The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Tian Yuan was silent for a long time.

"It's really hard to explain this matter in a few words! Do you know about the incident over ten years ago when the Xia Kingdom's envoys were attacked on their way to the Kingdom of Yue?"

Hu Junfeng looked stern.

"That was a shocking case back then. The Crown Prince was attacked and killed, and the Fifth Prince fainted from shock. Upon waking, he contracted a strange illness, and all his companions were killed. The whereabouts of Zhao Xiaoman, the head escort of the Wuwei Escort Agency, and her apprentice Zhao Xuan remain unknown, and they are still wanted by the authorities. However, shortly after the tragedy, the truth was revealed. The real culprits were the Jigong Mountain bandits Li Dali and his gang, who have long been executed!"

Tian Yuan sneered and shook his head.

"Although I don't know why Emperor Xia hastily closed the case, the truth I know is definitely not that simple! To be honest, the eight people I asked the righteous men to investigate are the real culprits who escaped so lucky!"

Hu Junfeng was horrified, "What?! Your Highness is saying... that it was actually the Vietnamese army that attacked and killed our Xia Kingdom's envoys?!"

"Indeed! And it was my younger brother, the Sixth Prince, who was behind this, instigating it. His goal was to frame me and infuriate the Xia Emperor, who would send troops to attack my Yue Kingdom! This would surely lead to the condemnation of the entire world. We'd already lost this battle even without fighting! We might even be destroyed! So what will become of me, the culprit? Deposing me from the throne would be considered polite. Only executing me would be enough to appease the Xia Emperor's wrath! Then, my Sixth Prince brother would naturally take his place!"

Hu Junfeng gasped: "What a vicious plan!!"

Tian Yuan sneered repeatedly.

"Haha! Haha! I've gotten used to my brothers stabbing me in the back over the years, but the assassination of the Xia Kingdom's envoys is incredibly strange! After the conspiracy was exposed, my Sixth Brother actually committed suicide out of fear of punishment! All these years, I've been unable to understand why my Sixth Brother had the courage and ability to manipulate the border garrison into his favor, risking his own life to assassinate the Xia Kingdom's envoys?! My Sixth Brother has always been mediocre, timid, and cowardly. He's been lazy and uneducated all day, the most dissolute person in my Yue Kingdom. He doesn't even have a counselor by his side. How could he have the guts to collude with the military and orchestrate such a grand scheme?"

Hu Junfeng pondered, "Could it be that Your Highness believes that someone else is behind this, and that the Sixth Prince is merely a scapegoat?"

Tian Yuan nodded. "That's exactly what I mean! Twenty people assassinated the Xia Kingdom envoys, and twelve of them died at the scene. The eight people I sent you to investigate are the survivors, but for some reason, they've been nowhere to be found... Perhaps they were silenced long ago?!"

At this moment, someone outside the study reported, "Your Highness, the Ninth Prince requests an audience. He has something important to discuss! He's in the side hall now."

"understood."

Hu Junfeng said, "If you want to find them alive, you must find them; if they are dead, you must find their bodies. Even a passing goose leaves a trace. If Your Highness is anxious to find these eight people, why don't you send your subordinates to Kunze Town immediately? I'm sure we can find some clues!"

"Forget it, let's put this matter aside for now. We can talk about it later when we have time."

Tian Yuan rubbed his eyebrows and sighed slightly.

"Mr. Hu, please stay by my side for now and be responsible for protecting my safety. My father is seriously ill and the government is in turmoil. I feel more at ease with you around. You've been traveling back and forth for a long time, so go and rest. I'll send someone to summon you if anything happens."

In the side hall of the Crown Prince's Mansion, the Ninth Prince Tian Shang was sitting restlessly. When he saw Tian Yuan coming in, he immediately stood up and saluted.

"His Royal Highness."

Tian Yuan sat upright in the main seat and asked, "What is the important matter that has brought you here, my ninth brother?"

"Your Highness, you're so calm and collected! I'm so anxious! I just came here from General Liang. He's a man with a broad perspective. After my repeated persuasion, he finally saw the situation clearly. Now is not the right time to retake Jinyang City. The key right now is to deal with those princes who intend to undermine the Crown Prince's position!"

