Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 400 Slapping the Face of That Civil Official
Zhao Yizhou's face paled, and he hesitated, trying to think of something to say.

Before he could figure out how to start the conversation, he heard Su Changying's cold voice from the side.

"Is this the banquet that Zhao Wenguan wanted to take Zhaozhao to? It is indeed very helpful to her, and another murderer has been caught."

Zhao Yizhou flared his nostrils slightly and tightened his grip involuntarily. He looked towards Su Changying and saw that the man was standing next to the giant snake, surrounded by the stench of snake blood, but he was spotless, without a single drop of blood on him.

His longsword was not yet sheathed when blood flowed down the blade, dripping down and forming a pool of blood.

Su Changying remained expressionless, showing none of the disdain that Zhao Yizhou had anticipated.

He seemed to be saying something completely unintentional, but the more unintentional he was, the more ironic it felt to him.

Zhao Yizhou felt as if he had returned to that day, to the humiliating moment when Su Changying embedded him in the wall, a moment that was just as shameful and infuriating.

Those beautiful words he uttered that day in his quest to win Zhou Zhao's favor are now like boomerangs, slapping him hard in the face.

"What does this mean? Zhao Yizhou! You despicable scoundrel, I treated you like a cousin, and you brought the Court of Justice to my door? I knew you never stayed overnight at my house, and you always looked down on my banquets. Why did you insist on staying this time? It turns out you set a trap!"

The man in purple robes jumped three feet high like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, roaring angrily.

He grabbed Zhao Yizhou by the front of his shirt and suddenly realized, "You used me as a scapegoat to help your father secure his position as Minister of Justice. You were the first one to be burned. Do you have any conscience?"
Over the years, because of you, the high and mighty cargo handler, I've suffered so much injustice.

I've taken a fancy to eighteen girls, and you say that's too many and morally offensive. I'm going to seize land for horse racing, and you say that will leave the people with no way to survive. I'm not going anywhere; I'll just stay home drinking and having fun. You son of a bitch…

The man in purple robes stopped cursing and his voice suddenly softened, "Aunt, I wasn't cursing you."

Zhao Yizhou's mother is his aunt.
Then his voice rose again, "You damn dog, you come to drink with a long face, and you frown when you watch girls dance. Yes, you, Zhao Yizhou, are a fairy from the moon palace, and I'm just a piece of dog shit. Even if I am a piece of dog shit, so what's it to you?"

Are you trying to harm me like this? My uncle-in-law, yes, I was talking about your father.

"What are you always laughing about? He's a treacherous, smiling tiger. In front of us, he'd practically kneel before my aunt and let her pet his dog, but behind our backs, he arranges for you, you little bastard, to bring a wolf into the house and smash our heads in. Are you even human?"

Zhou Zhao blinked as he listened to the purple-robed man's sudden outburst of anger.

Even with her extensive experience, she never expected that this purple-robed man would be so eloquent and witty.

Her gaze met Su Changying's, and she saw that Su Changying also looked bewildered.

He only wanted to make a sarcastic remark about Xiao Xiangzhao's dislike of civil officials; there was no deeper meaning in his words. It was all imagined by the purple-robed man himself.

Just then, the man in purple robes suddenly reached out and pushed Zhao Yizhou toward Su Changying, then leaped toward the window behind him.

He was like a carp, his head facing the window, trying to flip out, clearly wanting to escape.

All this happened in a flash of lightning.

Seeing Zhao Yizhou rushing towards him in a panic, Su Changying immediately jumped back and went straight to Zhou Zhao's side, grabbing her waist and pulling her away.

Zhao Yizhou missed his target and fell directly into a pool of blood, his pale face landing right on the snake's head that Su Changying had severed.

Zhou Zhao gasped as he looked at it.

She stood still, quietly watching the man in purple robes climb out of the window.

A large hand reached in through the window and precisely pressed against the purple-robed man's head. The man's face turned ashen, and he tried to charge forward like a bull, but the hand was like a mountain pressing down on his head, and no matter how hard he kicked, it wouldn't budge.

The banquet, which had been incredibly dangerous just moments before, suddenly became inexplicably comical. The man in the purple robe felt countless gazes burning down his back, which only fueled his anger.

He took a big step back, trying to pull his head out of the hand, but it wouldn't budge.

“Ah Huang”.

Zhou Zhao called out softly, and the window moved, revealing a corner of Ah Huang's bamboo hat. With a gentle push, the young man in the purple robe was sent flying, landing awkwardly at Zhou Zhao's feet.

He was dizzy and tried to stand up, but Zhou Zhao squatted down and grabbed his wrist as if he wanted to crush his hand bones.

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the door. Zhou Zhao turned around and saw a large group of people standing in front of the door. At the front of the group was a well-dressed couple who looked to be around fifty years old.

Seeing that both the man in the purple robe and Zhao Yizhou were in a sorry state, the lady anxiously tried to rush forward and slap Zhou Zhao's hand away.

However, they were stopped by the male head of the Chu family.

"General Su, Zhou Tingshi, is there some misunderstanding?"
My wife and I had this son late in life, and he's been spoiled rotten. He's not very promising and just loves drinking and having fun. It's not that I, as his father, look down on him, but he simply doesn't have the ability to do anything important that would require the Court of Justice's intervention!

As he spoke, he scolded the man in purple robes, "Heng'er, hurry up and apologize to Lord Zhou and General Su."

As Lord Chu spoke, a look of worry appeared on his face. He cupped his hands apologetically and said, "I have heard about Jiang Yan's matter. That girl used to be a dancer in our household. Heng'er took a liking to her and took her into his room as a concubine."

Huo Ting and Chen Shanhai from the Huo family were frequent guests at our residence. Who would have thought they harbored such intentions, helping Jiang Yan deceive people?

We were unaware that she had impersonated Princess Changyang's daughter and slandered Fan Lishen, nor had we ever promised Heng'er that she would marry him as his principal wife.

As the old man Chu spoke, he seemed somewhat ashamed, "There were too many people in the backyard, and my son didn't pay much attention to her. We only heard later that she had hanged herself."

"Yes, yes, let go of my Heng'er! Didn't you see his hand is being squeezed so hard? Let him go!"

Madam Chu's urgent voice came through.

Zhou Zhao listened and laughed mockingly, "It's just a wrist pinch, how can it compare to dancing on thorns and getting bitten on the head by a serpent?"
Jiang Yan didn't hang herself; she was strangled. The autopsy conducted by the Court of Justice found crucial evidence under her fingernails. Guess what it is, Chu Heng? It's on your body—the evidence is irrefutable.

Chu Heng jolted awake; the shock completely sobered him up.

"What do you mean, strangled to death? What evidence? I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't even leave the city."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance around at himself, trying to find something.

Zhou Zhao glanced at him and smiled dismissively.

Do you know why Grand Commandant Huo led people into the Huo family tomb yesterday?

Instead of fleeing along the official road, and thinking that as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn, he plunged headlong into the great tomb.

Because that was a trap he had set for his pursuers; he had been raising a poisonous insect called the Soul-Devouring Gu in the tomb.

Once the venomous insect enters the body, it will gnaw at the brain. After the Gu worm enters the body, it will ascend to the brain, causing severe headaches, and finally emerge from the top of the head.

This is a rare poison from the Western Regions. If it weren't for the antidote found by Commander Huo, we would all be dead by now.

(End of this chapter)