The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

In the evening of the next day, Zhao Xuan, Gu Zhanghua and four others finally arrived at Jiaoyang Valley.

Hao Xiong ran and jumped excitedly, waving his arms and shouting, "I'm back! I'm back! The boss is back too!"

Gu Zhanghua looked at Zhao Xuan in confusion: "Hao Xiong has always been so jumpy? Like a child?"

"Isn't this homecoming? There are many elders in the valley, and the rest are brothers and sisters. Of course he's happy! To be honest, I'm very happy too!"

Zhao Xuan imitated Hao Xiong and ran while shouting, "Where are you guys? Come out and greet us!"

The corner of Gu Zhanghua's mouth twitched. "Accepting guests? She actually came up with such a word!"

Shishu finally breathed a sigh of relief at this time. He had arrived at the place and his job was saved.

Hao Xiong, who was running in the front, suddenly felt that the atmosphere was not right.

Normally, when he shouted like that, a large group of people would have gathered around him, but today, there was no one there. It was silent all around. Hao Xiong was a little panicked and turned around to ask.

"Sister! Are we back too late? Were they all arrested by the government?"

Zhao Xuan immediately said, "No!"

But she had no idea in her mind, she didn't even dare to think about it. If it was really as Hao Xiong said, she would want to kill herself by banging her head against the wall.

Zhao Xuan raised her voice: "Where are they?! Where did they go?"

Suddenly, a man walked out of a brick house not far away. It was Dongtian, who had been to Heyan Village with Zhao Xuan. Zhao Xuan rushed to Dongtian and was shocked to see tears in his eyes.

"What happened? Why are you alone? Where are the others? Where did they go? Were they really arrested by the authorities?"

Dongtian shook his head, looked at Hao Xiong, and choked with sobs.

"Brother Xiong! You're finally back! Go check on her. Vanilla is dying. She's been holding on for dear life, just to wait for you..."

Hao Xiong's face changed drastically. He pushed Dongtian away and rushed into the brick house.

The room was full of people from Jiaoyang Valley. When they saw Hao Xiong come in, they all moved aside. Hao Xiong ran to the bed and saw Xiangcao with her eyes closed and barely breathing. Hao Xiong sat on the bed and gently pushed Xiangcao's shoulders.

"Vanilla! Vanilla! Wake up! Brother is back!"

“Yes… yes… brother…”

Vanilla murmured, then slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Hao Xiong, she stretched out her hand towards him. Hao Xiong held Vanilla's hand in his palm.

"Vanilla...my brother is back..."

At this time, Zhao Xuan, Gu Zhanghua and others also hurried in.

The Little Medical Fairy came to the bed, glanced at Xiangcao, then silently walked back to Zhao Xuan and said only three words.

"Hopeless."

Hao Xiong put his face against Xiangcao's and comforted her softly, "Xiangcao, you have to hold on. I will definitely be able to cure you when I come back! You've made it through all this time, you'll be fine! You have to believe in me!"

The next moment, Hao Xiong felt as if there were tears on his face. He raised his head and saw Vanilla's scarred face covered with tears, looking at him with tearful eyes.

"Brother, the days you saved me... the days you saved me were the happiest... the happiest... of my life..."

Vanilla didn't finish her words before she smiled and closed her eyes.

"Vanilla? Vanilla! Don't sleep, Vanilla! Wake up, Vanilla!"

Hao Xiong kept shaking Vanilla's body, but Vanilla never woke up.

Little Medical Fairy walked over to Hao Xiong and said softly, "She's gone. No matter how much you call her, she won't wake up. Please accept my condolences."

Hao Xiong suddenly stood up and looked at Xiao Yixiang angrily.

"You lied to me! You said you could heal her! Even if she couldn't stand up, she would still be able to survive! You said it!"

Little Medical Fairy looked at Hao Xiong calmly: "Xiangcao didn't let me tell you. She has sepsis. She's lucky to have made it this far."

Hao Xiong turned to look at Xiangcao, and suddenly threw himself on her, hugging her and crying like a child. Everyone else also burst into tears, and for a moment the room was filled with sobs.

