Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 414 Extra: Daily Life After Marriage

"Zhao Zhao~"

Zhou Zhao was engrossed in reading "Strange Tales of Poisoning Techniques" in his hand.

A rare death case recently occurred in Chang'an City. There were twelve customers at Yu's Lamb Soup Shop in the east of the city. They all drank lamb soup from the same pot, but three of them died suddenly, while the remaining nine were unharmed.

The three were strangers to each other and had no grudges against each other.

The mutton soup in the pot did not change color when tested for poison with a silver needle, and there was no poison in the bowls of the three people either.

So how were those three poisoned? And what kind of poison was it?
Although the case has been solved, Zhou Zhao discovered that there are still poisons in the world that she does not know about, so she started to look through various poison manuals again.

As Zhou Zhao was looking, he heard another "Zhao Zhao".

The voice was muffled, but when it uttered the second character "昭," it was as if a gentle breeze was blowing, stirring up waves in one's heart.

Zhou Zhao looked up from her book and followed the sound. She saw Su Changying lying on her side on the bed, looking at her.

He had just bathed and changed his clothes, and now he was wearing a snow-white undergarment, which looked loose and slouchy.

His hair was a little damp and fell in front of him. Even though they were so far apart, Zhou Zhao felt for some reason that the heat emanating from him was about to hit her face directly. Without even reaching out to touch him, Zhou Zhao knew that her cheeks were burning hot.

"Su Changying!"

Zhou Zhao gritted his teeth and shouted those three words.

She and Su Changying have been married for ten years now. Ever since that night when he saw Han Shaofu, it's as if his Ren and Du meridians have been opened. I don't know where he learned the "Thirty-Six Stratagems" from, he is insatiable and shameless.

Seeing Zhou Zhao's anger and embarrassment, Su Changying couldn't help but laugh. He flipped off the couch and walked straight toward the table where Zhou Zhao was.

Zhou Zhao knew exactly what he was up to and immediately stood up. Before she could run away, she felt a tightness around her waist and was lifted up by Su Changying. Zhou Zhao reached out and hooked her arm around Su Changying's neck. "Are you a bandit?"

"They're bandits who kidnapped Zhou Tingwei to be their wife! Young Master Zhou, please see what poison I've been given?"

Zhou Zhao's cheeks flushed red, "What can you be affected by... um..."

Before she could finish speaking, she felt a heat on her lips and became dizzy. When she came to her senses, she was already lying on the bed.

Su Changying remained reclining as before, propping her head up with her hand, and looking at her with a smile.

Zhou Zhao avoided those deep eyes, his gaze involuntarily falling on Su Changying's lips. Those lips were a beautiful, vibrant red, with a small cut on one side, from which blood was seeping out – the cut she had just made.

"I'm still reading the Poison Classic, how can you be so shameless?"

"The case has already been solved. If Zhaozhao wants to see it, she can do so tomorrow."

As Zhou Zhao listened to Su Changying's earnest and concerned words, her heart softened. She had been engrossed in investigating the case and had indeed neglected Su Changying these past two days. She looked up, but before she could speak, she saw Su Changying lean down...

When I woke up again, it was raining heavily outside the window, the rain pattering incessantly.

Today is a day of rest for the Court of Justice.

Zhou Zhao lay on the bed, listening to the childish voice asking from the corridor, "Master Min, weren't you scared when my mother faked her death and lay in the coffin?"

Min Zangzhi's lazy voice came, "You're afraid of coffins, but your mother isn't. You've touched the stone lions in front of the Court of Justice, haven't you? Aren't they big?"

A child's innocent voice rang out, "Big!"

“Right? Your mother’s courage is greater than the stone lions in front of the Court of Justice. What is she afraid of!” Min Zangzhi said, then asked, “Did you do the homework I gave you last time? Why didn’t the late emperor promote your mother to Minister of Justice before he passed away?” “Because my mother was too young! Unlike my father, who could be my mother’s father!”

Min Cangzhi laughed out loud, "Why do you say that?"

