The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Chapter 318 The war is coming

Sometimes people are just too eager to do business!

Hao Xiong was initially afraid that Qin Tietie would pester him, but now that he heard Qin Tietie's firm refusal to marry him, he felt a little disappointed.

Zhao Xuan and Little Fairy Doctor also found it strange, but Little Fairy Doctor always kept her composure, so Zhao Xuan had to ask her the question.

"Why don't you want to marry Hao Xiong? I think you two are a good match!"

Hao Xiong stared wide-eyed, eagerly awaiting Qin Tietie's answer, feeling quite puzzled.

The two were about the same age. He was not as good-looking as his brother-in-law, but he was still decent-looking with regular features. With the powerful Prince Xian behind him, it was a good match for the girl from the blacksmith's shop.

Most importantly, he and Qin Tietie got along very well, so why did this girl refuse him without even thinking about it?

Qin Tietie glanced at Hao Xiong, and her big face instantly turned bright red.

"I don't know, I never thought about it..."

Qin Tietie was fidgety and uneasy, clutching the hem of her apron and rubbing it vigorously with both hands, and told the truth.

Haha, Zhao Xuan chuckled to herself. It turned out that she was just beginning to experience love. The marriage was too sudden, and Miss Qin was completely unprepared, which is why she blurted out her refusal.

"Then you can start thinking about it carefully now."

Zhao Xuan winked playfully at Qin Tietie and teased him.

“Okay, I’ll think about it,” Qin Tietie said seriously. “I’ll go find Master Huang first.”

After Qin Tietie finished speaking, he strode away like a gust of wind and disappeared in an instant.

"What did she mean by that just now? Think about it carefully. Didn't she say she didn't want to? What's there to think about?"

Hao Xiong was completely baffled, so he had no choice but to ask Zhao Xuan.

Zhao Xuan smiled knowingly: "I don't know either. Why don't you go ask Miss Qin yourself?"

Hao Xiong actually stood up, shook his clothes, straightened his hair, and chased after him.

"That's why I don't want to get married. I can't even take care of myself, let alone guess what other people are thinking."

Little Fairy Doctor slowly uttered a sentence.

Zhao Xuan did not agree with Xiao Yixian's words, finding them too arbitrary, but she did not want to argue with Xiao Yixian. She respected Xiao Yixian's choice, believing that friends should be tolerant of each other, rather than forcing each other to become like themselves.

Little Fairy Doctor is still firmly committed to remaining single. Perhaps she hasn't met the person who moves her heart yet, or perhaps she will be alone for the rest of her life. Whatever the case, they will always be friends.

Zhao Xuan snapped out of her thoughts and asked Little Fairy Doctor.

"Let's not talk about them anymore. Tell me you want to see something good. What is it?"

Little Fairy Doctor got up and walked to her precious medicine box. She opened the box, took out a small white porcelain bottle, and handed it to Zhao Xuan.

"The improved version works even better than the one I gave you before."

"It's ready so quickly? Last time, I only applied a tiny bit to the arrowhead, and it brought down the Rongdi King with a single shot. What's the effect this time?"

Holding the porcelain bottle, Zhao Xuan asked Little Fairy Doctor with delight.

"The medicine works faster."

In short, Little Fairy Doctor.

"Can it be prepared in large quantities?"

"no problem."

Little Fairy Doctor paused, then looked at Zhao Xuan with concern.

"You were just teasing Miss Qin and Hao Xiong, acting all relaxed. Is something on your mind?"

“You understand me best, sister,” Zhao Xuan said, her smile fading. “A few days ago, Prime Minister Yang came to the workshop to check on the progress of the bow and crossbow manufacturing. He said that the Rongdi tribe was going to invade our northern border again. Now Hao Xiong has brought back news that the Yue Kingdom is gathering troops in the border city. These are not good omens.”

Are you worried that war will break out in Xia Kingdom?

Little Fairy Doctor frowned and asked.

"Xiao Wu has gone to the palace to see the Emperor. We'll know the answer when he returns. What's the use of us worrying here?"

Zhao Xuan smiled wryly.

It wasn't until dusk that Gu Zhanghua returned to the workshop. Zhao Xuan had just finished inspecting the forging area and came face to face with Gu Zhanghua as he entered the workshop.

"How is the situation? What did Father Emperor say?"

Seeing that no one was around, Zhao Xuan quickly whispered to Gu Zhanghua.

"Father has received a secret report that the Yue Kingdom is amassing troops near the border, seemingly preparing for war with our Xia Kingdom! Hao Xiong's news further confirms this!"

Gu Zhanghua wiped the sweat from his forehead and said in a deep voice.

Zhao Xuan was immediately enraged.

"Has Tian Shang gone mad? Wouldn't it be better for the two countries to live in peace? How many soldiers will die or be wounded if this war breaks out? And how many civilians will be affected?"

"Who can argue with that? But my father said that if Yue is willing to get along well with us, we will never provoke them. But if Yue wants to fight, we will never back down!"

