The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

In two days, the Xia Kingdom's envoys would depart for the Yue Kingdom. On this day, Zhao Xuan and her friends had their favorite outdoor class, and the teacher was General Qin Shao.

On the hillside outside Liyang, Qin Shao's personal guards were leading a few horses to graze leisurely. Not far away, Qin Shao was lying on his side under a big tree with his chin supported by his hand. The little guys were also lying or sitting freely on the grass. The autumn air was clear and cool, but gradually the fallen leaves were flying in the wind.

Qin Shao said, "Little ones, I will now begin to tell you about the breed of this warhorse! Everyone, please listen carefully. I will test you later. Only those who answer correctly can ride the big horse!"

Everyone started to applaud.

Zhao Xuan was lying on the grass with her back, holding a wild flower in her mouth and her hands behind her head. When she heard what Qin Shao said, she shook her head in disdain.

"Who cares? My master carries me on his horse every day, and Uncle Wang Sheng used to carry me on his horse too."

Gu Zhanghua, who was sitting next to Zhao Xuan, looked at Zhao Xuan with envy.

"Sister Xuan, I've never ridden a big horse before! My mother won't let me!"

"I'll tell my master later and ask her to hold you and ride you as much as she wants!"

"But Aunt Zhao is about to go to Yue State with the Crown Prince. How long do we have to wait?"

Zhao Xuan turned over and sat up, and asked, "Have you never thought about going with the Crown Prince?"

Gu Zhanghua looked surprised and asked, "Is it okay?"

"Of course...it's just..."

Gu Zhanghua questioned Zhao Xuan: "I heard from my mother that Aunt Zhao and Prince Brother are going on a very important trip this time. How could they possibly bring two little kids like us with them?"

Zhao Xuan dreamed, "But I heard from Master that the cakes in Yue are really delicious, with all kinds of fruits in them. None of us have ever tasted them. My Master has prepared a lot of gifts, filling ten large boxes! Xiaowu, do you think Master and the Crown Prince will buy us lots of cakes?"

"Wow! Ten boxes of cakes?"

"Silly, one box is good enough!"

Zhao Xuan suddenly stared at Gu Zhanghua, feeling very excited. She thought, "Master will definitely not take her to Yue State, and the Crown Prince won't take Xiao Wu with him either." But! She and Xiao Wu could go secretly! They were best friends, so of course they had to share both good and bad times. Even if Master got angry, he would have to consider the Crown Prince's face. If he didn't spank Xiao Wu, her bottom would be safe!

But then she thought again, because of Concubine Shu's temper, if Xiao Wu told others that she had secretly followed him, Concubine Shu would definitely fight her master to the death!

Zhao Xuan tapped her head like an adult and an idea came to her.

"Xiaowu, how about we play a game together!"

"Okay, okay! I love playing games with Sister Xuan the most!"

"But you have to keep it a secret. I can only play this game with you! You can't tell anyone else!"

"Where's my mother?"

"cannot!"

"Where's the prince?"

"cannot!"

"That……"

Zhao Xuan simply said, "If you keep talking nonsense, I won't play with you anymore!"

"Okay, I promise I won't tell anyone! What game is it?"

Zhao Xuan thought about it, smiled brightly, and whispered secretly to Gu Zhanghua.

"Tell your mother tomorrow morning that you can come to my house after class. My master will carry you on a horse, and then the game will begin."

"Will my mother agree?"

"If your mother doesn't agree, you won't eat breakfast. If your mother still doesn't agree, you'll roll on the ground and cry loudly. Do you understand?"

"Sister Xuan, this isn't good, is it? The Crown Prince said a gentleman should be careful with his words and actions..."

At this time, Qin Shao shouted, "Fifth Prince, did you remember what I just said? Now I want to test you. What breed is this horse I'm leading?"

Gu Zhanghua turned around and saw General Qin standing behind him, leading a horse. He was leaning over and smiling at him. He was so busy whispering to Sister Xuan that he didn't hear what General Qin said at all.

Gu Zhanghua stood before the horse, speechless and bewildered. He was thankful he wasn't the only one who couldn't answer, and that Sister Xuan wasn't paying attention. Besides, he could have Aunt Zhao carry him on the horse tomorrow, so it didn't matter if he couldn't answer now.

