The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Gu Jiancheng suppressed his anxiety and hurriedly helped Tian Yuan sit down.

Gu Jiancheng already knew Tian Yuan's current situation and purpose of his visit. He was just waiting for Tian Yuan to calm down before discussing it in detail. At this time, he couldn't help but offer comfort.

"Your Highness may be only a commoner, but he is older than me, so I will call you Brother Tian. Now that things have come to this, I hope Brother Tian can pull himself together."

Tian Yuan knew that it was shameful to cry at this moment.

However, the contrast between his miserable experience in Yue State and the sincere treatment he had received since he came to Xia State caused him to lose his composure and find it difficult to control his emotions.

Tian Yuan quickly calmed down and wiped away his tears.

Gu Jiancheng asked at the right time.

"Tian Yuan knows the real culprit behind the murder of the Xia Kingdom delegation?"

Tian Yuan looked at Zhao Xuan, Gu Zhanghua and the other five people with admiration.

"If these young people hadn't overcome all difficulties and gone to Guze Town to investigate the old case, I would still have doubts, but now all the clues match up."

Gu Jiancheng just found out that the five people had been to Guze Town, and he is still a little scared.

"You're still praising them? I always thought they were out sightseeing, but who knew they were going to the Kingdom of Yue to investigate a case? That's pure ignorance and fearlessness!

Fifth brother, tell me, what else are you hiding from me?"

Gu Zhanghua smiled guiltily at Gu Jiancheng.

"Brother, I didn't have time to tell you at that time because of the urgent situation. I won't dare to do that again. We really don't have anything to hide from you!"

"Stinky boy, from now on you have to report to me before going anywhere, do you hear me?"

Gu Zhanghua nodded obediently.

"heard it."

Tian Yuan thought about the situation between his brothers, where if you make me feel bad, I will stab you in the back, and saw that Gu Jiancheng and Gu Zhanghua were very friendly and respectful to each other.

He couldn't help but sigh with envy.

"You two brothers have such a good relationship!"

Gu Jiancheng patted Gu Zhanghua on the shoulder and looked at Tian Yuan.

“Brother Tian, ​​you are no longer the former crown prince of Yue, and I am no longer the King Cheng of Xia.

This is a private meeting between friends. Feel free to speak your mind, but my father will ultimately make the decision."

"I understand this."

Tahara smiled bitterly.

"They say family disgrace should not be made public, but now I have to bring up the troubles of our Tian family. This story begins in the autumn of twelve years ago..."

The autumn twelve years ago that Tian Yuan mentioned was the time when Emperor Gu Li of Xia decided to let Crown Prince Gu Deming and Zhao Xiaoman lead the Xia delegation to the Kingdom of Yue.

One is to negotiate the opening of trade between the two countries.

The second is to let the spies stationed in Vietnam verify whether the information in the secret letter is true.

Did the Vietnamese army secretly train new recruits in the south and manufacture a large number of weapons? At the same time, they also sent people to collude with the Rongdi tribe, hoping to attack the Xia Kingdom from both the north and the south.

Tian Yuan sighed deeply and fell into memories.

Zhengyang Hall of the Yue Imperial Palace.

Emperor Tian Yiwen of Yue sat on the golden throne, carefully looking at the letter from the throne in his hand.

He smiled, nodded with satisfaction, and handed the letter to Prince Tian Yuan who was standing in front of him.

"Prince, look at this, old man Gu Li has finally figured it out!

Over the years, we have bought their food, wine, medicinal herbs and other necessities, and a large amount of silver has flowed into the Xia Kingdom.

Xia State seldom purchases silk and porcelain, which are produced in abundance in our country. If Gu Li takes the lead in practicing frugality, how can those officials and common people dare to live extravagantly? "

After reading the letter, the prince bowed respectfully to Tian Yi.

"Father, the Xia Emperor has been keeping the country closed to the outside world, which has led to rampant smuggling between the two countries. Apparently, the Xia Emperor has been unable to stop it, so he sent an envoy to negotiate with us."

Tian Yi snorted coldly. He was very jealous of Emperor Xia's good governance.

"It's time for us to earn money from them. After all these years of recuperation, Xia State is growing stronger.

Who doesn’t want to wear silk and satin and buy some exquisite porcelain, jade and antiques when living a good life?

Prince, you are fully responsible for receiving the Xia Kingdom delegation. Please provide them with a good reception and negotiate trade between the two countries as soon as possible!"

Tian Yuan was ecstatic in his heart, but appeared calm on the surface.

"Your Majesty, I will obey your command! I will live up to your high expectations!"

Tian Yuan could feel the dissatisfied gazes of his brothers and sisters standing on the steps behind him, but so what?

As long as he can complete the task entrusted by his father this time, his position as crown prince will be as stable as Mount Tai!

After the court meeting, Tian Yuan returned to the prince's residence and asked his subordinates to gather his staff in the study to discuss matters.

A guard hurried into the study and presented a small bamboo tube to Tian Yuan.

"Your Highness, this is a secret letter from the Southern Territory spies!"

Tian Yuan took the bamboo tube, unscrewed it, pulled out a paper roll from it, opened it and was shocked.

The secret letter stated that the Ninth Prince Tian Shang was secretly training new troops in his fiefdom of Gucheng, privately forging weapons, and colluding with merchants from the Xia Kingdom to engage in smuggling by leveraging his position as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue!

It was late at night, and the study in the Prince's Mansion was brightly lit with candles.