"Father is right, that's how it should be!"

Gu Zhanghua held Zhao Xuan's hand tightly, his expression becoming even more solemn.

"My father also told me that the Yue Kingdom might secretly join forces with the Rongdi tribes to launch a pincer attack from the north and south. My father ordered us to speed up the production of bows and crossbows so that our soldiers could be equipped with them before the great battle."

Zhao Xuan felt extremely heavy-hearted at this moment. The last time the Xia and Yue states fought was in the first year of Xuanhe, when the Yue state took advantage of the internal turmoil in Xia to suddenly launch an attack on Fengcheng.

That battle was extremely fierce. Fengcheng's garrison commander, Hu Yidao, was killed in action, and his teacher, Yang Liuming, was also seriously wounded. The soldiers suffered heavy casualties, and Fengcheng almost fell. In the end, it was Qin Shao and his teacher who led troops to aid Fengcheng and repelled the Vietnamese army.

Unexpectedly, twenty years later, after years of recuperation and the people had just begun to live a peaceful and prosperous life, the Yue Kingdom was about to start another war.

Gu Zhanghua tucked the stray hairs in front of Zhao Xuan's eyes behind her ear and lowered his voice.

"Ever since Tian Yuan was demoted and Tian Shang took over, Father has been wary of Tian Shang. Later, he learned from Tian Xueyan that Tian Shang had murdered his father and usurped the throne. Father has summoned his trusted ministers many times to discuss how to deal with the war against Yue."

"Are you saying that Father Emperor was prepared all along?"

"Yes, this great battle was sudden for us, but for Father Emperor, it was expected."

Zhao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Gu Zhanghua's words and took his arm.

"I'll go back with you to freshen up first. By the way, have you had dinner?"

“I ate with my father.”

As they talked, they arrived at Gu Zhanghua's temporary residence in the workshop, which was right next to Zhao Xuan's residence.

This is a row of blue brick and tile houses. Before Zhao Xuan and Huang Shuo arrived, the craftsmen were all in pairs in one room, and Gu Zhanghua was no exception, sharing a room with Shi Shu.

After Zhao Xuan and Huang Shuo came to the workshop to supervise the work, they each lived in a separate room. They worked from dawn till dusk every day, so busy that they couldn't even stand still, and put their feelings for their children behind them.

Zhao Xuan nestled close to Gu Zhanghua, resting her head on his shoulder. The familiar scent eased her heavy heart.

The candlelight flickered in the room. Shi Shu was taking out congee and side dishes from a food box and placing them on the table. When she saw Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua enter, she hurriedly stepped forward to greet them.

"Your Highness, Your Highness!"

Zhao Xuan smiled slightly at Shi Shu, looking at the food on the table with a hint of surprise.

"Didn't we already eat at the palace?"

The servant answered honestly.

"I noticed that Your Highness and His Majesty had been discussing state affairs and hadn't been eating properly, so I took the liberty of packing some easily digestible food, in case Your Highness felt hungry before going to bed."

"Shishu is the one who thought things through most thoroughly."

Zhao Xuan couldn't help but praise.

"This is all within my duty."

Gu Zhanghua walked to the table and sat down, taking the chopsticks handed to him by Shishu.

Now that you mention it, I am actually a little hungry.

Zhao Xuan reached out and patted the back of Gu Zhanghua's hand that was holding the chopsticks.

"Wash your hands first!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Shi Shu handed a wrung-out handkerchief to Gu Zhanghua.

"Shishu, with you taking care of the prince, I, the princess, seem a bit superfluous."

Zhao Xuan smiled and teased Shi Shu.

"My subordinates dare not!"

Shi Shu took the handkerchief that Gu Zhanghua had used to wipe his hands and retreated to the side in a state of trepidation.

Zhao Xuan was having a meal with Gu Zhanghua when she glanced at Shi Shu standing to the side. Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly spoke.

"Shishu, you like Chunlan, don't you?"

Shi Shu subconsciously hummed in agreement, but then hurriedly changed her words: "No... I don't like it..."

"If I asked you to marry Chunlan, would you be willing?"

"Your Highness, I do not wish to marry."

The servant lowered her head and said meekly.

Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua exchanged a glance. Shi Shu's behavior clearly indicated that she was not speaking her mind, but Zhao Xuan did not want to pry into Shi Shu's thoughts, so she gave Gu Zhanghua a wink.

Win over Shi Shu! Chunlan's happiness depends entirely on you!

Gu Zhanghua nodded silently, and Zhao Xuan then stood up and patted Shi Shu on the shoulder.

"Think it over carefully, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

As Zhao Xuan spoke, she turned to look at Gu Zhanghua.

"You should get some rest. My dad has been working too hard these past few days. I'll keep an eye on things for him tonight. I'm leaving now."

After saying that, Zhao Xuan gestured with her lip towards the maid who had her head down.

Gu Zhanghua mouthed "Don't worry" to Zhao Xuan.