Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 311 Returning to the Court of Justice

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he felt more at ease.

She thought for a while and added:
"What we just said was just our speculation. Until we find evidence, or until you regain your memory and can act as a witness, it may not all be accurate."

Investigating a case is sometimes like a doctor diagnosing a patient; without the results of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation as a basis, one cannot arbitrarily speculate on the condition and proceed with treatment.

Without evidence, all speculation is just castles in the air.

"The Northern Army is on night patrol, so I've come to bring you fish soup before heading back to the army. Are you going back to the Court of Justice tomorrow?"

Hearing Su Changying's words, Zhou Zhao blinked obediently at him, feeling a little guilty, "I'll go."

Seeing that she was unusually obedient, Su Changying's heart stirred, and she couldn't help but reach out and ruffle Zhou Zhao's hair. "I guessed that you didn't want to stay at home to recuperate and wished you could sprout wings and go back to the Court of Justice immediately. Go on, I will come and supervise Lord Zhou to take his medicine."

Zhou Zhao solved a murder case at the Court of Justice today, so why wouldn't he go tomorrow?

Su Changying understood perfectly well that Lord Zhou did not have any days off.

"I'm leaving now. Han Ze must be getting impatient. Zhao Zhao, get some rest."

As Su Changying was speaking, she heard Han Ze calling from the doorway. He didn't answer, but smiled at Zhou Zhao before striding outside.

Zhou Zhao tilted his head and looked at Su Changying's much lighter steps, and couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.

"I need to take my medicine on the first day of the Lunar New Year."

On the first day of the lunar month, she arrived as instructed, carrying a thick medicinal soup. On the tray, there was also a bag of various kinds of candied fruit.

"Young Master Lu is truly thoughtful; he even bought a lot of candied fruit, just in case the young lady is afraid of the bitterness of the medicine! This courtyard is nice, young lady; there's room to stand in. Unlike before, when she had to tiptoe and twirl around to get inside..."

On the first occasion when I entertained guests at the manor, one of the dancers twisted her ankle, and I immediately replaced her with the Sogdian Whirl Dance. They all praised me, saying I must have practiced martial arts since childhood!

Zhou Zhao looked at Chu Yi with a strange expression, "Are you very happy today?"

Chu Yi looked at Zhou Zhao and nodded happily, "Yes, I'm even happier than when you chose me to serve you back then. You've come back to life, and I've become a bit bolder."

Zhou Zhao looked at Chu Yi with an even stranger expression.

Indeed, who wouldn't be a little timid after seeing a corpse come back to life?

Seeing that Zhou Zhao had drunk the medicine, Chu Yi tidied up the food box and medicine bowl and then left.

Zhou Zhao disliked having anyone serve her in the room, and she would not come in unless summoned by the young lady.

The room was empty, without a bloody "corpse" or a rope hanging from the rafters. Zhou Zhao felt a little lonely and desolate. She walked to the table and sat down, picking up the bamboo slips that were placed on the table.

It was the case notes that Zhou Buhai had brought over from all those years of solving cases.

Looking at this document, Zhou Zhao suddenly realized something. Although she had also learned law and crime-solving from her father and brothers, she had not gained Zhou Buhai's approval and therefore was not qualified to read this document. This was a closely guarded secret of the Zhou family. The document written by her grandfather was given to her father, and the document written by her father was given to her brother.

She never imagined that one day this thing would be handed to her.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then opened the bamboo slip and looked at the familiar characters on it, feeling a mix of emotions.

Zhou Buhai was unaware that she had already seen it.

When she wanted to see it, her brother gave it to her directly. At that time, she didn't know or understand why this was a closely guarded secret. In Zhou Buhai's eyes, what her brother could see, she couldn't bear to see.

But she gradually understood later. Zhou Zhao thought for a moment. She was holding the last volume. She looked at it and saw that the last case was the headless female corpse case at the Spring Banquet, not the Shanming Changyang case.

Zhou Buhai left not a single word about the Shanming Changyang case.

Zhou Zhao shook his head and picked up the bamboo slips to slowly review them.

