Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 273 A Map

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then picked up the silk cloth, spread it out, and laid it flat on the table.

"It's a map."

Zhou Zhao looked at it and breathed a slight sigh of relief. She was really worried that what she would find inside would be a love poem so cheesy it would hurt her teeth.

It's probably not just the Marquis of Lu who wants to see his adoptive father's literary talent.

Without comparison, he truly couldn't understand just how utterly awful his own poetry was.

“There’s nothing marked on the map, nothing written on it. But the terrain looks somewhat familiar,” Zhou Zhao thought, then waved to Han Ze, “Han Ze, come take a look. Didn’t you say there wasn’t a place in the entire Chang’an city that you hadn’t explored?”

Upon hearing this, Han Ze smiled sheepishly and released the old woman from his grasp.

"Sister Zhao, I was just bragging. Please don't hit me if I didn't realize it."

As he spoke, he walked to the table, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the jade pendant with the lifelike phoenix engraved on it. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

The phoenix is ​​also a bird.

Its pointed tip is like a needle, ready to poke someone's butt at any moment.

As Han Ze thought about it, he couldn't help but squeeze his legs together, and even his standing posture became unnatural. His gaze quickly swept over the silk, and he couldn't help but exclaim "Eh?" "I actually recognize this place. It's a little-known Taoist temple in the eastern suburbs."

The name was also very hasty; it was simply called Yunjian.

Because the mountain where the Taoist temple is located is very high, when viewed from halfway up the mountain, the temple looks as if it is in the clouds.

I know this because there is a Master Jingwu in Yunjian Temple who was a famous lacquerware master in the previous dynasty's Imperial Household Department. After our dynasty was established, he devoted himself to cultivating Taoism. Now that the princes are all of marriageable age, my father has ordered me to persuade Master Jingwu to come out of the mountains.

I went eight times, practically begging Master Jingwu, but he still wouldn't agree to help. My father even docked my salary for it.

Han Ze recalled the carefree days he spent in the Shaofu (Minister's Residence), and a wave of sorrow washed over him.

Shao Fu has a father and elder brothers, and is surrounded by like-minded friends who enjoy life. Every day, he travels around, searching for rare treasures and seeking out extraordinary people and events.

Since he started following Su Changying and Zhou Zhao, how long has it been since he went to a brothel with those spoiled brat brothers...

It's so heartbreaking that anyone who hears it will be saddened and will shed tears.

Zhou Zhao frowned thoughtfully. "So that's where it is. No wonder it felt familiar. Speaking of which, it happened not long before the Shanming Changyang case. Fan Lishen's cousin, Fan Ruoxi, went to Yunjian Temple and heard the wailing of a hundred ghosts at night."

After she returned, she fell seriously ill and never recovered, as if she had been struck by a demon.

We initially thought there was some kind of case, but when we arrived, Sister Chuyou discovered that there were many holes in the mountain behind the Yunjian Temple. After the temple door was opened, a draft was created, and the wind blowing through the holes behind the mountain sounded like ghosts howling and wolves wailing, producing various deep and shallow whistling sounds.

The sounds mingled together, and the timid man naturally mistook them for the wailing of a hundred ghosts, which terrified him.

Later, Sister Chuyou added a screen wall to Yunjian Temple, and the problem was solved.

Unfortunately, Fan Ruoxi still died from the shock she suffered during this incident.

Zhou Zhao spoke with a hint of melancholy.

She had only been to Yunjian Temple once, and the map did not indicate the name of the temple. It was also drawn very simply, so she couldn't remember it for a moment. "So what's so special about this place? Why would Yinfang put such a map in the box? The silk is snow-white, so it doesn't look old, and the ink on it is also very fresh. It must have been drawn recently."

Zhou Zhao pondered, a hint of doubt creeping into his eyes. "The dragon and phoenix jade pendant could be a token of love, or a keepsake given to the two children—both interpretations make sense. But what is the significance of a map pointing to Yunjian Temple to Yin Fang?"

She asked this question, but didn't expect any answer. Instead, she crumpled up the silk and stuffed it into her bosom, along with the two jade pendants.

She walked up to the old woman who was prostrate on the ground, lowered her eyes and asked, "Does Aunt Liu often go to Yunjian Temple? What do you do there?"

The old woman trembled. "Indeed, she goes there often. Our lady... no... Aunt Liu often has nightmares."

She dreamt that she was haunted by ghosts, and she said it was because the Marquis of Lu had committed too many killings, so she often went to ask a Taoist priest to perform rituals to exorcise the ghosts. However, the Marquis of Lu scoffed at this, and since she didn't want to go to a large Taoist temple, she went to the relatively remote Yunjian Temple instead.

It has been about five years since her first visit. When the general is not in Chang'an, she sometimes stays at the Taoist temple for a few days.

However, he rarely takes the young master and Miss Ling along.

As the old woman spoke, she shakily raised her head and secretly glanced at Zhou Zhao. Seeing that there was no dissatisfaction on her face, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"After Aunt Liu went to the Taoist temple, she would stay alone in the quiet room. What she did exactly, this old servant does not know."

As the old woman spoke, she inwardly groaned in despair.

Aunt Liu was gentle and kind in front of Marquis Lu. But this year, Marquis Lu was almost always away fighting and not at home. As soon as he left, the mistress of the Marquis's mansion suddenly became difficult to please.

If she were to say it, Su Ling's domineering nature is just like her own mother's.

Aunt Liu was resourceful, and no one dared to raise their voices in her presence, let alone interfere in her affairs.

Now things are really messed up. When Zhou Zhao asks, he knows absolutely nothing, and he doesn't even have a chance to redeem himself.

As the old woman spoke, her eyes flickered, and she suddenly seemed to remember something, saying, "There's a young Taoist priest in that temple whose eyes are covered with a black cloth. Once, when I was using the restroom, I unexpectedly saw Aunt Liu leading him."

Zhou Zhao's spirits lifted instantly. She and Su Changying exchanged a glance, both of them having their own guesses.

That must be Young Master Yu.

Gongzi Yu had previously mentioned that he would take care of her sister Yin Fang.

Every time Su Changying met Gongzi Yu, it was in a temporary residence arranged by his adoptive father. Did he usually live in the Yunjian Temple?
As Zhou Zhao thought about it, he gently patted his hand in front of him. The silk cloth was placed there, and it felt soft to the touch.

The four searched Liu's room thoroughly, but found no secret rooms or passages, nor any other suspicious clues.

After all that commotion, by the time they returned to the front courtyard of the Marquis of Lu's residence, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

The rain had stopped, but the biting wind was so strong it almost blew people away.

Ignoring her hair ribbons that were dangling haphazardly in the air, Zhou Zhao looked towards Su Changyu and Su Ling, who were bound hand and foot.

The face that Su Ling had been slapped on was now swollen badly, and her eyes were unusually empty, as if she had resigned herself to her fate.

Su Changyu remained curled up, burying her head between her knees, seemingly lost in thought.

"Take them back to the Court of Justice, and then we'll go to the Cloud Pavilion."