Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 337 Willing to be bait
Zhou Zhao looked up and his gaze suddenly met the Emperor's eyes.

He blinked.

Zhou Zhao felt inexplicably like she was hallucinating; she seemed to see a hint of stupidity in His Majesty's eyes.

That's His Majesty. If he's stupid, then there's no one smart in the world.

"I am indeed not very clever. Back then, Zhou Yan's hand was right in front of me, and this is what happened..."

As His Majesty spoke, he placed his finger on the bamboo slip submitted by Zhou Zhao regarding the abolition of corporal punishment, and poked it haphazardly with his finger.

"And so the Heavenly Book was opened... but I didn't remember it."

Zhou Zhao was speechless, looking at the old man in front of him, and was at a loss for what to do.

Do you still remember that you are the emperor?
How could there be such a "human and approachable" emperor?

She thought for a moment and then tentatively offered some words of comfort, "Changying met with Ahuang, but she didn't remember it either."

His Majesty was taken aback, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"I had someone replace the bamboo slips from the Court of Justice immediately with a fake one. That thing is indestructible and fireproof; it's impossible to open without special methods."

The news leaked, which means that I am not completely secure. Therefore…

As His Majesty spoke, he suddenly paused, creating suspense, and asked, "Tell me, what have I done?"

Zhou Zhao's mind turned serious. "At that time, I was still young, and Your Majesty could not find another person in the world who was both the most intelligent and reliable to solve the mystery for you. You waited and waited until I grew up and became the most intelligent person in Chang'an. You then returned the Six Paths Heavenly Book and found a way to deliver it to me."

Because the real culprit hasn't been caught, you know that those with treacherous ambitions won't give up the search for that thing.

So they deliberately had Zhang Ran and Prince Consort Fan openly and secretly search for the Six Paths Heavenly Book, intentionally confusing the public.

Because this secret is known only to you, Princess Changyang, and my brother Zhou Yan.

Therefore, after the incident, your first suspicions were those close to them, such as Prince Consort Fan and my father.

Making Prince Consort Fan mistakenly believe that the Six Paths Heavenly Book was a tortoise shell was your test of him.

"And your decision to have my father leave the Court of Judicial Review and not enter the court for four years was also a test for you."

Zhou Zhao understood perfectly; he knew that His Majesty was testing her.

She had already received Han Xincheng's warning that His Majesty had been watching her closely. She had no choice but to confess and show that she was smart enough.

However, as a woman, if she wanted to become the Minister of Justice, she had to demonstrate to His Majesty her talent, which far surpassed that of men, before she could become the one "exceptional" in the selection process.

"His Majesty has been keeping an eye on the Zhou family. When I entered my brother's courtyard, I didn't expect to find any clues, nor did I realize there were eyes watching there, so I wasn't careful enough and barged in during the day."

After finding the clues, they could only make do with what they could, so they found a box and carried it out as a cover.

But how could my little tricks possibly fool His Majesty's eyes?

"Thanks to Your Majesty's trust, I did indeed decipher the Six Paths Heavenly Book on that very day, based on the clues left behind by my brother."

As soon as Zhou Zhao finished speaking, he felt the gaze in front of him suddenly become sharp.

The Emperor's smile vanished. "If that's the case, why don't you present it immediately? What do you intend to do?"

Zhou Zhao cupped his hands in greeting. "The clues left by my elder brother have been burned. Now, the solution only exists in my mind. I don't know if the eyes watching me in the Zhou family are the eyes of the murderer, nor do I know if the murderer's eyes are hidden beside Your Majesty."

Rather than taking it out and giving those with ulterior motives an opportunity to seize it.

Therefore, I dare not act on my own initiative before Your Majesty gives the order.

It is not that I am not going to present it immediately, but that I am waiting for Your Majesty's decree.

"Your Majesty, we've arrived." Zhou Zhao said, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

It is said that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. Since the secret involves the struggle for the throne, His Majesty's previous amiable and approachable demeanor did not affect his sudden probing.

If she answers incorrectly... Bai Li is a cautionary tale.

Upon hearing this, His Majesty suddenly stood up, walked out from behind his desk, and stood in front of Zhou Zhao.

Zhou Zhao kept his head down, so all that could be seen were his boots embroidered with gold thread and the tassels swaying below his waist pendant.

"What if I allow you to take it out?"

Zhou Zhao pursed his lips. "Your Majesty, I will protect you with my life and am willing to be your bait."

It seems His Majesty has no clue who that person is. He also realized that when Zhou Zhao went to retrieve the "secret," someone would surely try to steal it. And that person might just be the murderer hiding right beside him.

His Majesty's voice came from above Zhou Zhao's head.

"You are indeed very clever, retrieving the items and finding out who the murderer is. My things can only be given, not taken away. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

Zhou Zhao understood perfectly well.

If the murderer who killed my brother was not someone sent by His Majesty, then it must be someone from the Empress or the Imperial Concubine's side. This person must know the secret that was originally known only to His Majesty, Princess Changyang, and Zhou Yan.

How can I allow others to snore under my bed?

How could the emperor tolerate his trusted confidant betraying him and switching allegiance to a new master?

He can choose to pass his throne to someone.

But I don't like it when someone starts fighting behind my back while I'm still alive; it's like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth.

"A life for a life, you will get your comeuppance," His Majesty suddenly said.

Zhou Zhao looked up abruptly, his eyes flashing with excited joy. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhou Zhao maintained this outward appearance, but inwardly she remained incredibly calm. She didn't believe him completely; the Emperor's easy promise was only because he didn't know who the murderer was. What if it was the Third Prince? The Crown Prince? Or Min Zangzhi, who had an immunity from death?

Or what if it's a high-ranking official whom even His Majesty cannot move at will?

Zhou Zhao will rely on herself to block every chance that person can escape punishment.

The hall was silent; His Majesty remained silent.

After a long while, he finally said, "You may leave now."

Zhou Zhao cupped his hands in greeting and exclaimed, "Yes..."

As she spoke, she bowed and withdrew. Not far from the palace gate, the Marquis of Huaiyang and He Tingshi were waiting there. By now, the snow had fallen heavier, and the palace road was a vast expanse of white.

He Tingshi saw Zhou Zhao and ran over to him.

He was an old man with white hair, and I don't know how his legs became so nimble at this moment, he ran to Zhou Zhao in an instant.

He looked Zhou Zhao up and down, and seeing that she was alright, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"You didn't anger His Majesty, did you? You're not good, unlike Bai Li, who could at least become a eunuch to pay for his life."

Hearing the awkward words coming out of that unforgiving mouth, Zhou Zhao chuckled, "You haven't disgraced the Court of Justice."

He Tingshi snorted coldly, "Losing face is better than losing your life. Where does the Court of Justice have any face left? No, there's also Chang Zuoping's thick-skinned face that even a knife can't cut."

The Marquis of Huaiyang, who overheard these words not far away, was still chuckling. He was unaware that his own son had been shamelessly fined three ingots of gold by Chang Zuoping. Zhao Yizhou didn't mention it when he returned, probably because even the Thirteen Caos had some sense of shame.