……

When I went to Tingwei Temple early the next morning, the east was already bathed in a blushing red. There were many icicles hanging in front of Tingwei Temple, which sparkled in the sunlight.

A man with a missing front tooth stood in front of the Court of Justice, holding a rice bowl, eating while whispering to someone.

Upon seeing Zhou Zhao, he rushed over as if he had seen a relative, "Young Master Zhou, you're still alive?"
You tell me, am I right? I told you that the embroidered straw man from the Lu family wasn't his son, and it turned out he really wasn't! As soon as I heard the news, I went to my father's grave to tell him.

Lord Zhou, aren't we family now? I heard that Min Wenshu is going to break off the engagement with Miss Chu and is going door to door kneeling to return the betrothal gifts. Is that true?
I heard that when he left the Chu family, he was left with only one soul and one spirit. Not only were his eyes filled with tears, but tears were also flowing from the corners of his mouth!
Chang Zuoping is waiting in the left courtyard. He thought you'd just been to the King of Hell's palace and would know the way well, so he asked you to come and summon his soul. Is that really true?

Looking at the boy with the missing front tooth whose eyes were shining, Zhou Zhao couldn't help but twitch his lips. "That's drool. I've never been to the King of Hell's palace."

The man with the missing front tooth chuckled, then squinted at his not-so-big eyes. "I understand, I understand! We don't talk about the underworld in the living world!"

Zhou Zhao was speechless. What do you know? You think you know everything?

She dared not say more, fearing that if she said another word, it would be said that she had absorbed Min Cangzhi's soul, which was why she was able to rise from the dead.

Missing a front tooth didn't stop her. She picked up her rice bowl, took a bite, and said mysteriously to the people next to her, "Look, Master Zhou walks so fast, it's like he's floating. Sure enough..."

Zhou Zhao tripped over the threshold and almost fell to the ground.

She floated because she used light-body skills, not because she was a female ghost!
"The rumors are indeed true. The Court of Justice is protected by righteous energy. Even the judges of the underworld will be blocked and tripped when they enter."

Zhou Zhao was speechless. She quickly entered the left courtyard and saw that it was still empty and no one had come. Only then did she breathe a long sigh of relief.

Ghosts aren't scary; what's scary are people who talk about ghosts.

As Zhou Zhao was thinking, she heard a thumping sound coming from a corner of the room. She took a few steps inside and immediately saw Min Zangzhi sitting at her desk, banging his head against the table repeatedly.

"Even if you kowtow to me, I won't speak well of you."

Min Zangzhi suddenly raised his head, his forehead flushed red. His hair was neatly combed, and today he had a peach blossom hairpin in his hair. As soon as you got close, you could smell the pickled peach blossom.

"Since Sister Chu You wants to break off the engagement with you, you don't need to set up any evil peach blossom formations. Don't force it!"

Min Zangzhi sighed mournfully at Zhou Zhao and waved his hand weakly. "Ayou won't break off the engagement with me. But I handled it badly. I should have acted more indifferent so that Ayou could marry me without any burden."

Zhou Zhao rolled her eyes and pulled Min Cangzhi out of her seat. "Get out of here! I've already heard about your boasting. You came here to wait for me first thing in the morning."

Min Cangzhi sighed again. He looked around, pointed to a brocade box on Zhou Zhao's desk, and bowed to Zhou Zhao.

"I'm not bragging, but if Ayou asks, Lord Zhou, please put in a good word for me!"

Zhou Zhao looked at the brocade box on the table in surprise. "Are you bribing me?"

"Of course not, it's a volume of unsolved mysteries that Ayou really wanted. I searched for a long time and spent a lot of money to get it. She's in a bad mood right now, but if she reads this, she'll be overjoyed and completely absorbed in it, and won't have the mind to think about anything else."

If I give it to her, she'll definitely refuse, and it'll seem like I'm pushing her too hard. When you go to see Ayou, please give it to her for me, and just say it's from you, okay?

Time flies by in the blink of an eye. By the time Chu You solves these problems, the wedding will be just around the corner.
He went back home last night and racked his brains, finally coming up with this ingenious method!