Tian Yuan looked extremely serious as he looked at the three aides sitting beside him.

"Properly receiving the Xia Kingdom delegation is our only priority right now. However, Tian Shang's private actions are not just words, so I will also send someone to Gucheng to conduct a secret investigation immediately."

An aide reminded Tian Yuan.

"Your Highness, Gucheng is far away from Chuyang, a remote and impoverished area in the southern border. The Ninth Prince has managed the city well and is said to be the local emperor of Gucheng.

You must send someone to investigate, but be very careful and don't let the Ninth Prince notice anything."

Another staff member also said.

"Your Highness, I really cannot understand the Ninth Prince. His mother's family is weak, and he has never been competitive. He only does his job well and conscientiously.

Fearing that something might go wrong and His Majesty would dislike him, he only wanted to seek refuge with His Highness. How could he be so audacious?

Tian Yuan was also a little hesitant.

"Could it be that the secret report was wrong? Xing'an City, which is right next to Gucheng, is the fiefdom of the Sixth Prince. Could he be responsible?"

Another staff member who had been silent spoke up.

"Your Highness, the Xia Kingdom delegation set out three days ago. According to their pace, they will arrive in Chuyang City in five days.

I advise Your Highness to give priority to this matter. His Majesty has been looking forward to trade between the two countries for a long time. As long as you can handle this matter well, it will be a great achievement!

From now on, the other princes will not be able to stir up any more trouble. The matter of the Ninth Prince can be dealt with after the Xia Kingdom delegation leaves!"

Tahara smiled and nodded.

"As you say, you must quickly lay out the rules for this king. The reception ceremony must be grand and impressive, demonstrating the importance our Yue Kingdom attaches to this matter!"

Five days later, Tian Yuan reported to Emperor Tian Yi of Yue in the main hall on the preparations for receiving the delegation.

"Your Majesty, I have already ordered the urgent renovation of the guest rooms in the Honglu Temple, and all the furnishings have been completely renewed.

I have specially hired a chef who is good at cooking Xia country's food to be responsible for the delegation's three meals a day.

The number of guards at the Honglu Temple will be increased by 20%, and the number of serving maids and servants will be increased by 20, ensuring that everyone in the Xia Kingdom delegation will be satisfied.

Three days ago, I sent someone to meet the delegation at full speed. As soon as they approach Chuyang City, I will go to greet them immediately!"

Tian Yi nodded and smiled at Tian Yuan. It was really worth it that he had been the crown prince for more than ten years. His calm and meticulous work did not disappoint him.

"Good, good, the prince has made very thoughtful arrangements. I am deeply relieved!"

Suddenly, a guard ran into the hall in a panic and slid to his knees in front of Tian Yi.

Tian Yuan looked at the guards kneeling beside him with surprise. The guards have always been the most disciplined. It was rare to see them so panic-stricken in a century. Something big must have happened.

For some reason, Tian Yuan felt his scalp tingling and his whole body tensed up. God help me, I hope nothing has happened to the Xia delegation!

Only the voice of the imperial guards was heard, reporting to Tian Yi in panic.

"Your Majesty! The Xia Kingdom delegation was attacked on their way to Yue Kingdom! The Xia Kingdom's crown prince was killed on the spot!

The Xia Emperor has clearly stated that it was the Yue Kingdom that committed this crime. He has already deployed troops to the northern border of the Yue Kingdom, vowing to avenge the Crown Prince. War between the two countries is imminent! Your Majesty, please make the decision!

Everyone in Zhengyang Palace was shocked.

Tian Yi stood up directly from the dragon throne, and Tian Yuan's legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground.

Tian Yi was furious and confirmed with the guards again.

"Is that really the case?!"

The guard looked up at Tian Yi, his face covered with sweat or tears, mixed together, and his voice was filled with tears.

"Your Majesty, please understand! This news was brought back by the people sent by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to welcome the Xia Kingdom delegation. They are still waiting outside the palace gates!"

Tian Yi's eyes flickered and changed. He walked down the stairs quickly, raised his leg and kicked Tian Yuan hard, knocking him to the ground with a ferocious look on his face!

"Is this your doing? You've been the Crown Prince for over a decade and you're tired of it, so you secretly sent someone to assassinate the Xia Kingdom's envoys!

The purpose is to provoke a war between the two countries! You can take advantage of this opportunity to replace me! "

Tian Yuan felt so wronged! His father's expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book! He had just praised his ability, and then he turned around and falsely accused him of sending people to assassinate the Xia Kingdom's envoys.

Is he mentally ill? Why would he do such a ridiculous thing? It must be that some prince is jealous of me and is throwing dung on me!

He never thought of using underhanded tactics to dethrone his father, but too many brothers wanted to replace him!

He knows it very well!

He must save himself now!

The Crown Prince of Xia is dead. This is a huge matter and the Emperor of Xia is bound to be furious!

At present, the military strength of Xia State is far superior to that of Yue State. If a war breaks out and Yue State is defeated, it may even be destroyed!

My father must have thought of this as well. Executing myself to give an explanation to Emperor Xia is the simplest and most direct way to resolve the dispute!

Tian Yuan knelt on the ground and suddenly looked up at Tian Yi.

"Father, this is absolutely not my fault! I am willing to go to the Xia Kingdom immediately to mediate this matter, find the real culprit behind this, and give an explanation to the Xia Emperor!

Please give me a chance, my father. I will persuade Emperor Xia to give up attacking the Kingdom of Yue!"