Thinking of this, Gu Zhanghua was still very happy, but when he heard Zhao Xuan's eloquent answer, he was immediately dumbfounded.

Zhao Xuan spread out her two chubby hands, looked at the horse Qin Shao was leading, and shook her head in a very professional manner.

"This horse looks ordinary, but it's very strong, with a big head and a short neck. Its thick fur is brown. It must be the famous horse Uncle Qin just mentioned, the Brown Sky Piao, which is abundant in the northern Rongdi tribe. It is the most cold-resistant and can grow up in very difficult places. It is the most suitable mount for cavalry. This horse is Uncle Qin's favorite mount, named Thunder Shadow!"

"Okay!" Qin Shao laughed, picked up Zhao Xuan, jumped on his horse, and galloped away.

Zhao Xuan leaned in Qin Shao's arms and asked curiously, "Uncle Qin, why does your horse look so similar to my master's? The only difference is the coat color. My master's horse is blue."

Qin Shao's heart ached for a moment, and he sighed: "The Flying Lightning Horse that your master had was given to her by me."

In fact, the reason why Zhao Xuan could answer fluently was because Zhao Xiaoman had told her a bedtime story about flying lightning a long time ago, and mentioned Qin Shao's Thunder Shadow by the way.

In the end, Gu Zhanghua was the only one in the class who couldn't ride the big horse. He had to make his mother agree to let him go to Sister Xuan's house tomorrow. It wouldn't be a big deal if he rolled on the ground.

That afternoon, Zhao Cheng went to Qingfengyuan to find Zhao Xiaoman. After learning that everything regarding the diplomatic mission was in place, he told his daughter about the Ministry of Revenue's investigation into the smuggling case.

"I think we should stop here and not investigate further. For one thing, there are too many nobles involved. Not to mention Ma Baoguo's Youlanqin, there's also the son of the Minister of Rites, who's also a prodigal son. And then there's the wet nurse of the wife of the Vice Minister of Justice, Lord Chen. Sigh! She even stole valuables from the mansion and tried to find someone to cash them out. After the incident, the wet nurse even hanged herself. What a mess!"

Zhao Xiaoman frowned: "Father is absolutely right! If we continue investigating, it will only make things more confusing!"

Zhao Cheng continued, "On the other hand, His Majesty has already intended for you to accompany the Crown Prince on this diplomatic mission to discuss a plan for opening trade with the Kingdom of Yue. Once the two countries have trade, all will be well."

Zhao Xiaoman nodded: "Don't worry, father, I am confident about the negotiation."

"Good! As long as you're confident! When you return from this mission, I plan to resign and return home. Everything will be up to your wishes. I'm also a little tired. I'm old and my body can't keep up, and my heart is tired too!"

Zhao Xiaoman stepped forward to massage her father's shoulders: "Everything will be fine. Just think about the happy days ahead for you, me, and Xuan'er. We will be carefree and watch Xuan'er grow up day by day. How wonderful it will be!"

Zhao Cheng patted the back of his daughter's hand. "Yes, when I think of Xuan'er's mischievous side, I feel that the days ahead will be filled with endless joy! By the way, tomorrow His Majesty will personally escort the envoys out of the city with all the civil and military officials. I won't be going. I'll quickly close the case and prepare to return home!"

The father and daughter smiled at each other, both full of longing and hope for the day when they would return to Xiangzhou.

Xiao Aiyue had been feeling uneasy for the past two days. She finally attributed it to the fact that the delegation was about to depart and everyone was busy making various preparations, which made her feel flustered as well. So when she heard that her son was the only one who did not get the reward of riding a big horse and came back crying all the way, she felt even more confused.

Gu Zhanghua squatted on the ground in front of his mother and suggested going to Aunt Zhao's house to play after school the next day to make up for the loss of riding the big horse. Before he even lay on the ground, Xiao Aiyue quickly picked up her son and agreed.

Just at this moment, the eunuch Han Gu came with the servant Shishu who had finished his training. Seeing his son happily holding Shishu's hand and running away happily, Xiao Aiyue felt calm.

She asked Han Gu, "Thank you, Eunuch Han, have you investigated the matter of the secretary?"