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

The bookstore fell silent instantly.

In the blink of an eye, the hem of a red brocade robe fluttered, and under the flashing golden light, Xiao Changqi had already flipped down the stairs and stood in front of Shen Jingque.

"Where did this wild boy come from, harassing young girls in Wenjin Pavilion in broad daylight?"

Xiao Jingchen maintained a gentle smile on his face and even bowed slightly.

"Sir, you misunderstand. I was merely quite interested in the inkstone in this young lady's hand, and had no intention of offending her."

His words were composed and he knew how to conduct himself appropriately.

Several customers who were browsing books at the scene felt that the man's words were appropriate and he didn't seem like a bad person.

Shen Jingque stood behind Xiao Changqi and silently rolled her eyes.

In the original book, Xiao Jingchen was neither the eldest son nor the heir, so his chances of winning the throne weren't the best. But he managed to charm a group of people into working for him with just his words and his looks.

She won't fall for it.

Shen Jingque peeked half her head out from behind Xiao Changqi's arm and said in a voice loud enough for everyone around to hear:

"Second brother, he just said he would pay for me."

"I don't know him at all, and this inkstone must have cost a lot of money. Why did he insist on buying it for me as soon as he arrived?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Changqi thought to himself, "That's right!"

A complete stranger, a grown man, voluntarily comes over to spend money on a young girl—there's definitely something fishy going on!

His anger flared instantly; he pointed his golden fan forward and raised his voice three octaves.

"My sister is twelve years old. You, a grown man, approached her and tried to chat her up, even offering to buy her things. Isn't that trying to kidnap a child?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the onlookers changed drastically.

Several ladies who brought their daughters to choose books pulled their daughters behind them, their gazes towards Xiao Jingchen filled with obvious wariness.

One woman, quick to speak her mind, muttered, "He looks respectable enough, but he preys on young girls. What a scumbag!"

The shopkeeper was so anxious he kept rubbing his hands, caught in the middle, in a dilemma.

This is his big customer, Second Master Xiao. Although I don't recognize the young man in white over there, his demeanor suggests he's not someone to be trifled with.

He stepped forward with a forced smile, bowed, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Xiao Jingchen.

"Young master, our shop is very busy today, and there may have been some misunderstanding. Would you please... take your leave now? I'll prepare some tea for you another day to apologize."

The words were tactful, but the meaning was clear. You should leave now; it's not good for anyone if things escalate.

Xiao Jingchen's fingers tightened slightly inside his sleeve.

In front of everyone, he, a prince, was accused of being a human trafficker by this little girl.

Perhaps he could reveal his identity and prove his innocence.

But doing so would only confirm that his presence here today was for ulterior motives.

Thinking of this, Xiao Jingchen gritted his teeth and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Xiao Changqi, his demeanor still composed.

"I apologize for my abruptness and have offended you greatly. Farewell."

He then turned and left decisively.

The moment the curtain fell, Shen Jingque saw the smile on his face vanish instantly, and he glanced back.

I happened to make eye contact with her.

Shen Jingque felt a chill run down her spine for no apparent reason. She had a feeling that he wouldn't let this go so easily.

Xiao Changqi snapped his golden fan shut and pursed his lips.

"He's smart to know what's good for him, otherwise we would have made that scoundrel lose face today."

He turned around, squatted down, and reached out to pat Shen Jingque's head.

"Were you scared?"

She wiped her face with her sleeve, revealing a row of white teeth.

"Luckily, my second brother arrived quickly, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do."

Xiao Changqi looked at her face, which changed in a second, and his lips twitched.

Goodness, his expression changes like flipping through a book.

"You silly girl," Xiao Changqi tapped her forehead with his golden fan, "I thought you'd been bullied, I was so worried I spilled my tea, but you're perfectly fine now."

"I can only call you when I'm perfectly fine. If I were really being bullied, I wouldn't have the strength to howl."

Xiao Changqi was amused by her self-righteous demeanor.

He stood up, twirled the golden fan in his palm, and clicked his tongue.

"This guy is quite handsome; it wouldn't be surprising if girls were fawning over him under normal circumstances."

He glanced down at Shen Jingque, his tone tinged with curiosity.

"A girl your age, you're turning down gifts offered to you."

