Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 312 Questioning Chu You
Zhou Zhao listened, his eyes flickering.

She picked up the brocade box from the table and glanced at Min Zangzhi.

"Consider it a debt you owe me. I'll deliver it to Sister Chu You right now. You're really full of tricks. That guy with the missing tooth said you had to kneel down to return the gift, wasn't that your doing too?"
I wanted to tell Sister Chu You. How could such a good girl like her bear to let you suffer such injustice? You're really something!

Min Cangzhi nodded somewhat shyly, "I will treat Ayou even better in the future, and I will never let her down."

Zhou Zhao did not respond; nothing in this world is absolute.

If their love lasts and they can grow old together, that would be wonderful; but if one day Min Cangzhi changes her heart like Song Ran, she believes that Sister Chu You will not compromise like Xu Zhi, and she will be able to calmly move on.

Even if she can't, she can still be there for her as she is reborn, no matter when.

She picked up the brocade box and waved it at Min Zangzhi, "Remember what you said, this is a confession, it needs to be signed and sealed."

Min Zangzhi watched Zhou Zhao's retreating figure and lowered her eyes.

After a long while, he turned to look out the window. Outside Zhou Zhao's desk was a bamboo forest covered in snow, which was now being illuminated by the rising sun. Snow water dripped down, washing over the world.

Min Zangzhi's thirty-six stratagems were all for the sake of having a real beginning with Ayou.

Zhou Zhao took the brocade box, had Fifteen people put on the carriage, and headed towards the Chu residence.

When Zhou Zhao entered the room, Chu You was sitting at a large table drawing. The fine silver charcoal in the brazier was burning brightly, and the incense burner smelled of familiar peach blossoms.

"Sister Chuyou, are you feeling better? Your peach blossom scent is lovely, is it from Min Zangzhi?"

Chu You sniffed, looked up at Zhou Zhao, and showed a hint of excitement on her face. She stood up and walked towards Zhou Zhao. Because she had been hit by a carriage yesterday and had run barefoot on the ground, her walking posture looked a little clumsy.

“Ah Zhao, I heard from my uncle. You had such a terrible accident. I was asking you if you were feeling better! I didn’t know you were still not well, and I even asked you to go and save people! Thinking back on it last night, I just feel like I deserve to die.”

As she spoke, she walked over and gave Zhou Zhao a tight hug.

"I'm fine; it's all a scam against those remnants of the previous dynasty."

Seeing Zhou Zhao smiling, Chu You assumed she was telling the truth and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She then remembered Zhou Zhao's earlier question, "Incense? I hadn't noticed that."

Zhou Zhao found it amusing. Min Cangzhi had even specially burned the same incense as Chu You today, which was practically throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind man. Sister Chu You didn't even notice.

She placed the brocade box on the table without mentioning it.

Instead, he said, "I have some questions about the case that I'd like to ask you, elder sister. Elder sister, did my brother ever mention the 'Six Paths Heavenly Book' to you back then?"

Chu You was taken aback. "The Six Paths Heavenly Book? I've heard of it, but it wasn't A-Yan who told me. It was my master who mentioned it when I was learning arithmetic. He said that the Six Paths Heavenly Book can change the past, can see the future, can reverse life and death, and can grant immortality. It contains countless numerological deductions and hides the great Dao."

However, he had only heard of it but had never seen it, saying it was from the previous dynasty.

However, I mainly studied mathematics and the essential skills of Lu Ban (a legendary carpenter), and my master preferred practical calculations to such esoteric matters. He only told us about them to broaden our horizons. Ah Yan never mentioned the "Six Paths Heavenly Book" to me.

Chu You is exceptionally talented; she has studied under a renowned teacher and has inherited his skills.

However, when Zhou Zhao met her, Chu You's master had already passed away. Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, not discouraged, "What about Princess Changyang? Does he have any personal relationship with Princess Changyang?"

Although Zhou Yan doted on her, she was still younger than him, so he wouldn't tell her everything. Besides, after he met Sister Chu You, she mostly clung to Su Changying so that her brother and sister-in-law could spend more time together.

Chu You remained silent for a moment, then shook her head.

“I have never heard him mention this. Even if he did, he would only say that it was Li Shen’s mother. If he didn’t say anything about our private interactions that you don’t know about, once during the Lantern Festival, your brother and I made a mechanical wooden horse lantern together. When you carry it, the legs move.”

That time, you, Changying, and Li Shen disappeared somewhere. Ah Huang didn't come because he thought there were too many people. We met Princess Changyang at the teahouse.

At that time, Ayan had just solved a major case. When Princess Changyang mentioned this, she praised him as the smartest person in Chang'an.

From what I observed, they didn't seem particularly close, nor did they appear to be intimate.

Zhou Zhao murmured and repeated, "The smartest person in Chang'an?"

She thought for a moment, then asked, "And what happened after that? Was your brother preoccupied for a period of time?"

Chu You shook her head decisively this time, "Your brother often says that bad things that happen outside shouldn't be brought home..."

Chu You paused here, her expression softening slightly, "No, there's very little that can stump him."

Zhou Zhao was taken aback and thought about it carefully.

Indeed, from childhood to adulthood, it seems that nothing has ever been difficult for Zhou Yan.

Grandmother was such a difficult person to get along with, but when Zhou Yan was around, he managed to keep her in line. Originally, she looked down on Chu You because her family had fallen on hard times and she wasn't good at social interactions, so she wasn't a suitable candidate for the matriarch. But after Zhou Yan said something to her, the old lady didn't say a word.

Zhou Zhao felt that he still had many questions to ask Chu You, but for the time being, he didn't have any better ideas.

She thought for a moment, then her gaze fell on the box that Min Cangzhi had given her. "Did your brother ever give you any math problems to solve?"

Chu You hesitated for a moment, "We often solve problems together, there's too much to say about it."

Zhou Yan was intelligent and knowledgeable; he had also dabbled in what she knew.

Solving puzzles and dismantling mechanisms together is something they both find particularly enjoyable when they spend time together.

As she spoke, she looked at Zhou Zhao curiously, "So, Zhao, have you found any clues about the murderer who killed your brother?"

Zhou Zhao shook his head. "Not yet, but it will be soon. I have to go to the Court of Justice, so I'll head back now and look for my sister in a couple of days."

Chu You looked a little embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Ah Zhao, I'm going to marry Min Cangzhi. Will your brother blame me...?"

Zhou Zhao stepped forward and hugged Chu You, suddenly regretting bringing up the Shanming Changyang case again at this juncture.

"Sister, brother won't blame you. He, like me, hopes to see you move forward. That way, he can rest easy."

Chu You's eyes reddened, but she smiled and said, "Then A-Zhao, you should go to the Court of Judicial Review quickly. I know about yesterday's case. Will Xu Zhi's father be sentenced to death?"

Zhou Zhao paused for a moment, then said, "It's very possible. Although Song Ran is despicable, it's still two lives at stake. However, the Court of Justice will handle the matter accordingly."