After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

Shen Jingque was still in a daze when Xuan Qi and a group of servants stood in two rows in the courtyard.

Ji Qianshang frowned when he saw her standing motionless at the door.

"What are you spacing out for again?"

Shen Jingque immediately suppressed her distress and ran over with her small medicine basket on her back, saying, "I'm here, I'm here."

Xiao Changgeng sat on the veranda, slightly raised his eyelids, glanced at her, and said, "Let's begin."

There were about twenty people standing in the courtyard.

Ah Fu from the medicine-decocting room, the old woman who cleaned the medicine room, the servant in charge of moving the medicine, and the two managers from the storeroom were all summoned.

The group of people, not knowing why they had been gathered here, all hunched over and nervously picked at their fingers.

Looking at this row of people, Shen Jingque felt like a drug-sniffing dog forced into service.

She walked up to the first old woman.

The old woman stretched out her hand, her face turning red with embarrassment.

Shen Jingque leaned closer and sniffed hard, but the encyclopedia didn't react; it wasn't her.

She shook her head. "Next."

The second one was the servant who carried the medicine. Shen Jingque had just sniffed it when her face turned green.

My hands smelled strongly of old wooden boxes, mixed with an indescribable fishy odor.

She looked up and glared at the servant, who grinned guiltily, "I just... I just came out of the outhouse and was called here. I haven't even had a chance to wash my hands yet."

Shen Jingque covered her nose tightly and retreated a long way.

Heavens above! Why must she, at such a young age, have to bear this kind of workplace injury that she shouldn't have to bear!

However, the encyclopedia still didn't react, and it wasn't him.

Shen Jingque sniffed them one by one until she reached Afu.

Afu looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a body as thin as a clothesline and a bluish tinge on his face from lack of sleep.

When he saw Shen Jingque coming over, he quickly wiped his hands on the hem of his clothes.

Xuan Qi said coldly, "Extend your hand."

Afu was startled and quickly reached out his hand.

These hands were very clean, and the nails were cut short. Perhaps because of years of washing and scrubbing, there were still a few pieces of dead skin sticking up from the edges of the fingers.

No matter how clean you wash it, you can't prevent cheating. As soon as Shen Jingque got close, large characters popped up on the void panel in front of her.

[Identified in the encyclopedia: Red Root.]

Shen Jingque looked up at Afu.

Ah Fu's face turned pale under her gaze. "Miss Shen, what's wrong?"

Shen Jingque didn't reply, but grabbed his hand and started to touch him.

The sleeves were flat and empty, and the palms and backs of the hands were completely bare.

Strange, where is it hidden?

Just as she was scratching her head in frustration, Shen Jingque looked closely and saw that the clue mark on the illustration had actually jumped onto her hand!

Wait... she just touched this kid's clothes...

Shen Jingque grabbed Afu's sleeve again and rubbed it hard.

Then, she spread out her two small hands, on which was prominently displayed the highlighted logo of "Red Root".

The case is solved! The powder was stuck to this guy's sleeve!

The group of people in the courtyard watched as she groped Afu, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

Shen Jingque took a large step back and held up one finger: "There's only one truth."

"The mole—it's him!"

The servants present were in an uproar.

Afu was born into a family, how could he betray the Princess's residence?

"I'm innocent, young master! I'm innocent! I'm not the traitor!"

Ah Fu's legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly.

"The medicine was all given to me personally by Granny Yan! I'm just a kitchen helper! I grew up in this mansion; even if you gave me a hundred lives, I wouldn't dare poison my master!"

Upon hearing the sound, Ji Qianshang took a few steps down the steps, grabbed Afu's sleeve, rubbed it with his fingertips, and then smelled it.

After a long pause, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. "It does indeed smell of red thread root."

Afu's tears and snot streamed down his face, and he trembled like a sieve.

"Young Master Ji, please save me! I truly don't know! I always get the medicine according to the prescription. All the herbs look so similar, how could I possibly tell them apart!"

Granny Yan was so frightened that she knelt down with a thud. "This old servant swears to heaven that I knew absolutely nothing! The medicine cabinet's contents were all counted and received according to the register, and I always kept the key on my belt, I never even dared to take it off when I slept!"

Xiao Changgeng pressed his fingertips hard on the edge of the roster, and the page was crumpled into a crease.

"Xuan Qi".

Xuan Qi stepped forward and said, "Your subordinate is here."

"Detain Afu temporarily and investigate who he has seen in the past half month, what items he has handled, and whether there is any extra dirty money in his house."

When Afu heard the words "temporarily detained," he cried even harder.

"Young Master, please be wise! If I've uttered even half a lie, may I be kicked into a cesspool by Old Li's donkey as soon as I step outside, and eat shit for the rest of my life!"

Shen Jingque, who was cosplaying as a famous detective, almost choked on her saliva when she heard this.

Wow, that's quite a flavorful oath.

Xiao Changgeng looked at Shen Jingque, "Miss Shen, do you think he's lying?"

Ah Fu's snot was already hanging down his chin, and his whole body exuded a clear sense of stupidity and cowardice.

Shen Jingque pinched her smooth chin and objectively commented, "He doesn't look like the mastermind."

Ji Qianshang raised one eyebrow. "Why?"

Shen Jingque blinked her big eyes and said very sincerely, "Because he doesn't seem to have the brains."

Afu's crying stopped for a moment.

