Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 241 Returning to Chang'an
Jingyi was taken aback once again, and this time she couldn't even hide it.

He was really just being polite, it was just some habitual politeness he had developed as Li Huaishan's personal clerk.

Nobody took it seriously.

Only Zhou Zhao's eyes looked like he had ten or eight things lined up to bother him.

Jingyi came to her senses and saw Zhou Zhao swiftly mount the horse. Her movements were exceptionally nimble, just like her personality.

He saw Zhou Zhao cup his hands in greeting and reveal a dazzling smile, "Now I have a question that I would like Lord Jing to answer."

Jingyi's heart skipped a beat. She's here. She's here.

"what is the problem?"

He didn't want to answer, but he had just told him not to be polite. Jingyi thought about Zhou Zhao's usual outrageous behavior and couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"Isn't it good to be a close advisor to the emperor? When we were playing football, Lord Jing didn't seem to enjoy investigating cases very much."

Jing Yi was Li Huaishan's confidant. If Li Huaishan were emperor, Jing Yi would be the Yellow Gate Attendant standing to his left and right. His position was inconspicuous, yet it had direct access to the emperor and the entire country. She had been at the Court of Justice for so long, but she had never seen Jing Yi investigate a case, nor had she ever seen him do anything related to the law.

He was like Li Huaishan's shadow.

Such a person, appearing out of nowhere to seize the position of court historian, inevitably made her somewhat suspicious.

When Chen Jiyuan died, he said not to trust him. Only she and Su Changying were present at the time, so his words were clearly directed at her, meaning "he" naturally referred to the third person present. She was sickly then, her mind a complete blank, and she made her conclusion in just a moment's thought.

Looking back now, Chen Jiyuan may not have been referring to Su Changying; he was just referring to one of them.

In that instant, Zhou Zhao's mind raced through a thousand thoughts.

But it's also possible that Su Changying is just being overly suspicious. After all, they were both under their adoptive father's command, and although they were supposed to be strangers according to the rules, Su Changying had previously impersonated Zhu Li to break into the Tingwei Temple prison. His code name under Zhang Ran was "Thousand Faces," and he was skilled in disguise.

Although they deliberately suppressed the matter, many people knew that after the prison break, Zhu Li was found in his cellar in disguise, and that someone had impersonated him. After all, at that time, no one knew that it was Su Changying.

In this way, in the eyes of the others in the adoptive father's group, Su Changying was practically an open secret.

It's understandable that Chen Jiyuan told her not to trust Su Changying before she died.

Because he was unaware that Su Changying was a spy among spies.

Zhou Zhao thought about it for a long time, but Jing Yi blurted it out.

"Who in this world doesn't want to get promoted and make money? I, Jing, am no exception. Although being a close advisor to the emperor is good, nothing beats being a high-ranking official in a region! Not everyone who enters the Court of Justice is here for the sake of the law."

Although you are a young lady, I believe you share the same lofty ambitions as any young man. A woman like you, I think, should understand my feelings very well.”

Jingyi's words sounded very sincere, but Zhou Zhao did not completely believe them.

What kind of high-ranking official is the Court Clerk? In the grand scheme of things in Chang'an, he's just an insignificant minor official. If he's not so attached to the law, why stay in the Court of Justice? Someone like Jing Yi could easily find a vacancy and get promoted with just a letter of recommendation from Li Huaishan.

Staying at the Court of Justice would mean being hesitant and timid, since Li Huaishan would have to avoid suspicion, just like how he chose her instead of Jingyi this time.

"It's not only men who can have lofty ambitions. When it comes to what you want, what difference does gender make? Lord Jing is truly a sincere person. I will certainly not be polite in the future."

She still had many questions, but Jingyi was clearly a master of push-pull tactics; she could only get superficial answers, the truth of which was uncertain. This person was obviously the kind who would invite you to drinks next time, but next time was always the next time.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then spurred his horse to Liu Huang's side. The two of them followed He Tingshi's group of "old, weak, sick and disabled" carriages, heading towards Chang'an at a leisurely pace.

