Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 369 The Testimony is a Lie
"Pfft..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhao suddenly burst out laughing.

The room was silent. Even Song Yu, who had been muttering "It wasn't me," stopped in a daze.

Zhou Zhao stood up and walked to Fan Yin's side. "I guess you added a volume because you were worried that Fan Lishen would find out that he was interested in writing storybooks. You even explained in detail that the one you submitted was not a unique copy."

Song Yu copied these stories down and gave one scroll to each girl. Is that right?

Fan Yin looked surprised at first, then cupped her hands in a gesture of respect.

"Your predictions are indeed astute."

Our young master likes these things, especially rare copies. If I don't say so, and the young master finds out later, wouldn't that be a crime of deception? In the past, we all required rare copies, but Song Yu used those stories as tokens of love for six girls.

Under these circumstances, even the most prestigious establishment like Duobaoge couldn't force them to take it back.

Fan Yin paused as she spoke, "Of course, if the young master requires a unique copy, we can go and...steal...no, buy them back one by one."

Zhou Zhao chuckled.

It wasn't that she was a prophet; this case was clearly a setup.

Seeing that she and Su Changying were relentlessly pursuing the man in black who appeared that night, having traced the bronze lion seal and the young master, and beginning to investigate the suspects one by one, someone couldn't sit still any longer and threw out a deliberately mysterious case to slow them down.

She walked between Chen Shanhai and Fan Yin, and patted them on the shoulder with one hand on each shoulder at the same time.

Her rhythm was slow, but she used a lot of force, each slap landing heavily on their shoulders.

Chen Shanhai felt as if Mount Tai had fallen from the sky and crashed directly onto him, almost dislocating his arm. Cold sweat broke out on his nose, and he couldn't help but groan as half of his body went limp.

"Lord Zhou, we all have alibis and are not suspects. You cannot torture us?"

Zhou Zhao pursed his lips and leaned closer. "Torture? Why don't you ask Chang Zuoping if what I did counts as torture? This is clearly a friendly gesture from the Court of Justice."

You say I'm taking a step back, becoming a blind and deaf puppet to be manipulated, accepting the witnesses you hand me, and convicting Song Yu of the murder according to your pre-written script, claiming he suddenly changed his temperament in the middle of the night and brutally murdered Xie Yunniang and Tu Ying.

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he patted Chen Shanhai's face.

His earlier excitement at the spectacle vanished, replaced by an overwhelming disbelief.

Then she turned her head to look at Fan Yin and smiled, "People who break their promises will not have a good end. Do you think I'm right, Fan Yin?"

I think Chen Shanhai's script is terrible. Why don't we take it a step further and use the script you've arranged?

After all, you are still a cut above the rest. Witness testimony is easy to overturn, but physical evidence is very difficult to refute. The red jade you deliberately left behind and the gold ring on the sparrow's leg are both very interesting.

"Let me guess, who is the murderer you've arranged? Is it your now-defunct young master, Fan Lishen?"

Fan Yin covered his shoulder, his expression unchanged, still smiling.

"This humble servant does not understand what Lord Zhou means. Our young master does not know Song Yu, nor does he know the deceased. He has no enmity with him, so why would he kill someone?"
Besides, if he wanted to kill, why would he need to do it himself? Our Duobao Pavilion can buy lives anytime.

As Fan Yin spoke, she changed her mind, "No, I was just talking nonsense. These days, swords have no eyes, and it's not uncommon for chivalrous heroes to kill indiscriminately. Our young master's words are law; he can grant any wish with a simple prayer."

How could he kill someone?

Lord Zhou is a friend of our young master, and naturally knows that he has encountered great calamity and has no time for anything else; how could he possibly kill anyone? If anyone truly intends to slander our young master, Lord Zhou, you must find that person; our Treasure Pavilion will absolutely not let him get away with it.”

Looking at Fan Yin's calm and composed demeanor, Zhou Zhao secretly sensed something was wrong.

Prince Consort Fan was imprisoned and would be executed soon; Fan Lishen was childish and had always relied on the pampering and protection of his uncle and parents, and had never taken on any responsibility.

Now that Prince Consort Fan has plotted a rebellion, Fan Lishen has survived by sheer luck, but from now on he has no one to rely on.

Duobaoge is a piece of lucrative business, and everyone wants a piece of it.

Fan Lishen simply couldn't control these people!

Fan Yin kept calling him "Young Master," but you could tell from his eyes that he had no respect for Fan Lishen.

"You're right, the Court of Justice will clean up those scum who want to harm people, one by one."

Zhou Zhao's gaze was full of meaning. Fan Yin felt as if his skin was being sliced ​​by a knife. He couldn't bear it and hurriedly lowered his head to avoid Zhou Zhao's terrifying gaze.

Zhou Zhao turned around and came face to face with Chen Shanhai and He Jiang.

"Your alibis are, in my opinion, completely invalid."

Chen Shanhai's expression changed. "In full view of everyone, so many people saw it with their own eyes. We were indeed not in Chang'an City, and we had no way to kill anyone."

Zhou Zhao shook his head. "You've left the city. When will the banquet end? You're not going to say you've been working until tomorrow without closing your eyes all night, are you? You brainless cowards are no good at all."

"From the end of the banquet until you appeared before everyone this morning, you had ample time to return to Chang'an, kill people, and then leave the city."

There was a curfew in Chang'an, but no matter how many Northern soldiers there were, it was impossible for them to fill every street and alley at all times.

For those skilled in martial arts, unless they are unlucky enough to run into Su Changying on patrol, they can manage to avoid the curfew.

"They were supposed to be going horseback riding and hunting, but they left the city during curfew and returned when the city gates opened. Everyone here comes from aristocratic families and used to be idle playboys. What kind of good-for-nothing young master would go hunting under the stars and moon and then get up and leave before dawn?"
"You don't need to earn a pittance from the Court of Judicial Review, so why do you need to get up so early to rush back to Chang'an? Usually, you sleep until noon, then get up and continue playing music and dancing."

Hearing Zhou Zhao's words, Zhu Yang and Xu Yang, who were standing to the side, both secretly glanced at Chen Shanhai, seemingly lost in thought.

Indeed, their trip was rushed, and they barely accomplished anything before returning to the city.

However, they were not familiar with Chen Shanhai and did not want to say much. Now, after Zhou Zhao pointed it out, they did find it very strange.

"You deliberately left the city during curfew, making a scene to reinforce the impression on the guards at the city gate, and then returned just as the city gates were opening. There are two reasons for this."

Firstly, it was for the perfect alibi. He would leave the city when the gates were closed and return when they were opened, so he was never in the city. How perfect!

Secondly, it was to reveal Song Yu's drastic change in temperament and attack people before the eyewitnesses could, so that they could come and testify that they witnessed Song Yu leaving the house last night. This would create a chain of events that would lead people to believe that Song Yu was the murderer.

Unfortunately, neither of your two pieces of evidence hold water.

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he looked intently at He Jiang, “Song Yu is your classmate. Do you know that giving false testimony could kill him?”

Why did you consult Chen Shanhai before you mentioned Song Yu's drastic change in temperament after getting drunk?
Of the six people present, Song Yu fell ill when the other three were absent. The only ones who truly witnessed this were you and Chen Shanhai.

You said that Song Yu pounced on you, tore your clothes, and said something about the bronze mirror to you, and then he was knocked unconscious by Chen Shanhai.

Do you know how long it takes to do all this? Chen Shanhai didn't react for so long, and only when Song Yu had humiliated you, and Xu Yang happened to return from the restroom, did he easily knock him unconscious, right?