Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 297 Multifaceted Spy
When Zhou Zhao returned to the small courtyard next to the Court of Justice, the first and fifteenth of the month had already thoroughly cleaned it up.

The brazier in the house was burning red-hot, and the little black cat was curled up lazily in a ball, occasionally swishing its tail. Compared to Zhou Zhao, it seemed more like the owner of this new home.

Zhou Zhao walked over, squatted down, and gently stroked the little black cat's back.

The cat seemed to sense that she meant no harm. It opened its eyes, glanced at her, gave a perfunctory meow, and then closed its eyes again to continue sleeping.

Zhou Zhao looked on, amused, and patted the cat's ears.

The black cat's ears twitched. Seeing that it couldn't escape, it meowed again, this time with a sound full of impatience.

“You’re not a cat, you’re a living ancestor.”

As she spoke, she took the bamboo slips off her back and carefully placed them beside her pillow. Chu Yi was meticulous; the room had already been replaced with her usual items, and the messy traces left after her fight with Yin Fang had been cleaned up.

Zhou Zhao looked around. There was no familiar "crime scene" in the room, which made her feel that it was too empty.

"If you want those things, I'll have someone move them over in a bit. You were asleep earlier, and I didn't want to make too much noise and disturb you..."

Zhou Zhao shook his head at Su Changying, "No need. Now that I'm a court clerk, I can investigate cases openly and honestly. There's plenty of time ahead, and I don't know how many interesting cases I'll encounter in the future. It's good to add to the cases little by little. Sooner or later, I can fill up the case file again."

Seeing Zhou Zhao's high spirits, Su Changying smiled and replied, "Okay, I'll help you then. Are you hungry now? Would you like lunch?"

"Let's wait a little longer. After drinking that bitter medicine that tastes like coptis chinensis and bile, I really have no appetite."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, she walked to the table and sat down. She looked at Su Changying. This man, just standing there, was like a steep mountain or a sharp sword. No one could ignore him.

"When did you become His Majesty's person?"

Having been too weak before, Zhou Zhao was now feeling better and couldn't wait to figure out some of his confusion.

“Although I have been controlled by Li Huaishan, I am not a mindless puppet. There are many inconsistencies in my memories…” Su Changying said, looking intently at Zhou Zhao, “Moreover, I vaguely remember your existence.”

“I have been resisting all along, wanting to kill him in return. This idea became clearer and clearer after I went to Tianying City for a while.”

Zhou Zhao listened and understood. "Tianying City is far from Chang'an. Li Huaishan's control over you during that period was not as frequent as it was when you were in Chang'an."

Gongzi Yu is a traitor, and Li Huaishan's martial arts are too high. You understand that to eradicate them completely, you can only find their natural enemy, a mountain higher than the highest mountain, which is His Majesty.

So even before you knew you were Su Changying, you had already had contact with His Majesty.

Su Changying nodded. "That's right."

He said, full of apology to Zhou Zhao, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

Zhou Zhao didn't care. She also had secrets she hadn't told Su Changying, but these didn't affect their relationship of being able to entrust their lives to each other.

“You’re a spy, how can a spy casually reveal his identity? Besides, you didn’t hide it from me, did you? If I were you, I would also choose to become His Majesty’s man in that situation.”

Su Changying spoke with remarkable ease.

However, Zhou Zhao understood all too well that not everyone could remain clear-headed in that situation and forcefully find a way out of a dead end.

How could a traitor like him possibly meet the emperor?
After meeting the emperor, how could he gain the emperor's trust? How had he managed to survive these past few days, barely hanging on to the sidelines?
Su Changying was previously a spy planted by Zhang Ran in Tianying City, a spy sent to Zhang Ran's side by Li Huaishan, and also a spy planted by His Majesty by Li Huaishan. If it were someone else, they really wouldn't have survived three days.

Making a single mistake or failing to answer a single question could expose your identity and lead to your demise. "In Tianying City, you are the top expert and the head of the inner hall; under Zhang Ran, you are his number one spy; to Li Huaishan, you are his most crucial pawn; even to His Majesty, he trusts you implicitly and easily entrusted the Northern Army to you."

Should I say that Young Marquis Lu is top-notch no matter where he is?

Looking into Zhou Zhao's bright eyes, Su Changying's ears suddenly burned.

How could anyone praise someone so directly!
Su Changying thought to herself, then coughed uncomfortably, “It’s all thanks to Lord Zhou’s help. I’m not as capable as Lord Zhou.”

Zhou Zhao looked at her and blinked. "Why do you sometimes call me 'Young Master Zhou' and sometimes 'Zhao Zhao'?"

Su Changying became even more uncomfortable. He poured Zhou Zhao a cup of hot tea, then pushed one of the braziers to her feet. After looking at it one last time, he casually straightened Zhou Zhao's cloak.

Just as he was at a loss, he felt a tightening around his waist as Zhou Zhao's hand wrapped around him.

She gently pressed her face against his body, and Su Changying felt her body stiffen, unable to help but call out "Zhao Zhao".

Seeing that Zhou Zhao did not move, Su Changying reached out and gently embraced Zhou Zhao, patting her back lightly. "It's all in the past. The only regret is that I didn't get to watch Zhao Zhao grow up these four years, and you had to suffer alone."

Zhou Zhao's eyes reddened. "You need to remember quickly."

Su Changying gave a soft "hmm" and gently patted Zhou Zhao's back. "It'll be soon."

At that time, Su Changying will return to Zhou Zhao's side completely intact.

The two remained silent until the aroma of meat pies wafted from the canteen of the Tingwei Temple next door, causing Zhou Zhao's stomach to rumble. Su Changying then chuckled softly, breaking the quiet between them.

"It seems that Lord Zhou is missing the meat pies from the Court of Justice."

Zhou Zhao let go of Su Changying's hand somewhat embarrassedly and looked at her expectantly.

Su Changying shook her head. "Ah Huang already told me that you're weak and can't eat anything greasy right now. I'll go get you some porridge, it's the first day of the lunar month..."

Just as Zhou Zhao was about to try again, she heard a noise coming from the courtyard gate. She glanced at Su Changying, who patted Zhou Zhao's head, walked towards the gate, and opened it.

"Are you Chu You's uncle, Chu Hang?"

Su Changying frowned as he looked at the person in front of the door. He had seen Chu You's uncle at the Zhaixing Tower and still had some impression of him.

"Zhao Zhao is still recovering from a serious illness. If you have anything to say, you can tell me."

Su Changying thought to herself, looking at the man in front of her. His eyes were dark and he looked like an ant on a hot pan. Zhou Zhao had just moved in, and he had come looking for her. It seemed that he hadn't come to visit her, but rather to ask her for a favor.

"Changying, who's here?"

Su Changying was about to go out to speak when Zhou Zhao came out. He quickly turned around and put the hood on Zhou Zhao's back.

When Chu Hang saw Zhou Zhao, he quickly bowed. He looked up and saw the pale face, and was speechless for a moment.

"But what happened to Sister Chu You? Uncle, please tell me."

Chu Hang felt the deathly gaze that Su Changying was giving him. He shrank back and said with a determined look, "I shouldn't have come to bother you, but Ayou and Min Cangzhi have both disappeared."