Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 292 The Princess's Secret

Li Huaishan looked at Zhou Zhao and suddenly became somewhat manic.

"General star, prime minister star... Haha, it has to be me, it's truly Heaven's will to destroy me, Heaven's will to destroy me!"

Zhou Zhao restrained himself and did not rush forward to kill Li Huaishan.

She knew perfectly well that Li Huaishan had committed the heinous crime of treason, and that being executed by slow slicing, dismemberment, and the extermination of his entire family was entirely foreseeable.

If she kills him now, she'll not only dirty her own hands, but it will also be too easy for him.

The two imperial guards finally found their chance and bowed to Su Changying. "Young Marquis Lu, according to His Majesty's orders, my brother and I are to escort Consort Fan and his son, as well as Li Huaishan, to the palace for questioning. It's getting late, and we should set off."

"The task of apprehending the remaining remnants of the previous dynasty will be entrusted to Marquis Lu."

"You should first escort my son, Li Shen, into the palace. I was tricked by Li Huaishan into committing this heinous crime. Now I have repented. The battle between my troops and the Northern Army was nothing but infighting, an unnecessary sacrifice."

I volunteered to go and persuade them to surrender.

The two imperial guards looked at each other, neither responding to Prince Consort Fan's words.

Prince Consort Fan spat out a mouthful of blood, "With my son Li Shen as a hostage and the Northern Army soldiers keeping watch, how could I possibly run away?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Lishen looked at Fan Fuma and cried anxiously, "Father, Father!"

Prince Consort Fan glanced at him, his eyes full of tenderness, but he didn't say anything, only staring at the two imperial guards.

The two men hesitated for a moment, then walked over to Li Huaishan, who was muttering "Heaven wants to destroy me," and restrained him.

Seeing this, Su Changying gave Han Ze a look, and Han Ze immediately followed, sending a small team of men to escort the two imperial guards into the palace with Fan Lishen.

The operation tonight has come to an end. The seal in front of the Zhou residence has been lifted, and the guests who came to pay their respects were sent back by the soldiers of the Northern Army after registering their names.

In an instant, the mourning hall was empty, with only a bloody mess remaining.

Fan Fuma remained silent. Zhou Zhao, along with Su Changying and A Huang, escorted him towards the door.

As he approached Zhou Buhai, he suddenly grabbed Zhou Zhao's arm. "Zhao, the poison in your body?"

Zhou Buhai's expression was extremely complicated. He had heard that Zhou Zhao was skilled at investigating cases, but seeing is believing.

Only now has he realized that his daughter is both brave and resourceful.

She was like a true court official, a true strategist, doing things that would affect the entire nation. He asked himself if he were Zhou Zhao, he might not be able to achieve such a result.

She faked her death to fight back, meticulously unraveled the mystery... and even took action against the villain who held her mother hostage without hesitation. Such calmness and decisiveness are not something that ordinary people possess.

His daughter had quietly grown up to this point while he was devastated by the Shanming Changyang case.

Li Huaishan's harsh words were still echoing in his ears, and for a moment, Zhou Buhai felt his face burning with pain.

He was deeply saddened, feeling as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat.

"Cheng'an, have everyone leave the mourning hall and ask a doctor to examine your mother."

Zhou Cheng'an glanced at Zhou Zhao with concern, then led everyone away. Once the Zhou family had also left, only a handful of people remained in the mourning hall.

The night seemed exceptionally quiet. Not even the sound of birds could be heard.

Zhou Zhao looked at Consort Fan and said, "You sent everyone away. What do you want to say? Do you want to say that the Shanming Changyang case is related to His Majesty? Although you were deceived by Li Huaishan, it is true that you hate His Majesty and have rebellious intentions."

After much thought, the only conclusion I can draw is that you believe the princess died because of His Majesty.

Prince Consort Fan looked at Zhou Buhai and said, "Zhou Buhai, your daughter is a hundred times better than you."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhou Zhao, his eyes filled with regret, "Zhou Zhao, if only you had grown up by then."

Time was of the essence; he would be escorted to the palace sooner or later. The Imperial Son-in-Law, Fan, didn't keep him in suspense any longer. "Changyang holds an important secret. I don't know what it is, but His Majesty entrusted it to her—something crucial enough to lead to her death."

After the incident, because your elder brother Zhou Yan was also involved, I told your father Zhou Buhai about it.

After we entered the palace, we asked His Majesty what he had entrusted to Changyang, but His Majesty avoided answering.

As a subject, I shouldn't hate my monarch; as a husband, how could I not? Even if he was the princess's brother, so what? The princess died because of him, and I don't blame him. But what I hate is why, even at that point, he still refused to say anything.

If he tells us, maybe we can find clues and find the murderer.

As he spoke, Prince Consort Fan sneered, "You don't know, the person the princess admires most is her brother. She has said more than once that His Majesty is a wise and virtuous ruler. He is tolerant, ambitious, and visionary. He will surely make the country prosperous and strong, and become a powerful monarch who will be recorded in history."

But I don't care about any of that. What I care about is that he, as the elder brother, couldn't even avenge his own sister.

No matter how many rewards I receive, how high a title I am given, or how much I love Li Shen, it's all just castles in the air...

"The building collapsed with just a light touch of a finger..."

Zhou Zhao listened and looked at Zhou Buhai.

Therefore, Prince Consort Fan left Chang'an with Fan Lishen and did not return for four years.

Zhou Buhai investigated cases his entire life, then resigned from the court due to illness, and remained depressed for the past four years.

As he spoke, Fan Fuma's eyes reddened again. "Li Shen knew nothing about these things. He was simple-minded and adored his uncle. When he was born, his mother and I told him that we wished him a peaceful and smooth life, and that he would be a carefree and unrestrained person."

He knows nothing. Zhou Zhao, Chang Ying, I know I've let you down, and I have no face to say these words.

His Majesty will not kill him, but I am doomed. After my death, I hope you will look after him...

Li Huaishan saw through my hatred and deceived me. I never wanted to become emperor, nor did I want to kill His Majesty. I followed him in conquering the world and knew how capable he was. I just wanted to fight my way to him, force him to reveal the secret, and hand over the murderer.

I want to say that if Changyang's brother doesn't seek justice for her, then as his husband, I cannot fail to seek justice for him...

I never imagined I'd been fooled by Li Huaishan and become such a laughingstock.

As he spoke, Prince Consort Fan gave a self-deprecating laugh, his eyes filled with sadness.

Tomorrow is still far away, but he can no longer see Fan Lishen's tomorrow.

"A way to detoxify," Su Changying interrupted Fan Fuma's thoughts.

“I didn’t have the antidote, nor the prescription for the half-dose of medicine that I put in the Soul Return. At the time, I didn’t know that Qianmian was Changying, nor did I know who the Soul Return was for. Li Huaishan asked Duobaoge to do things for him, so I helped him out.”

Ah Huang, who was standing to the side, nodded with his bamboo hat, "That's enough! I can concoct an antidote."