Shen Jingque spread his hands: "Think about it, if he really wanted to tamper with the master's medicine, he would have made an excuse to run away long ago during the big investigation of the mole in the courtyard. I suspect he might have been used by someone."

Xiao Changgeng casually closed the roster, nodded, and said, "Then let's start digging down the list from the people next to him."

Xuanqi picked up Afu like a chick and carried him away, and the people in the courtyard dispersed.

Shen Jingque resignedly rolled back to the pharmacy to continue her sorting work, while Ji Qianshang leaned against the door frame, his eyes fixed on her.

Shen Jingque felt uncomfortable under his gaze. "What are you doing? Do I have 'Centennial Wild Ginseng' written on my face?"

Ji Qianshang crossed his arms. "You really only knew by smell just now?"

He had been observing Shen Jingque.

Besides sniffing around everywhere, the way this little girl looked at her palms after rubbing her sleeves just now seemed like she was looking at some kind of supernatural thing that others couldn't see.

Shen Jingque rolled her eyes without any politeness. "Otherwise what? Did you expect me to go up and hug his hand, suck on it, and figure it out?"

Ji Qianshang choked for a moment, the scene Shen Jingque described popped into his mind, and his expression was indescribable.

"You have such strong tastes... Huh? Huh!"

A bunch of medicinal herbs were thrown at his head, and Shen Jingque pointed at him angrily: "You're the one with the weird tastes!"

Ji Qianshang dodged the "rain of herbs" and dumped most of the basket of herbs onto the table with a splash, saying, "Distribute them all today."

Judging from her nonsensical way of talking, she doesn't seem like a master of charlatanry; she's probably just seeing things.

Shen Jingque stared blankly at the mountain of herbs piled up in front of her.

well.

No praise, double the work; workplace bullying may be late, but it arrives eventually.

She squatted on the ground, struggling for half an hour, while the damned red countdown in her mind kept flashing incessantly.

Forty-five days later, her Shennong Space and Illustrated Guide will be taken away.

This thing is her livelihood in the Princess's mansion right now. If she loses it, how will she survive in this mansion where everyone is cunning and scheming?

So Xiao Jingchen must be seen, but how to see him is the problem.

That evening, Shen Jingque dragged her soulless body back to Xiling Residence, completely dejected.

Shen Yan had just returned from the library, his blue sleeves still carrying a faint scent of paper and ink. A slight smile played on his lips, and his face was filled with an undisguised sense of satisfaction.

He was also carefully protecting a paper package in his hand.

"The sparrow is back."

Shen Yan quickly stepped forward and handed over the paper package like a treasure, "This afternoon, Miss Qingyuan brought some tea and snacks. Knowing that you like sweet things, your father secretly hid two pieces."

Shen Jingque took it, opened it, and saw that the few delicate pastries were still intact.

She instantly softened, wrapped her arms around Shen Yan's neck, and planted a kiss on his cheek: "Thank you, Daddy! Daddy's the best!"

She took a big bite.

The mung bean cake is soft, chewy, and perfectly sweet.

Shen Yan sat on a small stool, looking at his daughter's droopy eyes, and asked softly, "Did you suffer any grievances at Yingzhu Garden today?"

Shen Jingque, her mouth stuffed like a hamster hiding food, mumbled a complaint: "It was alright. I just acted as a drug-sniffing dog to help catch a mole, and then I was used as free labor by a boiled chicken all afternoon. The smell of medicine made me dizzy."

Shen Yan's smile faded, replaced by deep worry. "A mole? Are you involved?"

Shen Jingque told the story of how the medicinal herbs had been switched and poisoned.

Shen Yan frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"Such sordid matters... Father may not understand pharmacology, but we are newcomers and haven't settled in yet. We should just collect our monthly allowance and do our duty, and absolutely not get involved in the mess in the inner quarters."

His daughter is so young, so fragile and pitiful, and she's been dragged into such a complicated conspiracy. I wonder if she'll offend anyone.

Shen Yan thought that he should apologize to the princess tomorrow and let Que'er stay by his side.

Shen Jingque noticed Shen Yan's worry and quickly rubbed her little head against his arm, saying, "I know, Daddy. I understand the saying 'The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind,' so I won't show my face easily."

As she spoke, she clenched her small fist, raised it spiritedly, and jabbed it down with her elbow; "Survival is victory!"

Shen Yan chuckled at her quirky and mischievous appearance and gently pinched her soft cheek.

Seeing her yawn repeatedly made me feel a little sorry for her.

"If you really can't hold on, I'll ask Young Master Ji for leave tomorrow so you can rest for a day."

"No, no, no, I want to be the top scorer! I love going to work!" Shen Jingque shook her head like a rattle-drum.

Just kidding, if she takes this fake leave and the cheat program actually shuts down, she'll have nowhere to cry.

She's still waiting to collect all fifty illustrations to unlock the Spirit Spring.

She picked up her teacup, took a big gulp of tea, and added firmly, "Working people don't cry, working people never give up!"

Shen Yan didn't quite understand, but looking into his daughter's bright eyes, he nodded gently.

"The sparrow is right."

Shen Jingque blushed at the mindless flattery and guiltily lowered her head to gulp down water.

Is this what it feels like to have family? My amazing dad provides endless emotional support.

This is a million times cuter than that stupid system that only knows how to warn and urge you to your death!