was standing to the side, and left him to finish up before standing up and walking out side by side with Su Changying.

"I urge General Su to arrest Guan Yan and bring him to justice. However, I suspect that he has already fled Chang'an overnight after learning of Guan Yun's death. But he probably never imagined that Li Zhengde, that coward, would only dare to bully those weaker than himself."

Even if Guan Yun truly deceived him, and Bao Chun'an exploited him, neither of them deserved such punishment.

Su Changying looked at Zhou Zhao's profile and asked, "Bao Chun'an has a grudge against your older sister. Don't you mind?"

Zhou Zhao chuckled, "In this case, Bao Chun'an only has one identity in my eyes: the victim. As an official in the Court of Justice, it's my duty to uncover the truth and seek justice for the deceased. Outside of the case, I can roll up my sleeves, put my hands on my hips, and scold her for my sister! Then I can slap her across the face and pull her hair..."

As she spoke, she shook her head. "But my eldest sister doesn't need me to do these things for her. If she wanted to, she could whip Bao Chun'an away with a single lash. Her divorce from Shen Jianshen wasn't because of Bao Chun'an."

Su Changying looked over with some curiosity, "Why is that?"

“Love has faded away, lovers are no longer the same, and the affection of the past is no longer appropriate,” Zhou Zhao said, looking at Su Changying, “What are the auspicious words that are often used to congratulate newlyweds?”

Su Changying thought for a moment, then said, "May you have a long and happy marriage."

"That's right. A long and happy contract is like a wish for a hundred years to last a lifetime. And since it's a wish, it's hard to achieve. They've reached a point where they can't get along."

Su Changying's lips moved, but she didn't say anything.

The Su Changying of the past and Zhou Zhao were childhood sweethearts, their personalities perfectly matched. But now, not only has he lost his past memories, but he also has a less-than-glorious four-year gap in his life... Will Zhou Zhao one day tell him that he is out of step with the times?

Just thinking about it makes one feel as if there's a huge hole in their heart.

“Little General Su, hehe…” Zhou Zhao said, slapping both hands towards the center at the same time, mimicking the action of the two of them slapping Li Zhengde earlier. Her eyes were filled with girlish cunning, as if stars had fallen into them. “What perfect teamwork!”

Su Changying felt as if a magpie had suddenly moved into the gaping hole in her heart, making her extremely happy.

His eyes sparkled, and his gaze towards Zhou Zhao was exceptionally gentle. "Didn't you want some mutton soup? Let's go. Although it's curfew now, I know a place..."

"We can have the mutton soup tomorrow, Xiao Zhou! Follow me. Tonight you slapped the right courtyard's face, so I'll take you to broaden your horizons."

Hearing Li Youdao's lazy voice, Zhou Zhao's eyes lit up. She turned to Su Changying and said, "Li Tingshi has summoned me for some business. I'll go first. I'll treat you to crabs tomorrow. Remember Guan Yan's matter."

With outsiders present, Su Changying's face had already turned cold. He nodded expressionlessly at Li Youdao and strode out.

Li Youdao rolled his eyes at Zhou Zhao and said, "How come your fiancé has two faces? He's all smiles and gentleness when he sees you, but when he sees me, he's all hostile and unpleasant."
Why am I named Li Youdao (Li the Swordsman)? If I had two swords in my hands…

Zhou Zhao looked at Li Youdao in surprise, "With two swords in hand, you're invincible? You also have such martial arts skills?"

Li Youdao stroked his beard. "Not at all! Even with two swords in my hand, I still couldn't beat him! That's why I won't curse him to his face; I can only criticize him behind his back!"

Zhou Zhao was speechless.

You're such a coward!
"Are you secretly calling me a coward?" Li Youdao asked casually, taking a lazy stroll. "I'm praising you for being a wise and resourceful person who knows when to yield," Zhou Zhao replied with a smile, a respectable person having to say respectable things.

Li Youdao smiled with satisfaction.

"Master, where are you taking me? Who am I going to see?"

Li Youdao yawned lazily, "You'll find out in a bit."

As he spoke, he led Zhou Zhao straight inside, stopping in front of a flower hall. Li Youdao smoothed out the wrinkles in his robes and tidied his hair before pushing open the door and going inside.

Zhou Zhao followed behind him, secretly raising her eyes to peek inside.

In the center of the flower hall stood a long table, and at the head of the table sat a middle-aged man with a fair complexion and a kind and approachable appearance. He had no beard and had faint smile lines at the corners of his eyes.

Judging from the seating arrangement, this person should be Li Huaishan, the Minister of Justice.

To Li Huaishan's left sat the first person, Zhou Zhao's old acquaintance, Chang Zuoping. Under Chang Zuoping sat three court officials from the Left Court, the first of whom was Xu Yun. He knelt there, not showing his usual violent temper, as if he wanted to slap a dog twice.

The second one is Tao Shangshan, who is Chen Yuzhao's master. Just like when he was in the Left Academy, he remained silent and was like an invisible person.

Behind each of the two court scribes was a person.

Zhou Zhao instantly understood that what Li Youdao meant by "broadening her horizons" was bringing her to participate in the Court of Justice's meeting. Although she couldn't speak, she could listen and watch.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, and when Li Youdao sat down in the third empty seat with an air of authority, she obediently followed behind him and knelt on the prayer mat.

Li Youdao was right; this was truly an eye-opening opportunity for her.

As she pondered this, she quietly glanced across the street.

Sitting opposite Chang Zuoping was a small old man with an extremely serious expression. His eyes were piercing, and he was clearly not someone to be trifled with. He should be Guan Youping from the Court of Justice. He had not been in the capital before, and it was unknown when he had returned from out of town.

Below Guan Youping sat three court officials from the right courtyard.

The first and second men were both stern-looking men, exactly like Guan Youping. The first one looked to be in his sixties or seventies, with bags under his eyes that were practically drooping down to his cheeks. He was pursing his lips and looked quite displeased. Zhou Zhao had heard Chen Jiyuan mention him; he should be a court official surnamed He.

The second person was a middle-aged man around forty years old. He had a pair of narrow, fox-like eyes, and his pupils were lighter than the average person's. He wore a black jade thumb ring on his thumb, which was obviously no ordinary item. This was Yan Tingshi.

The three people in front of them were all sitting upright, exuding an extraordinary air, and must have come from prominent families.

The third person opposite Li Youdao was Li Mu, a dark-skinned, gaunt man who stood out from the others in the right courtyard. He kept his head down, lost in thought. Qin Lang, however, was secretly watching Li Mu from behind.

In comparison, Zhou Zhao suddenly understood why Qin Lang had previously looked down on their Left Academy with such arrogance, calling them a bunch of ugly ducklings.

He wasn't lying!

The hot-tempered Old Xu, the nearly dead Old Tao, and the drunken Old Li... Good heavens! Their left courtyard is truly a den of lizards and earthworms!