Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 183 Locking in the Owner
Ju Niang glanced at Wu Qingshan beside her and shook her head. "I'm telling the truth. Wu Heng injured his leg, so the group disbanded."

Zhou Zhao raised an eyebrow at Wu Qingshan and said calmly, "Ju Niang is still the prime suspect in the murder of Wu Heng. Chen Jiyuan, are you still alive? If you are, send her to the Tingwei Temple prison."

Chen Jiyuan was still holding a small pair of thread cutters in his hand when he heard Zhou Zhao call him. He walked in looking pale and sickly.

He glanced quickly at the body parts in the ball, repeated "I am blind" three times in his mind, before coming in, pinning Ju Niang's hands behind her back, and leading her out.

It's not that he's a hypocrite; he says he wants to follow Zhou Zhao to investigate cases, but he's afraid of even seeing a corpse.

That's really, really scary!

Zhou Zhao ignored Chen Jiyuan's thoughts. After Wu Qingshan and Ji Yun left, she looked at Su Changying and asked, "What do you think?"

Su Changying hadn't expected Zhou Zhao to ask him this, and after thinking carefully, he said, "Ju Niang's father and the two senior brothers must still be alive. Finding out where they were repairing the funerary objects back then shouldn't be too difficult."

Those who needed human figurines for burial were undoubtedly among the most prominent families in Chang'an. There couldn't have been only three craftsmen; many people must have received the money to buy their lives at the same time. That money was half a tael of silver.

Su Changying didn't finish speaking, but Zhou Zhao already understood what he meant.

Their ideas were almost identical.

“The problem lies in the half-ounce coin,” Zhou Zhao said, looking at everyone in the room.

"Ju Niang's father and senior brother disappeared before she met Wu Heng. Now Wu Qingshan is almost twenty, which means this is an old story from the previous dynasty. The half-liang coin from the previous dynasty was round with a square hole, weighed 12 zhu, and engraved with the two characters 'half-liang' in small seal script. The round shape and square hole symbolize the roundness of heaven and the squareness of earth; and the number six also contains the yin and yang and the five elements."

Unlike the modern Banliang coins, these coins varied in size and weight. The previous dynasty's ironclad laws forbade commoners from minting coins privately; the laws were extremely harsh, and being caught was a capital offense. Interestingly, ordinary Banliang coins were cast in bronze.

Unlike the new dynasty, where everything was in ruins and His Majesty was penniless, these half-ounce coins could not only be privately minted, but were also mostly short in weight and varied in size.

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he walked to Jing Yi's side and picked up the two gold coins that had been placed in front of him earlier.

"And this is a half-ounce gold coin, made using a mold of a half-ounce copper coin. It was made by high-ranking officials and nobles who had access to the minting of coins..."

Hearing this, Li Youdao couldn't help but ask, "Are you saying that the owner of the tomb was a member of the Shaofu (Minister of the Imperial Household Department)?"

Zhou Zhao nodded. "That's right. I held this half-ounce of gold in my hand and weighed it. It is indeed half an ounce. The Imperial Household Department has a Copper Assistant in charge of minting coins. Ji Yun entered the Imperial Household Department and followed Dai Changsheng to do this job."

The reason she didn't press Ju Niang about what she was hiding was because when she saw the money for buying life, she had already figured out a breakthrough in the case.

"This makes it very clear: those in the Imperial Household Department who are authorized to mint coins must be building large tombs in their homes..."

Before Zhou Zhao could finish speaking, an aged voice came from the doorway, "With so many men under the Copper Minister's command, and even officials in charge of mining copper and gold, they're capable of killing people to be buried alive with him. How do you know he's not one of those treacherous and ambitious individuals, secretly minting coins?"

Zhou Zhao looked towards the door and saw He Tingshi standing there, looking serious and finding fault.

She thought about it for a moment and then understood.

Wu Qingshan was a clerk in the Right Court, but now he has fallen into the hands of the Left Court. He Tingshi was worried about him, so he came here personally to keep watch.

Seeing this, Li Youdao clicked his tongue twice, "You old man, don't overstep your bounds. Do you think Zhou Zhao needs your blockhead? He might have already caught the murderer, and you're still thinking about mythical beasts from the mountains and seas, worshipping that Zhou emperor!"

