Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 216 Long Ying Leaves the Capital
"Sister Zhao, Sister Zhao..." Chen Jiyuan was still rambling on, but Zhou Zhao had already divided her attention to make calculations.

No wind, no wave.

Chen Jiyuan is quite perceptive; if he is not mistaken, then Jingyi has already secured two out of eight votes.

If she wants to win against Jingyi, she needs to get recommendations from everyone except Li Youdao.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then quickly finished the meat pie in her hand. She took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and then went outside.

The ground was covered with withered yellow leaves, and Granny Wang, who was sweeping with a bamboo broom, was doing it half-heartedly. When she saw Zhou Zhao come out, she smiled and revealed her missing front tooth. Then she pointed to the pear tree in front of her. There were still a few fruits hanging on the branches, but upon closer inspection, many of them had been pecked to pieces by birds.

"Han Ze?"

Zhou Zhao looked down at the tree and saw Han Ze dressed in a sky-blue casual outfit, wearing a jade crown, hopping around under the tree, jumping up to grab the remaining pears on the tree, looking like a rabbit that might crash into the tree trunk at any moment.

Upon hearing Zhou Zhao's voice, Han Ze shrank back and immediately turned around, instinctively hiding his buttocks against the tree behind him, and gave Zhou Zhao a fawning smile.

"Sister Zhao, Sister Zhao, Commandant Su asked me to deliver a message to you. He left the capital before dawn today and headed to Nanyang. He probably won't be back for quite some time."

Nanyang?

Zhou Zhao's mind stirred, and he walked up to Han Ze. "Where in Nanyang are we going? Why is the Northern Army still involved in Nanyang affairs?"

Han Ze looked around and scratched his head. "I wonder if Sister Zhao has heard of the Lost City? I heard there's been some strange activity there. A batch of tribute from the Imperial Household Department was inexplicably robbed there. Not only that, everyone in the escort team has disappeared without a trace."

Seeing that a second batch of tribute was passing through the Lost City, the lord led a team to escort it and, incidentally, investigate whether the place was harboring rebels.

Another labyrinthine city?

It seems she really was born to die young.

Heaven fears she won't die, and her enemies fear she won't be caught in the trap. From all directions, chilling white ghostly hands reach out, determined to push her into the labyrinthine city.

Seeing that Zhou Zhao remained silent, Han Ze assumed she was unaware of the Lost City and explained, "The Lost City is located at the border of Nanyang and Hanzhong. There is a kind of woven fabric there that resembles mist, which is the favorite of the empress in the palace. Go to the Lost City from Chang'an; it's neither too far nor too close."

Zhou Zhao nodded, then gave Han Ze a deep look. "Why didn't you go with them?"

If Han Ze was as she suspected, then he should be keeping a close eye on Su Changying.

Han Ze blushed slightly and said somewhat shyly, "Commander Su has made other arrangements for me. I've come to deliver a message to you, Sister Zhao, and then I'll be leaving Chang'an as well."

As he spoke, he reached into his sleeve pocket and pulled out a waist token, which he handed to Zhou Zhao.

"Commander Su has already given instructions. If there are any cases, they should come to the Court of Justice to find you. If you are investigating a case at night and a criminal is under curfew, just show them this. That way, no one will be so foolish as to offend Sister Zhao."

As Han Ze spoke, he kept having doubts in his mind.

Su Changying's actions were truly unnecessary. With Zhou Zhao's lightness skill, as swift as a black crow in the night, who would be so blind as to see her and stop her?

Can a curfew really stop Zhou Zhao?

Zhou Zhao took the waist token and saw that Su Changying's name was written on it. Without any hesitation, he put the token into his sleeve pocket.

"I already know. If you have any business to attend to, then hurry up and go."

Han Ze nodded, jogged a few steps, and then ran back, panting and blushing. He took out a small scroll from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Zhao. "And this too, this was also asked by Captain Su to pass on, I almost forgot."

Although everyone has grown up now, and Zhou Zhao seems much more mature, Han Ze still can't forget the overwhelming sense of power that girl once gave him. This feeling was revived and amplified after the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) competition between the Court of Justice and the Imperial Household Department.

This is the kind of woman who can kick a ball so hard it could turn a person's face into a human face.

Seeing that Zhou Zhao had accepted the call, Han Ze took off running, disappearing in an instant like a rabbit.

Zhou Zhao watched Han Ze's departing figure, found a secluded spot, and opened the scroll that Su Changying had left for her.

The moment the scroll was opened, Zhou Zhao almost thought he had returned to Tianying City.

Su Changying had given her a similar roster, which listed the personalities and abilities of each hall master. Now, this scroll contained information on eight people, who happened to be the eight people from the Court of Justice who had the power to select people.

As Zhou Zhao watched, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

She didn't know when Su Changying had made the preparations, but having someone consider everything for you was like the afternoon sun in spring or autumn, making you want to immerse yourself in it.

When Su Changying and Zhou Yan were both around, she was always in the sunlight.

She closed the scroll, her figure flickered, and she drifted away towards the back of the right courtyard.

Deep within the bamboo forest, a winding path led to a secluded courtyard. Upon approaching, Zhou Zhao smelled a faint, elegant fragrance, accompanied by the low, melodious sound of a bamboo flute. She lightly leaped into the courtyard.

The flute player knelt on the courtyard corridor. He looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a somewhat childish face.

There was a table in the room, and He Tingshi was slowly eating his lunch with chopsticks. Beside him, a maid in embroidered clothes was kneeling and serving him food.

"He Tingshi!"

"If you're not going to write, leave now. You've come to our right courtyard's territory, aren't you afraid of being beaten out with sticks?"

Zhou Zhao chuckled and sat down opposite He Tingshi.

The lunch on the table was clearly not from the small canteen. "Serving at Furonglou at midday, Lord He, you truly have a refined taste. What am I afraid of? Who in the Right Courtyard can beat me? Looking at the entire Court of Justice, only Jingyi is mysterious and might be my formidable rival."

He Tingshi glanced at Zhou Zhao and said, "Even with Wu Qingshan's big mouth gone, you still managed to get the news. You're quite capable. You really are unworthy of your father and brothers."

Zhou Buhai was straightforward and honest, never resorting to any underhanded tactics; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a wild bull charging headlong into the fray.

The former Zhou Yan was like the bright moon. Although he was worldly-wise, he was not cynical and would never do something like asking people to write recommendation letters everywhere. In his view, this was a heretical and crooked way.

Zhou Zhao before my eyes...

He Tingshi looked at the girl's hair ribbon that had floated to her chest. It was very good; it read "No Taboos."

He Tingshi thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I know you are eloquent, and you managed to persuade Zhang Ran to recommend you to the Court of Justice, and Li Youdao also wrote a letter of recommendation for you. But since you are a worldly person in officialdom, you should know what Yan Tingshi and Tao Tingshi meant by recommending Jingyi.”

He's Li Huaishan's most trusted and beloved general; that's an obvious answer. Only a madman like Li Youdao would choose you.

I will never choose you, no matter what, even if you plead with the heavens, it's impossible!

(End of this chapter)