Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 260 The Big Mouth of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices
"As long as this person exists, we will definitely be able to find him."

Zhou Zhao looked at Min Zangzhi with exceptional determination, "Bai Shisan Niang has already helped us to this extent, we mustn't let the Court of Justice lose face."

Thinking of what Min Zangzhi had said earlier, Zhou Zhao spoke again.

"If the murderer could hand over the body to Madam Bai and her gang, then they could naturally demand that they execute Bai Shisan Niang and hand over the blue handkerchief."

A cup of poison can make a life vanish without a trace.

Bai Shisan Niang orchestrated the whole scheme, even having Nian Nian impersonate the son of the person behind the scenes, putting him in a dangerous situation. Don't forget, if Nian Nian were Chen Jiyuan's son, or the son of a nobleman, he wouldn't be in any danger.

Although I have never been a mother, I know how important a child's life is to a mother.

As Zhou Zhao spoke these words, he felt a slight pang of pain in his heart.

In this world, not all parents are like that.

She pursed her lips, and suddenly felt a warmth on her back. Su Changying's large hand was on her back, behind her heart, without her noticing.

Zhou Zhao took a deep breath. "She went to great lengths to force a connection between herself and the person behind the scenes, and I don't think it was unfounded. She's fishing, trying to catch a big fish that's close to that person."

Look, didn't she catch one?

An angry murderer left her footprints at the scene. She wasn't mistaken; it was an arrogant and conceited woman.

Who would care that Bai Shisan Niang had an ambiguous and intimate relationship with that jade hairpin, or that she had given birth to his child and secretly kept his handkerchief?

Zhou Zhao did not continue speaking.

However, she felt that her unspeakable feelings for the murderer and her adoptive father were not unfounded.

She even believed that this might be a means of control that her adoptive father, who was skilled at manipulating people's hearts and memories, used to control the women under his command.

Disgusting.

Those who arbitrarily alter and destroy the lives of innocent people deserve to be torn to pieces and fried in oil in hell after death, turning into squirrel-shaped mandarin fish.

The room fell silent immediately.

When Zhou Zhao left Min Zangzhi's place, he passed by the Left Courtyard.

Ou Jianshen was pacing back and forth in front of the corridor of Tingwei Temple, holding the child in his arms. He had a crooked mouth and still looked like a roguish fellow. He was teasing the child by making "oh oh oh" noises while anxiously urging, "A-Le, are you sure you can do this? It's just cooking some rice porridge!"

"Can't you see the baby's hungry? If you don't hurry, you might as well become his wet nurse!"

The boy named Shi Le, his face covered in soot, frantically blew on the stove, saying, "If you're so capable, why don't you come? I'm here to handle a case at the Court of Justice, not to look after children. You'd be better off serving tea and water to Lord Zhou!"

He's a noble young master, how could he know this?

Ou Jianshen scoffed disdainfully, "Are you stupid, kid! No wonder you got kicked out of the right courtyard! I'm teaching you a lesson, so you should learn from this. If you take good care of this child now, you can help Master Zhou take care of his children in the future!"

Serving tea and water is nothing.

Shi Le's eyes lit up instantly. He excitedly blew hard, and the fire in the small stove shot up. The boy shouted and stood up, "Ah! My porridge!"

Zhou Zhao turned his head sharply in a different direction towards the left courtyard.

She suddenly understood the indescribable feelings Zuo Ping had when he entered the Left Courtyard that day...

She was also somewhat at a loss for words. She didn't dare to look up at Su Changying because she could feel the gazes directed at her.

"Zhao Zhao doesn't need to have children. You just need to investigate cases and gradually work your way up to the position of Minister of Justice."

Hearing the voice beside him, Zhou Zhao looked up in surprise and was immediately met with Su Changying's deep eyes. His gaze was very firm and his tone was serious.

Zhou Zhao looked at Su Changying and suddenly smiled, giving a soft "hmm".

She had so many things to do that she hadn't even thought about it.

"I want to go to Baihua Tower later to bury that big snake. It was very loyal, and I think it should stay with its master after it dies."

Su Changying nodded. "I'll go with you."

The rain had lessened a bit, and the large crowd in front of the Court of Justice had dispersed. Wu Qingshan had left sometime earlier.

Zhou Zhao led Su Changying across the bluestone path and went straight to the house opposite the Tingwei Temple. It was almost noon, and the aroma from the kitchen in the courtyard could be smelled from the doorway.

The door was open, and Zhou Zhao looked closely and saw that there were two holes in the top of the door. After a quick comparison, he realized that the distance between the two holes was exactly the distance between a person's eyes.

Zhou Zhao was speechless. Just how much did the owner of this house enjoy watching a spectacle?

She thought for a moment, then reached out and knocked on the door.

A young man with a missing front tooth walked over humming a tune, carrying an earthenware bowl in his hand. He shoveled rice into his mouth as he sang, his eyes sparkling as he called out, "Hua Gu, is there any news? Is it true that the Marquis of Ruyang's concubine gave birth to a fox?"

This was the first time Zhou Zhao had ever seen someone so busy talking.

When the young man walked to the door and saw Zhou Zhaotong and Su Changying, his eyes widened in surprise. He put down the bowl of rice in his hand and wiped his mouth haphazardly with his sleeve.

"Young Master Zhou, Young Marquis Lu, is there something you want to ask me? I'm not bragging, but I know a lot of things."

The boy with the missing front tooth looked at Su Changying mysteriously and lowered his voice, saying, "Little Marquis Lu, let me tell you a secret. Your brother is all show and no substance. Once, he saw blood in the toilet and fainted from fright, his face pressed against the toilet seat."

Lady Lu suppressed the matter, after all, it would be a laughing stock if word got out that the son of a great general, a son of a military family, was afraid of hemorrhoid bleeding.

Zhou Zhao and Su Changying were both nailed to the spot.

No, they really didn't intend to ask that.

I don't want to hear such offensive things at all.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then coughed, "When Lord Li Youdao returned to the Court of Justice from the Lost City, did you see him? It must have been around dusk, before curfew."

The man with the missing front tooth paused, then his eyes darted around. "I see him. Lord Li looks like he was just dug out of a mass grave. He's a bit insane. He's pitiful. He had such a grown son, and he died in the Lost City. Alas, he regrets sending his son to seek an official position."

He was so distracted then, walking unsteadily, and even bumped into an old man, who dropped a piece of silk on the ground. I was behind the door at the time, too far away to see clearly. It would have been better if it were summer; in summer, you can leave the door open and use it as a cool place to escape the heat.

Now that it's cold, I'm worried the draft will catch my parents' cold, so I can only peek through the doorway. It's too far away to see clearly what it is.

After Lord Li picked it up, he gave it to the old man and then hurried inside.

This was consistent with what Chen's father had said. "Did you see any carriages parked in front of the Court of Justice?"

(End of this chapter)