Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 208 Catch him
She said, "You don't seem like someone who's good at investigating cases," but without digging deeper, she directly defeated Li Mu.

It was meant to make him feel hopeful, yet also to make him feel anxious and fearful.

In this situation, he would definitely try to cover up his oversight and go to find Cao Yuanxu.

He Tingshi had also keenly noticed everything she had discovered, which was why he had mentioned the three cases that had brought him fame after Li Mu left. Indeed, she wasn't the only intelligent person in the Court of Justice.

Zhou Zhao traveled swiftly, his heart filled with extraordinary excitement.

The Court of Justice is not large, but it is full of hidden talents and all sorts of monsters and demons. Where in the world is there a more interesting place?
As Zhou Zhao pondered, she noticed the sound of horses' hooves ahead. She subtly shifted her feet and followed even faster, clinging to Su Changying's side like a shadow.

Su Changying sensed Zhou Zhao's presence, loosened her grip on the sword hilt, and then gently grabbed Zhou Zhao's arm. The two of them stood against the corner of the wall like geckos.

There were barricades ahead, and Li Mu was stopped by the Northern Army.

Zhou Zhao frowned, peeked out, and saw that the captain who was blocking Li Mu's way was tall and strong, like a giant. He was carrying two broad axes in his hands, and with a flick of his right hand, he threw them directly in front of Li Mu's horse, where they plunged into the ground.

The horse was startled and raised its front hooves to neigh.

"Who goes there? State your name! How dare you violate curfew! Dismount and surrender at once!"

Li Mu trembled and pulled out a token from the Court of Justice from his sleeve. "I am an official of the Court of Justice, and I have an important case to handle."

The squad leader didn't even reach out to take it. Instead, he grabbed his axe, which was stuck in the ground, and was about to start cursing, "Court of Justice..."

Zhou Zhao sensed something was wrong. They had come to fish, and if the fish didn't bite, things would go awry.

Thinking this, she poked Su Changying, who was standing next to her, with her finger. The moment her finger touched her, she felt Su Changying tremble and flinch away as if she had been burned.

Zhou Zhao glanced at Su Changying with suspicion.

The usually cold-faced young general was now gesturing to the squad leader in front of him. As soon as he raised his arm, Zhou Zhao poked him with his finger, hitting the soft flesh in his waist.

Zhou Zhao blinked, his gaze involuntarily shifting upwards, and sure enough, he saw Su Changying's ears turn bright red.

The autumn wind suddenly became sticky and humid.

Zhou Zhao quickly straightened his gaze and looked ahead, just in time to hear the squad leader say:

"The Court of Justice is nothing... Ah, so it's the Minister of Justice. Of course, solving the case is the priority then..."

His turn was exceptionally sharp, almost throwing everyone's hearts out of their chests.

Zhou Zhao's heart was in his throat, fearing that Li Mu would discover something amiss.

Fortunately, he simply cupped his hands in greeting and then rode off on his horse.

As soon as he moved, Zhou Zhao and Su Changying moved at the same time. This time, the horses did not run far before Li Mu stopped in front of a house. He dismounted, looked around, and seeing that no one was there, he began to knock on the door.

As he looked, he anxiously called out, "Cao Yuanxu."

A moment later, the gate opened a crack, and the gatekeeper peeked out. Li Mu looked around again before ignoring everything and walking in, closing the door behind him. Zhou Zhao and Su Changying exchanged a glance, then, like two wisps of smoke, quietly drifted into the courtyard.

This is a very exquisite courtyard. Although the garden is not large, it is exceptionally elegant. Upon entering the garden, one does not smell the fragrance of flowers and grass, but rather a rich aroma of wine. Even though Zhou Zhao does not usually drink, he can tell that this wine is truly of the highest quality.

If she wasn't mistaken, it should be Shao Qingqing's Qingguang Wine.

Zhou Zhao and Su Changying landed on a lush tree in perfect unison. Looking down through the layers of leaves, they saw a man and a woman walking down the courtyard corridor. The man was about twenty years old and had an exceptionally fair and handsome face.

His eyes, in particular, were as gentle as the afternoon sun in autumn, making people feel warm and happy at first glance.

Beside him was a young and beautiful woman, dressed in red, with a blush on her face and a shy expression.

Looking around, Zhou Zhao saw that there were still red ribbons left to be torn down in the courtyard, indicating that a wedding had just taken place.

"Yuanxu, something terrible has happened! Shao Qingqing's mother committed suicide in front of the Tingwei Temple, and Shao Qingqing changed her testimony, saying that she was not the murderer."

That little bitch Zhou Zhao is like a leech, clinging to me and refusing to let go. She's already suspicious of you and me. With the Northern Army's help, she'll definitely find out you're in Chang'an by tomorrow morning and come to arrest you. I rushed here to deliver this message; we absolutely must come up with a plan.”

Li Mu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Cao Yuanxu was taken aback at first, but he quickly calmed down.

"Why are you panicking, Lord Li? The fact that you were able to leave the Court of Justice unscathed proves that there is no evidence against that Zhou fellow. Lujiang is a hundred and eight thousand miles away from Chang'an. The Cao family's old house has already been demolished and rebuilt by me under the pretense of being a haunted house, and those servants have been sold off far and wide."

My father-in-law wiped out all the bandits of Black Tiger Stronghold. As long as you don't panic, they can't do anything to us.

As Cao Yuanxu spoke, he reached out and hooked his arm around Li Mu's neck. "Lord Li, calm down! You are a court official, and no one can take you away from me."

As he spoke, his eyes flickered, "You came here so suddenly in the middle of the night, did you encounter any Northern troops on the way?"

Li Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he asked Cao Yuanxu, "We encountered it, is there any problem?"

Zhou Zhao listened carefully, and looking at Cao Yuanxu's pretty face, he felt a chill run down his spine. This man not only had a good appearance and was good at deceiving people, but he was also cunning and ruthless. No wonder Shao Qingqing was completely fooled by him and had no power to fight back.

Cao Yuanxu released his grip. "Take me to the Court of Judicial Review right now! Send me to the cell next to Shao Qingqing's. I have a way to make her change her testimony again and admit that she is the murderer. That way, even if she regrets it later, no one will believe her."

The testimony of someone who breaks their word is not reliable. You've violated curfew; that Zhou fellow will definitely interrogate you first thing tomorrow morning. What will you say then? It would be best if you arrested me now! Don't worry, as long as you don't confess, they can't do anything to us!

Zhou Zhao couldn't listen anymore. She hooked one foot on a tree branch and hung upside down, sticking her head out.

"If we knock out all your teeth and let the north wind howl in, wouldn't you say that counts as giving in?"

As Li Mu and the other two were talking, they were all startled when a head hanging upside down suddenly appeared in front of them. The woman in the red dress screamed, "A ghost!" and then her eyes rolled back as she collapsed to the ground.

Cao Yuanxu didn't even glance at her. He reached into his sleeve, but before his fingertips even touched it, he felt a powerful force strike him, and he was flipped over like a waterwheel in a field, thrown to the ground.

The fall was exceptionally forceful, as if it were trying to shatter his entire body.

Just as Cao Yuanxu was about to speak, he saw a black boot stepping straight towards him. "Who do you think you are? How dare you lay a hand on Zhou Zhao?"

Su Changying's voice rang out coldly. To Li Mutong and Cao Yuanxu, the name Zhou Zhao was like a death warrant.