Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 172 Wedding Rescheduled
Zhou Zhao looked at the bamboo slips in front of him and smiled self-deprecatingly.

It seems that God still has some conscience and did not arrange for her to die on Zhou Wan's wedding day.

She picked up the bamboo slip and examined it closely. The bamboo slip was unremarkable, looking no different from the blank bamboo slips next to her in her room. So why was it that this particular bamboo slip contained a death omen?

Could it be that after she died, this item fell into Su Changying's hands as a keepsake?

Seeing that it was a blank bamboo slip, Su Changying took it and wrote a letter to his deceased wife to mourn her.
She had no plans to get married yet, so why did Su Changying call her his wife? Could it be that she was dead, and that guy had arranged a ghost marriage with her, bringing her memorial tablet into the house?

Just thinking about it made Zhou Zhao feel terrible!
Su Changying shouldn't be that crazy, right?
Then I thought of the watermarks that appeared out of nowhere on the bamboo slip last time, and the half-finished preview...

Zhou Zhao was speechless again.

Was Su Changying writing while crying? It's fine to cry, it's embarrassing, but can we finish writing while crying? Every time we got to the crucial part, the words seemed to burn up as if they were on fire.

Zhou Zhao shook his head, then lightly leaped and hung himself on the long rope on the table.

A long tassel is a long rope.

My mind suddenly quieted down.

Zhou Zhao couldn't help but start sorting out all the recent details about the Shanming Changyang case.

Prince Consort Fan was a tomb raider, tasked with searching for treasures for His Majesty after the founding of the dynasty. Zhang Ran was one of His Majesty's most trusted men, in charge of spies for him.

Zhang Ran appeared at the scene of the Shanming Changyang case; he was the one who arranged to meet Princess Changyang. The person behind Gongzi Yu is a traitor lurking in the court; he is the one who killed Princess Changyang, killed Zhou Yan, and kidnapped Su Changying.

Were these two conspiring together, or were they the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?

What is the "jade" that Zhang Ran mentioned, which is considered a crime for possessing a treasure? Could it be the "Six Paths Heavenly Book" that she and Su Changying brought back from Tianying City?

The matter returns to the fact that Prince Consort Fan is a tomb raider. He is searching everywhere for treasures, and it is very likely that Princess Changyang really has the "Six Paths Heavenly Book". But if that "jade" is the Six Paths Heavenly Book, then another problem arises.

After the murderer committed the crime, the "Six Paths Heavenly Book" should have fallen from Princess Changyang's hands to Gongzi Yu and others.

So how did that thing end up in Tianying City and fall into Qin Tianying's hands?
Moreover, if the person behind the scenes was willing to kill Princess Changyang and Zhou Yan for the sake of the "Six Paths Heavenly Book", then why didn't they have Su Changying hand over the "Six Paths Heavenly Book" after they broke through Tianying City? Instead, they let them hand it over to Zhang Ran, allowing that thing to enter the palace.
From this perspective, the so-called "jade" doesn't seem to be the "Six Paths Heavenly Book".

But if not, then what could it be? What was it that Princess Changyang was holding that could cost her her life?

And why were the murderers treated differently? Both Zhou Yan and Su Changying were promising young talents in Chang'an. If they had grown up safely, they would have become high-ranking officials in the future. Why kill Zhou Yan but not Su Changying?
Why must she be put to death?
No, it wasn't about always trying to kill her. The life-threatening crisis in Tianying City was probably unrelated to the person behind Gongzi Yu.

After all, Qin Tianying was highly skilled in martial arts and was indeed far superior to her. It was understandable that she died there, and she accepted it.

For the four years following the incident, she remained safe and sound, without any assassination attempts or life-threatening situations.

The person behind it all wanted to kill her, which started after she brought Su Changying back to Chang'an.

Why? Because he was worried that with her around, Su Changying would find him and ruin his grand plan.
Or is there another reason? After returning from Tianying City, she became a target for assassination, just like Zhou Yan.

What is the difference between before and after?

Zhou Zhao's breath hitched as he thought about it.