"Not bad, as expected of my sister Xiao Changqi, she's not the kind of shallow-minded person you'd expect."

Shen Jingque held Duan Yan and tilted her head.

"Second brother, don't you think there's something wrong with that person?"

"What's the problem?"

"He came straight at me as soon as he walked in, without even looking at anything in the store."

Shen Jingque put the Duan inkstone back on the counter and clapped her hands.

"Why do people who come to Wenjin Pavilion not buy writing materials, but instead stare at a little girl like me?"

Xiao Changqi paused, his hand holding the fan, recalling the man's attire from earlier, his eyes hardening.

The blue sash around his waist.

His peach blossom eyes narrowed slowly, the smile faded, and a hint of doubt appeared in them.

These small items are not something an ordinary merchant would recognize, but he had seen them at the Princess's residence.

That's a double-strand weave pattern, a technique used in the imperial workshops, which outside embroidery shops can't replicate.

Could it be someone from the palace?

But why would people in the palace approach Little Sparrow?

Xiao Changqi asked calmly, "Have you seen this person before?"

Shen Jingque shook her head: "I've never seen this before, this is the first time."

He frowned and pondered for a moment, but had no clue.

Never mind, I'll go back later and discuss it with my older brother.

Xiao Changqi relaxed his brows and patted Shen Jingque's head in a seemingly relaxed manner.

"Alright, stop thinking about that. We haven't finished buying everything we need. Let's go."

Shen Jingque was carried upstairs by him.

The bookshelves on the second floor are packed tightly together, containing everything from historical classics to storybooks and illustrated books.

Shen Jingque wandered among the bookshelves and finally found a herbal medicine catalog in the miscellaneous section.

After flipping through a few pages, she was overjoyed.

This book is surprisingly similar to a modern magazine, with a quarterly issue printed on the cover and illustrations of various medicinal herbs inside, along with notes on their origin and properties.

Logically speaking, Shen Jingque should not need this as she already has the Shennong Illustrated Compendium. However, its advantage lies in the fact that, in addition to indicating the place of origin, it also specifies which pharmacies in the capital sell various medicinal herbs, and it is updated every season.

Shen Jingque became more and more excited as she looked at it.

There were several kinds of medicinal herbs that she had never seen before. The illustrations were exquisite, and even the veins of the leaves were depicted in great detail.

Although the encyclopedia requires physical contact with the items to be activated, this catalog at least tells her where to find those medicinal herbs.

She immediately grabbed the catalog and put it in her shopping basket.

Xiao Changqi peeked out from the side.

"You're still watching this?"

"Master Ji told me to learn more about medicinal herbs, saying that I couldn't lose my basic skills."

Shen Jingque made up a reason on the spot and then flipped through the appendix at the back.

"Second brother, are you familiar with those pharmacies listed in this book?"

"Are there any shops in the capital that I don't know?"

Xiao Changqi unfolded his golden fan, his tone brimming with capitalist confidence.

"What kind of medicinal herbs do you want to buy? Give me a list, and I'll give you the wholesale price."

Shen Jingque closed the catalog and stuffed it into the basket, then grinned at him.

"Second brother, you are truly the best brother in the world."

Xiao Changqi felt elated upon hearing this.

Although he was the second son in the Princess's household, he also had a sworn brother named Qin Lie.

But that kid was as taciturn as a saw-off gourd, even more taciturn than Xiao Changgeng, and never called him brother.

Shen Jingque's little mouth was as sweet as honey, calling him "Second Brother" this and "Second Brother" that, both sweet and obedient.

Xiao Changqi felt extremely pleased with the praise and waved his hand to summon the waiter.

"Wrap everything in this basket, plus a set of Songhua stone writing implements, pick the best set in your shop."

The waiter responded and left.

After the two finished shopping, they went out, and the shop assistants loaded the packed stationery and books onto the carriage.

The carriage moved slowly, and as it approached the side gate of the Princess's residence, Shen Jingque seemed to sense something and lifted the curtain, glancing outside out of the corner of her eye.

The old man who was selling candied hawthorns under the old locust tree when I left home this morning has vanished without a trace, along with his stall.

She lowered the curtain and leaned back against the carriage wall.

Sure enough, the person at the door was watching her.

Is it Xiao Jingchen, or someone else?