Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 25 Win Completely
Linglan didn't say anything more. She calmly looked up at the sky, as if she could see the blue sky through the roof.

Amidst the chaos of war, she lay numbly in the mud, awaiting death. Suddenly, Zhang Ruoqing, holding a bowl, appeared above her. Unlike her father and brothers, she was not greeted by underworld officials, but by a deity she would serve for the rest of her life.

The courtroom was deathly silent; even the sound of breathing seemed to have become lighter.

Everyone seemed to have realized something, their hearts heavy, but upon careful consideration, they couldn't quite put their finger on it.

"Gentlemen, Zhou Zhao has solved the case. Shouldn't he be allowed to become an official in the Court of Justice?"

Ji Yun's words were like a drop of water falling into a hot oil pan, immediately causing chaos in the hall!
He stood at the very front of the crowd, swaying back and forth, the gold and jade pendants at his waist clinking together with a rich, melodious sound.

Yes! This is a major competition. Even if they are shameless and brazen in their daily lives, they have to bite the bullet and admit that this little girl in her teens has indeed won this competition!
She not only won, but she also won by stepping on the faces of a group of talented men, which was fair and aboveboard and beyond reproach!
No one spoke loudly, but the buzzing in their heads seemed to overflow.

Chang Zuoping remained silent for a moment, looking at Zhou Zhao with deep eyes, before standing up.

"The competition is over, and Zhou Zhao has won. You may all leave now. Min Zangzhi and Wu Qingshan will organize the files and have the confessions signed and sealed."

“Wu Qing murdered Cao Ben, Zhu Huan stabbed Zhang Ruoqing to death and kidnapped children, and was punished for multiple crimes. Ling Lan assisted in the murder. The three were imprisoned in the Tingwei Temple prison and will be sentenced on a later date.”

Chang Zuoping spoke expressionlessly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at King Liu Huang of Chu, who was huddled behind a pillar!
The sky collapsed and the earth caved in at Tingwei Temple!
As a female official working alongside the prince as a coroner, he could almost foresee the storm that their small yamen would unleash!
But what does it matter? He's not the Minister of Justice; if the sky falls, it's Li Huaishan's problem.

Chang Zuoping thought to himself, flicked his sleeves, and left with steady steps.

Zhou Zhao stood quietly in the hall and cupped his hands in greeting to Zhang Ran.

Zhang Ran stood there, the grief on his face still lingering. Compared to before, he looked much older, and his heartache seemed genuine.

Seeing Zhou Zhao bow to him, Zhang Ran looked somewhat bewildered.

It wasn't until the little girl strode out of the lobby, the summer wind blowing her headband up as she left, that he belatedly realized what had happened.

Zhou Zhao is going to become an official in the Court of Justice? Who did such an absurd thing? It was Old Zhang!
……

As soon as Zhou Zhao stepped out of the gate of the Court of Justice, the group of onlookers who had been watching the commotion immediately gathered around him.

"Little girl, little girl, how's it going? Have you caught that man-eating demon?"

"I've heard there are three ghosts: one without a face, one without a head, and one without a heart. Is that true?"

"Can the Court of Justice catch ghosts? I just bought a haunted house, and I don't know who to report it to..."

"Who won your contest? I think that gold nugget is pretty good; after all, money makes the world go round! He scattered the gold and asked who ate the people, and the ghosts would rush to say, 'It was me! It was me!'"

Zhou Zhao walked through the bustling crowd and stood in the long bluestone alley in front of the Tingwei Temple. Looking at the familiar bell tower with its flying eaves not far away, she curled the corners of her mouth.

She turned around and looked at the gate of the Court of Justice.

Zhou Zhao is one step closer to becoming the master of this place.

"Zhou Zhao, Zhou Zhao, wait for me!"

Jin Geda Ji Yun came running over, making a racket, "My God! When did that coroner in the straw hat stand next to you! I almost stepped on you!"

Liu Huang silently changed his position, moving further away from Ji Yun, and walked close to Zhou Zhao like a loyal shadow.

"You're really amazing! But I've achieved my goal here. My name is on that wooden plaque. It seems I, Ji Yun, have made a name for myself!"

Ji Yun grinned smugly, and when he saw Han Ze trying to sneak away from Zhou Zhao by sticking to the wall, he waved to him happily.