He Tingshi's face darkened, and his hand was already on the long sword at his waist. He wished he could draw his sword and cut off Li Youdao's foul mouth.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhao immediately interrupted their fierce eye contact. "Both the copper and gold officials are not based in Chang'an, and they only manage mining, not casting. If a traitor were to forge them privately, how dare he place them under someone's gate, thus revealing his whereabouts?"

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he looked at Liu Huang, who had remained silent.

"Tong Cheng certainly has a lot of men under his command, but we can be even more certain. When Ah Huang was examining the body, he found gold powder in Wu Heng's hair, and there were also signs of burns from intense fire. Considering this together with the money used to buy his life, what other clues do you all have?"

He Tingshi's gaze suddenly fell on the face of King Liu Huang of Chu... no, it fell on the tip of his bamboo hat.

He Tingshi felt a bit of a toothache, and even felt a bit of admiration for this Prince Chu, whose every hair was legendary.

How could a prince in this world go mad and insist on becoming a coroner?! With all the officials looking at him like he was a fool, wasn't he afraid?

He Tingshi looked at the almost impenetrable bamboo hat and felt a pang of anxiety. He was not afraid, because Liu Huang couldn't see him at all.

“That’s right,” Zhou Zhao answered himself. “Wu Heng was murdered at the place where he was made coins, or rather, before he was murdered, he must have been to the place where coins were minted. Although the owner has changed his name, he is still someone who was once prominent in the previous dynasty and is now wealthy.”

Emperors come and go, but powerful families remain constant.

The Zhou family held the position of Minister of Justice in the previous dynasty, and they remain the Minister of Justice in the new dynasty.

Of course, there are also those who served in the Imperial Household Department in the previous dynasty and are still serving in the Imperial Household Department today.

He Tingshi fell silent this time.

Zhou Zhao cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd, "In this way, it can be said that the identity of the former owner has been revealed. I already have someone in mind, so I will take my leave first. I would like to ask Lord Jing to accompany me and be a witness."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he looked at Li Youdao questioningly.

Li Youdao yawned, tears welling up in his eyes. As soon as he entered the Court of Justice, he reverted to his usual carefree, drunken self. Even in his football robes, he looked as if a demon had drained his life force.

“I’m not going, and you shouldn’t go either, old man He. It’ll save you from having to be carried by that young girl when you can’t walk. Do you think everyone is as petty as you, with a mind smaller than a pinhole? This case concerns Jingyi, so put your mind at ease and stop talking. I’m afraid your pettiness will get stuck in your throat.”

He Tingshi was so enraged by Li Youdao that he almost fell over backwards. He rolled up his sleeves and charged straight at Li Youdao.

"You barbarian, do you really think I can't tear you apart!"

Zhou Zhao's eyelids twitched, and he retreated along with Su Changying and Jing Yi. Meanwhile, Liu Huang had already packed up all five golden balls and was rushing towards the mortuary.

Jingyi watched the King of Chu depart, then suddenly blurted out, "The Minister of Justice is very distressed because of the King of Chu."

Zhou Zhao's eyes flickered. Jing Yi was the close subordinate of Li Huaishan, the Minister of Justice. What did he mean by saying this?
With Chang Zuoping and Guan Youping on the side, and Lord Jing also here, the Court of Justice can be relieved of all worries.

Even if the sky falls, there are high-ranking officials to hold it up. What does Li Tingwei's troubles have to do with her?

She only cares whether Ah Huang is troubled or not!
Jingyi glanced at Zhou Zhao with a strange expression, but ultimately didn't respond to the question. "Where are we going?"

Zhou Zhao and Su Changying exchanged a glance. "We're going to Dai Changsheng's house, but I don't know the way. Does General Su know it?"

Su Changying nodded slightly. "Follow me."

As he spoke, he lightly tapped his feet and almost flew away. Zhou Zhao immediately followed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jing Yi following leisurely on her left side and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him. Jing Yi's lightness skill was truly impressive. Before she came to the Court of Justice, he was probably not the most capable fighter in the entire Court of Justice.