Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 350: Tracking Clues
Thinking about what happened last night, Zhou Zhao didn't linger. He picked up the half-eaten flatbread from the table and walked out of the small canteen.

Seeing that she was only holding the food and not eating much, Su Changying reached out her hand and said, "Are you full but don't want to leave any? Give it to me, I didn't have enough for breakfast."

Before Zhou Zhao could respond, he saw Su Changying naturally take the half-piece of sesame cake and put it in her mouth.

"This...this is what I left over..."

Su Changying's lips curled up slightly.

"From childhood to adulthood, how many leftovers of Zhao Zhao have I eaten? Let me count: plums so sour they make your teeth ache, peaches that might have worms... When we went to the market, needless to say, I didn't buy anything, I could get full just by eating what Zhao Zhao left over."

Zhou Zhao blushed slightly.

I was young then, can it be the same as now?

She thought for a moment, cleared her throat, and lowered her voice, "How is it?"

"The Chen family that Yuheng married back then was a branch of the Prime Minister's family. However, the Chen clan is very large and there are many members like them."

Chen Ao had two sons, the elder named Chen Shanhai and the younger named Chen Jun. You've met Chen Shanhai; you asked him to be a witness in Zhang Ruoqing's case. Chen Jun was the fiancé who was killed by Yu Heng.

Chen Shanhai's cronies are also familiar faces to us, including Huo Ting and Chen Yin.

Han Ze, Huo Ting, and Chen Shanhai were all Zhang Ruoqing's admirers.

Chen Yin's identity is somewhat special. His father, Chen Chao, is the prime minister's younger brother. However, years ago, Chen Chao left home and established his own household, forming a separate branch. He never claimed to be affiliated with the prime minister's family, and ordinary people simply regarded them as two separate Chen families.

Chen Yin and Huo Ting were inseparable and had a very close relationship.

Zhou Zhao listened attentively to Su Changying's words. Last night, when she came out of the Zhou residence, she saw Su Changying waiting in front of the gate.

She frankly told Su Changying all the clues she had found.

When Su Changying returned after handling the aftermath, she told her that Ahuang had brought Fan Lishen into the Chu Prince's mansion.

"Chen Shanhai, Huo Ting, Han Ze, Zhang Ruoqing... If we add Zhao Yizhou, then these five families are all connected."

She shook her head as she spoke.

The noble families were large, and the纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy families who indulged in pleasure) were fond of brothels and drinking parties. Many of these men could be considered cronies. These individuals were neither direct descendants nor heads of the family, and therefore could not be used as a basis for factionalism, as they were not even allowed at the table.

If young men are not allowed, then what about middle-aged men with official positions?

She thought, "Chen Ao instructed Yan Junyu to take action, so he must be one of that person's men."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he held up three fingers. This group of people had ruthlessly killed them, and they hadn't shown any special affection for Ah Huang either. They must be from the Third Prince's lineage.

"And what about the Prime Minister?"

If the Prime Minister is a member of the Third Prince's faction, then the suspicion that he is the murderer increases.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then shook his head, clearing away all his speculations. They needed concrete evidence.

Knowing what she was thinking, Su Changying added, "We've also made progress regarding the craftsman who made that bronze lion."

As they talked, the two left the Court of Justice again, with Zhou Zhao following beside Su Changying, heading towards the South Market.

"That man's name is Gong Ling. He is a skilled coppersmith who used to work for the government. Now that he is old, he has handed over the trade to his three sons and retired from the business. He now runs a copper sculpture shop in the South Market, selling practice pieces made by the younger generation of his family. Tianquan found out his whereabouts and, to prevent him from being silenced, has been protecting him."

He was in the light, while Jingyi remained in the shadows.

Zhou Zhao was taken aback. "Jing Yi is with you?"

Su Changying nodded.

“I originally wanted him to join the Northern Army, but he didn’t want to be an official and wanted to live a carefree life. Now he works with Tianquan and the others to help me manage my businesses and do odd jobs.”

The South Market was bustling with activity at this hour, filled with shops and vendors, as well as young boys carrying bamboo baskets, constantly calling out, "Fish! Fish that were just caught this morning!"

The two walked through the crowd until they reached the deepest corner of the market, where there was a small, drab shop with no signboard in front of it, only a faded little flag with the words "Tong Gong" written on it.

From a distance, Zhou Zhao could see two old men sitting on the threshold, hunched over and leaning forward, intently playing cricket fighting!

"Charge! Charge! Lone Wolf! Kill him!"

"Hurry up! Straw mat, are you a male insect? You can't be impotent! Crush that bastard!"

The two men rolled up their sleeves, kicking and punching excitedly, their facial features flying wildly, as if they wished they could possess the two insects in front of them and fight them to the death!

A few idlers gathered around, clapping and stomping their feet, making quite a scene!
Zhou Zhao glanced at him and twitched the corner of his mouth.

There were two insects, one named Lone Wolf and the other named Grass Mat. Neither of them looked like an insect.

As they spoke, the crickets had already decided their winner. Tianquan let out a mournful cry and sighed to the sky, "Straw mat! You really aren't a male cricket!"

The old man next to him was all smiles. He put the cricket into the cage and patted Tianquan on the shoulder triumphantly, "Little brother, don't take it to heart. My Lone Wolf is invincible throughout Nanshi! Haha!"

Once the cricket fighting ended, the idlers dispersed, and Zhou Zhao and Su Changying suddenly became conspicuous.

Gong Ling tied the cricket cage to her waist and said with a warm smile, "Esteemed guests, would you like to see the bronze sculpture?"

Zhou Zhao and Su Changying went inside and looked around at the carvings in the shop. Most of them were auspicious beasts. Although the craftsmanship was not up to the level of a master, they could still be considered good products.

Zhou Zhao remained silent and walked straight to the inner hall at the back of the shop.

Gong Ling became anxious upon seeing this and quickly followed, "Two distinguished guests, how can you just barge in like this? Is there something you need?"

Gong Ling looked Zhou Zhaotong and Su Changying up and down, and then saw Tian Quan standing at the door like a door god, seemingly oblivious to the commotion. She immediately had a guess in her mind.

These two were definitely not guests, and Tianquan was not an old man who shared his interests.

"Master Gong is very skilled at carving lions. I heard that he once carved a set of bronze lion seals for His Majesty and awarded them to meritorious officials. Is this true? I am Zhou Zhao from the Court of Justice."

Upon hearing the words "Court of Justice," Gong Ling's expression changed slightly, and he lost his previous enthusiasm for cricket fighting.

His back hunched slightly. "Young Master Zhou, what business do you have with me? I did indeed commissioned Prefect Han to carve a set of eight bronze lion seals many years ago, four of each type. That was many years ago, I don't know..."

He spoke with a look of apprehension in his eyes.

Who in Chang'an doesn't know Lady Zhou now? Whenever she takes action, a major case is bound to occur.

"How many did you make back then?"