The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Xiao Aiyue was wrapped in a thick white fox fur cloak, the hem of which vaguely revealed the long skirt with red cloud pattern underneath. She wore a veil on her head, deliberately concealing her true face.

At this time, Xiao Aiyue had already lifted the gauze of her veil and stood in the courtyard. She reached out and gently pinched the branches of the plum blossoms, sniffing the fragrance of the plum blossoms.

What a beautiful picture of a winter beauty admiring plum blossoms.

Granny Wu stood quietly beside Xiao Aiyue, with no servants around.

When Gu Zhanghua saw his mother's disguised appearance, he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. No matter how she changed her clothes, the symbol of Granny Wu was still there beside her. Who else could the master she served be but Concubine Xiao Shufei?

Isn't this just a trick?

"mother!"

Gu Zhanghua shouted and took a step forward to meet his mother.

Hearing the voice, Xiao Aiyue turned around and looked at Gu Zhanghua. A bright smile broke out on her face and she walked towards Gu Zhanghua quickly.

"mother!"

Gu Zhanghua shouted again, his voice full of joy. This time he had been traveling back and forth to Yue State for more than 20 days, and he really missed his mother.

He stretched out his hand with joy, wanting to hold Xiao Aiyue's arm, but he didn't expect Xiao Aiyue to ignore Gu Zhanghua, walk past him directly, stretch out her hand to Zhao Xuan who was walking behind, and hugged Zhao Xuan directly in her arms.

"Oh my little pomegranate is finally back! I missed her so much!"

Xiao Aiyue's voice was charming, cheerful, and very excited, an excitement that she couldn't hide at all.

Zhao Xuan was caught off guard and hugged by Xiao Aiyue. Her hair stood on end and she shivered!

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!

In the past, whenever Concubine Shu saw her, she would either complain or despise her. She never had a good face and wished she could stay eight feet away from her. But today, when the sun rose from the west, she actually hugged her?!

Even she was a little scared!

Gu Zhanghua standing aside was also stunned. His mother had always been indifferent to Zhao Xuan, but suddenly her heart and eyes were full of Zhao Xuan. Even he, her own son, was instantly reduced to ashes in front of Zhao Xuan!

Is his mother crazy?!

Zhao Xuan placed her hands on Xiao Aiyue's chest awkwardly and silently pushed Xiao Aiyue away.

"Ah! This, Mother... hehe!"

Zhao Xuan didn't know how she should react or what to say.

Xiao Aiyue's sudden intimacy left Zhao Xuan helpless. Zhao Xuan really couldn't handle it, nor did she want to deal with it. Wouldn't it be better for them to just keep to themselves and live in peace like before?

Xiao Aiyue slapped her forehead and still looked at Zhao Xuan with a smile on her face.

"It's my fault! I came looking for you so suddenly without even notifying you! I was just too excited! Pomegranate, your trip to Yue Kingdom really made me proud! I heard you were back, and I couldn't wait to come see you!"

Gu Zhanghua: “…”

Mother, your own son is right in front of you, please at least take a look! Isn't the contrast a bit too big?

Zhao Xuan pulled Gu Zhanghua in front of Xiao Aiyue as a shield.

"Xiao Wu just came back from Yue State, and he's made you proud. You two can chat first. I have something to do, so I'll leave first!"

Zhao Xuan was stunned by Xiao Aiyue's overwhelming enthusiasm, and her first reaction was to run away.

Xiao Aiyue reacted faster. She ignored Gu Zhanghua who was standing in front of her and reached out to grab Zhao Xuan's arm.

"Don't leave yet, we still have a lot to talk about!"

Zhao Xuan was in a state of confusion. She was still waiting for her father to reveal her true identity at the palace banquet tomorrow night. What could she say to Xiao Aiyue now?

Grandma Wu spoke at the right time, and she lightly supported Xiao Aiyue's other arm.

"Your Highness, if you have anything to say, let's go inside and talk. It's so cold outside, and I don't think the princess is wearing much. She might catch a cold."

"Yes, yes, let's go inside and talk. I'm telling you, I really like all the gifts you bought me!"

I bought it for you, okay? Sister Xuan didn't spend a penny!

Gu Zhanghua, who was left alone and staring blankly, couldn't help but secretly complain.

At this time, Qing'e came quickly again and bowed quickly to the three masters.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Princess Cheng has come to our residence. She said she has something urgent to discuss with Your Majesty and Your Majesty. I have already brought Princess Cheng to the side hall."

Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua looked at each other, both confused. What urgent matter could Ma Zhenzhen's sudden visit be?

Xiao Aiyue temporarily let go of Zhao Xuan's hand and waved at the two of them with a smile.

"She must have heard about your return and came to visit. Go ahead, I'll take a look around. I haven't really explored this Xianwang Mansion yet!"

?

When Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua walked into the side hall, Ma Zhenzhen immediately stood up to greet them.

"Zhenzhen, what's the urgent matter that brings you to us?"

Zhao Xuan saw Ma Zhenzhen's worried look and asked hurriedly.

"You went to see the Emperor yesterday. What did he say to you?"

Ma Zhenzhen asked the two of them directly.

Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua both looked confused. They reported a series of events that happened during their mission to Yue State. After listening, the emperor explained a few things to do next. There was nothing strange about them.

Ma Zhenzhen looked at the two men's expressions and understood.

"It seems that the emperor didn't tell you anything. I came at the right time!"

