Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 308 Analyzing the Changyang Case

If he doesn't break off the engagement, then the relationship between him and Chu You won't be a simple severance.

"Ayou, please don't break off the engagement, okay? I didn't do anything wrong, and I still have to be dumped. It's so pitiful."

Even if Ayou doesn't fall in love with me in the future, it doesn't matter. This kind of thing can't be measured with a ruler, nor is it like comparing the length of a pair of chopsticks.

Compared to arranged marriages by parents and matchmakers, the couples were unhappy after marriage.

At least I married the girl I love now, isn't that something to be even happier about?

As Min Cangzhi spoke, she looked up at Chu You, "The problems that Ayou was worried about before are no longer problems. So, could you please have pity on me and not break off the engagement? Or are you scared, Ayou?"

The wind and snow blew in through the open door, and in a short while, a thin layer of snow appeared in front of the door, like frost frozen on the ground.

Chu You turned her face away. "What am I afraid of? Don't act like a scoundrel."

Seeing that her tone had softened considerably, Min Zangzhi shamelessly buried his face in Chu You's neck.

"I'm just a stubborn little dog. I come as soon as Ayou beckons. Ayou chases me away, but I just won't leave. The snow is so heavy, how pitiful it is for a little dog to be chased away... He'll freeze to death, and people will laugh him to death."

Chu You nudged Min Cangzhi and said irritably, "I'm not a three-year-old child, what are you talking about, a puppy?"

Min Cangzhi's voice became a little lighter, "I am a three-year-old child, how can you not keep your promise to a three-year-old child? You agreed to get married, and now you want to break off the engagement."

"Whose three-year-old child is getting married? Get out of the way."

Min Zangzhi tightened his grip even more. "Don't move. Once I step out of this door, they'll laugh me to death. Even when I'm seventy or eighty, and Zhou Zhao has become the Minister of Justice, people will still be laughing at me."

"How about we don't call off the engagement?"

Chu You fell silent.

After a long silence, she finally said softly, "Okay."

The guillotine was removed from his head, and Min Zangzhi let out a long sigh of relief. He reluctantly released Chu You.

He needs to exercise restraint.

“Ayou, after you drink the calming soup, you'll be fine after a good night's sleep. Especially your feet, be careful not to get frostbite if you run in the snow. I have some frostbite cream, I'll have someone bring it over in a bit. I need to go back to the Court of Justice to deal with the case first, I'll come see you again after it's over.”

Chu You gave a soft "hmm".

"Min Zangzhi, stop searching everywhere for betrothal gifts. I don't want a big wedding..."

Min Zangzhi nodded. "Alright. I was just about to tell you that Zhou Zhao arrested Li Huaishan, and the Court of Justice is in the eye of the storm. It's really not appropriate for us to have a big wedding at this time."

Chu You breathed a sigh of relief.

Min Cangzhi smiled at her, then walked out. Before leaving, she turned back and gently closed the door for Chu You.

After he left, the room suddenly became quiet and deserted.

Chu You looked at the layer of snowflakes drifting in through the door. When Min Cangzhi went out, he left two clear footprints there.

She reached out and touched her shoulder. Even though her tears had cooled down, she still felt it was burning hot.

"I'm not stupid, Min Zangzhi is a liar."

Chu You murmured.

Min Cangzhi walked out of Chu You's courtyard. Chu Hang had been squatting by the gate for who knows how long, covered in a layer of white snow.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around and was met with Min Zangzhi's face, which looked more like a grimace than a smile.

Seeing his expression, Chu Hang's words of reproach suddenly caught in his throat, and he didn't know what to say for a moment. "Ayou has actually been quite happy these days, and she's been quite lively."

Chu Hang blurted out this dry sentence.

Min Zangzhi's eyes lit up instantly. "Thank you, Uncle."

"She's not good at comforting people, and she's not very good at talking... She's very afraid that you'll die, so wait for her a little longer."