If there is one major difference between her return from Tianying City and the previous ten years or so, it is that she became Lord Zhou of the Court of Justice.

Four years ago, Zhou Yan was in the Court of Justice, where he was also known as Lord Zhou.

At that time, Zhou Buhai was the Minister of Justice, so he was Lord Zhou, and his son Zhou Yan naturally became Lord Zhou the Younger. Could it be that because they were from the Court of Justice, they had to die?
Why is that? Is the person behind it all hiding in the Court of Justice?
Or perhaps the brother and sister are investigating a case at the Court of Justice, and sooner or later they will find clues and track down that person?

As Zhou Zhao pondered, his expression grew increasingly clear.

Although she still had many questions she couldn't understand, she also understood many things.

"Miss, the water is ready."

Hearing Chu Yi's soft call from the door, Zhou Zhao jumped down from the rope. She rolled up the bamboo slip, tied it with a red rope, and put it into her bundle.

"I understand, I'm coming right now."

As she spoke, she walked directly into the side room. The weather was getting cooler, so Chu Yi had prepared a lot of hot water beforehand. The small room was steaming hot, and it was almost impossible to see anyone. Zhou Zhao took off her clothes and submerged herself in the water, leaving all the distractions in her mind, and took a comfortable bath and changed.

"Young lady, let me dry your hair. It's getting chilly, would you like me to bring a brazier?"

Zhou Zhao held a pen and wrote on the table. Her hair was still wet, and Chu Yi stood behind her, carefully wiping it with a dry cloth.

"No need, there's no extra space in my room."

Forget about the brazier, even if there were one more maid, she wouldn't have anywhere to stand!
"Is the young lady writing a storybook? I think it's much more interesting than what the storyteller tells."

Zhou Zhao was writing furiously when he heard Chu Yi's words and couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth. "Well, today I investigated a case where three families were feeding pigs with corpses. They thought they hadn't killed anyone, but they didn't know that destroying a human corpse is also a serious crime. Not only that, back in Tianying City, many people were completely clueless when asked about the law."

If we teach them one by one, they can't read or remember them. It's better to compile them into storybooks for storytellers to tell: what should one do if a family member is involved in a case and arrested by the authorities? How can one appeal to the Court of Justice for a retrial if wronged?
If a husband violently injures his wife, and she retaliates by killing him, what is her crime? Neighbors encroaching on another's land, family thieves stealing money, unfilial sons disobeying their parents, desecrating graves, evading military service, murder, and arson—each has its own sins. If one day encounters such a situation, recalling the stories one has heard…

If criminals are deterred and hesitant, and the wronged have avenues for appeal, then I can consider myself to have done a good deed in educating the people.

If Lord Zhou wants to continue his promotion, besides being good at handling cases, he also needs to have a reputation and political achievements.

She wanted to become the Minister of Justice, and she didn't just talk about it.

"You are very kind, young lady."

Zhou Zhao shook his head. "I have my own selfish motives, and I don't deserve the title of 'great benevolence'."

Zhou Zhao wrote until dawn before putting down his pen, lying back on his bed to rest. When the first light of day appeared in the east and the rooster crowed, he got up again and began practicing martial arts in the courtyard as he always had.

Today is a day of rest for the Court of Justice.

After finishing this ritual and leaving the courtyard, she discovered that the red silk ribbons in the garden had been quietly removed at some point.

She frowned, a suspicion forming in her mind, and stopped a steward, "Has Miss Wan's wedding been rescheduled?"

The steward was a middle-aged woman, plump and round. When she heard Zhou Zhao's question, she nodded respectfully. "That's right. His Majesty values ​​relationships. Although the man from the Zhang family is not the Prince of Dai's uncle, he is still an elder. My lord came back from the palace and said that Miss Wan's wedding date has been postponed to an auspicious day next month."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhao was both amused and exasperated.

So why were the three sisters so reluctant to part last night?
Goodness, she's going to have to endure another month of disdain.

After thinking it over, she turned around, went back to her residence to change into her official robes, and headed towards the Court of Justice.

Lord Zhou of the Court of Judicial Review has no days off.