“Father said he used to feed Mother, but Father also fed me. So Father is my Father, and Father is also Mother’s Father!”

As Zhou Zhao listened, his gaze towards Su Changying was exceptionally complex!
Neither she nor Su Changying had originally planned to have children, but unexpectedly, she became pregnant in the sixth year of their marriage. At that time, she held a secure position as Minister of Justice, and all the civil and military officials in the court were convinced of her abilities. Thinking that this might be an arrangement by heaven, she gave birth to the child naturally and named him Su Zhou.

Originally, I wanted to take Zhou Zhao's surname, but the name Zhou Su sounded like someone who would be forty years old at birth, so I called him Su Zhou instead.

Zhou Zhao still remembers the shock in the eyes of the court officials when she went to court with her pregnant belly.

"Commander Zhou, this huge belly..."

"Lord Cao, look down at yourself. You look like you've given birth to eight babies in one pregnancy. You're more impressive than me. I admire you greatly!"

The officials and ministers hesitated to speak, but could not win the argument, so they had to remain silent.

The Court of Justice was busy with many affairs. If Su Changying was not going on a campaign, he would keep Su Zhou by his side. If he was going on a campaign, he would have his many tutors take turns taking him along. Perhaps it was because the boy was born handsome and dashing, but Min Cangzhi liked him very much and persuaded him to become Su Zhou's calligraphy teacher.

However, Zhou Zhao had never noticed before that this guy not only taught calligraphy, but also some "miscellaneous" things.

"The reason the late emperor suppressed your mother and did not appoint her as Minister of Justice was not because she was too young, nor because she had little merit. It was because the legacy the emperor left to the crown prince was of two kinds: treacherous officials and virtuous officials."

The treacherous minister is a hidden treasure trove left for the crown prince. The late emperor will feign ignorance and elevate him to a high position. The more public resentment the treacherous minister incites, the more praise the crown prince will receive for eliminating him after ascending the throne. Have you heard of the saying "a new broom sweeps clean"? This is like leaving a straw stack for the crown prince, just waiting for him to set it on fire!

A good minister is a thoroughbred horse reserved for the crown prince. The late emperor, clearly a discerning judge, still pretended to suppress him. Only after the crown prince ascended the throne was this thoroughbred promoted. Who wouldn't say he had a keen eye for talent and was a wise ruler?

Zhou Zhao, dressed neatly, listened to the conversation in front of the corridor and opened the door with amusement. Upon closer inspection, he saw two figures, one tall and one short, sitting there, each wearing a flower in their hair.

“Min Zangzhi, Su Zhou is only three years old!” Zhou Zhao said speechlessly.

Upon hearing this, Min Cangzhi turned around and said, "Ayou made some new gadgets and asked me to give them to Zhouzhou to play with!"

He emphasized the word "Tuesday" when he said it, then looked at Su Changying with a mocking expression.

Su Changying bent down, grabbed Su Zhou who was sitting on the wooden veranda, and hugged him in her arms.

Su Zhou's eyes lit up when he saw his father, and he immediately gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Father, Master Min said there's a person named Zhao Yizhou, also called Zhouzhou. Who is Zhao Yizhou? My name is Zhouzhou, and I'm Father's son! Is that Zhouzhou also Father's son?"

Su Changying looked at Min Cangzhi's face, which froze instantly, and couldn't help but smile.

Su Zhou stared wide-eyed, curious about everything. "Father, are you poisoned? You have red spots on your neck. Uncle Huang said it's..."

Su Changying blushed and covered Su Zhou's mouth. Min Zangzhi, on the other side, finally seized the opportunity and burst into laughter.

Zhou Zhao, who was standing inside the door, had already returned to his desk and solemnly picked up "Strange Tales of Poisoning Techniques" again.

"Father, why is Teacher Min so happy? Is it because Brother Min Yu did well in his studies today?"

Min Zangzhi's laughter stopped abruptly.

Min Zangzhi, the most talented scholar in Chang'an, had a son named Min Yu who was illiterate and had terrible handwriting. This was retribution for his years of sharp tongue.

(End of this chapter)