Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 319 Coming to Pay Off the Debt
The imposing He Tingshi stopped at the doorway, revealing the contemptuous expression that was typical of nobles.

It's just that because my eyes were so swollen, it didn't make me angry; instead, it was quite funny.

"Oh dear, He Tingshi, what's wrong with your eyes? Did you get stung by a bee or bitten by a mosquito? Or was it from crying over the little hero Zhou Zhao?"

Zhou Zhao mimicked He Tingshi's manner, wearing a forced smile and looking down at people. At first glance, he seemed like a gentle breeze, but upon closer inspection, his coldness and aloofness were palpable. It was as if he was born superior and was merely using politeness to appease ants.

Seeing her like this, He Tingshi instantly became like a cat with its fur standing on end!
Not only that, but someone also stepped on the cat's paw!
"You...you...shameless! Who cried for you! How dare you call yourself a hero!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but secretly observe Zhou Zhao's expression, making a deep impression on him.

Damn it! This is exactly what he wanted to be like! He practiced in front of the bronze mirror from childhood to old age, but he never reached the pinnacle.

Zhou Zhao was completely self-taught!
He Tingshi felt a pang of jealousy and muttered to himself, "Why is that..."

Zhou Zhao turned his eyes slightly, his voice gentle yet cold, "The difference is probably in appearance. After all, a noble young master cannot have eyes that are swollen bigger than eggs."

He Tingshi instantly snapped out of his daze. He gritted his teeth and walked out of the room in the right courtyard, stomping his feet loudly. He grabbed Zhou Zhao's arm and pulled her towards the right courtyard gate. What a close call! If he had stayed any longer, his lifelong reputation would have been ruined.

But he didn't notice the intense gazes of his colleagues in the room.

Zhou Zhao did not resist and followed He Tingshi out of the right courtyard. Once they were alone, he bowed to He Tingshi.

She looked up, her eyes smiling, "Mr. He, please don't be angry! I heard you were crying your heart out, and I was deeply moved."

When she decided to fake her death, she knew that many of her loved ones would be heartbroken.

But no matter how much she thought about it, she never considered that He Tingshi was involved.

After all, he was from the Right Courtyard and didn't particularly like her.

He Tingshi blushed, and now his face was no different in color from his eyelids—both were so red they looked like they could bleed.

He snorted coldly, "Don't try to glorify yourself! Who cried for you? I'm just concerned about my good reputation. How could I not express my grief over the passing of a colleague from the Court of Justice? I wish you were dead, so how could the Left Court compete with the Right Court?"

As he spoke, he looked Zhou Zhao up and down, and seeing that she didn't look like the short-lived ghost she had been lying in the coffin that day, he felt much better.

However, his face still showed disdain. "What are you doing here? Don't forget, before we went to the Lost City, I promised to choose you. What conditions did you agree to? You died so young, who am I supposed to collect my debts from?"

As He Tingshi spoke, he walked toward his small bamboo grove courtyard in the Court of Justice.

"Isn't it that as soon as it came back to life, it came to repay its debt to you?"
I have just made a great contribution, and since I was only recently promoted to the position of Court Clerk, it is not advisable to seek further promotion. I still have some face left in His Majesty's eyes... If I propose to amend the law to abolish corporal punishment, His Majesty will surely have to consider it, and at least listen to what the young hero has to say, right?
Furthermore, the Court of Justice produced a traitor like Li Huaishan, causing us to lose all face. When we go out, people look at us as if we were dogs.

At this crucial moment, we need to do something serious to salvage the precarious reputation of our Court of Justice.

It was a golden opportunity, a chance that wouldn't come again; everything was ready except for one case to ignite it.

He Tingshi glanced at Zhou Zhao with a complicated expression. His personal attendant would clean this courtyard every day. He was getting old and sometimes came here to rest when he had nothing to do at noon, so tea and snacks were readily available here.

