Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 404 I Want to Marry Zhao Zhao

Su Changying looked into Zhou Zhao's bright eyes and her throat bobbed.

He pursed his lips and hid his hands behind his back, afraid that he might offend the girl in front of him.

She is like a vibrant bud in spring, or a towering tree in summer, with an iron will hidden within its trunk that can break through all evil.

He liked Zhou Zhao like this and wanted her to stand in a higher place so that more people would look up to her.

She was born to stand there.

As Su Changying pondered this, seeing Zhou Zhao already engrossed in writing as if no one else was around, he smiled slightly, tiptoed out, and carefully closed the door behind him.

He walked through the deserted streets, looking at the stars in the sky.

Suddenly, he longed to marry his little girl so that he could stay there openly and legitimately, lying on his side on the bed, propping his chin up as he watched Zhou Zhao write memorials.

He felt he could look at it endlessly and never get tired of it.

Perhaps she'll fall asleep while writing, and then he can carry her back to bed.

Or if she gets more and more excited as she writes and her stomach growls with hunger, he can use the small stove in the house to heat up a bowl of soup and a piece of bread for her.

Although these things were just ordinary little things, he had been longing for that day since he was very young.

He can have a home, a home with his beloved Zhaozhao, and that will be enough for him.

When Su Changying returned to the Lu Marquis's residence, the lights were still on. The gatekeeper heard the noise at the gate, opened it a crack, and upon seeing Su Changying, immediately greeted him as if he had seen a savior. "Young Master, you're back! The Marquis hasn't gone to sleep yet; he's been reciting poetry all night."

The doorman spoke with a hint of bitterness on his face.

Seeing Su Changying looking at his ear, he awkwardly pulled a small cloth ball out of his ear and smiled sheepishly.

Su Changying paused, suddenly feeling an urge to turn around and leave. He took a step back and saw seven veterans who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, staring at him with pitiful expressions and a sense of hopelessness.

Including the previous gatekeeper, there were a total of eight people, sixteen eyes watching him.

Su Changying cleared her throat. "I'll go and try to persuade him."

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.

Since Consort Liu and her two children left the Marquis's mansion, Marquis Lu has cleaned up the mansion and replaced all the servants who used to serve him.

Most of those remaining in the mansion today are his former personal guards from the Su family army, as well as some "old brothers".

With so many eyes watching, Su Changying braced herself and walked towards Lu Hou's study.

The study door was open, and as soon as you approached, you could hear the Marquis of Lu reciting poetry loudly and passionately, without a single rhyme. He held a pen in his hand, his hands behind his back, and recited poetry aloud.

Su Changying stood in front of the door and listened for a moment. She felt as if her ears were being pricked with needles, and her stomach was churning. She felt a kind of nausea, like when she bit into a peach and found only half a worm inside.

"Father."

Su Changying shouted loudly, interrupting Lu Hou's spellcasting.

Upon hearing his voice, Marquis Lu greeted Su Changying with delight.

"Changying, why are you back? Tonight, Father was inspired and wrote several excellent poems in one go."

As he spoke, he sighed somewhat sadly, "It's a pity your mother is gone. This household is full of roughnecks, and your father can hardly find a kindred spirit."

Su Changying's expression began to betray her tension.

He didn't want to be that confidant.

He even secretly admired Aunt Liu. As a spy, she had silently endured the torment of demonic sounds in the mansion for more than ten years. She was a model of hard work and perseverance and should be engraved on the tombstone of Marquis Lu.

"I've heard about Grand Commandant Huo's plot to rebel. I never imagined that another one of those who fought alongside His Majesty to conquer the world would be gone."

He is not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also very adept at strategy; he's someone who never suffers a loss. "Are you injured? How about Ah Zhao? Is she alright?" Lu Hou asked, a rare hint of shame in his voice.

He was blind to talent and almost passed the title to someone else's son, which was a complete disgrace.

After half a lifetime, not only did he ruin his reputation in his later years, but he also caused his only son to become estranged from him.

As he thought about it, looking at Su Changying, who was surrounded by murderous aura, he couldn't help but feel a little proud.

This is his son; no matter how treacherous the situation, he can soar to great heights.

Su Changying shook her head. "It's nothing, just a minor injury. Zhaozhao is fine too."

He didn't mention his abdominal wound; both he and his son were soldiers, and such injuries were nothing to them.

Lord Lu breathed a slight sigh of relief. "That's good, that's good. Are you hungry? Father will have the kitchen staff make you some noodle soup..."

Su Changying shook his head again and went into the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the walls covered with what Lu Hou considered to be his "masterpieces," and he felt a wave of dizziness, as if the poison had invaded his body.

He found a spot where he couldn't see any poems and stood there, then said to the Marquis of Lu, "Father, I want to marry Zhaozhao."

Marquis Lu was taken aback, then a look of joy appeared on his face. "You two are already engaged. I will discuss it with Duke Zhou and choose an auspicious day. It's good that you're married. After you're married, have a son or daughter, and our household will be lively again."

“We bought a small courtyard near the Court of Justice, and we will live there after we get married. If Father likes children, he can have another one himself.”

We probably won't have children after we get married.

Hearing Su Changying's words, Marquis Lu opened his mouth in astonishment. He wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he didn't know how to say it.

He has now been stripped of his military post and is now just an idle old man with a title but who has brought shame to the whole city.

He couldn't beat his son in a fight.

It's very likely he won't be able to beat his future daughter-in-law.

What could an old man like him say?
What's the point of him saying that? Who would listen to him?

After thinking for a while, Marquis Lu finally managed to say, "It's good that you have a plan. If possible, it would be better to have a child. After all, the title needs to be passed down, and I have a lot of money. It will all go to my child in the future."

As he spoke, fearing that Su Changying would be unhappy, he added, "Of course, I was just saying that; whether you listen to me or not is up to you."

He thought for a moment, then added somewhat sheepishly, "I'm already this old, I won't have any more children!"

Heaven knows what it means to be bitten by a snake once and remain fearful of even a well rope for ten years.

If he takes another concubine and has a child, not to mention whether the child will be born, even if it is, who knows if it is his own?

What a nightmare.

Su Changying nodded, his expression softening somewhat. He didn't want his father to bother Zhou Zhao with these matters after their marriage, so he decided to settle things in advance. He had originally thought it would be a tough battle, but unexpectedly, the matter with Aunt Liu resulted in his father being severely beaten, and he changed a lot from that person.

He no longer resembles a warlord who once dominated the battlefield; he truly looks like an ordinary old man.

"After Zhaozhao agrees, we will choose a few days, and then Father and I will go to the Zhou family together."

Marquis Lu nodded somewhat awkwardly, "Alright, you can tell me later."

Su Changying hummed in agreement.

The father and son fell silent for a moment.

"I'm going to see the Prince of Dai off outside the city early tomorrow morning, so I'm going to sleep now. Father, you should also rest early and write your masterpiece tomorrow."

When Su Changying spoke of her masterpiece, her voice became slightly weak...

It's so difficult, being the son of the Marquis of Lu is so difficult.

(End of this chapter)