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

The carriage rumbled along the long street, with two hand warmers burning inside, creating a cozy atmosphere.

Shen Jingque was wrapped up like a ball by Shen Yan.

Over a thick cloak was Ji Qianshang's overcoat, and over the overcoat was a layer of fleece blanket provided in the carriage, revealing only a small face the size of a palm, looking like a dumpling stuffed in a pile of cotton.

Shen Yan held her with one arm and kept rubbing the back of her hand with the other.

Shen Jingque's hands were sore from being rubbed so much they were almost smoking.

"Father, I'm really alright now. Master Ji's pills are very effective."

Shen Yan didn't say anything, paused for a moment while rubbing his hands, and then continued.

The scene from just now kept flashing through his mind: his delicate daughter struggling in the dark river, one step later and she would have been swept away by the current.

At this moment, he could only confirm that his daughter was safe and sound by repeating these mechanical actions, and forcefully suppress the lingering fear.

The carriage was quiet for a moment.

Shen Jingque thought to herself that her father was probably angry, and she needed to find a way to liven up the atmosphere.

But then, a drop of warm water landed on the back of her hand.

She looked up and saw Shen Yan with tears in his eyes, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to.

Shen Jingque's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, her beautiful father was so angry he cried.

Sure enough, Shen Yan took a deep breath and asked in a trembling voice:

"Sparrow, tell your father, why did you go to the Jade Bridge all by yourself?"

Shen Yan's voice trembled violently, and tears fell more and more rapidly.

"Do you know, when I heard you fell into the water, my heart almost stopped?"

Shen Jingque opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

It was indeed her fault in this matter. After all, this body was only twelve years old. Even if she hadn't encountered Zhao Yuwan and Shen Tingyun, it was very possible that she would have been kidnapped by the beggars.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Shen Yan lowered his eyes and lowered his voice.

"Sparrow, tell your father the truth, do you want to go find your mother?"

Shen Jingque: "???"

"Father knows that suffering and hardship with you is not as good as the luxurious life in the Marquis's mansion."

"You saw Tingyun wearing gold and silver and felt envious, so you wanted to go find your mother. Your father understands."

Shen Jingque was completely dumbfounded.

Wait, wait, wait, beautiful daddy, your imagination is too outrageous!

Shen Yan looked down at her, his eyes filled with self-blame and bitterness.

"Father is just sad, why don't you tell him?"

"Is it because your father is incompetent that you feel unable to speak up?"

Shen Jingque jumped up from under the blanket with a start and slapped her hands over Shen Yan's mouth.

"Father! Stop! If you keep going, you'll unjustly kill me!"

Shen Yan was startled by her covering his mouth and mumbled an unclear "uh".

Shen Jingque released her hand, raised three fingers of her right hand, and her expression was extremely solemn.

"I swear to God, I got lost while watching the lantern and accidentally ended up at the Jade Bridge. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Marquis's mansion!"

"If I even have the slightest thought of going to find my mother, I'll... Waaah..."

Before she could finish swearing the oath, Shen Yan pinched her mouth shut.

"Don't make oaths like that, you're just a kid."

Seeing her so resolute, Shen Yan seemed to believe her somewhat, but a hint of doubt still lingered in her eyes.

"What were you looking for when you were looking around in your father's arms just now?"

Shen Jingque's heart skipped a beat.

My handsome father usually seems gentle and easy to talk to, but how come he has such strong observation skills at crucial moments?

She absolutely cannot utter the three words "Xiao Jingchen".

Not to mention that she could not possibly know Xiao Jingchen now, if she did, given Shen Yan's imagination, he could easily concoct an absurd script for her in the next second: "A young girl admires a young man, and at twelve years old, she falls in love and pursues a prince."

She won't be able to clear her name even if she jumps into the Yellow River.

Therefore, she decisively chose the safest approach—

Sleep escape.

She frowned, rolled her eyes upward, and slumped limply into Shen Yan's arms.

"Dad, I feel so dizzy. I feel cold, and my vision is going black."

Shen Yan's expression changed drastically, and his desire to ask further questions vanished instantly.

"Sparrow? Sparrow!"

He hurriedly reached out to feel her forehead, then frantically tried to feel her pulse.

"Doctor Ji is in another car, what should we do?"

As he spoke, he rubbed her temples with one hand and reached for the hot water bottle in the corner of the carriage with the other, muttering to himself.

"When we get back, let Doctor Ji take another look, just in case there's any lingering illness."

Shen Jingque half-closed her eyes, enjoying her father's VIP massage service, and gave herself a thumbs up for her cleverness.

With solid acting skills, the crisis was averted.

However, she wasn't entirely faking it.

After falling into the water, my body did feel a bit heavy. Although the pills suppressed the chill, my bones still ached slightly.

She remembered the spiritual spring water in Shennong Space.

She should drink some as soon as she gets back. It can even improve her malnutrition, so a little bit of cold should be no problem for her.

