Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 211 Sweet Night Talk
"Zhaozhao, I'll take you back."

"I'll check on Shao Qingqing first, then go back. Besides, didn't you say you'd have the Northern Army escort Cao Yuanxu's wife, along with his aunts and uncles, over to be witnesses?"

Zhou Zhao's words surprised Su Changying, as he knew he and Zhou Zhao had a great understanding.

But when he gave these instructions, Zhou Zhao had clearly already left, yet she seemed to be standing there witnessing it all.

"Have we always been like this?"

"You mean we've always been this in sync? We've known each other since I was born. We've fought together, swam together, killed people together, and been beaten together... On New Year's Eve, we each whittled peach wood sticks. I made Shen Tu on a whim, and you naturally whittled Yu Lei on the other side. We placed them on the left and right in front of the door as door gods."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, her eyes sparkled as she looked at Su Changying.

Seeing the gleam and smugness in her eyes, Su Changying couldn't help but smile. As he walked, he clenched his fists and held them out to Zhou Zhao. "Guess which of my hands I have a five-zhu coin hidden in."

His hands were large, and upon closer inspection, one could see calluses from years of using a longsword.

These two large hands, clenched so tightly that you couldn't tell the difference at all.

Zhou Zhao bent down and looked closely at Su Changying's hands, pointing to her left and right. She stretched out her hand, pointed to her left hand, then to her right hand, and stared into Su Changying's eyes. Just as Su Changying was about to tell her the answer, Zhou Zhao suddenly stood up straight and laughed.

"I bet you don't have any five-zhu coins in either of your hands."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, his eyes were full of confidence, "You used to lie to me like this all the time, but this trick can only fool that guy Fan Lishen!"

Su Changying looked at Zhou Zhao's radiant appearance, his gaze intensifying. He slowly opened his hands, palms facing upwards, revealing a lifelike jade fish in each hand. The fish seemed to be swimming in his hands.

"Was it a gift for me?"

Su Changying cleared her throat. "I thought you would like it, so I bought it for you."

Zhou Zhao smiled, her eyes crinkling, and reached out to grab the little black fish. "I want this one, it looks like you."

Su Changying took the little white fish into his possession. He wanted this little white fish to resemble Zhou Zhao.

They had arrived at the prison before they knew it. The guards watching over the prisoners were dozing off, and many of the prisoners in the cells were already asleep, emitting soft snores.

Zhou Zhao and Su Changying walked straight to Shao Qingqing's cell without alerting anyone.

She lay quietly on the ground with her eyes open. If it weren't for the fact that her eyes were still blinking, Zhou Zhao would have thought she was dead.

She came because she saw a death wish in Shao Qingqing's eyes.

“The murderer is Cao Yuanxu, you are innocent. Your mother traded her own life for yours, she wanted to see you walk out with a clear conscience and live an upright life. I think your father and mother both long to drink the Qingguang wine you brewed every year.”

As she spoke, without waiting for Shao Qingqing's reply, she nudged Su Changying and tiptoed toward the door.

"Next time I brew wine, I'll name it Zhaoming."

Zhou Zhao did not stop walking, nor did she speak again. She walked side by side with Su Changying. As they were about to leave the prison, the jailer sitting in the dungeon was already drooling.

The city of Chang'an was peaceful in the dead of night, with only the occasional sound of footsteps of the Northern Army soldiers on patrol and the drawn-out calls of the night watchmen.

The two men received the witness and instructed him to be sent to Chang Zuoping before heading towards the Zhou residence.

At this hour, the gate was already closed. Zhou Zhao led Su Changying to a corner of his courtyard. "I'm home."

Su Changying nodded, then suddenly took out a roll of silk from her bosom and handed it to Zhou Zhao.

"What is this?" Zhou Zhao looked at him suspiciously.

“I still have receipts for the money in my estate and shops. Part of it is my mother’s dowry, which was brought back by her former steward on the first day I returned to the Su family. Another part was what I acquired when I was in Tianying City.”

Seeing Zhou Zhao's strange expression, Su Changying explained, "It wasn't stolen by Tianquan. I robbed it; it was a case of double-crossing. I bought some after returning to Chang'an."

As Su Changying spoke, she blinked, "The rest was a reward from above after I came back. But now, all I have is my salary."

Zhou Zhao's lips twitched. You're very sad that you can't double-cross me, aren't you?
He actually told the officials of the Court of Judicial Review that he had stolen it! What kind of lawless madman is this!
"Why are you giving me this?"

Su Changying didn't speak, but Zhou Zhao understood everything from her eyes.

She burst out laughing. "You saw Min Zangzhi tell Sister Chu You how many properties he owns, and you give this to me? Don't be like him. He's just a peacock, piling gold and silver on himself to show off to Sister Chu You!"

As she spoke, she took the roll of silk from Su Changying's hand.

"However, I'll keep this. If the Lu family divides the property in the future, I'll have a receipt here. This is something you already had; you didn't take a single penny from them."

Su Changying was overjoyed when she saw Zhou Zhao take it.

What he didn't say was that Min Zangzhi had already boasted to him and told him that this was how it was done when people sought marriage in Chang'an.

Zhou Zhao found it amusing, "But what if all I have are bones and all sorts of weapons?"

Su Changying shook her head and looked at the roll of brocade in Zhou Zhao's hand. "Now you have more than just those."

Zhou Zhao was taken aback, then nodded. She lightly leaped onto the wall, waved to Su Changying, and then landed with a turn.

Su Changying stood by the corner of the wall, listening intently to the sounds inside. Only when she heard Zhou Zhao's footsteps disappear and the door open and close did she withdraw her gaze from the wall.

Just as he was about to leave, he felt a blurry shadow on the wall. Zhou Zhao, who should have gone inside to sleep, reappeared on the wall.

"Zhaozhao! Didn't you already go inside?"

Zhou Zhao chuckled, sat on the wall and stretched out his hand to Su Changying, "I left a roast chicken for me on the first day of the lunar month, and I'll give you a chicken leg. I knew you hadn't left."

Su Changying lightly leaped onto the wall and sat down next to Zhou Zhao.

He took the roasted chicken leg from Zhou Zhao and ate it with Zhou Zhao.

The chicken leg smelled exceptionally good; it would be even better with some wine. Just as Su Changying was thinking this, she saw Zhou Zhao hook up a small jar. She removed the seal, took a sip directly from the jar, and then handed the jar back to Su Changying.

Su Changying took it and drank a big gulp.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Zhou Zhao hugged the empty wine jar, gently jumped off the wall, and waved to Su Changying, "Now I'm really asleep."

Seeing Zhou Zhao enter the house, Su Changying tried her best to suppress the smile on her lips and blended into the night.