Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 284 Ah Huang's Difficult Moments

A banner was raised in front of the Zhou family's gate.

Yellow and white strips of cloth mixed with black cloth hung down, blocking the hole that Zhou Zhao had once dug in front of the door.

Zhou Buhai leaned against the door frame, looking into the distance as the black coffin drew closer.

Each heavy step of the coffin bearers seemed to pound on Zhou Buhai's heart. His vision blurred, and he nearly lost his balance. "A parent outliving their child, once isn't enough, so it has to happen again, again..."

Zhou Buhai muttered to himself, looking ahead with a somewhat blank expression.

That day, Zhou Zhao returned from the Lost City. He went to see her late at night, but the father and daughter parted on bad terms. If he had known it would be the last time they saw each other, he absolutely…

All around me were the sounds of sobbing.

In an instant, the coffin arrived. Ah Huang stood at the head of the procession, his straw hat pulled low, blood still trickling from the back of his hand.

"Uncle, Sister Zhao, Sister Zhao...we brought Sister Zhao back...waaaaaah..."

Han Ze was sobbing, with a white cloth tied around his waist. When he saw Zhou Buhai, he bowed down and looked just like a filial son who had lost his father.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Buhai was instantly overcome with tears. His lips moved for a moment, but he couldn't utter a single word, nor did he even have the courage to approach the coffin.

Zhou Xuan and Zhou Wan rushed over, crying their eyes out.

"Don't go in! Zhou Zhao, that jinx, she's the one who killed my A-Yan, she deserves it. She's related to Su Changying, they had a marriage certificate and were already engaged, and she was taken to the Marquis of Lu's residence. I won't allow her to be buried in the Zhou family ancestral cemetery..."

If an elder is still alive, but a younger person dies first, that is considered a misfortune.

Just then, Old Madam Zhou hurriedly came out. She shook off the old woman who was supporting her and stomped her cane heavily on the ground.

Zhou Xuan looked at Old Madam Zhou in disbelief. She loosened her grip on the coffin and tried to rush forward.

Without hesitation, Ah Huang, who was standing at the very front of the line, kicked Old Madam Zhou directly, sending her flying.

The old lady, used to a life of luxury, had never suffered such an ordeal. She collapsed to the ground, groaning and nearly fainting. She glared angrily at Zhou Buhai, "You just stood by and watched others humiliate your mother?"

Zhou Buhai snapped out of his daze and walked incredulously to the old lady's side. "Mother, are you alright? His Highness Prince Chu..."

Liu Huang immediately interrupted Zhou Buhai, glaring fiercely at the old lady Zhou on the ground, as if he had gone mad.

Others may not know, but he knows best.

If an antidote cannot be found, Zhou Zhao's feigned death will become a real death.

"If I, A-Zhao, am dead, why are you still alive? If you were to die, wouldn't it be a case of the white-haired burying the black-haired? It's all your fault, why don't you die?"

"Get out of my way, all of you! Anyone who dares to block my way home, I'll send you all down to join her! Get out of my way!"

Looking at Liu Huang's mad appearance, Zhou Buhai felt a chill in his heart, and his last bit of hope was completely gone.

The last time Liu Huang went mad was when Zhou Yan died.

Now that he is in this state, his daughter Zhou Zhao is truly dead.

Liu Huang didn't say anything more. He felt that speaking in front of so many people had exhausted all his strength. He should have just kept quiet and kicked everyone until they were coughing up blood; that would have been much easier.

Liu Huang thought to himself, then strode forward as if a ghost were chasing him. "Damn it, hurry up! I don't want to be with so many people."

The Northern Army soldiers carrying the "fake dead ghost" quickened their pace without realizing it, hurry up and chase! If they were too slow, the King of Chu might kill them, after all, he had gone mad and slapped Su Changying's face until it was swollen at Yunjian Temple.

Zhou Zhao lay in the coffin, feeling as if she was being shaken so badly that she almost vomited.

She twitched her lips speechlessly, her feelings extremely complicated.

The tragedy of parents outliving their children is a wound that the Zhou family can never reopen.

Now she's going to do it all again. Sister and Zhou Wan must be heartbroken.

She suddenly felt a pang of regret for stopping her older sister from marrying Han Xincheng. If she were truly dead, her sister wouldn't even consider marriage for the next three years. Before, she disliked fox spirits for their seductive charms, but now she thought they weren't so bad after all; at least they knew how to charm people. If they could charm her so that her older sister wouldn't be so heartbroken anymore, that would be wonderful.

There's also Zhou Wan, even though they don't get along.

But Zhou Wan's wedding is imminent, and her wedding date has already been postponed once. If it is postponed again, will people say that she and the Prince of Dai are incompatible and will make things difficult for her in the future?

She must not die in three days.

But if she hadn't died, Zhou Xuan would definitely have given her a beating for faking her death, and Zhou Wan would probably have rolled her eyes at her a hundred times before continuing to extort her dowry...

As Zhou Zhao was lost in thought, he felt the coffin stop; they must have arrived at the mourning hall.

The coffin lid was opened, and Zhou Buhai pushed past Zhou Xuan and Zhou Wan, staggering to the front of the coffin.

With trembling hands, he checked Zhou Zhao's breath, then looked at her ashen face, her blackened lips, and the bloodstains on her chest. Finally, he couldn't help but shed tears.

"Your Highness, she has been wounded in the chest by a sharp weapon, judging by its width, it was either a sword or a dagger. Her lips are black, indicating poisoning, it is..."

Liu Huangqiang suppressed the urge to hide in a corner and curl up in a ball. He had to do a good job of what Zhou Zhao had arranged.

"Yes, she was besieged by Gongzi Yu at Yunjian Temple."

As Liu Huang spoke, he gripped his palms tightly. "I swore an oath at Yan Ge's grave back then that I would be A Zhao's biological brother from now on. I'm going to her courtyard to gather her most cherished possessions as burial goods."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhou Xuan and Zhou Wan, "Sisters, protect A Zhao and don't let anyone disturb A Zhao's peace."

After Liu Huang finished speaking, he dared not look at the crowd again. Like a mad bull, he rushed towards Zhou Zhao's courtyard.

Once inside the courtyard, he leaned against the door and began to breathe heavily.

Liu Huang took a deep breath and rolled up his sleeves. Being the center of attention felt like a public execution, causing red rashes to appear on his arms.

Thinking this, he pushed open the door and entered Zhou Zhao's room. Chu Yi had already rushed to the mourning hall upon hearing the news. After Liu Huang entered, he closed the door without hesitation, then walked to Zhou Zhao's desk and put down his trunk.

Because of Liu Huang's outburst in front of the Zhou family's gate, news of Zhou Zhao's death quickly spread throughout Chang'an.

As darkness fell, snowflakes began to fall outside, and guests started arriving to pay their respects.

Dim lights were lit in the mourning hall, and a rich fragrance filled the entire room.

The candlelight flickered, and Zhou Zhao's face, lying in the coffin, seemed to appear even more ashen.

"Father, Prince Consort Fan and Fan Lishen have arrived," Zhou Cheng'an said, his eyes red, as he leaned close to Zhou Buhai's ear.