Oh right, we also need to give my handsome father a drink; his clothes are soaked through tonight too.

System 001 appeared out of nowhere, and a sentence drifted by.

[Host, don't you feel any remorse for lying to your father like this?]

Shen Jingque didn't even lift her eyelids: Shut up, you useless system that only knows how to urge others has no right to speak.

The system paused for a moment, then couldn't help but add:

[By the way, host, you've completed your mission for tonight. The official version of Shennong Space is now open. Please use it!]

Meanwhile, the atmosphere was completely different in the carriage ahead.

Ji Qianshang abandoned his usual carefree demeanor, closed his folding fan, and tapped it lightly in his palm.

"Your Highness, the matter at Shadow Bamboo Garden has been investigated and resolved."

Xiao Mingyue leaned against the carriage wall, the chill of the lantern festival still clinging to the edges of her cloak, her murderous aura lingering in her eyes.

"explain."

Ji Qianshang lowered his voice.

"Xuanqi and I followed Afu's trail and traced it back to He Bo, the purchasing manager."

Xiao Mingyue's brow twitched slightly.

"Uncle He?"

Uncle He is an old man in the household. He always greets people with a smile and never makes a mistake.

During festivals, he would even pay out of his own pocket to prepare an extra gift for the servants in the mansion, and everyone said that Uncle He was kind and generous.

Ji Qianshang tapped his knee with the ribs of his fan.

"Who would have thought that Uncle He's own nephew was Liu Jin, the eunuch in charge of medicine?"

Xiao Mingyue coldly replied, "And Liu Jin is the Empress Dowager's man."

Ji Qianshang nodded, his tone cold.

"Uncle He was in charge of purchasing medicinal herbs for the mansion. Every month, the medicinal herbs allocated from the Imperial Hospital passed through his hands and were put into storage."

"Each time after I inspected the medicine, he would cut off the Zhu Wen Sui and replace it with Chi Xian Gen, and then A Fu, who was unaware of the process, would deliver it to the decoction room."

"Twelve years, Your Highness."

Ji Qianshang raised one finger.

"This nail has been buried for twelve years, it was there even before Chang Geng was injured."

Xiao Mingyue's fingertips rested on the tassels of the car window, slowly tightening.

Twelve years ago.

Chang Geng was still a teenager, just rescued from a pile of corpses by her. At that time, Uncle He was already in the mansion, smiling as he served tea and water, showing concern for this young master.

But now, it turns out that he is the one who drugged Xiao Changgeng.

His twelve years of loyalty and integrity were all an act.

The tassel on the car window snapped in response, and the gold thread scattered in her palm. She snorted coldly.

"The darkest place is under the lamp."

"Your Majesty, you have some clever methods. You've been raising parasites right under my nose for twelve years."

"If Little Sparrow hadn't discovered the medicine was wrong, we wouldn't have been able to find the culprit if the entire household had been poisoned in the future!"

Ji Qianshang was silent for a moment, then said, "There's one more thing."

"He Bo's wife passed away three years ago, and Liu Jin paid for her funeral. His only daughter works as a maid on a manor in the suburbs of Beijing, and the owner of that manor is surnamed Zhao."

Xiao Mingyue raised her eyelids slightly: "The Marquis of Yong'an's residence?"

"The estate of a branch of the Zhao family is not officially related to the Marquis's manor, but the name on the land deed is that of Zhao Heng's half-brother's concubine."

Ji Qianshang tucked the fan into his sleeve and crossed his arms over his chest.

"The Empress Dowager, the Imperial Medical Academy, and the Yong'an Marquis's residence are three intertwined."

"He Bo's daughter is a hostage; he dares not disobey."

Outside the carriage, the sound of horses' hooves clattered, but inside, it was so quiet you could hear someone breathing.

Xiao Mingyue closed her eyes, clutching the broken tassel in her hand until it was crumpled into a ball, then loosened and scattered.

"Where is Uncle He now?"

"Xuan Qi has been brought under control and is locked in a secret underground room in Yingzhu Garden without alerting anyone else."

"Where is his daughter?"

"I've sent someone to pick you up; you should arrive at the manor tomorrow morning."

Xiao Mingyue opened her eyes, her gaze sharp as a knife.

"Check every single account of medicinal herbs that Uncle He has handled over the past twelve years."

Ji Qianshang nodded, a hint of worry in his eyes: "What are Your Highness's plans for the future?"

Xiao Mingyue lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, and the night wind blew in, making her hair fly.

The lights of the Princess's residence were already faintly visible in the distance.

"Since the Empress Dowager has gone to such lengths to plant spies around me, I will not let her efforts go to waste."

"I will show her everything she expects."

Ji Qianshang understood.

Rather than wasting He Bo's potential, we should make use of him.

Holding his daughter's life in their hands, they weren't afraid he wouldn't obey.