Chu Hang suddenly realized that being bad at talking was probably a family trait passed down in the Chu family.

"I will always wait for her."

I'm waiting for her to like me.

……

When Zhou Zhao woke up, it was already evening.

She didn't know when the snow had stopped. She got up, hunched her shoulders, and sat down by the fire. Outside, the warhorses of the Northern Army roared past, their hooves striking the bluestone pavement with exceptional clarity.

The blank bamboo slips on my legs were ice-cold, without any warmth at all.

Zhou Zhao placed the bamboo slips above the charcoal brazier. The firelight gave the bamboo slips an orange glow, but the bamboo slips remained unchanged.

Could this blank bamboo slip be the "Six Paths Heavenly Book"?

When Zhou Yan passed away, his hand was resting on this bamboo scroll. Was it a coincidence or did he inadvertently discover the secret of the celestial book?
In the case of Shanming Changyang, could the secret that His Majesty gave to Princess Changyang, as mentioned by Consort Fan, be the "Six Paths Heavenly Book"?

As Zhou Zhao was thinking, the door to the room was pushed open.

Su Changying stood in front of the door, emanating a chill from his body. He lightly stamped his feet to shake the snowflakes off outside before carrying a food box inside.

"When did Zhao Zhao wake up? I passed by Cao Ji's fish soup shop, and the image of you praising the fish soup as delicious flashed through my mind. I bought some without knowing if it was true or not! I asked Ah Huang, and he said it was drinkable, but it had been too far to get it cold. So I had Chu Yi heat it up on the stove a second time."

Do you want to drink now?

Zhou Zhao looked at Su Changying and his face lit up with joy. "That's right, we've been there before. I remember it was snowing that time too. My brother went to look for Sister Chu You, and I had a sudden urge to compete with you in light-footed skills on the rooftop."

He wandered around aimlessly, and when he got tired, he randomly chose a shop to drink fish soup, which turned out to be Cao's.

The fish was incredibly fresh and sweet, with absolutely no fishy smell. I was delighted, but the very next day, news spread throughout Chang'an that a snow monster lurked there, appearing and disappearing without a trace, and preying on children. Even now, adults still scare children by saying, "If you cry again, the snow monster will take you away!"

Seeing Zhou Zhao's beaming face, Su Changying also laughed.

He placed the food box on the table, served soup to Zhou Zhao, and noticed the bloodstained bamboo slip on her leg, instantly understanding what had happened.

"Are you wondering who killed your brother?"

Zhou Zhao nodded. "I had wanted to rethink the Shanming Changyang case before, but then Sister Chuyou and Min Cangzhi happened, so I put it off. Now that I've had enough sleep, my mind is incredibly clear, and it's the perfect time to think about the case."

"If there had been two perpetrators at the time..."

At that time, you and your brother went to the underground vault to retrieve the food box. Princess Changyang went to the library of Shanming Villa as arranged by Zhang Ran, but the person she was waiting for was not Zhang Ran, but Li Huaishan. Li Huaishan interrogated her about the secret that His Majesty had given her.

Princess Changyang was murdered by Li Huaishan. His identity was questionable, and he had to be silenced if he appeared in front of the princess.

At this moment, you and your brother discover something amiss in the basement. You might not be able to hear the sounds of a murder, but nailing someone to a bookshelf with coffin nails is quite a commotion.

Li Huaishan discovered someone in the basement and gradually approached the entrance... What would you and your brother do at this point?

Su Changying pondered for a moment, "We shouldn't panic too much. I've been on the battlefield, and your brother is an official in the Court of Justice. We've both seen many dead people and murder cases. If it were me, I would probably rush out to lure the murderer out of the library and let Zhou Yan report the murder case."

"After all, I am a military officer, and my martial arts skills surpass Zhou Yan's. Zhou Yan, on the other hand, is an official of the Court of Justice, and he is very adept at handling cases."