The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

The next morning, in the imperial study.

The old prime minister Wen Lan, Zhao Cheng, Yang Liuming, Ma Baoguo, Qin Shao and Zhao Xiaoman were all present. They were passing a secret letter around and reading it. Emperor Xia Gu Li had a stern expression.

"Have you all read it? I originally gathered all of you today to discuss opening trade, but suddenly received this secret report. The Yue Kingdom is truly ambitious! Although our army fought hard to defend Fengcheng in the first year of Xuanhe, the Yue army took advantage of the opportunity and launched a surprise attack and captured Jinyang City the following year! Although there have been frictions in the southern border in recent years, there have been no signs of a major war. I didn't expect the Yue army to secretly train new recruits in the south, mass-produce weapons, and even send people to collude with the Rongdi tribe. Are they planning to attack our Xia Kingdom from both north and south? This is simply wishful thinking!"

The old Prime Minister, Wen Lan, pondered, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Is what is said in this secret report true and accurate?"

"This is the report from the secret guards I secretly sent to Yue State. I think it is almost correct."

Yang Liuming looked worried and suggested, "Last night, I received a secret report and thought to myself, even if there's only a 10% chance, we should be vigilant and prepare for a major war with Yue. After recuperating over the past few years, our country is now prosperous and our people are strong. We have the confidence to fight Yue!"

Qin Shao waved his fist fiercely.

"When Jinyang City fell, I insisted on leading the army to retake it myself. Your Majesty, you were concerned about the newly established Xia Kingdom, facing internal and external troubles, and refused to let me go! You really gave them face. Do you think we are easy to bully? I support Lord Yang! At worst, I will die on the battlefield! But I will never let the Yue Kingdom invade our territory again!"

Zhao Xiaoman glared at Qin Shao.

"General Qin, please stop fanning the flames! If the secret report is wrong and our country massively mobilizes its troops and supplies, Yue will seize upon it and accuse us of provoking the conflict. Then, avoiding war will be impossible. And if the two countries go to war, who knows how many soldiers will lose their lives, and how many civilians will suffer..."

"So what do you say we should do? Just sit there and wait for them to storm into the city?"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing," Landy persuaded. "You all have your reasons. The most important thing now is whether there's a practical way to verify the authenticity of the secret report. Only then can we make preparations for the next step."

Gu Li looked at Ma Baoguo, who had remained silent the entire time. "My dear Ma, what do you think?"

"The old Prime Minister and I agree. If the secret report is true and Yue wants to go to war with Xia, Xia will not hesitate to fight! But if the secret report is wrong, Xia will not take the initiative to provoke Yue to prevent the people of both countries from suffering again due to war!"

Zhao Cheng stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have an idea. Why not send another caravan to the Kingdom of Yue? Ostensibly to conduct business, but in reality to secretly investigate the truth of the secret report."

Gu Li pondered and said, "This is a good idea, but the person who can take on this important task..."

"This matter is none other than your humble servant," Zhao Xiaoman said confidently, stepping forward. "Your Majesty is aware that I have been escorting caravans to Yue State for many years. Not only have I performed escort duties, but I have also been tasked with purchasing goods. I've frequently interacted with merchants from all over Yue State, and I've had close ties with officials within the government. Most of them have accepted bribes from you, so if I go, it will be much easier to investigate, both officially and privately."

Yang Liuming pondered and said, "I don't think this is appropriate. Miss Zhao used to go on business trips, so she was naturally at ease. But this time, she's going on a secret investigation. The identity of the caravan's chief escort is too conspicuous. It will restrict Miss Zhao's actions and make it difficult for her to act. It will easily expose her true intentions."

At this moment, Wen Lan suddenly supported her forehead with her hand and her body swayed. Gu Li hurriedly got down from his seat and supported Wen Lan.

"Old Prime Minister, how are you?"

"Nothing's wrong, no problem. Your Majesty, please take care of me. I'm just a little dizzy. It's an old problem, an old problem."

