Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 151 Lure the snake out of its hole
As Zhou Zhao spoke, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that although Han Ze had not come in, the Northern Army soldiers were also standing curiously in front of the door listening.

Zhu Li arrived at some point and stood at the very back of the line. He was taller than the average person, so he was easily spotted.

"Qian Liu'er is most likely an alias. The killer's random killings could be due to a hitman being paid to do the job, or it could be a new recruit coming out of training. Didn't we discover a dungeon specifically for raising killers in the Zhaixinglou case?"

Zhou Zhao stopped there and didn't continue.

She had considered it; the group of people on the other side of the river moving away overnight was likely tipped off by someone. Their haste in leaving, and the fact that they left after curfew, suggested someone had given them special treatment.

Few people can do these two things, and most of them are in the Northern Army.

For example, Su Changying himself clearly realized that he had been in that dungeon for the first time that day, and that he was not helping them escape and hide in order to gain the trust of the person behind the scenes.

Excluding Su Changying, the most likely candidate is a member of the Northern Army who helped rescue people at Zhaixing Tower and participated in the case with them.

The two most suspicious individuals are Han Ze and Zhu Li.

Zhou Zhao remembered perfectly well that Su Changying had said that their disguise techniques were limited and could not be changed at will.

The disguised person's height had to be similar; at the time of the Star-Picking Tower incident, the man in black was about the same size as Su Changying. Although Zhou Zhao didn't remember everyone's names from that day, most of the Northern Army soldiers were burly and strong.

Only Han Ze and Zhu Li were relatively close.

Zhu Li had always been in the Northern Army, but Han Ze's situation was more peculiar. He had a past conflict with her and Su Changying, and their families' influence was all within the Imperial Household Department. He had previously been helping the Imperial Household Department with its affairs, so why was he suddenly placed in the Northern Army?
Given his father's abilities, even if he wanted him to join the army to temper his character, he should have sent him to the Southern Army to serve as the emperor's personal guard.

Then there's Zhu Li. Su Changying chose him to disguise himself when he was breaking into the Tingwei Temple prison, which means that among the junior commanders of the Northern Army on night patrol, Zhu Li was indeed the one whose height was most similar to his.

Although Zhou Zhao already had a suspicion, he lacked evidence. Now it seems that this case is the best touchstone.

Who it is, we'll find out soon enough.

"This is the current witness testimony. The date of the murder is also uncertain. Today, the Northern Army and the Court of Justice came to our door, so Qian Liu'er should not come to dispose of the body again."

Xu Jin scoffed and turned to leave.

"Zhou Zhao, after all this talk, you're basically saying you don't know who the murderer is, who he's going to kill, or when he'll make his move! So what do you know? A hand reaching out from the pigsty?"

As he spoke, he looked at his colleagues who were listening intently to the case, "Are you all wasting your time here? She knows absolutely nothing, how can we investigate? Oh, right, our young Master Zhou doesn't even know who the deceased is. He knows nothing, what's the point of investigating?"

As Xu Jin spoke, he glared at the crowd and said, "What are you all still standing here for? Have you finished reading the files? Don't you have anything to do?"

He spoke sternly, and the crowd looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then walked towards Xu Jin's back.

Only Chen Jiyuan was left standing there all alone.

Chen Jiyuan couldn't help but mutter, "The corpses were eaten to a crisp by pigs, leaving not a trace. Of course, it's very troublesome. If it were us, we wouldn't even know how many times these dead people were stabbed. Let alone anything else..."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Xu Jin, "Weren't you also full of enthusiasm just now? What are we going back for? To be your mother's donkey pulling the millstone?"

"Moreover," Chen Jiyuan's voice rose a few decibels, "we agreed to come and learn from Zhou Zhao to solve cases, didn't we? Not to mention she solved two cases before... just look at you all, who doesn't want to learn from the Chief Justice Zhou to solve cases? Now the opportunity is right in front of us, yet you want to leave!"

"I think you guys aren't here to learn at all, but rather to bask in Zhou Zhao's glory after he solved the case!"

As Chen Jiyuan spoke, his face flushed red with anger, and his fists clenched tightly.

Upon hearing this, everyone lowered their heads in embarrassment. Xu Jin sensed something was amiss, snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and strode away.

Everyone gritted their teeth and followed.

Zhou Zhao calmly watched the three figures disappear into the distance. This case was indeed much more difficult than the previous ghost bride case. In the last case, they knew roughly when and where the killer would choose to strike, and what kind of person.

However, the case is completely unsolved, and it is even very likely that Qian Liu'er will never appear again.

From then on, this case became an unsolved mystery.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then pulled himself together. "It's not that we can't solve the case. On the contrary, we now have seven clues, which is to find out the identities of the seven victims."

Zhou Zhao's eyes flickered as he looked at the remaining people in the room. "Moreover, I've discovered some clues, but it's not convenient to say them now, lest the news leak out. We'll make our move after curfew and catch them like turtles in a jar."

Chen Jiyuan's eyes lit up instantly.

Zhou Zhao quickly avoided his gaze. With this child, they wouldn't need to light lamps at night to review case files in the Left Courtyard.

Zhou Zhao's gaze finally fell on Su Changying, who nodded slightly to her.

Zhou Zhao was instantly satisfied. Even though Su Changying had lost her memory, he was still the same person, and he still shared an unspoken understanding with her.

Su Changying turned around and looked at the Northern Army soldiers in front of the door. She said to Han Ze and Zhu Li, "You two go and keep watch near those three families. Qian Liu'er might get wind of this and go to investigate the situation nearby. If you encounter anyone suspicious, it's better to arrest the wrong person than let one go."

Han Ze and Zhu Li immediately bowed and agreed, then turned and led the Northern Army away.

The small room fell silent instantly.

Min Cangzhi put down his pen. "I'll take you to Manmoji. If everyone had such an elegant item, it wouldn't be elegant or precious. Therefore, Jinxianlan ink must be very rare. We should be able to find out the identity of this deceased person."

Ah Huang listened, paused, and then said, "I'll go perform an autopsy."

He thought for a moment, then changed his mind and said, "I'll go check the pigs."

Zhou Zhao smiled and nodded at him, "Okay, we'll come looking for you when we get back and see if we've made any new discoveries."

Liu Huang adjusted his straw hat, lifted his foot and walked towards the door. Min Cangzhi watched him, and, without thinking, waved his hand in front of Liu Huang's eyes.

Liu Huang darted to the front door like a rabbit in a flash.

Min Cangzhi stared in utter disbelief, "Your Highness Prince Chu's lightness skill is this good?"

Zhou Zhao laughed heartily, "This might be the best display of his lightness skill ever. Look how annoying you are."

Min Cangzhi's eyes darted around, and he immediately sensed something was amiss. "No way! If the King of Chu's lightness skill is so good, then why did he wait until I climbed the wall before leisurely arriving when I was being chased by pigs!"

Zhou Zhao's smile deepened. "Of course, we're here to watch the show!"

Seeing that Zhou Zhao and Su Changying were both laughing, Min Zangzhi gritted her teeth and said, "I will leave tomorrow. I will exchange clothes with Wu Qingshan. I, Min Zangzhi, will leave the left courtyard and go to the right courtyard!"

Of course, he won't leave.

Because Chang Zuoping only scolded him for being a disgrace to the Court of Justice, while the old fogies of the Right Court would quote scriptures from the beginning of time to the end of the world.