Is there a traitor within the Court of Judicial Review? And who could it be?

How can she find the mole? Clearly, this attack failed, and that person won't make another move anytime soon.

On the day I returned to Chang'an, it was raining.

The streets were wet, with only a few pedestrians. The air was thick with the stench of blood. Zhou Zhao rode his horse along the roadside, while column after column of Northern Army warhorses roared past. The entire city of Chang'an was filled with unease and paranoia.

Even the entrance and exit at the city gate became heavily guarded. He Tingshi and his party were bruised and swollen, and the bruises became even more terrifying after they were dispersed. They were questioned by the guards for a long time, and were only allowed to pass after the guards had almost rubbed off a layer of skin off the Tingwei Temple waist token that Jingyi had handed over.

He Tingshi and Tao Shangshan returned to the Court of Justice to report back, while Zhou Zhao escorted Liu Huang back to the Chu King's Mansion before riding back to the Zhou family.

At this time, which was the time for dinner, the servants were lighting the lamps.

As soon as Zhou Zhao dismounted, Fifteen rushed over, her face still showing some joy. "Miss is back. Marquis Lu instructed me to wait for you at the gate these few days. He said you might return at any time. He also told you not to go to the Court of Justice for night duty these few days and to come back early to rest."

He probably won't be able to come for the time being.

Zhou Zhao gave a soft "hmm," handed the horse to Fifteen, and stood in front of the door looking at the holes in the wall. She couldn't help but clench her fist and measure them.

Now that she's grown up, the hole she, Zhou Yan, and Su Changying dug when she was little is no longer big enough to fit her hand.

"Young lady, today is the fifteenth."

Zhou Zhao nodded. The Zhou family holds family banquets on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month.

The old lady hated Zhou Yan intensely because of her affair with Zhou Yan, and every time they ate together, trouble would inevitably arise.

The old lady was unreasonable and not known for her good temper. If Zhou Xuan happened to be back, she would surely cause a huge scene. So they only met twice a month, and the rest of the time, they went their separate ways. Zhou Zhao hadn't gone every time before, and after entering the Court of Justice, he hadn't gone at all.

Zhou Zhao thought to himself as he headed toward the flower hall where the family banquet was to be held.

The rainy night in late autumn was exceptionally cold, as if a biting wind was blowing, and Zhou Zhao quickened his pace.

The flower hall was warm and cozy, and dinner was being served. The old lady pulled Zhou Cheng'an to sit down beside her, and they were chatting animatedly. The father, Zhou Buhai, had a smile on his face and seemed quite happy. The mother, who was usually sickly, seemed much more energetic, and her face was beaming with joy.

“This time, our family is truly blessed with three great joys. Your father is on the verge of being reinstated, Cheng’an has solved a case and gained the favor of Xu Tingshi. It hasn’t been long, and he’s already being taken to participate in the case meeting. Our Cheng’an is a handsome and talented man. We’ve met today and it’s a good match. Let’s go and propose marriage early tomorrow. Soon, you two will be grandparents.”

Zhou Zhao stood at the door, stopping the servants from announcing the news, shook the rain off the umbrella, and leaned it against the wall.

Zhou Cheng'an was a little embarrassed, but he was much less awkward than when he first came to Chang'an.

Seeing that he was shy, the old lady teased him with a smile, and their laughter could be heard throughout the flower hall.

"Ah Zhao, you're back! Why are you just standing in front of the door and not coming in? It's so cold outside!"

Hearing a familiar female voice behind him, Zhou Zhao turned around and saw Zhou Xuan and Zhou Wan walking hand in hand. Zhou Wan was holding an umbrella, while Zhou Xuan was carrying a small jar of wine.

Hearing the sound at the door, the laughter inside stopped abruptly. Zhou Zhao glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that everyone inside was looking in their direction.