Han Ze, like a frightened bird, ran away in a flash.

Because Zhou Zhao was in a good mood, he was more friendly and patient with this guy who wasn't very serious about solving the case.

"A sucker like you is naturally on her list."

Ji Yun's smug smile froze on his face. He let out a wail and exaggeratedly clutched his money pouch. "Zhou Zhao, you're being a bit too forward! Our friendship only lasts for the hundred gold coins we exchanged this morning!" This morning, Ji Yun gave Zhou Zhao a hundred gold coins in exchange for her first fortune slip!

"But you're telling the truth, I am the money bag!"

As Ji Yun spoke, he pointed to the Shaofu (Ministerial Office) not far in front of the Court of Justice, “My father donated a mine, and I will soon be taking up a post at the Shaofu. My superior is the Copper Commissioner, who is in charge of minting coins! I can’t solve cases, but I do know a little about money matters.”

"When you become a court official, I'll come find you to play football together. I have a football team. It doesn't matter if you can't play; they'll feed you the ball!"

Zhou Zhao glanced at Ji Yun in surprise. If it were anyone else, they would definitely feel ashamed of lacking the integrity of a noble family.

But Ji Yun was genuinely proud of himself; in a way, he was also a capable person.

"You should practice first. The Court of Justice and the Imperial Household Department are so close to each other. Every now and then, the football teams have big matches. Maybe we'll even see each other on the field then."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yun nodded heavily.

“Zhou Zhao, our friendship has grown by a thousand gold pieces. There’s one thing I don’t understand: why did Linglan expose Zhang Ruoqing’s true colors? Wouldn’t it have been better to just kill him quietly? If she had killed him, Zhang Ruoqing would still be the same philanthropist.”

“If Madam Zhang doesn’t speak up and Lord Zhang doesn’t admit it, then it will backfire, and her reputation as a deity will never be cleared.”

There are truly no simple people who are born into wealth and can make money.

"Because Linglan knows that Zhang Ruoqing's reputation is ruined, and Lord Zhang will definitely tell the truth. After all, a family like theirs wouldn't want a daughter who has done all sorts of bad things and is only eyeing the position of Crown Princess."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, a hint of sarcasm appeared on his lips.

Ji Yun suddenly realized, "Perhaps Lord Zhang and his brothers are still secretly relieved that it was a fake!"

After all, they preferred the fake sister, a lady from a prestigious family, to their real sister, who brought them honor, rather than their own sister from the countryside.

Ji Yun thought for a moment, then scratched his head again.

"I have another question. How did you guess that Zhang Ruoqing wasn't Madam Zhang's biological daughter? It's like you could predict the future."

Zhou Zhao shook his head.

"I'm not sure. I just feel that since the incident, Lord Zhang has been deeply grieved, but Madam Zhang seems to be non-existent, which is somewhat illogical."

"Moreover, Zhang Ruoqing actually believed that she had the potential to become the Crown Princess, and even spent money to ask Han Ze about the intricacies of his family. This shows that firstly, she had not been in Chang'an for long and did not understand the situation well; secondly, her elders in the family must not have acted as her guides."

If Madam Zhang had ever taught her, she wouldn't have had such delusions. Of course, perhaps it was precisely because it was fake that she was thinking of taking a gamble; if it actually succeeded, then the fake would become real forever.

Zhang Ruoqing is dead, and her thoughts remain a mystery.

Zhou Zhao had a vague suspicion about this, but there was no need to tell Ji Yunxiang about it.

Min Zangzhi and Zhu Li both stayed at the Tingwei Temple. The three of them traveled together for a while, and when they reached a fork in the road, Ji Yun had nothing more to ask, so he naturally took his leave and got into his gold-painted carriage.

"Ah Huang, I'm going home now, do you want to come with me?"

Liu Huang gently shook his head. "I'll go to the Court of Justice too."

He spoke in a seemingly nonsensical manner, but Zhou Zhao understood what he meant. He was saying that if she went to the Court of Justice to serve as an official, he would still follow her and act as her coroner.

Zhou Zhao nodded seriously, "Okay."

Liu Huang's lips curled up slightly, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and a fire seemed to reignite in his heart. He softly uttered, "Mm."

Zhou Zhao watched Liu Huang leave and head home, knowing that a storm was yet to come.

It's nothing; she has never hoped for easy success.