Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 256 Dissonance
"That's right, it's a child."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he looked at Su Changying and said, "If the murderer killed Bai Shisan Niang because she secretly kept her adoptive father's handkerchief, even if they searched the ground three feet deep, they would never have guessed that the thing was inside the snake's belly. But Bai Shisan Niang is dead, so as to make an example of her, no one dares to report her to the authorities anymore."

If Bai Shisan Niang could sue the authorities, what about Niannian? He was just an innocent baby who knew nothing.

Even according to our previous reasoning, Bai Shisan Niang was a mistress kept by a nobleman, so the child was ostensibly someone's illegitimate son.

The value of such a child is self-evident.

The reason why a godfather is called a godfather is because he likes to take in talented children.

"So what if he is actually Chen Jiyuan's son? There's no way to prove it now. As long as the madam and the others insist on it, who can say for sure? Even if we take a step back, he's just a ready-made new pawn."

Although Chen Jiyuan's martial arts skills were not as good as hers and Su Changying's, he was still a very formidable person among the crowd.

Moreover, his acting skills were so superb that even she was fooled.

If his son is trained from a young age, he will become a respectable person in just over ten years.

Just like the famous young Duke Lu in the capital.

"No matter how you look at it, he's safe and sound every year. So why did Bai Shisan Niang hide him in a wine vat, and why did she entrust him to the Chen family?"

Su Changying was silent for a moment, and when she spoke again, her voice was a little hoarse, "Perhaps she didn't want her child to follow in her parents' footsteps, which is why she entrusted her child to someone else."

Zhou Zhao looked into Su Changying's eyes and saw an unyielding pain in his deep gaze.

The rabbit dies and the fox is sad.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then reached out and gently covered Su Changying's eyes.

Perhaps because of the excessive blood loss from her previous injury, her hands remained icy cold even while she was warming them over a charcoal fire.

Su Changying felt a chill in front of her and her eyelashes fluttered.

His eyelashes were very long, and when he moved them, they looked like little brushes, making one's palms itch.

Zhou Zhao blushed as if she had been burned and withdrew her hand, putting it behind her back. She didn't dare to look at Su Changying and continued talking about the case.

"The problem lies in entrusting the child to someone. If there is no danger every year, why didn't Bai Shisan Niang secretly send the child over to the Chen family when she sent someone to inform them? If the child is in danger, why would she hand the child over to the Chen family in such a grand manner?"

Isn't this just asking them to get themselves killed?

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Su Changying, and seeing that he didn't bring up the slight flutter of emotion from before, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Su Changying watched Zhou Zhao's expression and saw that she had raised her chin again and resumed her proud and arrogant demeanor as the young master Zhou. It was as if the dark past had suddenly been illuminated.

He was lucky because he had Zhou Zhao.

"Thinking about it this way, doesn't it seem strange? What exactly is Bai Shisan Niang planning?"

Seeing that Su Changying did not speak, Zhou Zhao pondered to himself.

They knew so little; they could spot all sorts of inconsistencies, but they couldn't solve the mystery. Thinking this, she looked out the window. The owner of the courtyard had clearly taken great care of it. Along the corner of the wall, many bamboo groves were planted, and unusual stones were found to build an artificial hill. Beneath the hill was a cave where a black raccoon cat, of unknown origin, huddled, licking its damp fur.

Zhou Zhao's heart softened instantly upon seeing this.

“You had Tianquan secretly protect that child. We found a painting on the ground in Bai Shisan Niang’s room before. The evidence was taken back to Tingwei Temple by Min Cangzhi. There was a woman’s shoe print on it. I had someone compare it before, but I don’t know if there are any results.”

Su Changying nodded.

Although he wasn't as good at investigating cases as Zhou Zhao, he understood that investigating cases wasn't something that could be accomplished by staying at home and racking one's brains; they had to find more clues and evidence.

With a flick of his wrist, he picked up the large umbrella by the wall, opened it, and stepped into the rain first.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhao jumped down and landed under the umbrella, supporting Su Changying's arm.

This house is practically next to the Court of Judicial Review; it's just a few steps away.

The rain was heavy. Zhou Zhao originally thought that the Court of Justice would be deserted today, but unexpectedly, there were many heads crowding around the small threshold. Wu Qingshan was standing in the middle, surrounded by a group of people.

Zhou Zhao, with her sharp eyes, also spotted the old woman who had sold her flowers in the alley that day.

She was carrying a bamboo basket filled with roasted peanuts and melon seeds, as well as a few bright orange tangerines. The old lady looked at Wu Qingshan with a kind smile, and the wrinkles on her face deepened.

“Wu Wenshu, is that kid Ji Yuan really some kind of spy? Impossible, right? He’s fair-skinned and chubby, he looks like a good person! Now that the child is gone, you have to take good care of yourself. Take these snacks back with you and make sure you make up for it.”

"With Ji Yuan gone, and you gone too, we're like people who are blind and deaf."

The old woman's words were met with much agreement, and as soon as she finished speaking, many people began stuffing food into Wu Qingshan's hands.

But what was stuffed in were all sorts of talismans. Zhou Zhao glanced at one and saw that there was one that was particularly strange, which was used to pin ghosts to the spot and turn them into earthbound spirits.

This group of people were so reluctant to let Wu Qingshan leave the Court of Justice; they wished he could stay there for the rest of his life.

Zhou Zhao thought to himself and walked up the steps. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped when he passed by Wu Qingshan.

Wu Qingshan noticed her gaze and immediately looked over. "Young Master Zhou, my father's case was greatly helped by you. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Zhou Zhao smiled and said, "It's nothing, nothing. I was just wondering how the villagers knew that Wu Wenshu came to the Court of Justice today? They really have better eyes and ears than I do."

As soon as Zhou Zhao finished speaking, a plump middle-aged woman and a young man with a missing front tooth immediately raised their heads proudly. "What's the big deal? We live right across from the Court of Justice. We can see everything clearly, from the slightest breeze to even a mouse passing by."

Zhou Zhao gave the two of them a thumbs up, "I see, that's really brilliant!"

The two men, flattered by the praise and seeing Zhou Zhao's amiable demeanor, perked up. "Young Master Zhou, we heard that you were brutally murdered in the Lost City, your heart and liver ripped out, and you were beyond dead. General Su, in a fit of rage, bravely stormed the Underworld, slaying the underworld officials and battling the judge, and brought you back to life, right?"

"That's right, that's right. I heard that the gates of the underworld were cleaved open by His Highness the King of Chu with a single stroke, right?"

Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!
Zhou Zhao wished she could use her light-footed skills to run away. She was afraid that if she said a few more words, it would become that she was taking the child to the underworld to marry the King of Hell, and that Su Changying was kneeling for three days and three nights chasing after his deceased wife!
Just thinking about it makes me feel numb all over, and I know I won't have a good end.

I don't know how Wu Qingshan and Chen Jiyuan managed to get along so well with this group of people.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment and went straight to find Min Cangzhi. He was looking at the roll of silk in the room. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and was not surprised to see Su Changying. “You’ve come at the right time. I have made a new discovery about the footprints on this silk.”