Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 359 The Passerby
"Father, are you alright? How come there was an assassin all of a sudden?"

Marquis Huaiyang waved his hand, signaling the guards to leave. Only when Zhao Yizhou remained in the courtyard did he speak, "It's alright. At first, I was also very panicked. That man was exceptionally skilled; killing me would have been effortless for him. But he didn't take my life..."

I suspect it's most likely related to what happened at Princess Changyang's residence last night; His Majesty probably sent top imperial guards to probe the situation.

As the Marquis of Huaiyang spoke, he looked at Zhao Yizhou with a solemn expression, “When you were young, you would trip over your own feet with your left foot. Your mother spent a lot of money to hire eight experts to teach you, but each of them returned the gold and silver the next day and left.”

"I know you value your reputation, but the court is in turmoil right now, and your father sees things are not going well. Please heed my advice and bring more guards with you."

Seeing that Zhao Yizhou had something to say, the Marquis of Huaiyang forcefully interrupted him.

"It's embarrassing to bring guards out, but it's even more embarrassing to have Su Changying beat you so badly you're embedded in the wall?"

Zhao Yizhou blushed instantly, looking at the Marquis of Huaiyang in disbelief, "Father? How did you know?"

The Marquis of Huaiyang immediately became somewhat listless. "Chang Zuoping has a small ledger that records clearly and meticulously the date on which someone damaged the wall, the amount of the fine, and so on... It's very detailed... Father, you paid the most..."

Zhao Yizhou's breathing became rapid.

Isn't it supposed to be about paying to avoid trouble? Why does he want to die even after paying money...?

He thought for a moment, then his gaze shifted and he noticed the wound on the Marquis of Huaiyang's arm. He said anxiously, "Father, you're injured. Your arm is bleeding..."

The Marquis of Huaiyang turned his head and his face contorted in pain. "Ouch, ouch, ouch..."

He shouted, glancing at a large tree outside the courtyard wall. Just as Zhao Yizhou was in a panic, he suddenly calmed down, raised his hand and disdainfully brushed Zhao Yizhou away, "Yizhou, you still have a lot to learn."

Zhou Zhao gently floated down into the back alley and turned to look at Su Changying beside her.

"how do you feel?"

Su Changying shook her head. "We cannot rule out the possibility of the Marquis of Huaiyang being involved. He lacks strength and internal energy, but he is clearly skilled in lightness skills. Although I did not use my full strength, he clearly dodged very well and even had the strength to counterattack."

He probably couldn't bear the hardship of martial arts training, but he was also afraid of death, so he diligently practiced escape techniques.

Furthermore, the weapon in his hand was quite extraordinary. You see, he lacked strength, yet the weapon pierced the pillar with ease. Cutting the bronze tree branch in half with a single stroke was entirely feasible.”

Zhou Zhaoshen nodded, "That's right. Do you remember the pink pill he used last night after we almost caught up with him? That thing came from Tianying City, and Zhao Yizhou had been training in Dai for a long time before returning from Tianying City."

Moreover, the Marquis of Huaiyang is clearly ambitious and wants to go further.

I deliberately left my presence on that tree. You could have killed him, but you didn't. He indeed thought we were people from the palace who came to test him.

Therefore, he deliberately said those words, firstly to show that he was at ease knowing that His Majesty was testing him, secondly to show that Zhao Yizhou had no martial arts skills and to clear himself of any involvement, and thirdly to accuse you of making false accusations against Chang Zuoping.

Of course, he brought this up specifically because he was worried that we had overheard Zhao Yizhou saying he didn't want to marry the princess, so he was planting a seed for us to do so.

If His Majesty were to hear this and be displeased, he could twist the truth and say that you were jealous and hit someone for no reason, and that Zhao Yizhou only said those words out of anger and asked to marry me.

Then I held my breath, and he, thinking the assassin had left, immediately changed his expression.

