Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 372 Song Yu and Xiao Li

When did you meet Fan Yin?

When they escorted Song Yu back to the Court of Justice, Su Changying sent someone to summon Fan Yin and Chen Shanhai and others. At that time, Fan Lishen was still with them.

Fan Li took a deep breath.

He felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

He used to think he was no different from the other six members of the Six Talented Men of Chang'an, but now it seems that everyone has their own unique abilities.

He alone, once he lost his family background, became a penniless burden.

He stood outside, watching Ah Huang convey the deceased's last words with great clarity, watching Zhou Zhao easily see through the suspect's lies, and watching Su Changying effortlessly mobilize troops and make all the necessary arrangements.

He could only watch them, unable to step inside.

He had thought about it: without his father and mother, without the protection of the royal family, he would have to live alone in this world from now on.

He didn't want to be a burden, and he wanted to do something for Zhou Zhaotong and Ahuang, but once again he accomplished nothing.

Overnight, everything seemed to have changed.

Even Fan Yin, who used to call him "Young Master" gently, deceived him and tried to kill him.

Fan Li's hands, hidden under his sleeves, clenched into tight fists. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper. He pursed his lips and said, "On the way to the Court of Justice, I told Ah Huang that I wanted to go to Duobao Pavilion."

When I arrived, the Northern Army had not yet come. Just as I was asking Fan Yin for help, they arrived.

So Fan Yin entrusted this matter to Chang Rong. "Duobao Pavilion has its own methods, I think it's feasible..."

He thought he could help Zhou Zhao.

In the end, however, he was the one who needed to be saved.

Zhou Zhao felt a slight sense of relief; it wasn't that she was overthinking things.

Because Duobaoge had previously been involved with Li Huaishan, she was worried that someone with the same disguise skills might be hiding among them.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then gave Fan Lishen a reassuring look. "Who is Changrong? Does he know martial arts? Where was Changrong when you came here?"

Fan Lishen understood Zhou Zhao's conjecture. "Changrong is Fan Yin's constant attendant, or rather, his bodyguard. He used to be a martial artist, and his weapon was a broken blade. Fan Yin saved Changrong's life, and Changrong has been by his side ever since."

He was very skilled in martial arts. When I was a child, Changrong even gave me some pointers on martial arts.

When I arrived, Changrong wasn't here. There was only…”

As Fan Lishen spoke, he looked at the corpse on the bed.

His heart felt exceptionally empty, like the howling of a cold wind blowing through a dilapidated house.

Although he had been away from Chang'an for four years, Fan Yin was very close to him when he was young. His father only had eyes for his mother, and during the lantern festival, he always clung to her, not wanting to have such a troublesome burden as him.

Uncle Fu is getting old, but he is also very lively and always chatters away to anyone he meets.

At that time, Fan Yin was holding his hand. His voice was very pleasant, even gentler than his mother's. He kept muttering to himself, but Fan Yin never got impatient. She would just hand him the water pouch at the right moment and say, "Young Master, have some water."

Fan Yin would secretly sprinkle sugar into it, making the water taste sweet, just like him.

He had a soft heart. When he saw a pitiful child or an elderly person working in the cold wind, he would ask them a few questions, and his eyes would well up with tears. Then, without realizing it, he would reach for his purse. Most of the time, he encountered good people, but occasionally he would be swindled out of his money. One time was particularly egregious. He met a young man who had sold himself into servitude to bury his father, and he immediately gave him the money, his eyes still red with tears.

The boy pulled the grass out of his hair, and the corpse on the ground leaped up. The father and son, carrying the money bag, headed straight for the mutton soup shop, laughing at him as they went. "I told you, you could find that rich but foolish young master around there. He's such a spendthrift, he'll be homeless sooner or later. My son, don't follow his example."

He was struck dumb.

Fan Yin was standing behind him at the time, patting his head and saying, "That day will never come, because I will always be standing behind the young master."

The past will fade away, and promises will change.

As Fan Li was deep in thought, he suddenly felt his sleeve tighten, and he was almost pulled to the ground. He stumbled and barely managed to stand up. He turned his head and saw Ah Huang's straw hat. Two of his fingers were holding his sleeve...

Although he didn't say anything, Fan Lishen felt as if something had filled the emptiness in his heart.

As Zhou Zhao listened, he walked to the table to the side and, sure enough, found another bamboo scroll on it. The bamboo scroll looked very old, with several bamboo strips and hemp ropes worn through. The corner with Song Yu's name written on it was noticeably smoother than the rest of the scroll because it had been touched for a long time.

Just then, a quarrel broke out outside.

Zhou Zhao frowned upon hearing this, and was about to ask a question when he saw a man angrily rush in. Just as he stepped across the threshold, Chang Zuoping, who stood there like a gatekeeper, grabbed him by the collar. "This is a crime scene. No unauthorized entry is allowed."

Tears streamed down the man's face. "Xiao Li, put me down. That's my little sister, Xiao Li."

As he spoke, he looked at Fan Lishen, who was covered in blood, and suddenly seemed about to explode, "It was you, wasn't it? You killed my Xiaoli? Why? She had already suffered enough. Why did you kill her? Kill me instead! I would rather be the one who dies."

Zhou Zhao quietly walked up to the man. "Do you know Song Yu?"

"Song Yu! Don't mention that person to me!" Upon hearing this, the man suddenly turned sharply to Zhou Zhao. "Xiao Li's death is related to Song Yu? Let me go, I'm going to kill Song Yu!"

As he spoke, he struggled desperately again.

"Snapped!"

Zhou Zhao couldn't help but jump back a step when he saw Chang Zuoping's flying slaps. What was going on with this overwhelming momentum?

In the future, when the Court of Justice tries a case, will they all have to slap the judge first?

The man was stunned by the blow, and it took him a long time to come to his senses...

"If you want to find the murderer who killed your sister, answer Lord Zhou's questions properly. What's the use of barking like a mad dog? Calm down."

Chang Zuoping's voice was low; he didn't speak.

But everyone in the room understood his subtext: if you don't calm down, I'll slap you again.

“Song Yu and my younger sister were childhood sweethearts. He was an orphan who was taken in by my father when he was young and raised in our family. He was intelligent from a young age, quick-witted and lovable. My family was not wealthy, but my father still scrimped and saved money to send him to study under a teacher.”

I don't ask him to become a high-ranking official or have great fortune in the future. I only hope that he can read and write, and even if he becomes a minor official or a teacher, he can still live a good life with Xiaoli.

But after he finished his studies, he didn't think about production or look for work; instead, he was focused on writing strange and unusual books.

After my father passed away, Xiaoli and I lived in even more poverty. For many years, Xiaoli supported him by embroidering, while I carried a load of steamed buns to sell every day.

He disliked my constant nagging, so he moved into a classmate's house, determined to make a name for himself. Xiao Li turned sixteen, but he still hadn't come to propose. I was worried about the taxes, so I dragged Xiao Li to find him, only to find him with another woman, enjoying a romantic evening.

After returning home, Xiaoli cried all day long, and eventually went blind in both eyes!

That scumbag… If Father knew what would happen, he would definitely regret picking him up back then…