Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 4 Prove your innocence
Min Zangzhi was notoriously arrogant throughout Chang'an.

By day he was a lowly clerk in the Court of Justice, but by night he became a sought-after playboy in the world of pleasure.

It's not that he's particularly lecherous; it's just that this man's pen truly has the power to create art! It's that kind of "refined" elegance that comes with being a pretentious intellectual!
Just last year, a theft occurred at the Court of Justice.

The thief didn't steal the gold, silver, or salary of the Court of Justice Li Huaishan, nor did he steal fine horses or silk. He only targeted the dusty interrogation records in the storeroom. When he was caught red-handed, the little thief uttered a golden saying: "Min Langjun's calligraphy is worth a thousand pieces of gold and sought by hundreds of families!"
At this point, Min Zangzhi became famous overnight, and everyone knew him.

Zhou Zhao sighed inwardly. In a hurry to leave, she didn't keep anyone in suspense. She took out the sealing cloth from the bamboo slip from the blue cloth bundle, and with a flick of her wrist, the sealing cloth landed in front of Chang Zuoping.

Chang Zuoping looked displeased and glanced down. He saw the words "Min Zangzhi, June 15th, the seventh year of Tianyi" written on it.

"At dusk today, Lord Min went to Shanming Academy and said that the Court of Justice wanted to seal up the Shanming Changyang case from four years ago and return some unimportant evidence to us as a memento."

He handed Princess Changyang's jewelry to Uncle Fu, the steward of the princess's residence, and then gave me this blank bamboo scroll.

As Zhou Zhao spoke, a shadow crossed his eyes, and he tightened his grip on the bamboo slip.

Four years ago, her brother Zhou Yan was murdered in the underground library of Shanming Villa. At that time, bamboo slips on the bookshelves were scattered all over the floor, and this particular bamboo slip was buried under his hands.

Zhou Yan was a man of unparalleled talent. At that time, everyone in Chang'an said that the Zhou family was very fortunate and that they might produce three generations of Ministers of Justice.

Thus, Zhou Buhai, the Minister of Justice at the time, like Zhou Zhao today, regarded the bamboo slips in his hands as an important clue left behind before their deaths.

Unfortunately, four years have passed, and this bamboo scroll has not shown anything special. Apart from Zhou Yan's blood, there are no other clues on it; it is even blank.

Until today, a letter to my deceased wife appeared on the document…

“When Min Wenshu left, we were holding a sacrificial ceremony.”

Upon hearing this, Chang Zuoping began to make a plan.

He turned to Min Zangzhi with some displeasure and asked, and sure enough, he saw the man grinning and showing his white teeth. "That's right, that big basket of gold ingots, if burned, could probably be exchanged for more silver than Chang Zuoping's salary for ten years!"

Before Chang Zuoping could get angry, Zhou Zhao continued speaking.

"Of course, the most compelling proof is not Lord Min, but the footprints you mentioned, Chang Zuoping."

Zhou Zhao lifted his foot, and the red mud clinging to it was clearly visible, making him stand out from the others.

Princess Changyang loved camellias, and the Shanming Villa was filled with red flower mud that she had collected from other places.

It rained heavily at dusk today, so her feet were covered in mud.

Chang Zuoping took the red mud footprints she left in the courtyard of the crime scene as evidence of her coming and going.

"If the murderer was present at the scene, they would leave no trace. The only red footprints I found were the ones left when I broke into the courtyard after the murder, but there were no other red footprints. What does this tell us?"

"I want to tell everyone that I did not jump over the wall, go through the back door, or scale the roof to get to Zhang Ruoqing's courtyard."

"Otherwise, there would have been other footprints."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he took a second step toward the door.

She didn't kill anyone, and everything at the scene will prove her innocence.

Chang Zuoping's expression did not change. In fact, he had gone to the site to check, and he had no way to refute Zhou Zhao's words.

However, he still has the most crucial evidence.

"Where is the wooden plaque with your name engraved on it that Zhang Ruoqing had? The Northern Army heard you testify that you were the murderer!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhao looked towards where the bearded Northern Army soldier had been, only to be surprised to find that Zhu Li, who had been sitting there earlier, had left at some point.

The bearded man nodded vigorously, his expression seemingly saying, "The general is still here, just waiting to see this oddball who's going to send me to jail." Zhou Zhao coughed twice, clearing his throat.

“I only said half of what I was saying at the time. Zhang Ruoqing holding my name in her hands is indeed extraordinary. I am not an insignificant person in this case.”

"But the name in one's hand could be the victim identifying the murderer, or it could be a clue left by the victim, or it could be a means for the murderer to frame someone."

At this point, Zhou Zhao raised an eyebrow at Chang Zuoping, "After all, the murderer may very well have believed the so-called rumors, just like you, Chang Zuoping."

"Pfft..."

Min Zangzhi and the bearded man couldn't help but laugh, and Chang Zuoping's face darkened even more upon hearing this.

Zhou Zhao had already taken two of her three steps; she only needed to lift one more foot before she could swagger out of the prison and out of the Court of Justice.

"The coroner should already be performing the autopsy. Isn't it strange that Zhang Ruoqing didn't have any defensive injuries?"

“She was stabbed twice, once in the chest and once in the neck. If the killer’s first blow had not been fatal, and if she had not been unconscious at the time, she would have screamed and struggled…”

“In this situation, a person would naturally raise their hand to block... I checked, her sleeves were intact, and the scene was very clean.”

Chang Zuoping listened attentively, his expression growing serious.

His brows were furrowed, and he stroked his white goatee. "Only people who have fainted or are dead will not react."

Zhou Zhao snapped his fingers, took his third step, and stood at the doorway.

The wind in the hallway outside made her hair ribbon flutter, and the strange combination of "Heaven's justice is clear" and "no taboos" seemed so reasonable at that moment.

“That’s right! If Zhang Ruoqing was already unconscious, how could she have had the time and ability to accurately select my name from the densely packed black wooden plaques when facing the thugs, and then hold it in her hand as her last words?”

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he looked at the bearded man.

"Previously at the scene, I was interrupted halfway through my sentence."

What I'm trying to say is that someone wants my name to be in Zhang Ruoqing's hands.

After finishing his three points, Zhou Zhao raised his hand, waved at Chang Zuoping, and then strode away without hesitation.

Holding the bamboo scroll in her arms, she felt no relief whatsoever from clearing her name. The scroll was now ice-cold, no longer warm at all.

Is it that the words only appear when the hair is permed, or is it that no one else can see the words on it except her?

Seeing her leave so decisively, Chang Zuoping, who was sitting in the seat of honor, stood up abruptly.

He jogged a few steps to catch up, but a fragrance wafted from behind him, and Min Cangzhi grabbed his sleeve tightly.

"Chang Zuoping is a man of his word, otherwise I'd have to write on my document that you can't afford to lose. The face of the Court of Justice..."

Chang Zuoping was so angry that his beard stood on end. When he looked up, he saw the delicate pink flower in Min Cangzhi's hair...

The Court of Justice has completely disgraced itself after eight hundred years!

Zhou Zhao was unaware of what was happening behind her. She quickly left the gate of the Court of Justice, wanting to go back immediately to check the bamboo slips. There were too many eyes watching here; it was really not a suitable place.

"Ah Zhao!"

Upon hearing the sound, Zhou Zhao looked up and saw a familiar figure alighting from the carriage at the door.

"Mother, what brings you here?"