Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 170 Butterfly Fragments
"Does he think that by doing this, he will become the prince consort and be family with Princess Changyang? If that works, then I should let my old man, who is retired at home, go out and sell paintings on the street. If he can't be the Minister of Justice, being the richest man would be good too."

Su Changying listened to Zhou Zhao's words.

If that's how it works, then Lord Zhou's husbands should already be numbering over three thousand.

"What are you talking about! Those cowards wouldn't dare marry me. After all, I'm skilled in both literature and martial arts, and I can even earn my own title. Wouldn't marrying me make them look as useless as the locusts in the Tian family?"

Su Changying was momentarily at a loss, unsure whether to cover her mouth or her heart.

Even though he didn't say anything, Zhou Zhao could guess what he was thinking.

"Yes, I'll marry you," Su Changying said, then quickly added, "if you're willing."

The last sentence carried a hint of grievance.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhao immediately flew into a rage.

She looked at Su Changying in disbelief, "You should avoid associating with that Han Xincheng from the Southern Army in the future..."

Mentioning Han Xincheng made Zhou Zhao's mind explode!
"Oh no! Wasn't Han Xincheng supposed to come to our door today to ask for my sister's hand in marriage? We sneaked out without saying a word, will Father beat us to death if we go back?"

These words sound like a distant memory; the two of them were so engrossed in handling the case today that they hadn't even thought about it.

She simply couldn't imagine how awkwardly Zhou Buhai, Han Xincheng, and the Prince of Dai sat staring at each other, fidgeting and scratching their hands and feet, after they left!
Good heavens! She's completely forgotten everything!
She looked at Su Changying in disbelief, "You've forgotten everything too? Weren't you a guest?"

It's obvious that Han Xincheng invited him to accompany the Prince of Dai!

It's one thing for her to run away, but it's understandable that her older sister, an unmarried younger sister, wouldn't be around when her older sister arranged the marriage. But what about him, the one who was supposed to be her companion?
Su Changying blinked. "I haven't forgotten. I'm following you."

Who is Han Xincheng? Who is the Prince of Dai? Of course he has to follow Zhou Zhao.

Zhou Zhao was speechless, and her gaze towards Su Changying changed. If she were to marry someone else, would Su Changying, like Zhang Ran, buy a village across from her house, carve a portrait of her, and then create such a screen?
It doesn't seem quite right no matter how you look at it.

As Zhou Zhao was thinking, he suddenly remembered the red dot on Su Changying's arm.

No need to look, it's definitely not normal.

As she pondered this, her eyes flickered, then suddenly froze.

Zhou Zhao's expression turned solemn as he looked at the table in front of the statue. On the table was a bronze mirror, and in front of the mirror was a dressing box, which was empty except for a shiny fragment.

Zhou Zhao bent down and picked up the thin, cicada-wing-like gold thread fragment from the box; it was a broken butterfly wing.

"Changying, look, this is a piece of butterfly wing. Do you remember Princess Changyang's attire on the screen at Shanming Villa? She had a hairpin with three butterflies playing among flowers in her hair. That hairpin was her favorite, and she wore it on the day of the incident."

Not long ago, Min Zangzhi sealed up the case of Shan Ming Changyang and returned the princess's jewelry to the old steward of the princess's residence. I saw this precious hairpin among the items; it was already broken when it was found at the crime scene.

She had seen that hairpin before; the three butterflies were so lifelike that their wings were practically transparent.

When people walk around, the butterflies flutter as if they are about to take flight.

“It wasn’t just one piece of jewelry that was damaged when it fell to the ground. The butterfly’s wings were very fragile, and no fragments were found at the scene, so it didn’t attract much attention. I never expected that this thing would end up in Zhang Ran’s hands.”

The key was given by Madam Zhang, so this should be Zhang Ran's private place. Su Changying's eyes darkened. "Therefore, it is very likely that Zhang Ran was at the crime scene that day."

Zhou Zhao nodded heavily, his mind filled with a multitude of guesses.

It was Zhang Ran's love that turned into hatred, so he arranged to meet Princess Changyang at Shanming Villa, then hired a powerful expert to kill her and take the "jade".

Zhang Ran had arranged to meet Princess Changyang at Shanming Villa, but they happened to encounter the people who came to steal the "jade," and one of them killed Princess Changyang. Zhang Ran witnessed the whole thing from the sidelines, and just as the murderer was about to attack him, Zhou Yan and Su Changying happened to enter and became scapegoats...

Or perhaps it was something else entirely, a situation they hadn't anticipated at all.

Zhou Zhao took a deep breath, shook his head, and shook off all the thoughts in his mind.

She has too little concrete evidence right now, and too much speculation will only lead her astray and create too many preconceived notions.

She wrapped the wing in a handkerchief and put it in her sleeve pocket. She and Su Changying then searched the area carefully but found nothing else unusual.

"Too much has happened today, I'm going home now. My second sister is getting married tomorrow, and I have to stay home to see her off. I just don't know if Zhang Ran's death will affect the wedding."

Zhang Ran was the emperor's sworn brother. His Majesty valued their childhood friendship, so the Prince of Dai would definitely go to offer condolences.

A wedding coincides with a funeral; who knows what will happen?

When they arrived at the Zhou family's gate, the red silk and lanterns that had been hung up that morning were still there, making the mansion look festive.

Zhou Zhao crept up to the door and peeked inside. As he did so, he met the gaze of a group of people.

Good heavens! Zhou Buhai, Prince Dai, Han Xincheng... and her two older sisters were all there, and even Zhou Chengan was standing in the crowd.

Zhou Zhao gave an awkward smile; she was definitely having a run of bad luck today!
As she was thinking this, she turned her head and saw Su Changying standing behind her, looking completely calm and collected. This guy seemed to have no toes, awkwardly scratching the ground for no apparent reason!
It's just pretending, she can do that too!
Zhou Zhao straightened her back and jumped out as if nothing had happened, as if she wasn't the one who had been lewdly peeking out earlier.

"I am truly sorry, but the Court of Justice has an urgent case..."

The Prince of Dai was the first to regain his composure. His eyelids twitched a few times, and he said gently, "It was impolite of me to come here so abruptly. We are all family, so please don't stand on ceremony, Sister Zhao!"

Little Zhao, my dear sister!

Zhou Zhao looked at Zhou Wan standing next to the Prince of Dai in disbelief. Just how many glorious deeds of her love for her younger sister had this girl told the Prince of Dai that made him call her "Little Zhao Sister" with such a nauseatingly affectionate look?

As she was thinking, she caught a glimpse of Han Xincheng speaking to Zhou Xuan in an affected manner, and her anger flared up instantly.

"Han..."

She wanted to say that Han Xincheng's meal had taken quite a while; he'd been at their house all day. But before she could say it, Zhou Buhai stopped her with a look. She knew that look all too well. In her mind, Zhou Zhao automatically added: "Zhou Zhao, the moment you pout, I know what you're up to!"

Next, he's going to take off his shoes and start smoking!

As she was thinking, she heard Zhou Buhai say, "Since Lord Zhang has passed away, let's go and pay our respects first. There's plenty of time in the future."

When he said the last four words, his gaze fell on Han Xincheng, and he looked exceptionally kind.

What a wonderful "plenty of time"! She's only been gone a short while, and Han Xincheng has already won over Zhou Buhai, gaining the right to enter her inner circle in the future?
What kind of thousand-year-old fox spirit has come to deliver herself to my door!