Gu Zhanghua sighed, unable to hold back his tears, and asked Zhao Xuan, "Is she Hao Xiong's biological sister?"

Zhao Xuan's eyes were red, and she shook her head and said, "No."

Gu Zhanghua looked at Zhao Xuan in surprise.

Zhao Xuan pulled Gu Zhanghua's arm and said, "Come with me. I'll take you somewhere."

The two of them walked out of the brick house one after the other and walked slowly along the path in the valley.

Gu Zhanghua asked, "Where are you taking me?"

Zhao Xuan replied: "Tian Shiliu's grave."

"I believe you."

Zhao Xuan glanced at Gu Zhanghua beside her: "Everything has its cause and effect. This dead Xiangcao was a maidservant of the Qi Mansion in the border town of Yue State."

"Qi Mansion?" Gu Zhanghua remembered, "Tian Shiliu was recuperating in Qi Mansion due to illness at that time. What a coincidence."

Zhao Xuan continued, "Xiangcao was beautiful, but Master Qi ruined her. Madam Qi not only didn't stand up for Xiangcao, but she also accused her of seducing Master Qi. She had her face slashed with a knife, beaten her half to death, and thrown into a mass grave. Xiangcao was lucky enough to crawl out of the mass grave. Hao Xiong, who was patrolling the mountain, happened to run into her and rescued her."

Gu Zhanghua sighed and said, "The world is fickle, it really is like that. Fortunately, Xiangcao met Hao Xiong."

Zhao Xuan nodded. "Hao Xiong's sister died of starvation while fleeing famine, so he treated Xiangcao as his own sister and was determined to avenge her. So one day, he and a few of his brothers sneaked into the Qi Mansion in the middle of the night to rob it. That was the only robbery we've ever had in Jiaoyang Valley, but we unexpectedly rescued a Yue Kingdom princess, Tian Shiliu."

"Didn't you save Tian Shiliu?"

Zhao Xuan argued, "You're still dwelling on this even though the person is dead? Besides, Hao Xiong is my brother, my boss. I was the one who asked Little Medical Fairy to treat Tian Shiliu. How is that any different from saving him?"

Gu Zhanghua looked at Zhao Xuan doubtfully: "How many things are you hiding from me?"

Zhao Xuan smiled bitterly in her heart. If Gu Zhanghua's illness could be cured, she would tell him as soon as possible what kind of life Zhao Xuan had lived in the years since they separated.

At this time, Zhao Xuan had already brought Gu Zhanghua to the cemetery. Zhao Xuan quickly found Tian Shiliu's grave and pointed to a wooden plaque in front of the grave.

"Here we are, go and see for yourself."

Zhao Xuan squatted down and pulled out all the weeds on the grave. "Tian Shiliu died just two days after being rescued. Xiangcao is gone too. Hao Xiong must have suffered a big blow."

Gu Zhanghua walked closer and saw that Tian Shiliu's name was indeed engraved on the wooden plaque in front of the grave.

"It's really fate. If Tian Shiliu hadn't died, the position of Consort Xian would still be vacant, and she would have been my third brother's principal wife."

Zhao Xuan looked at Tian Shiliu's grave in silence. Yes, if it wasn't destined, she didn't know how to explain everything that happened between her and Gu Zhanghua. She wouldn't have returned to Jiaoyang Valley with Gu Zhanghua as the virtuous princess today, and would not have taken the trouble to plan for a better future for everyone in Jiaoyang Valley.

Zhao Xuan stood up and looked at Gu Zhanghua. Gu Zhanghua was also looking at the wooden sign with compassion in his eyes. His profile was shrouded in a faint golden light in the sunset, and his long eyelashes fluttered gently. Zhao Xuan's heartstrings were plucked, and a feeling of warmth and happiness suddenly came over her. Zhao Xuan couldn't help but want to hug Gu Zhanghua.

The next moment, Gu Zhanghua turned around and walked back the way he came. He said, "It's getting dark. Let's go back and see Hao Xiong."