Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 399 Catching the Murderer
What did Xiao Zhou from the Court of Justice do?
She had simply gone to great lengths to catch a murderer.

"Don't worry, I haven't made public Zhang Ran's filthy thoughts about Princess Changyang. And now that the Third Prince is treating Jiang Yan like this, the news won't leak out either."

Princess Changyang was innocent; Jiang Yan was simply an innocent victim.

They are all victims and shouldn't be tainted by those filthy and foul people, nor should they be used by those malicious and despicable individuals to spread falsehoods.

This invisible blade aimed at the Third Prince doesn't need to be known by the world; it only needs to be known by His Majesty.

As soon as Zhou Zhao finished speaking, she felt the large hand around her waist tighten even more. Even without looking up, she could feel the intense gaze Su Changying was giving her.

"Young Master Zhou..."

Zhou Zhao was afraid he would say something he learned from a vixen, so he immediately interrupted him.

"Young Master Zhou is about to be strangled to death by you. What crime have I committed to be cut in half at the waist by the Northern Army?"

Upon hearing this, Su Changying couldn't help but laugh out loud. Zhou Zhao, pressed against his chest, could feel the burning heartbeat emanating from within.

She pursed her lips, lost in thought for a moment.

Could it be that Han Xincheng is taking money from the concubines in the harem and teaching them the Thirty-Six Stratagems to attract His Majesty?
It's truly a highly profitable business.

Just as Zhou Zhao was lost in thought, the plaque of the Chu residence came into view.

As soon as they got close, the soft, seductive music began to pierce their ears. Zhou Zhao used his hearing to pinpoint the source of the sound, quickly locating it in the southwest corner. He then made a hand gesture in that direction and turned to look at A Huang and Fan Lishen.

Ah Huang nodded his straw hat, while Fan Lishen's eyelashes trembled with excitement.

Among the six young men of Chang'an, Zhou Zhao, Su Changying, and Zhou Yan were childhood sweethearts who grew up together. Later, A Huang became Zhou Yan's little shadow. Later still, Zhou Yan fell in love with Chu You, and another person joined the group. She was the last one to sneak in.

She had heard many legends about Zhou Zhao's evil spirits before, and she had played football and eaten and drunk with him, but this was the first time she had participated in such an important event.

"I didn't bring a sack!" Fan Lishen was filled with regret.

Zhou Zhao and the other two all looked at Fan Lishen.

She snapped out of her daze, her face instantly turning bright red, like a boiled shrimp. She quickly waved her hands and then covered her mouth.

She really wanted to team up with Zhou Zhao under the cover of darkness to beat someone up with a sack, and in her excitement, she let it slip.

Fortunately, Zhou Zhao didn't intend to pay attention to Fan Lishen at the moment; she glanced at Su Changying.

"Little Pegasus" instantly understood and flew towards the southwest corner with Zhou Zhao in his arms. Ah Huang, however, did not follow them. He pressed down his bamboo hat, took a detour, and flew towards the "rear" of the southwest corner.

Fan Lishen came to her senses, and with light steps, she followed Ah Huang like a graceful bird.

She couldn't be left out of such an exciting event.

The closer you get to the southwest corner, the more bustling the noise becomes, with laughter, finger-guessing games, and pitch-pot sounds mixed in with the music.

Before long, a magnificent courtyard came into view.

The courtyard was quite large, occupying almost the entire southwest corner of the Chu residence, and a banquet was being held there at the moment.

In the center of the room, there was a large drum. On the drum, three beautiful women dressed in thin gauze were spinning rapidly. In the middle of the three women, a giant python was coiled. The python would flick its tongue at one of the girls and then wrap around another.

It looks terrifying.

Zhou Zhao's gaze passed through the crowd and landed on the two people sitting at the head of the table. One of them was wearing a purple robe with his chest half-open. He was holding a small wine cup in his hand, propping his head up with one hand, and his face was full of the smell of alcohol. Beside him, two dancers were kneeling and massaging his shoulders and legs.

Beside him sat a handsome man who seemed out of place in the room.

He was dressed in a blue Confucian robe, sitting upright with a wine cup in his hand, his eyes fixed on the large snake on the drum, his brows furrowed tightly.

Zhou Zhao looked at it with some surprise; it was Zhao Yizhou.

Just then, Zhao Yizhou suddenly stood up, threw down his wine cup, flicked his sleeves, and said to the half-reclining man, "Cousin, it's late, I need to rest now. You don't need to invite me to these banquets in the future."

These worms are inhuman creatures; if they were to suddenly attack and injure someone, the situation would be extremely difficult to control.

The city of Chang'an is now in a state of panic, with everyone on edge. You'd better keep a low profile.

"If you're not careful, the Huo family will be a cautionary tale. Don't blame us for not being able to protect you then. Don't mess with Zhou Zhao."

The young man in purple chuckled lightly. He sat up and grabbed Zhao Yizhou's wrist. "Cousin, I know. That's your sweetheart. How could I dare to offend her? If I anger someone as promising as you, my father might whip me with a rattan cane again."

As he spoke, he used Zhao Yizhou's strength to stand up abruptly. Because he had drunk too much, he staggered a few times and shook his head.

Then, suddenly, as if possessed by a ghost, he roared, "You idiot! I'd rather have given birth to a pig than you! Look at your cousin Zhao Yizhou..."

Zhou Zhao's eyes immediately fell on the back of the purple-robed gentleman's hand, and a flash of golden light appeared as the hand moved.

Just then, the giant python beside the beauty on the drum was startled by the sudden shout. It flicked its tongue, opened its blood-red maw, and bit directly at the head of the beauty closest to it.

Zhao Yizhou's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Watch out!"

The man in purple robes pushed him aside, his eyes widening with excitement, and clapped his hands, shouting, "Bite her! Bite her!"

The three beauties on the drum screamed.

One of the beauties smelled the foul stench coming from the snake's mouth. She turned her head and saw the snake's mouth right in front of her. Her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground, too frightened to move.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhao did not hesitate any longer, and the three coffin nails flew directly towards the snake's vital spot.

At the same time, Su Changying pushed off with his feet and flew directly onto the drum. He slashed at the giant snake with his long sword, blood gushed out, the snake's head flew off, and the beauty on the drum went black and fainted.

Upon seeing this, the man in the purple robe's expression instantly changed.

"General Su, what brings you to break into a private residence in the middle of the night? If you can't give me a proper explanation, don't blame my cousin for impeaching you before the Emperor. He is a protégé of the Prime Minister."

Zhao Yizhou's pupils contracted sharply, and he turned around to look at the purple-robed man in disbelief.

Chaos erupted at the scene. The music stopped, and most of the guests who had been drinking and making merry instantly sobered up.

Seeing that Su Changying remained silent, the man in purple robes became even more arrogant, demanding, "You must give me an explanation!"

"Why send Zhao Yizhou to impeach someone before the Emperor? Why don't you go yourself? Is it because you can't read and write a memorial, or because you can't even see His Majesty?"

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he stepped out of the shadows.

When Zhao Yizhou saw Zhou Zhao, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by some embarrassment. He quickly stepped forward and called out, "Zhou Zhao, what brings you here?"

Zhou Zhao glanced at Zhao Yizhou. "Of course we're here to investigate a case and arrest the murderer who killed Jiang Yan."

(End of this chapter)