Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 360 My Mother Is Alive

Although Zhou Zhao's voice was soft, Han Shaofu still heard it.

He laughed with pleasure upon hearing this, "If you hadn't pecked him with the bird back then, it might have been possible."

After Han Ze was punished by Zhou Zhao, everyone in the family laughed for a long time, and even Zhou Zhao found Han Ze to be kind and adorable.

Honestly, none of his sons could be as funny as him.

Now it was Zhou Zhao's turn to be speechless. She had seen Han Shaofu before, but only from afar at banquets.

Han Shaofu and her father Zhou Buhai were both among the Nine Ministers. Their families had been colleagues from the previous dynasty to the new dynasty. Although they were not close, they had some family ties and face-saving. However, at that time, Han Shaofu gave her the impression of being a rather amiable elder.

Indeed, back then she was a mischievous little girl from a colleague's family, but now she can barely stand on tiptoe and still dare to call herself "an official in the same court."

Han Shaofu approached a little closer, but didn't come over. He stood at an angle under the nearest bare tree, his eyes darting around, and reached out to pluck the last withered yellow leaf from the tree.

"Han Ze came home crying his eyes out today, asking if I had committed a capital crime. He's reluctant to leave me, his father, but he also can't bear to go against you all," Han Shaofu said, chuckling helplessly.

Zhou Zhao stared at him intently, seeing boundless doting in his eyes.

She thought that Han Shaofu was not lying; he truly loved Han Ze very much.

As she looked at him, a sense of bewilderment crept into her eyes. Once upon a time, Zhou Buhai had looked at Zhou Yan in the same way, yet she mistakenly believed that her father would look at her in the same way.

Zhou Zhao felt a pang of sadness, but then she felt a warmth in her hand. She looked down and saw that Su Changying had taken her hand.

Zhou Zhao looked up at him and immediately met Su Changying's eyes. He blinked, then suddenly moved, his long sword flashing towards Han Shaofu, who was leaning against a large tree. Han Shaofu still had a smile on his face, but his eyes were incredibly serious.

A gleaming white jade ruler slid out of his sleeve and met Su Changying's sword blade directly.

The gold and jade clashed, producing a crisp sound.

Watching the two fight, Zhou Zhao was secretly amazed. Su Changying was originally the number one martial arts genius among the new generation in Chang'an City. When he was fifteen years old, he had few rivals. In recent years, he had been taught by Li Huaishan and had fought and trained in the martial arts world. He was like a "monster".

Although Han Shaofu was not as good as him, it should be noted that this man had never shown his martial arts skills in front of others.

In other words, no matter how high his martial arts skills were, he lacked combat experience.

But just now, when Su Changying suddenly attacked, he was able to sense it and react immediately, which shows that he is indeed a genius with extraordinary talent.

Zhou Zhao thought to himself that the two of them had already put some distance between them.

Su Changying returned to her side and took her hand. Han Shaofu went back to the bald tree and slowly put the small jade ruler back into his sleeve.

"Does Han Shaofu know Gong Ling? His wife once saved a young master... that young master lost his mother when he was young."

Han Shaofu paused in his hand as he handed over the small ruler, then looked at Zhou Zhao thoughtfully before speaking.

“Gong Ling is a master bronze sculptor in the Imperial Household Department. I know him. I chose him to make that set of bronze lion seals back then, according to His Majesty’s decree. I also know that he has a habit of leaving one to fill in the gap. I have never heard of any young master.”

As Han Shaofu spoke, his eyes flickered, and he added, "The Han family was in the Shaofu during the previous dynasty. I am the only son in the family. My mother is still alive and kicking, and she even has two male concubines to serve her. You should know Pei Jue; my mother is from that Pei family."

It is said that my extraordinary talent was inherited from my mother.

She shouldn't have been killed so early.

Zhou Zhao opened his mouth, met Han Shaofu's teasing expression, and couldn't help but clear his throat. There was no need to explain everything in such detail.

She didn't actually want to know how vigorous and powerful Old Madam Han was.

"I have said my piece and tested your martial arts skills. I have said all I need to say. Whether you believe me or not is up to you to decide."

As Han Shaofu spoke, his gaze fell on Su Changying's face. He nodded slightly, then leaped up and disappeared into the darkness in an instant.

Although he didn't say anything, both Zhou Zhao and Su Changying understood what he wanted to say.

He was saying: Take good care of Han Ze for me.

"Han Ze is truly a fool with a fool's luck," Zhou Zhao said softly.

Su Changying smiled and squeezed Zhou Zhao's hand, "Zhao Zhao is a smart person and has good fortune."

Zhou Zhao rolled her eyes at Su Changying, "Right now, kick that money-grubbing vixen Han Xincheng away."

A strange light flashed in Su Changying's eyes. He had already realized that Zhao Zhao didn't like vixens like Han Xincheng, but she liked vixens like Han Shaofu.

If Zhou Zhao knew what Su Changying was thinking at that moment, she would definitely punch him in the face. Men, whether civil officials or military generals, are all shameless.

However, at this moment, she was pondering Han Shaofu's words, "What do you think of Han Shaofu?"

Su Changying thought for a moment, "He is very skilled in martial arts. He could easily do the things the murderer did."

When you mentioned the young master earlier, he initially looked blank, but he must have deduced what you wanted to know. There are traces of his background and Madam Han's affairs. I've already arranged for Jingyi to investigate; we'll see him in a bit…”

Zhou Zhao gave a soft "hmm" and said, "We're not far from home now. Let's go see Jingyi first."

Su Changying had no reason not to refuse, and the two quickened their pace, soon entering Zhou Zhao's small courtyard.

The light in the main room was on. A handsome young man dressed in a white robe squatted on the ground, reaching out to scratch the little black cat's chin while making strange "hehehe" noises. The little cat got annoyed by the scratching and slapped the cat with its paw.

The young man, seemingly oblivious to everything, picked up the cat, brought it to his mouth, and sucked on it several times, making sucking sounds.

The kitten struggled desperately, its paws stepping on his face, just like a girl resisting a bully.

Su Changying couldn't stand it any longer and coughed lightly.

The young man was startled and quickly let go of her hand. The kitten, relieved, meowed and ran away.

The white-clad youth stood up, his face flushed, and turned to look at the doorway. Who else could it be but Jing Yi?
Zhou Zhao found it amusing. "You got scratched by a cat. Do you need some medicine? We have some on hand."

Jingyi shook his head, relieved that Zhou Zhao didn't press him about kissing the cat. He, Jingyi, was a cold-blooded and ruthless spy and assassin...

"It's alright, I'm used to stabbing myself all the time, this is nothing."

"It seems you're doing quite well leaving the Court of Justice?" Zhou Zhao heard the self-deprecation in Jing Yi's tone, smiled, and went into the house, sitting down by the brazier.

Jingyi plucked a few black cat hairs from his white robe and replied gently, "Better than ever. I can sleep soundly until dawn without worrying about being controlled again. Who's more miserable than me? When I was Jingyi, I was Li Huaishan's slave, and now as an assassin, I'm still a slave to my adoptive father."

From morning till night, twelve hours a day, I'm relentlessly exploited by the same person. Even the donkeys in the mill aren't as miserable as me, are they?

Now I can finally live like a human being again.