"You convinced General Liang? That's great!"

Tian Shang said anxiously, "But the most troublesome thing right now is that the Xia Kingdom is not going to give up! To protect Jinyang City, they've transferred Qin Shao, the defender of Fengcheng, to Jinyang as the defender. Although General Liang won't take the initiative to attack Jinyang, he's also unwilling to withdraw his troops immediately. It seems he's afraid of Qin Shao, so he's stuck there!"

Tian Yuan slammed the table in anger. "This Liang Changping, I shouldn't have urged my father to restore his military power. I thought he would be the biggest help in my future ascension to the throne, but now he's become a hindrance!"

"After much thought, I have a plan that may resolve the current predicament."

"My royal brother, please speak."

Tian Shang said, "Your Majesty, our father has many sons and countless princesses. Your Highness, why don't you choose a princess of suitable age to marry into the Xia Kingdom as a gesture of friendship? This will also give General Liang a way out and allow him to withdraw his troops. What do you think, Your Highness?"

Tian Yuan stood up, walked to Tian Shang, and patted Tian Shang's shoulder excitedly.

"Your Majesty, my brother, are absolutely right. I will immediately order a list of princesses of appropriate age to be drawn up and we will make our selection."

At dusk, in a remote and deserted palace in the Yue Kingdom's imperial palace, Nie Zhaoyi, who was nearly fifty years old, was instructing two maids to clean the yard.

Tian Shang walked into the palace gate under the guidance of a young eunuch, saluted Nie Zhaoyi, and called out, "Mother!"

Nie Zhaoyi was overjoyed. She hurried forward to pull Tian Shang up and looked him up and down with concern.

"My son has been helping His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to rectify the government affairs recently. I think it's been quite hard. He has even lost some weight!"

Tian Shang held onto Nie Zhaoyi's wrist and walked towards the bedroom, whispering, "Mother, Little Sixteen is saved!"

"Really?" Nie Zhaoyi's eyes welled with tears. "That child's mother died of complications during childbirth. No one cared for her and she was abandoned in the Yunting Palace. If she hadn't met a kind palace maid who gave her food, she would have died long ago... Your mother was in a very difficult situation at the time. Fortunately, I secretly found her in the Yunting Palace a few years later. Little Sixteen is lucky. She has a brother like you who always cares for her and loves her. She has suffered less these years!"

Tian Shang helped Nie Zhaoyi sit down on the bed. After checking that there was no one around, he confidently said to Nie Zhaoyi, "Mother, if we want to rescue Little Sixteen from this sea of ​​suffering, we still need your help."

"Your Majesty, please feel free to speak."

"I have suggested to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that he select a princess of marriageable age to marry into the Xia Kingdom. However, there are only four princesses of marriageable age: the tenth, thirteenth, fifteenth, and seventeenth. The tenth princess, Tian Hanyan, is the apple of the Queen's eye. The Queen has long intended to marry her to the Prime Minister's son, so how could she allow her to be married off? The thirteenth princess, Tian Ronghua, and the fifteenth princess, Tian Rongzhi, are the biological children of Concubine De. Concubine De has always been deeply favored by their father and is arrogant and domineering. Would she allow her daughters to go to the Xia Kingdom? It's absolutely impossible!"

Nie Zhaoyi nodded slightly: "That's right!"

Tian Shang continued, "Although the Seventeenth Princess Tian Xueyan's mother was born of humble origins, she was once the Queen's personal maid. Tian Xueyan has been close to the Queen since she was a child. As she grew up, she became even more intelligent and considerate. She is the most favored princess of our father. The Crown Prince would never privately order Tian Xueyan to marry far away in the Xia Kingdom. Otherwise, if our father recovers from his illness and learns of this, the Crown Prince would be shooting himself in the foot!"

"So, does that mean Little Sixteen will definitely be selected?"

Tahara scoffed.

"How pitiful and tragic! After all these years, who in the palace knew there was a Sixteenth Princess living in the Imperial Court? All Mother had to do was mention it when the Crown Prince was in trouble, and it would have been done! Mother, this is our only chance to save Little Sixteen!"

Nie Zhaoyi nodded and said, "Don't worry, I will handle this matter properly!"