Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 12 The Liar
Once the ice melts and the water stains dry, it's proof that they've completely disappeared without a trace.

"Of course, carving ice is not something an ordinary person can do, so although the murderer's method may not be the most perfect, he has done the best he can."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he picked up the pebbles on the ground one by one, wrapped them in a handkerchief, and handed them to Min Zangzhi, who was standing to the side with great interest.

“Min Wenshu, please keep this evidence safe. Once it is pieced together and the shape of the ghost is revealed, you will know that what Zhou Zhao said is true.”

“Ah Huang, look, this is where I said the blood volume was wrong,” Zhou Zhao didn’t dwell on the “ghost eating people” incident for long, and directly pointed to the bloodstain on the side of the table.

"The deceased, Zhang Ruoqing, was probably sitting at the table when she was stabbed in the chest. She then collapsed and fell down, exposing her neck."

"After a period of time, the murderer stabbed her a second time. This time Zhang Ruoqing was already dead, so there was no large amount of blood splattered on the wall behind the table."

"Then, the murderer moved the body and hung her upside down from the roof beam."

Standing to the side, Chen Yuzhao listened, his eyes following Zhou Zhao's words, nodding from time to time.

When he came to his senses, his neck stiffened, and his expression instantly became complicated.

No, aren't they in a competition?
From the moment he entered, he was completely controlled by Zhou Zhao, and his entire being followed her train of thought.

This was hardly a life-or-death struggle; it was clearly him listening to Master Zhou's lecture!

"The murderer should be a very strong person, quite tall, and most likely a physically strong man."

"Because there were no traces of dragging a body on the floor of this room. Although Zhang Ruoqing was the most beautiful woman in Chang'an and as light as a swallow, it was not an easy thing to hang her from the roof beam."

As Zhou Zhao finished speaking, he looked at Zhu Li, who was standing to the side. Zhu Li was not distracted at the moment. When he saw Zhou Zhao looking at him, he looked back at him questioningly.

Zhou Zhao raised an eyebrow and looked past Zhu Li toward the door.

"So this raises a new question: the wooden plaque with the name engraved on it on the table was overturned, and the murderer stayed in the house for a long time after the murder. Why didn't the maid and coachman waiting outside the courtyard hear any noise?"

Everyone followed her gaze toward the door, where a carriage had appeared out of nowhere.

A young man with eyes swollen like walnuts stepped down from the carriage, flanked by two young maids.

"You were arrested and thrown into jail yesterday, and there wasn't even time to interrogate the maid and the coachman. How did you know they said they didn't hear anything?"

As the young man spoke, he pushed the bowing maidservant further into the room.

The maidservant, like a frightened bird, sprang out and darted directly in front of Zhou Zhao.

She raised her head in horror, revealing a face swollen and red like a pig's head. Clearly, she had been punished by her master because of Zhang Ruoqing's death.

“This is Ruoqing’s maid, named Linglan. My father said that you will find the murderer who killed my sister within three days. He told me to send the maid and the coachman here directly. If you have any questions, just ask.”

As the man spoke, he sniffed, and his eyes suddenly reddened again.

“My name is Zhang Xun, and I am Ruoqing’s third brother. She is truly a kind and good person. When she was young, the world was in chaos, and there were refugees everywhere. My family still had some property, so we didn’t have to worry about food and clothing. My sister is the youngest among us, so how could we let her go hungry?”

"But unfortunately..." Zhang Xun said, tears streaming down his face.

He was clearly a man of strong emotions; he raised his sleeve to wipe his face, looking exceptionally sad.

"But she fainted from hunger. When her mother asked, she learned that she had given all her own food to help children her age among the refugees. How could someone like that make enemies, and how could anyone hate her so much?" Zhou Zhao raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

People can never truly understand those around them, just like her father never understood her.

She had said it last night: Zhang Ruoqing must be a person with many secrets, otherwise why would she appear in Ghost Alley late at night?

She cupped her hands in a gesture of respect to Zhang Xun, saying, "Young Master Zhang, please accept my condolences. The most important thing now is to find the murderer."

"Lily of the valley, right?"

As soon as Zhou Zhao finished speaking, Linglan spoke up on her own, "I really don't know who you've come to see, Miss."

“Yesterday evening, after dinner, the young lady asked me to bring a black wooden box to Wujin Lane. She said she was going to meet a guest here and not to come forward without being summoned. How dare we servants speak ill of the young lady?”

"It wasn't until curfew was almost here that I rushed forward, worried about being spotted by the Northern Army... but unexpectedly I found the young lady..."

Linglan spoke fluently, clearly indicating that the officials from the Court of Justice had already asked her these questions last night.

As she spoke, she lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly.

"I...I really didn't hear anything. I stayed in the alley for a while, and I was so scared. I heard that this alley is haunted, and that locust trees like shade. This tree grew so tall that it blocked out the sky; I wonder how many ghosts are hiding inside..."

"When I stand in front of the courtyard gate, I always feel like there are many eyes watching me from the trees."

"So I went with Zhang Tan, who was also the coachman... to Hengyuan Restaurant at the entrance of Wujin Alley. There was a storyteller there, and it was very lively. When we arrived, we happened to hear the storyteller talking about the Six Heroes of Chang'an, and he mentioned that Little Marquis Lu had taken three heads with one sword..."

"The waiter should still remember me. I was worried that Brother Tan would talk nonsense when he got back, so I specially treated him to grilled pork and a bowl of millet porridge."

As Linglan spoke, she turned to look at Tan Ge, the coachman who was following behind Zhang Xun.

Upon seeing this, Brother Tan nodded emphatically.

"Later, seeing that it was almost time, and fearing that the young lady might summon me, I returned to the courtyard gate with Zhang Tan. But after waiting for quite a while, there was still no sound from inside. The young lady must have already..."

"My lords, Miss Zhou Zhao, everything I have said is true. These are the very questions that the Minister of Justice asked last night."

"Although my young lady is gentle, she is very opinionated and values ​​rules. She never tells us what she does, and I have no idea why she comes to Wujin Lane. She has never argued with anyone, at most she just quarrels with the young ladies."

“If I’m not talking about someone…” Linglan’s eyelashes trembled a few times, and after hesitating for a long time, she finally said, “If I’m not talking about someone…”

"The young lady often sighs, saying that Miss Zhou is the most beautiful young lady in Chang'an. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be her close friend? It's just a pity that she likes Miss Zhou, but Miss Zhou doesn't like her."

"Tsk tsk..." Even without looking, Zhou Zhao knew who was making that gloating tsk tsk sound.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Min Cangzhi with great interest, waving his feather fan like a dog's tail, his whole body seemingly saying, "I told you so, he might just get me in jail again."

Zhou Zhao was speechless, and inwardly rolled her eyes at Min Zangzhi.

This person truly thrives on chaos.

She shook her head at Linglan, "Who wants to ask you these questions? All I want to know is the part where you lied! Every time Zhang Ruoqing does something she can't reveal to the public, she takes you with her. How could you not know what she's doing in Wujin Lane?"

(End of this chapter)