As Zhou Zhao spoke, she noticed that Su Changying beside her did not respond, and she met Su Changying's gaze in surprise.

"You think I'm wrong?"

She also wanted to know when Su Changying hit Zhao Yizhou and even knocked him into the wall.

"The Marquis of Huaiyang did not distort the truth; I did hit Zhao Yizhou out of jealousy."

Zhou Zhao was taken aback, and for a moment he thought there might be something wrong with his ears.

She snapped out of her daze and said speechlessly, "You even knocked someone into the wall?"

Su Changying nodded, her eyes filled with trepidation. She thought to herself, "Civil officials are indeed insidious. There were so many twists and turns in what they said just now... That's not all, they even secretly made false accusations!"

They're absolutely heartless!
“He said I wasn’t good enough for Zhao Zhao. I got angry and poked him with my finger. He flew into the wall. I didn’t even use much force.”

Looking at Su Changying's innocent eyes, Zhou Zhao felt his teeth itch. "Did Han Xincheng open a private school and ask you to become his student?"

Su Changying blinked. "For each move I teach, His Highness Prince Dai and I will give him a gold ingot."

Of the three sons-in-law, Han Xincheng was the only one who was nobody, with no engagement and no official status. Yet, he was outmatched by the Prince of Dai and failed to become the most valued and popular son-in-law in the Zhou family. That guy practically entered the house at will.

Unlike him, who could only see Zhaozhao by climbing over the wall.

Zhou Zhao was speechless.

Then he looked at Su Changying with a blank expression.

"Give me that gold ingot directly later. No wonder Han Xincheng specifically reminded me when I was in the palace; it turns out the road was paved with money..."

When Zhou Zhao spoke, his teeth were clenched so hard they made a clattering sound.

Su Changying watched secretly from the side and couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth. How could her Zhaozhao be so cute?

She's adorable when investigating cases, adorable when she's mischievously scheming, and even more adorable when she's puffed up in anger.

"Zhaozhao, how about we try to see the Prime Minister next? After that, we'll go see Jingyi; he should have already investigated these people's backgrounds."

Zhou Zhao's attention was immediately diverted by Su Changying, "Go! Trying one is the same as trying two..."

She refused to believe that by eliminating each possibility one by one, they still couldn't find the murderer.

As Zhou Zhao was speaking, he suddenly stopped.

Su Changying, who had been watching her, followed her gaze and looked ahead. She saw a man in purple robes standing at the entrance of the alley ahead. He wore a jade crown and exuded an air of grandeur. Although she couldn't see his face, she was certain that he was not an ugly person.

"Prefect Han, what should be done for violating the curfew?"

Su Changying's voice turned cold as she called out.

Han Shaofu, standing at the alley entrance, turned around and slightly curled the corners of his lips.

He was extremely handsome. Originally, Han Ze was a dashing young master, but in front of the person in front of him, he looked like a child who hadn't even grown any hair yet.

Han Shaofu stood there, exuding an aura of spring's vitality at all times.

In an instant, Zhou Zhao remembered what Han Ze had said about his thirteenth concubine.

Upon hearing this, his eyes flickered, and he slowly walked towards Zhou Zhao and Su Changying. "Han Ze is clumsy with words, and I was worried that he would make things worse, so I came here specifically to tell you that I am not the person you are looking for. Don't waste your energy on me."

The Imperial Household Department has no factions and does not participate in the struggle for the throne. We only care about managing His Majesty's purse and making some trinkets for him.

I didn't kill your brother Zhou Yan, even though I didn't like him. You should understand that a proper, upright gentleman and a playboy like us, who only want to eat, drink, and have fun, are inherently incompatible.

I thought that by entrusting Han Ze's head to you, you should have long understood my sincerity.

As he spoke, he touched his chin, "Although I don't lack sons, Han Ze is the one who resembles me the most, and I like him very much."

What's most like you? Like you, will you live a life of debauchery and marry thirteen concubines?

Zhou Zhao muttered to himself.