Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 132 Two Sides Revealed
Qin Lang was dressed in a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with two red hairpins tucked into his hair. Someone had drawn his eyebrows and applied powder to his face, and just one glance at him was enough to make one feel pity for him.

"What a delicate and beautiful woman!"

Qin Lang listened to Zhou Zhao's teasing and wished he could keep his mouth shut and his hands and feet tied so he couldn't move.

All he wanted now was to dig a hole in the bottom of the carriage, crawl under it, and never see Zhou Zhao again!

Thinking back to his previous sarcasm towards Zhou Zhao and his attempt to deceive her about the case, and considering the current situation, he felt utterly ashamed and indignant.

"Luckily, you didn't manage to steal this case, otherwise I would have been amazed to see Lord Qin getting married tomorrow!"

Zhou Zhao's voice was very soft, practically a mocking laugh right in his face.

I really want to die!
Qin Lang was filled with despair when, at that moment, he felt a release in his mouth as Zhou Zhao pulled out the rag that had been stuffing in his mouth.

"Zhou Zhao, kicking someone when they're down is not the way of a gentleman!"

Qin Lang spoke through gritted teeth, and Zhou Zhao clicked his tongue a few times, "A true gentleman doesn't kick someone when they're down. He stabbed them in the back so that no one would have a chance to call him a villain."

Qin Lang was speechless. Zhou Zhao chuckled and took out a dagger to cut the ropes binding his hands and feet.

Zhou Zhao laughed and stopped teasing Qin Lang. Instead, he made way for Qin Lang to get out of the car.

Qin Lang stretched his limbs, raised his hand to touch the back of his head, and couldn't help but gasp. He hesitated for a moment, but still didn't have the courage to get out of the car. He could already hear the footsteps of the Northern Army soldiers rushing towards them.

As he was thinking, he felt a gust of wind.

His superior, Li Mu, rushed over with red eyes, shouting, "Qin..."

Qin Lang's heart tightened, and he prayed to all the gods to protect Li Mu from calling out his name. He felt his head buzzing, and as he watched Li Mu's mouth open and close, the name Qin Lang had already slipped out.

But at that very moment, a loud slap rang out, and the horse neighed as if its tail had been stepped on.

These two voices immediately drowned out Li Mu's excited shouts.

Qin Lang was taken aback when Zhou Zhao leaned over and lowered the carriage curtain, blocking Li Mu's view as well as the view of the approaching Northern Army soldiers. "Li Tingshi, we've already agreed on the rules: whoever catches the murderer gets the case."

This case is now mine, and I'm in a hurry to take the murderer and witnesses back to the Court of Justice for questioning.

"I'm so sorry, Lord Li."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, without waiting for Li Mu's response, he grabbed the coachman right in front of him and threw him onto the horse's back.

Looking at the driver's swollen face, Li Mu's lips moved, and he blurted out, "He has already surrendered. How can Lord Zhou abuse his power?"

Zhou Zhao glanced at Li Mu impatiently. "Lord Li, please step aside. I need to take him back and brand him with a hot iron."

Li Mu opened his mouth in disbelief and saw Zhou Zhao and Su Changying standing side by side, with the young brothers of the Northern Army leading the carriage, a large group of people heading towards the Court of Justice.

He stood there for a long, long time before finally looking at his hands with a sense of loss.

Finally, he crouched down and hugged his head.

Sitting in the carriage, Qin Lang looked at the swaying carriage curtains and felt extremely complicated.

The gods did not hear his prayers, but Zhou Zhao did.

Thinking it over, he pulled off the hairpin from his head, restyled his hair into a man's bun, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped off the rouge and powder from his face, and finally lowered his head, steeled his heart, and took out the two steamed buns he had stuffed in front of his chest.

Outside the carriage, Zhou Zhao was talking to Su Changying.

"General Su, why are you so slow? Could it be that some female ghost grabbed your leg halfway there? If you were any closer, I would have thrown that murderer up and used her as a cushion between the carriage and the wall." Su Changying cleared his throat. "Hmm, not as good as Lord Zhou's lightness skill."