He Tingshi wanted to order Zhou Zhao to pour tea, but then he remembered that the little girl had just escaped death, so he angrily picked up the teapot and poured water for Zhou Zhao. Then he pushed the red date cake on the table in front of Zhou Zhao, "Eat more, or people will think that the salary of the Court of Justice is enough to starve ghosts."

As he spoke, he pondered Zhou Zhao's words for a moment, then looked up at her with a complicated expression, "You do know how to seize opportunities, but this will only diminish your achievements."

That was a merit earned by Zhou Zhao at the cost of her life. She was not even twenty years old, yet she was already on par with this old man, the court official.

You've just been promoted, how can you be promoted again so soon?

His Majesty will certainly try to keep her in check, but merit is merit. It may seem useless now, but it will come in handy when she has enough seniority to be promoted. Merit, like favors, will eventually be used up.

They now want to amend the law and abolish corporal punishment. This is not something that can be done with mere words; it will inevitably involve heated debates. Whether it will succeed in the end depends on His Majesty's decision.

How could a man with one foot in the grave possibly use a child's achievements to fulfill his own long-cherished wish?

He's not that shameless.

“You are still young, don’t be in a hurry. As long as you achieve your goals in office, even if I am already dead by then, you can burn the paper money for me at my grave. That will be a testament to your keeping your word.”

As He Tingshi spoke, he glared at Zhou Zhao with his swollen, slit-like eyes, "In all my years at the Court of Justice, I have never seen anyone as unfortunate as you. Investigating a case, you are either dying or on your way to die every day."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhao felt a sudden heart attack.

What could she say? As expected of the Court of Justice, her sharp tongue was a must-learn skill, and her ability to kill was an unparalleled divine art.

Seeing Zhou Zhao's discomfiture, He Tingshi felt a rare moment of pleasure. He sighed softly, "I never imagined that after all this time, the Court of Justice would still be under the Zhou family's name. I was even thinking of moving my ancestral graves next to your old Zhou family's."

When I entered the court as an official, your grandfather was already the Minister of Justice. Just when I finally had the strength to compete, your father suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Speaking of which, back then, the only one who could rival your father was Li Huaishan. It's just that he never entered the Court of Justice, instead wandering around in the provinces. I even thought at the time that Li Huaishan didn't go to Chang'an because he saw the Zhou family's secure position in the Court of Justice; even if he did come, he would only be subordinate to them.

At that time, the Zhou family of the Court of Justice was truly at its zenith. Zhou Buhai was in his prime, and Zhou Yan had already begun to show his talent.

Although a troublemaker has emerged in the family, he was betrothed to the Marquis of Lu's household long ago, and sooner or later he will wreak havoc on other people's homes.

Back then, he spent countless nights biting his blanket, wanting to move his ancestral graves.

As He Tingshi spoke, his expression was somewhat wistful. "Later, after Li Huaishan came, he still didn't enter the Court of Justice. Instead, he went to the Thirteen Ministries. I was regretful at the time. Although he became an official under the Prime Minister, nothing was as good as being in the Court of Justice. After all, that was where we should be."

If Li Huaishan doesn't come to the Court of Justice, he's wasting his talent.

Unexpectedly, he was not only a remnant of the previous dynasty, but also pulled a stunt to undermine the cause. Your father has done nothing seriously wrong, so it's impossible for him to leave the Court of Justice, nor can he become the Minister of Justice. But your father has done something seriously wrong: the princess was killed, and the young Marquis of Lu disappeared. He couldn't find any clues, and His Majesty, in his fury, naturally needs someone to give an explanation.

He's quite shrewd; he accurately predicted that after your father left the Court of Justice, he would be the only candidate for the position of Minister of Justice.

Li Huaishan is truly capable. Why is such a person so stubborn and doesn't use his abilities for good?

We, the people of the Court of Judicial Review, hold the power of life and death over others. We must not be blinded by power, lest we lose our impartiality and meet our demise.