Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 244 The person who is best to her

He almost blurted out, "He's also my brother," because he spoke too quickly earlier.

I almost bit my tongue when I managed to turn back at the last minute.

Su Changying came to her senses and realized how absurd she had been, but hearing Zhou Zhao's answer filled her heart with joy.

He shouldn't have missed a single day of Zhou Zhao's life; his heart should have been full of water. But four years passed, and the water in that bottle emptied out, leaving it swaying aimlessly.

He wasn't by Zhou Zhao's side during her most difficult time; he even forgot about the past. Although he knew that Zhou Zhao's heart belonged to him, he couldn't help but feel insecure, afraid that he wasn't the best person for her.

He should be the best person in the world for her.

She's so good I'd give my life for her.

Zhou Zhao deserves the best from the person who treats her best.

As Su Changying thought about it, her movements became even gentler.

"You're embroidering flowers on my head! If you keep doing this, I'm going to fall asleep."

Hearing Zhou Zhao's words, Su Changying came back to his senses and softly hummed in agreement. "Then you should go to sleep early. You can look at the files anytime."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of soft armor as thin as a cicada's wing from his pocket and placed it on Zhou Zhao's desk. "This is a gift from the old man Tianquan. It's one of his treasures."

"You snatched this from him, didn't you? Did he cry?" Zhou Zhao felt a warmth in his heart when he saw the soft armor, as if the frost that had been there earlier had melted away.

Su Changying awkwardly picked up a strand of Zhou Zhao's hair and wiped it.

"He didn't cry. He clung to the doorframe, staring longingly, his eyes gleaming with a piercing light..."

I opened my warehouse door and let him in to choose; he's like a mouse entering a rice jar now.

Before I went in, he insisted I kick him, saying he was a master thief who could only steal, not take. He'd stolen countless things before, from golden statues of gods to a tuft of fur from the head of a stray cat he encountered at night. The statues were evil spirits, and the cat had just scratched someone.

Zhou Zhao chuckled. "So after you kicked him out, he could justifiably steal from you."

As she spoke, she touched the soft armor with her fingers. "There won't be a next time, unless it's you and Ah Huang. Next time, no one can hurt me. But I'll accept this without hesitation, since it was given to me by General Xiao Su."

Seeing that Zhou Zhao readily accepted the offer, Su Changying felt pleased as well.

He wasn't afraid of dying himself; he had died many times in the four years he had been away. But he was afraid of Zhou Zhao dying.

He had no grand dreams, nor did he ever think of becoming someone who would go down in history, but Zhou Zhao did.

No, that's not right either; he also had something to ask for.

As Su Changying pondered, her gaze fell on the top of Zhou Zhao's head; her hair was almost dry.

He stood quietly behind her, a sudden wave of daze washing over him, as if this scene had happened before. He too had stood behind Zhou Zhao, drying her hair with a cloth. Back then, they were both young and didn't know their own strength, accidentally pulling Zhou Zhao's hair and hurting her.

The little girl turned around angrily and kicked him like a wild monkey, then vigorously ruffled his hair.

Zhou Zhao only felt relieved when his hair became a complete mess. It was on that occasion that he dried Zhou Zhao's hair, combed it, and tied it with that black and white hair ribbon.

Zhou Zhao felt the person behind her stop moving. She looked up at Su Changying in surprise and immediately met his deep eyes. His eyes seemed to hold a turbulent ocean. Zhou Zhao wanted to look closely, but Su Changying reached out and covered her eyes.

“My father has formally petitioned His Majesty to bestow the title of Marquis of Lu upon me.”

Zhou Zhao's attention was drawn to him. She brushed Su Changying's fingers away. He seemed to have regained his composure. For some reason, she felt that Su Changying seemed much lighter now.

It was as if a huge rock that had been pressing down on him had finally been pried open.

Born in a narrow space, the eagle has a chance to catch its breath and quietly waits for its moment to soar into the sky.

Zhou Zhao wasn't surprised. When she and Su Changying visited him that time, she knew that Marquis Lu would make such a decision. It wasn't that she understood Marquis Lu, but that Changying's mother understood him. Even though she had gone to the ends of the earth, she was still by his side, protecting him.

Zhou Zhao sometimes felt envious, because her mother had never protected her.

She is a very frail person, barely able to take care of herself.

Zhou Zhao thought about it and was happy for Su Changying. She blinked and said, "Little Marquis Lu is back again."

"The Marquis of Lu is back again."

Su Changying repeated.

Zhou Zhao reached into a pile of messy things and pulled out a small bottle of wine. "Young Marquis Lu, we should celebrate. Soon I will be a court official."

Su Changying looked at the wine jar and recalled the scene when she came in. She found it somewhat amusing. "Are you sure this isn't the wine Zhang San used to poison Li Si with arsenic? Lord Zhou is injured, so you shouldn't drink too much. I could smell the alcohol on you when I came in earlier."

Zhou Zhao looked a little embarrassed, as if she had been caught red-handed. She cleared her throat and gestured with her fingers, "I only took one sip."

Su Changying didn't call her out on it, saying, "Wait until you're better before you drink it."

"The aftermath of the Lost City incident has fallen into Han Xincheng's hands. Li Huaishan of the Court of Judicial Review is slippery and untouchable, and the Northern Army has already arrested those who should be arrested on the surface. As for what goes on beyond that, it's beyond our control."

This matter involves the Crown Prince, and His Majesty has his own plan. The Lost City has nothing to do with Prince Yu, and Chen Jiyuan is also a target they are hunting on the island.

Zhou Zhao wasn't surprised; she had already discovered it there before.

Those people did not collude with Chen Jiyuan from within. At that time, she had been stabbed and poisoned. If the forces on the island were under the same control as Chen Jiyuan and belonged to Gongzi Yu, then that would have been the best opportunity to surround and kill her, and they would not have missed it.

The Great Qi Dynasty has only existed for a few short years since its founding.

Amidst this complex court situation, the most intense struggles are concentrated in three areas: one is the dying struggle of the remnants of the previous dynasty, with the most powerful force being Prince Yu, who lurks in the shadows like a venomous snake, stirring up trouble in secret.
Secondly, there were conflicts between the royal family and the vassal kings of different surnames. Going back three generations, which family hadn't had the blood of the emperor? Although this world was called the Great Qi Dynasty and had an emperor, there were also vassal states, each with its own ruler, queen, military power, and its own small court.

Your Majesty possesses great wisdom and strategic vision; how can you allow others to snore under your bed? Conflict is inevitable.

The third issue is the struggle for the crown prince. Although the current empress and His Majesty have been through thick and thin together and she has given birth to the crown prince, His Majesty is not satisfied with her and wants to appoint another crown prince. With the Marquis of Lu fighting for His Majesty on all fronts, the remaining non-royal princes are no longer capable of governing.

The struggle between the emperor and empress suddenly came into the public eye, and it has become increasingly intense in the past two years.

"Han Xincheng said that His Majesty has chosen an auspicious day for the Prince of Dai's wedding. Not only that, but all the princes may also be sent to their fiefdoms, not just the Prince of Dai."