The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Now the Prince Xian's mansion was bustling with activity. The people in the mansion were busy preparing meals. Hao Xiong kept complaining to everyone about how much he suffered in prison and asked for comfort in various ways.

Grandpa Fu leaned on the couch nearby, watching everyone talking and laughing with a smile. After a while, he fell into a doze and had a sweet dream.

He dreamed that Jiaoyang Valley was becoming more and more prosperous. Not only did they build a two-story building, but they also had more and more children, who were running around him all over the place. He couldn't even tell which child was whose.

There was a grand banquet in Prince Xian's mansion, but it was quiet in Prince Cheng's mansion.

Gu Jiancheng was staring at a portrait on the table in his study. The door opened and Ma Zhenzhen walked in with a bowl of soup.

Gu Jiancheng immediately stepped forward, took the bowl, and put his arm around Ma Zhenzhen's waist.

"I've been busy all day, and when I came back I heard that you haven't eaten much all day? Is it because the chef in the mansion doesn't cook to your liking? Do you want to change the chef?"

"No need to change. Actually, they all cooked quite deliciously. I might have morning sickness, so my taste is a bit picky. Don't blame the chef. Look at this bowl of chicken soup. It's been simmered for three hours, and there are many nourishing herbs in it, but I just can't drink it. I'm giving it to you. Please don't waste it."

Gu Jiancheng picked up the bowl and gulped down the chicken soup.

"It tastes good, but you can't eat anything and you're getting thinner. This can't go on."

Ma Zhenzhen didn't seem to want to continue talking about this topic. She sat down on the chair and saw the portrait on the table and said "Huh" softly.

"Why does the woman in this painting look so much like my fifth brother's wife?"

Gu Jiancheng flicked the border of the portrait with his fingers.

"This is a portrait of Daylily, the head of Jiaoyang Valley, that I got from the merchant who filed the complaint."

Ma Zhenzhen covered her mouth in surprise.

"Really? Why does Daylily look so much like my fifth brother's wife?"

Gu Jiancheng was happy: "Because my fifth brother's wife is the perfect match."

Ma Zhenzhen exclaimed in surprise again, "Ah? Isn't my fifth brother's wife the princess sent by Yue Kingdom for marriage? Her real name is Tian Shiliu?"

Gu Jiancheng put his arm around Ma Zhenzhen's shoulders and let her lean on him.

"It seems that my fifth brother and his wife are hiding a lot of things."

Ma Zhenzhen looked up at Gu Jiancheng.

"You mean Fifth Brother knows that Fifth Brother's wife is Daylily? How is that possible? Where is Tian Shiliu?"

Gu Jiancheng gently stroked Ma Zhenzhen's back.

"This brat definitely knows, but he's just hiding it from us. He even said he was taking the princess out for a sightseeing trip and a field trip to Jiaoyang Valley, but in fact, he just followed Daylily back to his nest to figure out a solution. This brat is really good, he even hid it from me. He's really grown up and become bolder."

"Then why didn't you ask Fifth Brother? Why did he hide it from you?"

"He'll naturally speak when the time comes. Why am I asking so many questions? Huang Huacai is not bad either. He was able to withstand such great pressure and rescue the people of Jiaoyang Valley. He's not a bad person by nature. He even endured being hunted by the Tiandao League alone and managed Jiaoyang Valley to a thriving business. He's a capable person and a good match for Xiaowu."

Ma Zhenzhen chuckled.

"You're really open-minded. I wonder what the Emperor will do when he finds out? And then there's Consort Shu. She wasn't happy when my fifth brother married the princess. If she knew her precious son had married a mountain lord, I can't wait for that day to arrive. I'm sure there will be another huge uproar. They'll even poke a huge hole in the roof of the Imperial Palace!"

Gu Jiancheng pinched Ma Zhenzhen's nose and said, "You little rascal, you're just looking for trouble!"

But suddenly, Gu Jiancheng also burst into laughter.

"Don't tell me, I'm looking forward to it too!"

After the case was concluded, the people of Jiaoyang Valley completely relaxed. Under the leadership of Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua, they enjoyed eating, drinking and having fun every day in Liyang City.

At the Tiandao League headquarters in Jinyang City, Guan Liushui came back and before he could even say a word to his father, his father punished him by making him kneel in the ancestral hall to reflect and locked the door.

It was not until it was completely dark and Guan Liushui was so hungry that he felt dizzy and his heart was sticking to his back that the door of the ancestral hall opened. He saw his father walking in with a stern face.

"How have you reflected on your actions? I'll see if you dare to run away from home again!"

Guan Liushui sat down on the ground.

"Dad, you're almost dead, and you're still punishing me?"

Hu Yiba stretched out his hand to hit Guan Liushui, but Guan Liushui did not dodge. Instead, he stretched his head towards Hu Yiba.

"Beat me, just beat me to death, so that we can be companions on our journey to the underworld."

Hu Yiba put down his hand instead.

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Did someone beat you up after you went out?"

Guan Liushui knelt upright in front of Hu Yiba.

"Dad, I know everything you've done. You offered a high bounty for Huang Huacai's death because of the Evil-Slaying Blade, secretly paid someone to rob the caravan, and you threw dirty water on the people in Jiaoyang Valley. Dad, do you think you can do whatever you want just because you're the leader of the Heavenly Dao Alliance? I think since my mother died, no one has been able to persuade you. You've completely let yourself go."

Hu Yiba looked at Guan Liushui with a gloomy face.

"How do you know all this?"

"Justice prevails in the hearts of the people. His Royal Highness Prince Cheng of Liyang City opened a trial two days ago. It was a case brought by merchants against the Jiaoyang Valley robbery. Do you think Prince Cheng isn't confident enough to choose a public trial? You think you've done it so discreetly, but who knows how many clues you've exposed."

Hu Yiba began to pace slowly, his face gloomy and unclear.

Guan Liushui suddenly discovered that in the dim candlelight, he could still see the white hair on his father's temples, but when he left home, his father did not have a single white hair. He couldn't help but feel sad.

"Dad, you absolutely cannot hope for the slightest bit now. To tell you the truth, it was my son who tricked Huang Huacai into thinking I was a servant suffering in the Tiandao League. Huang Huacai was a righteous person, so she secretly took me out of the house."

Hu Yiba immediately turned around and stared at Guan Liushui.

"What? She was the one who took you away?"

"Yes, at first I lived in Jiaoyang Valley, eating and living with everyone else, and I was very happy every day. Later, the boss appreciated my talent, and I also wanted to go to Liyang to try my luck. It was she who paid for me to go to Liyang, and she also encouraged me to do what I like. That's how I carved out a place for myself in Dengyue Tower. Dad, my son's stage name is now Guan Liushui."

Hu Yiba held Guan Liushui's shoulders and looked at his son's face carefully.

"You? Are you Guan Liushui? The top performer at the Moon Tower, famous throughout Liyang City and favored even by the Song Emperor? Guan Liushui?"

"Dad, Guan Liushui is me, your biological son."

"No wonder I couldn't find you anywhere."

Guan Liushui grabbed Hu Yiba's arm tightly and shook it.

"Dad, you still have the mind to think about these things now? Let me tell you another secret, Huang Huacai is the virtuous princess! The virtuous princess is Huang Huacai, the head of Jiaoyang Valley!"