Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 357 Eliminating the First Person

“A very important person these days…” Xu Yun murmured, repeating himself, then his expression suddenly changed as he thought of something.

He looked up and met Zhou Zhaotong and Su Changying's gaze. "It would have been better if you hadn't said anything. Now that you have, it's rather strange."

Because the Heavenly Ladder case involved artisans from the Imperial Household Department, your grandfather informed them. Since it concerned eighteen lives, the Han family sent Han Jiushang, now known as the Han Shaofu. However, he was there to clean up the mess, arriving a little later than me…”

Xu Yun paused as she spoke, as if she had figured out what Zhou Zhao wanted to ask.

His eyes flickered, and he added, "To be precise, we left Chang'an at the same time, but Han Jiushang only arrived at Tianmang Mountain after Gong Ling was rescued."

But that's not surprising. What's surprising is whether you know who the garrison commander was at that time. It was none other than the current Grand Commandant Huo. Back then, it was still the previous dynasty, and Grand Commandant Huo was still General Huo. Although he was famous in the region, his rank was far lower than that of Marquis Lu.

At the time, I was worried that the Prince of Dongping would resort to desperate measures, so I, in my capacity as the Minister of Justice, asked Grand Commandant Huo to take action.

Who would have thought that he now commands the entire army, wielding immense power, and is worlds apart from us…

Xu Yun sighed deeply.

Zhou Zhao winked at Xu Yun, "Wasn't my martial uncle a minor official in the Court of Justice back then? He was worlds apart from a general who was guarding a region."

Xu Yun paused, and the sadness in her heart instantly vanished.

He rolled his eyes at Zhou Zhao, thinking, "What a fine girl, why does she have such a sharp tongue!"
Indeed, if he weren't sharp-tongued, how could he have thrived in the Court of Justice? He was so angered by Min Zangzhi that he hanged himself from a tree in the southeast!

"Not only that..." Xu Yun rolled her eyes but didn't neglect the important matter and continued talking about the strange things.

As Zhou Zhao listened, he couldn't help but silently urge, "Stop, stop!"
There are four suspects in total, and you've already mentioned two! If you continue, wouldn't it be pointless to say anything at all?

Xu Yun, however, did not receive Zhou Zhao's prayer at all, and continued, "The Dongping County where Mangshan is located is the ancestral home of an acquaintance of ours. Their family is a prominent family in the area."

Zhou Zhao understood immediately; she and Xu Yun were both acquainted.

That must be someone from the Court of Justice.

"So, that person is the Marquis of Huaiyang, who is also Zhao Tingwei, who just took office."

Xu Yun nodded with a complicated expression. "That's right! Thinking about it now, I never realized I knew so many important people back then..."

Xu Yun thought to himself that if he had known earlier, he would have been all over them back then, and now he could have rushed up to them and said, "If we become rich and powerful, let's not forget each other."

"Uncle-Master, don't even think about it. You're not cut out to be a lackey. All you can do is break someone's legs! Fawning over others is Xu Jin's job."

Xu Yun's regret vanished instantly. Indeed, even if he were lucky enough to have a second chance, he would still offend the most people with his fiercest temper, just like in this life.

He just wasn't destined for greatness!
As Zhou Zhao spoke, he stared at Xu Yun, and finally stopped talking, without revealing the name of the fourth person.

"What about Prime Minister Chen?" Su Changying suddenly asked. "In such a blessed place, with the Grand Commandant, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of the Imperial Treasury already there, it wouldn't be surprising if a Prime Minister came!"

He spoke in a relaxed tone, as if he were joking unintentionally.

Xu Yun was taken aback, then burst into laughter, "No, that's not true at all. The Prime Minister was still debating with people at the academy back then! He's so shameless. If he can't win, he just relies on the fact that there are many young men from the Chen family, and they chatter away, making people dizzy. I went to the academy with your father to learn from him once, and my father and I..."

Xu Yun remembered something and cleared his throat. "Of course, we won the first round and gave them a thorough dressing down."

Zhou Zhao pursed his lips, took out a small bronze mirror, and placed it in front of Xu Yun. Xu Yun looked up and saw the guilty face in the mirror, like a thief. It was obvious that he had lied. Not only had he not won, but he had lost miserably...

Seeing this, his face flushed red, and he slapped the bronze mirror out of Zhou Zhao's hand, angrily saying:

"How can we, upright gentlemen, stoop to their level with such shameless tactics of constant warfare..."

Seeing the smile in Zhou Zhao's eyes, Xu Yun instantly became angry again. He snorted coldly, "I'm leaving. I'm too lazy to waste time chatting with you. I know I've already told you. If you still can't find anything out, you might as well leave the Court of Justice."

When you leave, remember to take Xu Jin, that lump of mud, and a whole bunch of spineless cowards with you!

As he spoke, he turned and walked away, as if a dog was chasing him, his bloated belly bouncing back and forth, looking strangely comical.

Once they were on the main road and there were people around, Xu Yun immediately became composed again, pacing back and straightening his back with an old face, looking dignified.

Zhou Zhao found it somewhat amusing, and she turned to look at Su Changying beside her, "Three, two, one..."

"Are you all dead? You can't work without me?

Xu Yun's earth-shattering roar echoed throughout the Court of Justice. Zhou Zhao felt that the noise was comparable to the morning bell and evening drum... No wonder the Court of Justice had no secrets. Everyone living nearby was a gossip. Who wouldn't want to come up and ask, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Only after the Court of Justice had quieted down again did Su Changying reach out and gently grasp Zhou Zhao's wrist.

"Unexpectedly, Tianquan's plan has come true by accident. That young master, who is not a son but is more like a son to him, is most likely the murderer."

He lost his mother at a young age and was missing for a year before being brought home; since someone is hunting him, it must be due to family turmoil or infighting; he even went to Tianmang Mountain to save Gong Ling. Given all these circumstances, finding him was only a matter of time.

As Zhou Zhao listened to Su Changying's words, he turned to look at him, his expression becoming increasingly calm.

She thought she would be so excited when she was close to finding the murderer that her heart would pound, but when the moment came, she was unusually calm.

She even had the energy to wonder if things were going too smoothly and she had fallen into a trap, or if she had made a mistake in one of the steps.

"If Xu Yun is right, then the first one to be ruled out is the Prime Minister."

Zhou Zhao looked in the direction of the Prime Minister's residence. Su Changying nodded upon hearing this. "If he hadn't secretly gone to Tianmang Mountain to rescue people and had been a troublemaker at the academy, it would have been easy to find witnesses as his alibi."

I will arrange for someone to investigate.

Moreover, I have an idea. Of the four, Grand Commandant Huo is undoubtedly highly skilled in martial arts; according to your father's testimony, Prefect Han is a martial arts prodigy who once studied under a master of the Imperial Guard; but we do not know how skilled the Prime Minister and the Marquis of Huaiyang are..."

Zhou Zhao's eyes lit up as she listened, and she looked at Su Changying with great interest, "So, you want to assassinate them?"

Her eyes lit up. "There's no time like the present. Let's do it tonight."