The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Chapter 413 Wu Yulan's Hidden Thoughts

"Pastries... I remember now!"

Zhao Xuan suddenly clenched her right fist and punched her left palm, nodding very firmly.

"When the delegation set off, now that I think about it, that woman must have been Uncle Qin's wife, Yun'er's mother. She once gave Master a box of pastries..."

"My mother?!"

Qin Chuyun looked surprised, then nodded as if he suddenly understood.

“I remember now. Back then, my parents took me to see off the delegation. My mother even told me to call your master ‘Auntie’ and to give your master a box of pastries she made herself.”

"Is there really such a thing?"

Wu Yulan seemed a little incredulous, muttering to herself, but she quickly accepted the fact and repeatedly urged Zhao Xuan to answer.

"And then? Did your master eat that box of pastries?"

"later……"

Zhao Xuan was lost in her memories:

Inside the carriage, only six-year-old Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua sat obediently opposite Zhao Xiaoman. Zhao Xiaoman picked up a food box from beside the couch and opened it.

Inside, various pastries were neatly arranged in two layers, looking quite exquisite.

Zhao Xiaoman picked up one of the pieces, took a bite, and found it tasted pretty good. She then placed the food box in front of Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua.

"Eat quickly!"

Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua immediately reached for the pastries, but Zhao Xiaoman quickly stopped them and wiped their hands with a handkerchief before letting the two little ones take the pastries.

Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua ate the pastries in the food box and did not forget to comment on them.

"It's not as good as Aunt Lan's. Master, who made it?"

"It's not as good as my mother's! Aunt Zhao, you didn't make this yourself, did you?"

Zhao Xiaoman patted each of them on the head.

"Can't you shut your mouths up with food? What nonsense are you asking? Eat!"

Zhao Xuan suddenly realized.

“I know! When we were seeing him off, I peeked out from inside the box! I saw an aunt holding a little girl next to Uncle Qin, and that aunt gave Master a food box, this box of pastries, right?”

Zhao Xiaoman reached out and pinched Zhao Xuan's cheek.

"You're just a smart guy!"

Zhao Xuan ingratiatingly offered a piece of pastry to Zhao Xiaman's lips.

"Master, please have a bite and try it! Here, have a taste!"

Zhao Xiaoman gave a teasing smile.

"If you don't like the taste, you give it to your master? You keep all the good stuff for yourself?"

"No, I think Master works very hard and loves me and Xiao Wu very much. Master is the best Master in the world!"

Zhao Xiaoman reached out and hugged the two children.

"Xuan'er, Xiao Wu, I promise you, I will definitely take you to travel all over the Qiankun Continent and see the most beautiful scenery when I have the chance in the future!"

The two children giggled.

"Master keeps his word!"

"Aunt Zhao keeps her word!"

"Of course, a woman's word is her bond!"

Zhao Xiaoman let go of the two children, couldn't help but smile, took the pastries from Zhao Xuan's hand, and happily ate them with the children.

"That's how it happened..."

Zhao Xuan snapped out of her reverie, looked at Wu Yulan, and said softly.

"You mean your master also ate some of the pastries from the food box?!"

Wu Yulan suddenly grabbed Zhao Xuan's arm, her lips trembling and her face full of fear.

"What kind of pastry is it? What kind of filling is it made of?"

Zhao Xuan's arm was gripped painfully by Wu Yulan. She really didn't understand why Wu Yulan was so fixated on this box of pastries.

"It's quite delicious... It has walnuts and peanuts in it, and I think there's also..."

As Wu Yulan listened, her eyes gradually lost focus. Her voice seemed to come from a thousand miles away, faint and indistinct, but Zhao Xuan could hear it clearly.

"You just said... if Miss hadn't developed allergies, she wouldn't have swapped carriages with the Crown Prince, perhaps..."

Zhao Xuan suddenly recalled Yang Liuming's speculation at the time.

He only intended to kill his master, but had no intention of harming His Highness the Crown Prince. It all stemmed from the carriage swap, which caused the assassination attempt on his master to turn into an attack on His Highness the Crown Prince.

"Perhaps His Highness the Crown Prince wouldn't have died..."

Recalling the situation at the time, Zhao Xuan added:

"If my master hadn't been weakened by her allergies, she wouldn't have been so helpless against the assassins. She might have dodged the poisoned arrows aimed at her, fought her way out, and escaped by sheer luck..."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yulan's face suddenly turned ashen. Her eyes stared blankly into the void as she slowly released her grip on Zhao Xuan's arm.

Zhao Xuan anxiously shook Wu Yulan's body.

"Aunt Lan! Aunt Lan, what's wrong?"

Suddenly, Wu Yulan covered her face and burst into tears, startling Zhao Xuan and Qin Chuyun, who were completely bewildered and unable to understand what had happened to cause Wu Yulan to break down so emotionally.

Wu Yulan's crying suddenly stopped, her hands fell to her sides, her face was covered in tears, and then she suddenly screamed, "Miss!"

His eyes rolled back, and his body fell heavily backward!

?

Gu Zhanghua returned to the Prince's mansion alone, found a book in the study, and quietly began to read.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he suddenly heard some noise in the courtyard. He put down the book in his hand, got up and went out of the study.

But as soon as he stepped out of the study, he saw Butler Li running towards him in a panic, his face showing undisguised anxiety.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! Someone from the General's Mansion has arrived, saying that the General's wife has suddenly fallen ill with a strange disease, and the Princess Consort has ordered Little Fairy Doctor to come to the manor immediately to treat her!"

"Has he contracted a strange illness?"

Gu Zhanghua was extremely surprised. How long had he been gone before such a change occurred?

When he left, Wu Yulan was perfectly fine, chatting and laughing with them. How could she suddenly fall ill, or even have some strange, inexplicable illness?

Gu Zhanghua didn't dare to delay for a moment. He called Little Fairy Doctor, who was making pills with her disciples, and rushed to the General's Mansion.

Meanwhile, Wu Yulan, who was unconscious in the bedroom of the General's Mansion, seemed to have her soul return to Qingfeng Courtyard many years ago.

She remembered it clearly: that morning, she brought water for her mistress to wash her face and gossiped with her about what had gotten into Chief Huang, who flew away the moment he saw her!

The young lady was also very curious and hurriedly went to ask Guo Da. She was carrying the water to wash her face and was about to leave when she suddenly heard the young lady tell Guo Da that she wanted to arrange for her to be betrothed to Huang Biaotou!

She was both surprised and saddened, and the washbasin fell to the ground.

Then what……

Then she cried alone in her room for a while, but then felt it was pointless, so she went out of Qingfeng Courtyard to buy groceries in the city as usual.

But that day she felt conflicted; she didn't want to go against her mistress's wishes, but she also had her own secret worries...

But she couldn't tell anyone, and she dared not let her mistress know!

She was walking down the street with a basket in her arms when she suddenly saw a sedan chair stop beside her, and a maidservant smiled and beckoned her over.

She saw a dignified and gentle woman sitting inside the sedan chair, who introduced herself to her.

"You must be Zhao Xiaoman's personal maid. I've heard the general mention you. Your name is Yulan, and I am General Qin's wife, Zheng Fanghua."