Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 92 New Eulogy
Zhou Zhao smiled and said, "The Northern Army is quick to arrest people, General Su."

As she spoke, without waiting for Su Changying's response, she immediately turned her horse around and headed towards the Zhou family's location, waving her hand behind her back.

Chang'an City was as bustling as ever. Zhou Zhao walked around and bought candied fruit that his mother liked, red bean cake that Zhou Xuan liked, and fried soybeans that Zhou Wan disliked but often secretly ate under the covers. After hesitating for a long time, he finally bought a few pears for Zhou Buhai.

After walking through the market for a short distance, the Zhou family's mansion came into view.

Zhou Zhao made a shushing gesture to the gatekeeper, secretly gripped the door with both hands, and peeked inside. Not seeing her two older sisters, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She left the capital in a hurry, and worried that Zhou Buhai would stop her, so she left only a letter and left before dawn.

He was so full of ambition when he left, ready to take on an entire city by himself, but now he is so anxious and worried about being taken on by Zhou Xuan and Zhou Wan together.

"Zhou Zhao! You dare to come back! You've really made something of yourself!"
"Is your head made of iron? How dare you go to a place like that! Do you think you're a cat with nine lives? Do you know how worried your mother is?"

Hearing the roar, Zhou Zhao knew something was wrong and turned to run, but a large hand struck like lightning and grabbed her ear.

See? She knew it!
No matter how skilled she was in martial arts, she couldn't withstand Zhou Xuan's move! Her hand could suck the ear of someone surnamed Zhou!

"Sister, sister, dear sister! I was wrong! So many people are watching!"

Zhou Zhao winced in pain. She looked around and spotted Zhou Wan standing behind the door, looking delicate. Taking advantage of Zhou Xuan's inability to see her, Zhou Wan rolled her eyes at her and said, "Sister, I am now an official of the court. I am different from you and me. I have to save face."

"If we are too crude, she will lose face and become a laughingstock!"

Zhou Zhao glared at Zhou Wan, what a brilliant move to add fuel to the fire!
Zhou Wanxuan immediately flew into a rage, "Is her face more important than her life? I think she just never learns her lesson!"

Despite her words, she still made room for Zhou Zhao and pulled him inside, blocking the curious gazes of passersby. After a few steps, Zhou Xuan tenderly let go of his hand, rubbed Zhou Zhao's reddened ears, and poked Zhou Zhao's forehead in exasperation.

“You’re going to do something great, and I don’t blame you. But the green hills bury loyal bones, and the dead are wrapped in straw and returned home. If you die for your country, I should know where to go to pick you up.”

Zhou Zhao's heart warmed. "Sister, I'm back."

Zhou Xuan rubbed her head. "It's good that you're back. Father and Mother have gone to the Marquis of Lu's residence. I heard that Su Changying has returned. Awan was worried about you, so we stayed to wait for you. Sigh, you've only been back for seven days, and now it's Awan's turn to go to Daidi again."

Zhou Zhao frowned upon hearing this.

It seems that Zhou Wan's plan has succeeded. She is going to marry the Prince of Dai and then go to the country with her husband. Meanwhile, Zhou Buhai and his wife went to the Lu Marquis's residence to wait for Su Changying and ask him about the clues in the Shanming Changyang case. Unfortunately, they will be disappointed.

Did Su Changying mention what happened back then? Who killed his brother?

Hearing Zhou Wan's question, Zhou Zhao shook his head, "No, he doesn't remember anything from the past."

A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Zhou Wan's face. "I guess something went wrong. If it were really that simple, the murderer would already be in the Court of Justice."

The three fell silent for a moment. After a while, Zhou Xuan patted Zhou Zhao on the shoulder and said, "You must be tired from your journey. Go take a bath and change your clothes. Have Chu Yi bring some food from the kitchen. Eat and get a good night's sleep. Don't worry about anything else for now."

“With Cheng’an watching over her, the old lady won’t come looking for you to cause trouble.”

Zhou Zhao was taken aback when she heard Zhou Cheng'an's name. In a daze, she remembered that her father had adopted Zhou Cheng'an, who was now her brother.

Hearing Zhou Xuan address him so affectionately, it's clear they've been getting along quite well lately.

After seeing Guan, Zhou Zhao breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, Zhou Xuan hadn't pulled open her clothes to check her injuries, otherwise her ears would probably have been swollen from being pulled.

Thinking it over, she obediently nodded to Zhou Xuan and handed him the food she had bought. The moment she saw the fried soybeans, she received a disapproving glare from Zhou Wan. Where Zhou Xuan couldn't see, Zhou Zhao stuck out her tongue at Zhou Wan and dashed off towards her courtyard. The courtyard was exactly the same as when she left, still as clean as if no one had ever lived there.

Zhou Zhao's room was still so messy that there was no place to step; if another person came in, they would be pushed out and fall over.

"Miss, you're back! I'll fetch you some water for a bath!"

The usually calm and collected Chu Yi, who was like a walking dead, raised his voice a few decibels today, clearly hiding his surprise.

"Make some medicine according to the prescription I used to drink for treating internal injuries, and also some ointment to remove scars..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chu Yi brought out a tray with several packets of prepared medicine and two small jars, one newer and one older.

"Xuan Niangzi had already prepared and sent it over. This new jar was sent by Wan Niangzi, who said it was a new medicine from the palace that she asked the Prince of Dai for."

Zhou Zhao pursed her lips, her eyes slightly warm, and said, "Mmm."

This time, Zhou Zhao soaked in the water for a long time, until it cooled down, before she came out feeling relaxed. She dried her hair with a cloth and sat down at the table.

She placed the bundle on the table, with her official documents and robes from the Court of Justice underneath.

As Zhou Zhao thought about it, he couldn't help but smile.

Zhang Ran was right about one thing: her great victory over Tianying City was indeed a great achievement, and based on that alone, no one dared to question her entry into the Court of Justice.

She picked up the bundle, intending to put it aside.

The moment his hand touched her, his expression suddenly changed.

The icy-cold bundle now felt scalding hot, a familiar sensation just like when she saw the letter to her deceased wife that day.

Zhou Zhao's heart tightened, and he quickly opened the bundle and took out the bamboo slip.

She took this bamboo slip with her when she went to Tianying City. She stared at it again and again, especially on the night of July 14th when she killed Qin Tianying, and on the night of July 15th. But the bamboo slip remained blank and showed no movement whatsoever.

Just like Su Changying burned the memorial text that time, and never burned it again.

Today, the bamboo slips are hot again.

As she thought about it, she unfolded the bamboo slip, and her pupils suddenly contracted. She saw that words had appeared out of thin air on the bamboo slip.

A Letter to My Deceased Wife: Bright as the sun and moon, hanging high on the long ribbon. I met her on the righteous path on New Year's Day, and again under the orchid moon. The reeds are vast, the pear trees are lush, and my heart is suddenly filled with a shared longing. The Imperial Censor and the Northern Army wield their double blades, and a lonely soul flies from the perilous tower to pluck stars…

The characters on the bamboo slips appeared one by one, and then disappeared one by one as if they had been burned.

When they reached the character “soul”, they suddenly stopped. It was as if water droplets appeared on the bamboo slip, and no new characters appeared.

Zhou Zhao stared at it intently until the bamboo slip had completely cooled down and turned back into a blank bamboo slip.

What does it mean?
So even though she managed to return alive from Tianying City, it didn't change her fate of dying young.

This is a new death announcement.