Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 354 Han Shaofu Proves His Innocence

"Who saved you? Xu Yun?"

Gong Ling shook her head upon hearing this. "I don't know either. At that time, I was grabbed by Qin Xin and pierced directly into the copper tree branch. I was in unbearable pain. Just when I was about to faint, someone used a sword to cut off the copper branch and rescued me, putting me on the ground."

When the King of Dongping discovered this, he was furious and concluded that I had broken the blood sacrifice.

I fell unconscious after being rescued, and I only heard about what happened afterward. I heard that it was Lord Xu who risked his life to stop the murderer, Qin Xin, and punished the Prince of Dongping.

If there was any hurdle that could threaten my life, it was only this one.

Perhaps it's a case of surviving a great calamity bringing good fortune; though I haven't become a renowned craftsman, I've managed to survive unscathed and retire from the Imperial Treasury unscathed.

Royal nobles are not so easy to serve. Craftsmen are like doctors; in their eyes, anything that is not done well will result in death. They are no different from pottery jars. Once a batch dies, a new batch is recruited.

People like him, who can enjoy their later years in peace and with all their children and grandchildren still around, are extremely rare.

Zhou Zhao listened attentively, seemingly lost in thought. Hearing Su Changying's footsteps at the door, she looked over and asked, "Is everything arranged?"

Su Changying nodded. "Ah Huang and Min Zangzhi will be here soon. The Northern Army is already guarding the gate. Should we leave first? This is Nanshi. Soon, there will be a huge crowd of onlookers."

Zhou Zhao grunted in response, and Su Changying beckoned, and Han Ze came running in eagerly.

As soon as he entered, he looked around and saw Gong Ling. He exclaimed in surprise, "Old Gong, you're still alive! My father said he wanted me to pay my respects at your funeral!"

As Han Ze spoke, he mysteriously leaned closer to Zhou Zhao, "Sister Zhao, Sister Zhao, it's that bronze seal that Old Gong made that's the problem, right? My father was dragged out of bed by the Southern Army last night, and they searched for him everywhere! They searched all the way from my mother's room all the way to Aunt Thirteen's bed before they finally found him!"

Thirteenth concubine...

Zhou Zhao's lips twitched. So Han Ze's life of debauchery is a family tradition?

"Our whole family turned the house upside down looking for the bronze seal. We had so many treasures in the house, and after searching for ages, we finally found it in a chest. It almost scared my mother out of her wits. The house was in chaos, and my father rushed off to the palace."

My mother thought he wouldn't come back, after all, wasn't that thing produced by our young master's household?
She brought out the coffin and burial clothes, and her brothers were all in a hurry to write divorce papers. Unexpectedly, she returned while she was taking a piss.

My father said that General Han took a small tray and had everyone place the bronze lion seals one after another, exactly eight in total, not one more and not one less.

"I told you there was a murder at Old Master Gong's place. My father is frantic. He says there's a high chance the seal was stolen, and Old Master Gong's spare was stolen! He's lost his life too!"

Han Ze started talking non-stop, like pouring out beans, rattling off a whole string of words.

Zhou Zhao and Su Changying exchanged a glance, both understanding the situation.

"Your father told you to tell me all this, didn't he? And he went into such detail!"

Han Ze's eyes widened, and he exclaimed in surprise.

“I told you so! I said I would say these things right away, and Sister Zhao could tell at a glance that Father made me say them! But Father insisted that I say them!”

As he spoke, he scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, "My father said that since I couldn't figure it out anyway, I should just do as he said. Of course, that wasn't exactly what my father said; I just embellished it to suit my own tone."

What was modified? Thirteen concubines, or perhaps it was just the time it takes to urinate...

"You wait here for the people from the Court of Justice to come and take Gong Huan's body away," Su Changying instructed.

Upon hearing this, Han Ze quickly cupped his hands in greeting, "Yes! So, General, was it Gong Huan who died? What a pity! He was so handsome, many noble ladies were fond of him and wanted him to come and ring cat bells and dog collars..."

"Han Ze!" Su Changying's voice carried a hint of sternness. Han Ze glanced at Gong Ling, saw the sorrow on his face, realized he had said the wrong thing, and immediately covered his mouth.

He used to be a spoiled brat, saying whatever he wanted, arrogant and domineering, and never cared about the feelings of ordinary people.

It wasn't until he followed Su Changying and Zhou Zhao and witnessed much suffering that he developed a sense of compassion.

He may have the heart, but he hasn't taken back his loose tongue.

He hesitated, unsure how to smooth things over without sounding frivolous, and finally said quietly, "I'm sorry."

Gong Ling looked up at Han Ze in surprise, then shook her head.

Zhou Zhao didn't say much. He and Su Changying lightly touched the ground and left the small shop together, heading to the back alley away from the South Market.

Standing here, you can still hear the lively chatter from the southern part of the city.

Zhou Zhao and Su Changying stood side by side, their boots making almost no sound as they stepped on the bluestone pavement.

"Han Shaofu, through Han Ze, told us that his copper seal was perfectly intact and was found in full view of everyone. Furthermore, he had an alibi from last night, provided by his thirteenth concubine."

The Southern Army was mobilized last night. Those eight men were not fools; they knew that His Majesty's sudden inspection of the Lion Seal meant that, logically, at least one of the eight had encountered a problem.

We just discovered the deceased. Han Ze was also just summoned by you. It's impossible for Han Shaofu to explain to him at this juncture. After discovering that all eight seals were intact, he immediately deduced that Gong Ling had been murdered and that someone had stolen the spare seals. Then, before Han Ze left this morning, he specifically told him about it.

Because it was speculation, he naturally assumed that Gong Ling was the one who died.

Su Changying nodded as she listened, "Because of the seal, Han Shaofu is the prime suspect."

No one knows Gong Ling better than him, nor does he know where he lives. Even His Majesty suspects him, so he wants to use Han Ze's words and your actions to clear his name.

His Majesty wanted to find out who the murderer was before the two of them, so that he could have both offensive and defensive options.

But that doesn't mean he wouldn't let him investigate the murderer with Zhou Zhao.

Well, the problem is coming.

Is Han Shaofu's statement credible?

Was it really as complicated as she thought, that Gong Ling would be spared? Was it just that Han Shaofu anticipated she would become the prime suspect and was deliberately creating a smokescreen to mislead her?
Zhou Zhao thought about it and shook his head.

"Let Tianquan and Jingyi continue to protect Gong Ling. I believe our approach is correct; Gong Ling is indeed a special person to the murderer."

Back in Tianmang Mountain, during the Heavenly Ladder incident, he was rescued once, and everything went smoothly for him afterward. What if someone had been secretly watching over him and protecting him?

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he touched his sleeve pocket, which contained Zhou Yan's blueprints for the mechanical tower.

“I asked Sister Chuyou, and she said that Princess Changyang praised my brother as the smartest person in Chang'an City at the Lantern Festival. According to what His Majesty said later, the princess sought out my brother to decipher the Heavenly Book because of this.”

Gong Ling just mentioned that his brother found him before the Lunar New Year, wanting to build the mechanical copper tower together. They then discussed the blueprints many times. These two periods almost completely overlap, which led me to consider a possibility.

The murderer had been secretly observing Gong Ling's every move. During his investigation, he discovered that his brother was the one who helped the princess decipher the Six Paths Heavenly Book.

If that's the case, could the person who saved Gong Ling from the brink of death at Tianmang Mountain back then be that person, or someone that person sent out?

As Zhou Zhao thought about it, her heart pounded. She had a feeling that she was about to catch that person red-handed.