Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 254 He is a godfather
Zhou Zhao's ears twitched slightly as he looked at Min Zangzhi.

“Ah Huang has already taken the body back to the Court of Justice. Lord Min may have asked the Northern Army to secretly protect the witness? As for the two Lords Ou, the child is yours to handle. I am carrying evidence with me now and it is inconvenient for me to act with you.”

Min Zangzhi paused abruptly as he waved his Hundred Flowers Fan, his gaze indifferently sweeping over the large tree outside the courtyard.

Then he nodded to Zhou Zhao and said, "You should be careful. If something happens to you, Ayou won't be in the mood to marry me."

Zhou Zhao rolled her eyes at Min Cangzhi with disdain and waved her hand dismissively, "I know, I know, I'll add more makeup for Sister Ayou, a lot of it!"

Min Zangzhi's eyes lit up instantly, and the Hundred Flowers Fan in his hand waved, leaving afterimages like an excited dog's tail.

“Our Ayou is going to build a big house in the future. If I don’t save more money for her, won’t she be worried about building it while she’s still having troubles?”
Thinking about it this way, I have no choice but to reluctantly rob the rich to help the poor!

As Min Zangzhi spoke, his heart and eyes were filled with joy. He looked nothing like his usual dashing self; he seemed rather silly.

"What you're doing isn't robbing the rich to help the poor, it's clearly plundering the land and stealing every feather from a passing goose!"

Zhou Zhao and Min Cangzhi clashed, and noticing the surprised looks on the Chen couple's faces, Zhou Zhao bowed to them somewhat embarrassedly, "Please excuse our rudeness. We're used to arguing with each other all the time, and we're not unreliable people."

Chen's mother smiled, her eyes crinkling when she smiled, just like Chen Jiyuan's.

"Yes, I know. Ji Yuan used to often repeat what others said when he came home. I thought he was exaggerating, but I didn't expect it to be true. Ji Yuan was really happy during his time at the Court of Justice. That time he dressed up as a girl and lost to Qin Lang from the Right Court, he secretly practiced at home."

His father found out and chased after him with his shoe.

As she spoke, her smile was tinged with sadness.

Although Chen Jiyuan was not her child, he had called her "Mother" for so long.

She thought that the poor child must be dreaming of having a mother.

Chen's mother smiled apologetically at Zhou Zhao, "That child, he had no choice in the matter, but no matter what, he is the one who has let down Lord Zhou."

As she spoke, she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, listened to the baby's babbling sounds, walked over, took the child from the Ou brothers, and carefully picked him up. Looking at the child, her expression softened instantly, and she sighed softly.

"From now on, you can be called Chen Nian."

Zhou Zhao remained silent.

After everyone left, she came out of the house and stood on the porch. The torrential rain washed away the blood of the giant python.

Suddenly, Zhou Zhao vanished from the spot in a flash.

Following the black dot in front of her, she rose and fell several times, circled around, and entered a small courtyard with the sign "Zhou Residence". Zhou Zhao landed lightly, shook off the rain, and looked at Su Changying in the house. "When did you arrive? Who owns this house? It's practically next door to the Court of Justice."

Su Changying handed Zhou Zhao a cup of hot tea. "This is for Lord Zhou. Didn't you want to move out of your house?"

Zhou Zhao was taken aback. She had just told Zhou Buhai last night that Su Changying had arranged a residence for her today.

She thought for a moment, then threw the silk scroll containing four portraits directly at Su Changying. "You were there earlier, so you must have heard the whole story, so I won't go into details. Take a look at that masked man..."

The reason she had sent Min Cangzhi and the others away earlier was because she knew Su Changying had arrived. Although he was hidden in the shadows, she could sense his presence.

Su Changying took the silk and glanced at it. His pupils contracted sharply. He pursed his lips and said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "It's my godfather."

Zhou Zhao was not surprised. She turned around and met Su Changying's eyes. "I think it's time for us to have an open and honest talk and then expose this cowardly rat. Being passively beaten is not our style."

Before you went to the Lost City this time, did you also receive orders from your adoptive father to assassinate me?

Su Changying glanced at Zhou Zhao and, seeing that she looked perfectly normal, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Yes, there was another person besides me, but I turned him to the side and he didn't attack you. I didn't expect that he also arranged for Chen Jiyuan. He is a very suspicious person. I had been tolerant of him before because he made me mistakenly believe that Gongzi Yu was my younger brother whom I depended on for survival."

Young Master Yu suffers from an eye ailment, and a woman named Yin Fang is taking care of him.

We met in different places each time. In the past, I could only apply to see my younger brother if I performed meritorious service. I thought he was a hostage in my godfather's hands.

My godfather's skills surpass Qin Tianying's; they are unfathomable. I once fought him and lost.

That's why he hasn't easily turned against his former allies; he used to think that death was not a great loss.

Now that he has Zhou Zhao, he doesn't want to die, nor does he want Zhou Zhao to die.

Zhou Zhao listened thoughtfully without speaking, but then Su Changying spoke again.

“In my memory, my godfather always stood in the shadows, wearing a mask and keeping a very low profile. I never heard of anyone gaining his special trust, nor did anyone get particularly close to him. I also didn’t discover any flaws in him.”

Zhou Zhao shook his head. "No one is without flaws. You are special, so he must be especially cautious in front of you."

“That’s right. As long as someone is human, they will always have flaws,” Su Changying said. “On the day the Court of Justice was closed, I also saw my godfather. That day I smelled a fragrance, a kind of ink fragrance. Later that night I secretly sneaked into Manmoji and smelled all the scents, but I couldn’t find one that matched.”

Zhou Zhao took out the box, opened it with the key, and handed it to Su Changying. "Is this the kind of fragrance you're looking for?"

Su Changying brought the handkerchief to her nose and sniffed it gently. Her expression immediately changed. "That's right, it smells like ink."

Min Zangzhi is a master perfumer; his nose is exceptionally sensitive, allowing him to identify the specific fragrances in a perfume.

But other people can't smell it.

Su Changying was able to smell the fragrance of ink because the smell of ink is very unique.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then wrapped the handkerchief up again, locked the box, and put it in his pocket.

She glanced at the box. "The fragrance of this handkerchief is still very strong. I guess he must have met his godfather that day. He unexpectedly obtained the handkerchief and secretly hid it, entrusting it to Bai Shisan Niang for safekeeping."

At that time, "Chen Jiyuan" must have been confused and hesitant. He had a lover, Bai Shisan Niang, his own child, and even parents and siblings who loved him very much. He also had days in the Court of Justice where he could walk in the sunlight.

"He must have guessed that going to the Lost City was like Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin—there would be no return—so he left himself a contingency plan. As for Chen Jiyuan, I don't want to speculate too much."

But I've been wondering about one thing: why was Bai Shisan Niang killed, while the Chen family remained unharmed?