The horse went berserk and ran too fast, while he kept scheming how to strike successfully and ensure Zhou Zhao's safety.

Zhou Zhao laughed heartily, "Although it's a lie, I like to hear it. My brothers in the Northern Army have worked hard tonight. Your General Su said he'd treat you to mutton soup later, and that's true, isn't it, General Su!"

All the Northern Army soldiers looked over eagerly.

Su Changying nodded slightly, and everyone cheered.

Qin Lang listened to the commotion outside, somewhat stunned. Zhou Zhao's speed in reviewing the case files at the Court of Justice these past few days had swept through every corner of the court like a hurricane. He secretly went to the storeroom and looked at the case files bearing Zhou Zhao's name.

He read every single word and sentence and couldn't find any fault with it.

He even had to refer to the annotations and search for some cases before he could remember them.

Such a scholar should be aloof and proud, but Zhou Zhao mingled with these warriors without any concern.

While he was pondering, the carriage had already arrived at the Court of Justice.

Zhou Zhao did not let him get out of the carriage, but instead had him taken directly to the side courtyard of the Court of Justice where carriages were parked, where his servant was waiting.

Zhou Zhao was unaware of Qin Lang's complicated situation, and she was once again imprisoned in the Court of Justice.

"Ah, the familiar smell of the branding iron, along with the blood and musty smell of the prison, makes me feel like I'm home."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he pointed to a chair beside him, "General Su, please sit down! Don't forget the mutton soup."

Min Zangzhi, who was refining his brush, clicked his tongue a few times. "I won't write down your flattering words and present them to Li Tingwei. Besides, Li Youdao has already used the phrase 'Tingwei Temple is my home'!"

Zhou Zhao choked, rolled her eyes at Min Cangzhi, and said, "As a pen, all you need are hands. What kind of mouth do you need to say?"

Before Min Zangzhi could retort, Zhou Zhao spoke first, addressing the slumped coachman opposite him, "What is your name? Where are you from? You kidnapped innocent people and were caught red-handed. I advise you to confess the truth."

The murderer clutched his leg, which Su Changying had broken, and glared at Zhou Zhao with a gloomy look.

His voice was a little hoarse, "I want to know, how did you know it was mine when we were so far apart?"

Zhou Zhao raised an eyebrow. "Rattle Drum, Bao Chun'an, the second girl you killed. She disappeared while meeting a peddler, who always walked the streets shaking a rattle drum. If I'm not mistaken, you knew her a long time ago, didn't you?"

The murderer was stunned for a moment, then glared at Zhou Zhao fiercely. "What I hate most in my life is an aggressive and clever woman like you."

Zhou Zhao replied with a nonchalant "Oh," adding, "A weak, incompetent, and foolish person would usually say something like that."

The murderer instantly flew into a rage, "You! You want to know who I am? I won't tell you!"

Zhou Zhao lazily replied with an "Oh," his gaze towards the murderer filled with indifference. "You'll definitely tell us, won't you? You dressed the woman you killed as a bride and placed her in the alley for us to find, just to tell us your story that nobody cares about, right?"
"You only get one chance. I don't care what you say, and I have evidence to prove you're the murderer anyway. A life for a life. You can talk to me when you're in your coffin. Just remember, don't eat the soybeans in your last meal."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he stood up, "Those soybeans are stale, infested with worms, and half-cooked. Don't let your discomfort cause you to fart, scaring the executioner so much that he mishandles it and has to make two cuts instead of one. That would be terrible..."

As she spoke, she stretched and looked at Su Changying, "Let's go get some mutton soup!"

Seeing Su Changying get up and Zhou Zhao actually leave, the murderer's mind went blank. He anxiously looked at Zhou Zhao, who had already reached the door, and said, "My name is Li Zhengde!"

Zhou Zhao snorted coldly and sat down impatiently in front of Li Zhengde. "I've already said you only have one chance!"

Li Zhengde shrank back. "Bao Chun'an and I are indeed old acquaintances."