The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Chapter 356 The Sorrow of the Virtuous Princess

After leaving Qin Shao's command tent, Zhao Xuan borrowed a warhorse from Ma Si and carried Gu Zhanghua all the way to the foot of Tianlu Mountain.

After several days of grueling training by Zhao Xuan, Gu Zhanghua's fear of heights improved slightly, but he still felt a little dizzy after riding a tall horse for a long time.

After dismounting, they let the horses graze leisurely while the two of them wandered aimlessly.

After Qin Shao's advice, Zhao Xuan was in a bad mood. The matter of finding a wife for the Rongdi King was written in black and white in the alliance agreement, so there was no way to go back on her word.

Gu Zhanghua knew that Zhao Xuan was not in a good mood, so he didn't mention the dizziness at all, but just stayed by Zhao Xuan's side silently.

Zhao Xuan turned her head to look at Gu Zhanghua, her expression solemn.

"Xiao Wu, I think I was really rash this time. I shouldn't have agreed to the Rongdi King's request for a marriage alliance without even thinking about it."

The air on the grassland carried the fragrance of wild grass. Gu Zhanghua took a deep breath of fresh air, and his mind immediately became much clearer.

Qin Shao's suggestion had its own considerations, but Gu Zhanghua did not think Zhao Xuan's idea was hasty, and he had tacitly agreed to it at the time.

"Don't worry, I know very little about the women in the various households in Liyang City, and I haven't met many of them. Maybe when we go back, we can ask Father to do a count, and there will be a few who meet the criteria."

The words were true, but they did not comfort Zhao Xuan. Instead, they made her more worried because she thought of a very important question.

"Uncle Qin is right. We have indeed oversimplified things. Virtuous, good-looking, and good at managing a household are not the criteria for choosing a suitable woman for marriage. These do not address the fundamental issues!"

"why?"

Zhao Xuan's words aroused Gu Zhanghua's great interest. If these are not the excellent qualities of a woman, then what are they?

He pulled Zhao Xuan to sit down on the grass, casually picked a blue wildflower, tucked it into Zhao Xuan's hair, and then raised his hand to smooth Zhao Xuan's furrowed brows.

"Tell me your thoughts, and we'll work together to figure something out. What's the use of just worrying?"

Zhao Xuan curled up her legs, hugged her knees, thought carefully for a moment, and then began to explain.

"Think about it, the young ladies of wealthy families are mostly kept in seclusion, never leaving their homes, as delicate as flowers in a greenhouse. The Rongdi tribe is located deep in the northern grasslands, with a harsh climate, and their living conditions are far inferior to those of our Xia Kingdom, let alone Liyang City."

Gu Zhanghua nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

"You mean they simply can't adapt to the Rongdi tribe's environment?"

"Yes! Back then, Tian Shiliu died on her way to her marriage because of the long journey and the change in environment, which caused her old illness to worsen."

Therefore, the most important thing is to have a good physique, be able to endure hardship, and adapt to a new environment. Everything else is secondary. What's the point of a marriage alliance if the woman dies within two days of marriage?

The summer breeze caressed Zhao Xuan's cheeks, but it couldn't dispel the sorrow on her face.

She turned to look at Gu Zhanghua.

"Are you right what I said?"

Gu Zhanghua lay on his back on the grass, looking at the blue sky and white clouds, and felt that things were getting more and more complicated.

“You’re right, and this is only on the premise that the family and the person themselves are willing. Otherwise, given Father’s temperament, he would never force a young woman to marry far away.”

However, the Xia state and the Rong and Di tribes have been hostile to each other for many years. Which family would be willing to marry their daughter to a Rong or Di tribe? Now that a peace treaty has been signed, what if war breaks out again in a few years? These are all things that must be considered.

Zhao Xuan also lay on her back on the grass, her head resting on her arm, and sighed deeply.

"So, I'm getting really annoyed, you know? I even thought of Qing'e, but she's fine managing a royal palace, but if she were to go to the Rongdi tribe, I doubt it, and besides, she definitely wouldn't want to leave her mother..."