"If you have anything to say, sit down and talk."

Zhao Xuan asked Ma Zhenzhen to sit down, and she and Gu Zhanghua sat next to Ma Zhenzhen.

Ma Zhenzhen seemed to have something to hide and took a long time to speak.

"It's certainly wrong to gossip about Concubine Shu behind her back, but if I don't tell you, I'm afraid you won't be mentally prepared..."

Ma Zhenzhen's opening remarks instantly piqued Zhao Xuan's interest. The Concubine Shu was in the mansion now and had just been very attentive to her. She didn't know why.

"Zhenzhen, tell me the truth, what happened to Concubine Shu?"

Ma Zhenzhen sighed.

"Ever since you left for the Kingdom of Yue, Concubine Shu has been so lively and cheerful in the palace, chatting with people everywhere every day, and she can talk all day long!

Later, she probably felt it was boring. She had said everything she could to everyone in the palace, so she started to summon the ladies of honor frequently!

"These days, the ladies of the major mansions in the city seem to be attending the morning court with their masters every day. No, they are attending the morning court with their masters, but they go to the Qilan Palace!"

Gu Zhanghua was shocked. Even the Empress didn't dare to act so high-profile, and she frequently summoned ladies of honor? Was his mother trying to dominate the harem and even ignore the Empress?

"What happened to my mother? What did she say to others?"

Gu Zhanghua asked Ma Zhenzhen hurriedly.

"It's actually very simple. She's just praising her daughter-in-law, Tian Shiliu, in various ways, saying how much she's favored by the current Emperor of Yue! And how harmonious her relationship with her daughter-in-law is!"

Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua looked at each other in surprise when they heard this.

It turned out that when they went to Yue State this time, Zhao Xuan's status in Xiao Aiyue's eyes rose steadily. Xiao Aiyue just came to the palace. Could it be that she came to show goodwill to Zhao Xuan?

How unbelievable!

?

Xiao Aiyue and her wet nurse were strolling around the mansion.

Xiao Aiyue asked the question again that her nanny had asked countless times.

"I'm rushing over to make peace with Shi Liu. It's not too late, is it? I've never treated her well before. I've even had a fight with her and even wanted someone to beat her up. Will she hold a grudge against me?"

The wet nurse spoke calmly.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. No matter how favored the princess is with the Yue Emperor, she will still be your daughter-in-law when she returns to our Xia Kingdom! She should be grateful if you treat her well!"

Xiao Aiyue was still feeling uneasy, twisting the handkerchief in her hand, just like her twisted heart.

"Although she is my daughter-in-law, a daughter-in-law is different from a daughter after all. I never gave birth to her and raised her, so there is no emotional foundation between the two of us.

She married Xiaowu, and I treated her well, and she treated me well, as it should be. But I was always dissatisfied with her, thinking she was not worthy of Xiaowu, and even begged her to have a baby, putting pressure on her...

I understand her resentment towards me, and I also understand her unwillingness to forgive me. But if I can't get along well with her before the palace banquet tomorrow night, it will be His Majesty and Xiaowu who will be sad!"

The nurse lowered her head and silently rolled her eyes at Xiao Aiyue, thinking, "Aren't you quite clear-headed? What were you doing before? Did you have to wait until the princess was revered by everyone in Yue before you realized you should treat your daughter-in-law better?"

As the saying goes, it is easy to add icing on the cake, but difficult to provide timely assistance. Now there are so many people rushing to curry favor with the princess. One more or one less will not make much difference.

Look at how the princess was extremely resistant to you just now. It’s really difficult to ease the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law at once!

The wet nurse muttered to herself as she followed Xiao Aiyue around aimlessly, and walked onto the path leading to the side hall.

Xiao Aiyue suddenly stopped and the nanny almost bumped into her.

"Miss?"

The two of them were almost at the door of the side hall when they heard Ma Zhenzhen's voice from inside.

"The Emperor can no longer bear this. If this continues, he will probably scold the Empress!"

Xiao Aiyue made a gesture to the wet nurse to keep quiet and asked her quietly.

"Was it Ma Zhenzhen who just spoke? It was Ma Zhenzhen's voice, right? What did she mean?"

The nurse answered in a pinched voice.

"Yes, that's right. Didn't Princess Cheng just say she had something urgent to tell Prince Xian and Princess Xian? Could it be related to the Queen?"

Xiao Aiyue hurriedly winked at the wet nurse, asking her to be careful. She quietly walked to the door of the side hall and put her ear to the door panel.

Gu Zhanghua's anxious voice came out.

"Zhenzhen, what do you say we should do? We can't shut my mother up!"

Ma Zhenzhen's voice was crisp and clear.

"Xiao Wu, Xuan'er, I'm here to kindly remind you that after tomorrow's palace banquet, it would be best to take the Empress to the Xianwang Mansion to stay for a few days. This way, you can show your filial piety and prevent the Empress from being too lonely in the palace. This way, you can have the best of both worlds, right?"

Xiao Aiyue was overjoyed. Ma Zhenzhen's suggestion was exactly what she wanted. It would be nice to go out of the palace to relax, and her son and daughter-in-law could be around to show their filial piety. Especially, she would have the opportunity to get along well with Shi Liu!

and many more!

Xiao Aiyue's smile gradually froze and turned into a look of surprise. She stared at the wet nurse in a daze.

"Nurse, what did Ma Zhenzhen just yell? Xuan'er? Who is Xuan'er?"