Chapter Eighty: The Thief Who Stole the Fish

“Cousin, what should I do if my bunny doesn’t come home?” For the past few days, Fubao had been troubled; her own rabbit was not only having a grand time at someone else’s house, but also never seemed to return home.

“Your rabbit? Didn’t you say it would come back?” Bai Jie, legs planted firmly in a horse stance, practiced his martial arts while chatting with Fubao.

“But the Crown Prince says the bunny is his now. Once it’s in the palace, it belongs to him!” Fubao was displeased! Oh! The royal family was truly insufferable—her beloved pork knuckle was gone, and now even her only companion, the rabbit, had been taken away!

Alas! Fubao was destined for misfortune!

She let out a heavy sigh, her chubby hand propping up her chin, lost in existential doubt.

Bai Jie thought: What’s with this child casually using idioms like that?

Not far away, Gu Yun’s ears twitched with attention. The Crown Prince? This little girl not only knew people in the palace, but even gifted her precious bunny to him?

No, this had to be reported to the master!

And so, at dusk, a hungry, scrawny pigeon wobbled out of the Bai Residence.

The pigeon grumbled: I can’t fly if I’m not fed!

Half a month later, after a perilous journey, the already thin pigeon arrived at the Gu family’s estate thousands of miles away, even thinner than before. Inside, Gu Li opened the letter, which was crammed with tiny, dense handwriting.

Gu Li muttered, “Couldn’t this be shorter? And couldn’t they have used a clean, tidy piece of paper?”

At last, on the final line, Gu Li found the message he wanted: “Miss Fubao is safe and sound. She and the heir of the Duke of Han are friends—rest assured, master. As for the Crown Prince, Miss Fubao’s affections are lukewarm; she even gave her fat bunny to him as a gift!”

Lukewarm affections? What on earth does that mean? Is she attached or indifferent?

And she gave the fat bunny to the Crown Prince?

Does this mean Fubao has found herself another little brother and no longer cares for her own? (Author: Child, that’s not how you use that phrase. Fubao just made a new friend, that’s all!

Gu Li: So she’s found herself another young lord?

Author: …)

Gu Li was tormented by uncertainty, but his anxiety didn’t last long—after receiving Fubao’s “complaint letter” the next day and piecing together the full story, he finally felt at ease!

Gu Yun was such a fool; he couldn’t even get the facts straight!

Fubao had heard a strange tale from Han Zixuan: recently, there had been a thief in the palace who specialized in eating fish—many of the imperial garden’s fish had disappeared. The Emperor was so troubled that he had lost his appetite for braised pork knuckle! Even though the missing fish were rather ugly, it was still heartbreaking!

The Emperor, sobbing: The ugly fish were gifts from my envoys! They were a rare delicacy!

The magistrate returned not long after to investigate, and upon entering the Bai Residence, he found two little children, one of whom was eyeing him peculiarly.

The perplexed magistrate: ???

Bai Jie: Bad man! The one who got me in trouble last time!

Fubao: Huh, cousin, are you watching “The Tale of the Hero” again? By the way, Sister Huazhi has so many storybooks!

Maid Huazhi: *feeling proud*

Regarding the case of the missing fish in the imperial garden, the magistrate had come to consult with Prime Minister Bai; as for the Court of Judicial Review, better not involve them!

During the previous investigation, no one could agree on what happened, insisting the culprit wasn’t even human.

Person A said: It had a pair of long claws, just like a chicken.

Person B said: Its claws were like a duck’s, with white feathers and a lump on its head!

The stern magistrate: …

Person C objected: No! Its beak was so long and sharp—it hurt when it pecked!

Person D added: It could run, it could fly, and it hopped around everywhere!

The magistrate: “…All of you, get out!”

With no other options, the magistrate decided to seek counsel from Bai Zhanshuang, a reliable middle-aged man who had once governed the Cangjiang region.

Middle-aged Bai Zhanshuang: Are you blind? Have you ever seen a middle-aged man so dignified and handsome?

“All this is what they said?” Bai Zhanshuang’s usually gentle expression started to crack as he read the case files written by the various witnesses.