"Tian Xueyan is quite the princess..."

Gu Zhanghua subconsciously replied.

Zhao Xuan immediately turned her head and glared fiercely at Gu Zhanghua.

"Don't even think about it. Her heart is completely with my silly father right now. Don't try to break them up!"

Gu Zhanghua was unexpectedly given a glare by Zhao Xuan and gave an awkward smile.

"Aren't we pondering this? Chunlan likes Shishu, but that won't work either... I think the people around us are out of the question!"

"It's so hard!"

Zhao Xuan suddenly felt extremely wronged.

"I feel like I made a fool of myself, dug a hole for myself, and stupidly jumped in! Is this what they call 'good deeds go unrewarded'?"

Gu Zhanghua thought about it and realized it didn't really count. Zhao Xuan had always been a kind-hearted and passionate girl, and her intentions were not wrong.

In order to obtain more warhorses for the Xia Kingdom, for peace between the Xia Kingdom and the Rongdi tribes, and for the border people to live a better life.

It seems this matter needs further consideration.

Gu Zhanghua had a change of heart, and the gloom in his heart was swept away. He stood up and pulled Zhao Xuan up from the grass.

"Alright, alright, don't worry. Since we're here, let's make the best of it. Everything is difficult at the beginning. Let's go back and discuss it with Father. There's no use in us just worrying here! Come on! Let's go ride horses!"

Zhao Xuan was a straightforward person by nature. She knew that Gu Zhanghua was right and that they should discuss everything after returning to Liyang, but she was very interested in Gu Zhanghua's suggestion.

He couldn't help but chuckle and patted Gu Zhanghua on the shoulder to encourage him.

"Alright, you're brave enough to face difficulties, that's a real man! Aren't you afraid of getting dizzy and falling off the horse?"

"Isn't it you protecting me? I'm not afraid at all. I'll get over the dizziness after practicing!"

Gu Zhanghua laughed and said shamelessly.

So the two of them rode together on the same horse again, galloping all the way back to the camp.

Silent all night.

Early the next morning, Qin Shao, Gu Zhanghua, Zhao Xuan, and others saw Ying Yang and his clansmen off at the camp gate.

Ying Yang clasped his hands in a fist salute to everyone, bid them farewell, and made a promise.

"General Qin, Your Highness and Princess, esteemed heroes, please wait! As soon as I returned to my tribe, I immediately began preparing the fine horses to be presented as tribute, and I will certainly deliver them to General Qin at the agreed time!"

Qin Shao returned the greeting and said, "Thank you for your trouble, King Rongdi!"

Ying Yang looked at Zhao Xuan with pleading eyes, the meaning of which was self-evident.

My happiness is entirely in the hands of the Wise Princess!

Zhao Xuan inwardly groaned. She must have been out of her mind, or perhaps she was possessed by the God of Love, to make such a boast about tying the knot for the Rongdi King.

Is it too late to regret now?

It's definitely too late!

She hadn't slept all night because of the marriage proposal, and now she had a splitting headache.

When Yingyang saw the troubled look on Zhao Xuan's face, his heart skipped a beat. Everything else was out in the open, but his marriage was still nowhere in sight.

"Is there something troubling the Princess Consort?"

Zhao Xuan sighed and, without hiding anything, directly explained her difficulties.

"The marriage proposal put forward by the Rongdi King is really difficult to come by. It's not easy to find a woman who is a good match for the Rongdi King, with whom he can have a harmonious relationship and stay together for life!"

Upon hearing this, Yingyang felt a chill run down his spine.

You're already backing down before you've even started looking?

Princess Xian doesn't seem like the kind of person who goes back on her word or breaks her promises. Could it be that none of the noble ladies of Xia Kingdom are worthy of him?

Is he really that outstanding?!

Yingyang misunderstood Zhao Xuan's words and immediately fell into a cycle of narcissism.

Am I really that good?

So outstanding!

excellent!!