Wen Lan looked at Gu Li and said, "I think this matter is not urgent at this moment. We need to make more plans."

"What the old Prime Minister said is very true. My dear ministers, please go back and think carefully about it. We will discuss it again tomorrow."

After everyone bid farewell to Emperor Xia and left the palace, Qin Shao wanted to chat with Zhao Xiaoman, but he didn't know what to say. In the blink of an eye, Zhao Xiaoman had ridden away. Qin Shao looked at Zhao Xiaoman's figure and sighed.

"General Qin, General Qin?"

Qin Shao turned around and saw Ma Baoguo standing beside him, also looking at Zhao Xiaoman's receding figure in confusion.

"Master Ma, do you have something to talk to me about?"

"There's a story between you and Miss Zhao!"

"The story has ended, Master Ma, are you interested in playing a duet of qin and flute to ease your worries?"

Ma Baoguo was surprised and looked Qin Shao up and down.

"I didn't realize you were capable of this! Okay! Let's go to my house!"

Qin Shao took off the jade flute from his waist and danced it between his fingers, feeling a little lost.

"If there's no beautiful woman to listen to my heartfelt songs, it's nice to have a confidant!"

Ma Baoguo suddenly felt a mutual understanding with Qin Shao and was filled with emotion.

"To be honest, General, I spent a lot of effort to buy the Youlan Qin. I originally wanted to play it for my wife on the 20th anniversary of our marriage. But she not only pawned it without my knowledge, but she also became unreasonable when I confronted her!"

"Oh, there is such a thing? How did the Lord and the Lady celebrate in the end?"

Ma Baoguo sighed.

"She ate her favorite pancake wrapped with green onions. It was so delicious I couldn't even remember her last name! But it was so spicy that my throat hurts now. Didn't you see how quiet I was when His Majesty summoned me today?"

Qin Shao couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Not long after, Li Cuihua, who was kneading dough in Ma Baoguo's kitchen, looked at Ma Baoguo and Qin Shao sitting in the corridor playing the piano and couldn't help but say, "What a leisurely and leisurely person!"

At this time, she heard Ma Baoguo's clear singing voice.

"Don't listen to the rustling of leaves in the forest; why not whistle and walk slowly? A bamboo stick and straw sandals are lighter than a horse, so who is afraid? A raincoat protects me from the rain and mist. The chilly spring breeze sobers me up from my drunken stupor, a little chilly, but the slanting sunlight on the mountaintops greets me. Looking back at the desolate place, I return, neither wind nor rain nor clear."

As the melodious singing played, Li Cuihua's expression gradually became gentle and affectionate.

She remembered that when she first met Ma Baoguo many years ago, he played this song. Although she didn't understand what he was singing, she was attracted by his clear and high-pitched voice.

Later, she listened to Ma Baoguo play two more songs and then went home to cook. Ma Baoguo also packed up his piano and prepared to leave. They actually walked the same distance for a short distance.

When she jumped across a small river by stepping on the stones in the river, she looked back and saw Ma Baoguo squatting trembling on a big rock in the river, touching the stone in panic and at a loss. So she jumped back, bent down and carried Ma Baoguo on her back.

Ma Baoguo was shocked and screamed with his teeth bared.

"Men and women shouldn't touch each other! Men and women shouldn't touch each other! How shameless! How shameless!"

"Don't shout, or I'll throw you down! Be quiet!"

As soon as she stepped onto another stone in the river, Ma Baoguo hugged her neck tightly.

When she crossed the river and put Ma Baoguo on the shore, she turned around and saw Ma Baoguo blushing and hesitantly saying to her: "This is really troublesome. From now on, I can never, never marry anyone else except you..."

Her heart was pounding at that time. She never expected that such a small thing as carrying someone across the river would bring back a husband!

Only when the singing stopped did Li Cuihua come back to her senses. She felt embarrassed, smiled, shook her head, and continued to knead the dough diligently.