Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 26 Father-Daughter Conversation
Zhou Buhai suffered from the summer heat, and every year at this time he would stay at Shenxing Courtyard, where a whole bamboo forest was planted, and when he opened the window he could smell the fragrance of lotus flowers carried by the breeze.

The sun is shining brightly right now, making the emerald green lotus leaves look white.

With a crisp thud, the teacup fell to the ground, shattering the tranquility of the summer afternoon.

"Zhou Zhao killed A Yan, wasn't that enough? Now she's still delusional. Does she want our entire Zhou family to be buried with her?"

Zhou Zhao's hand, which was lifting the green gauze curtain, paused slightly. The maidservant standing in front of the door lowered her head in alarm and forgot to announce her arrival.

The voice was extremely shrill, as if someone had grabbed its throat, and it broke when it shouted the words "to be buried with them".

"grandmother!"

Immediately following was a loud bang, and through the gauze curtain, one could vaguely see that the table had been kicked away.

"I've said it before, no matter who in this family is involved, if they try to blame Ah Yan's death on Third Sister again, I will never let it go!"

"Don't try to intimidate me with filial piety. Do you think I, Zhou Xuan, am afraid of that? If you say another word, I'll immediately ride off and dig up A-Yan's remains. Grandmother, repeat what you just said in front of him! See if Zhou Zhao is the one who harmed him!"

Hearing this voice, Zhou Zhao felt a warmth in his heart, pushed the door open with his hand, and walked straight inside.

The loud-voiced eldest sister, Zhou Xuan, stepped on the leg of the table she had kicked over, looking furious.

She was dressed in a purple robe, with no restraints at her waist, but a riding whip was tucked into her belt.

The Zhou family members were all in this room. The white-haired old lady standing at the top, trembling with anger, was Zhou Zhao's grandmother, Zeng Shi. The one standing next to the bamboo slip shelf, with a livid face, was his father, Zhou Buhai.

Second sister Zhou Wan was leaning against the window comforting her mother, Xu, whose eyes were red from crying, while her new stepbrother Zhou Cheng'an was extremely uneasy, neither standing nor sitting still, like a chestnut being roasted over a fire.

"Zhou Xuan, do you even have the demeanor of a daughter? You scoundrel!"

Zhou Buhai pointed at Zhou Xuan, his beard trembling.

Zhou Xuan showed no sign of backing down. "If I don't act like a daughter, do you act like a father or a grandmother?"

"Ah Zhao was falsely accused and imprisoned in the Court of Justice last night. Why didn't you go to save her? You said that by adopting Cheng An into the family, we sisters would have a family to rely on in the future. But she's about to be wrongfully killed. Can you really be trusted?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Cheng'an blushed instantly. He opened his mouth stammeringly, then lowered his head in shame and indignation.

Zhou Xuan noticed his expression and softened her tone, "I didn't scold you."

Zhou Chengan lowered his head even further.

"Why did you come home today, elder sister?"

Zhou Zhao called out softly, interrupting the more intense argument that was about to erupt in the room.

Zhou Xuan turned around abruptly, her face instantly breaking into a smile. She strode over and patted Zhou Zhao's shoulder. "I've heard about it all. The Court of Justice is holding a talent recruitment competition, and you're going to be a female official, little sister! You truly are amazing, my little sister!"

Zhou Xuan's eyes were exceptionally clear. She was the type of person who got angry quickly but also lost it just as quickly, like a gust of wind.

"The case was just solved, and my sister already knew I won?"

Zhou Xuan laughed heartily, "I've counted all of Chang'an's history over the past three hundred years, if my sister doesn't win, who can?"

Even someone as composed as Zhou Zhao couldn't help but smile when she heard such a straightforward and exaggerated compliment. She hugged Zhou Xuan, rested her head on her shoulder, and looked at Zhou Buhai and her grandmother Zeng Shi behind her.

Seeing the joy on her face, Zeng was furious. "Zhou Zhao, you've been lawless since you were little, causing countless troubles! You..."

Hearing that she was about to speak again, Zhou Xuan was immediately enraged. She pushed Zhou Zhao away and was about to speak when Zhou Buhai scolded her, "Zhou Xuan, take your mother back; Cheng'an, help your grandmother to rest for the afternoon and light a calming incense for her." "Zhou Zhao, stay here. Father has something to say to you."

Zhou Xuan looked at Zhou Zhao questioningly, and only after seeing her nod did he huff and help the anxious Madam Xu out.

The room fell silent suddenly because the table had been kicked over, spilling tea, and the room looked somewhat messy.

Cicadas chirped incessantly outside the window, and occasionally a few frogs croaked from the lotus pond.

Zhou Buhai stood there for a long time, until his emotions calmed down, before looking at Zhou Zhao.

"Are you trying to prove you're better than Cheng'an because I adopted him?"

Zhou Zhao looked at Zhou Buhai with a calm expression. Zhou Yan's death had been a huge blow to him, making him look much older.

"When Father was young, he studied late into the night every day, becoming well-versed in the works of various philosophers and the law. After handling countless strange cases, what was he thinking?"

"When your brother achieved this, what were your expectations for him?"

"I simply made the same choice as you."

Zhou Buhai was taken aback; he hadn't expected Zhou Zhao to give such an answer.

What else could it be? It's naturally entering the Court of Justice, then climbing the ranks step by step, eventually becoming the Chief Justice—anyone with ambition…

But Zhou Zhao is a woman.

Zhou Zhao walked to the window, reached out and gently grabbed a dragonfly that had accidentally flown by.

She had anticipated all of this, so she remained remarkably calm. "I guess Father is thinking right now, but I am a woman."

Zhou Buhai seemed to have grasped something and nodded. "From childhood to adulthood, you know in your heart how your father has treated you. Even though I adopted Cheng'an, I never intended for him to surpass you. I will help him in his official career, but I will leave the family property to you sisters."

“I told Cheng’an about this in the ancestral hall that day.”

“Father knows your abilities and your resentment, but have you ever thought about what would happen even if you got into the Court of Justice this time? You are an outlier, a target for everyone. They won’t give you a chance to be promoted, and you may only be a minor official for the rest of your life.”

"You can't even get a single case!"

"Even within the Hundred Schools of Thought, and my own school of law, there are various factions. Within the Court of Justice, there are even more hidden forces at play. The imperial court is not as simple as you think."

As Zhou Buhai spoke, he let out a long sigh.

"Your father is worried that you might ruin your future by acting impulsively. In the Great Qi Dynasty, there are many women who have been granted titles and honors. If you want to achieve great things, there is a battlefield for you women, and it is a shortcut that is much closer than the imperial court."

Why choose such a difficult path that no one has ever taken before?

Zhou Zhao couldn't help but chuckle as she listened. She turned around and winked at Zhou Buhai.

"So it turns out my father has much greater ambitions than I do. He doesn't want me to be the Minister of Justice; he wants me to be the emperor!"

Zhou Buhai felt his blood rush to his head. He rushed to Zhou Zhao and covered her mouth with his hand. "Zhou Zhao!"

Seeing that Zhou Zhao was not going to continue, he looked around and then let go of her hand.

How many people did that little Zhou Buhai kill in his past life to have such daughters!

(End of this chapter)