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

At 3:45 AM, the morning bell rang at the Princess's residence.

Shen Jingque rolled over in bed, curling up like a freshly cooked glutinous rice ball.

When she opened her eyes, only four words were in her mind.

Do not disturb if the person is already dead.

Why did people in ancient times get up so early?

The chickens haven't even started working yet, but the Princess's residence has already begun its clock-in process.

If this happened in modern times, she would probably post it online and curse it out, saying that the unscrupulous boss exploits child labor, that capital is manipulating things, and that working people don't even have the right to sleep in.

A soft knock came at the door, and Shen Yan's voice rang out, "Que'er, are you awake?"

Shen Jingque buried her face in the pillow and mumbled, "Dad, I'm awake, but my soul hasn't arrived yet."

Shen Yan didn't understand. He hesitated for a moment at the door before saying gently, "Butler Xu has brought breakfast."

Breakfast?

Shen Jingque's soul arrived at its post with a snap.

She sat up, her hair disheveled from sleeping, like a dandelion that had been chewed by a dog.

"Let the food in."

Shen Yan pushed the door open and came in. When he saw her looking like this, a gentle smile appeared in his eyes.

Uncle Xu followed behind, with two maids carrying trays behind him.

Plain congee, meat buns, steamed eggs, and a small dish of pickled cucumbers.

Shen Jingque's stomach rumbled in perfect unison.

I'm hungry.

Uncle Xu put down the tray and looked at the father and daughter with a smile.

"Young Master Shen, Miss Shen, did you sleep well last night?"

Shen Yan quickly cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you for your care, Butler Xu. Everything is fine."

Shen Jingque quickly put on her clothes, jumped off the bed, leaned over the table, and then respectfully bowed to Uncle Xu.

"Thank you, Uncle Xu!"

Uncle Xu looked at the little girl with a smile and pushed a maid in a light yellow dress next to him forward.

"This is Lü'e, whom His Highness specially arranged to take care of Miss."

The maid named Lü'e looked to be fourteen or fifteen years old, with an oval face, slender and gentle eyebrows and eyes, but her every move was very neat and efficient.

It looks like someone who knows martial arts.

Green Calyx curtsied and said, "Greetings, Miss Shen."

Shen Jingque stepped forward, took Lü'e's hand, and said with a smile, "Hello, Sister Lü'e."

Although it's unclear whether Lü'e was sent to protect them or to monitor them, at least one shouldn't hit a smiling face. If they can get along well with her, they might be able to gain a good reputation with the Princess.

Uncle Xu smiled kindly, cleared his throat, and his expression turned somewhat serious.

"Now that you've entered the princess's residence, there are some rules that this old servant must explain first."

Shen Yan pulled Shen Jingque to stand up straight immediately.

Xu Bo nodded in satisfaction and began to recount the rules of the Princess's residence, one by one.

First, the front courtyard is where the eldest princess conducts official business and must not be entered without permission.

2. The drill ground on the east side is used for guards to practice; do not approach.

Third, there are many secret guards patrolling the mansion at night, so one should not move around at will.

Finally, he lowered his voice.

"Never go to the bamboo grove in the backyard."

Shen Jingque blinked and nodded obediently.

Yingzhu Garden? Isn't that the courtyard that smelled of herbs yesterday?

What exactly is Xiao Mingyue hiding?

Shen Yan's face paled slightly, and he quickly nodded, "Don't worry, Steward Xu, my daughter and I will keep that in mind."

Uncle Xu looked at Shen Jingque, "Did you remember?"

The little girl stood up straight and answered in a clear, crisp voice, "I remember."

Xu Bo nodded in satisfaction, explained the rules, and left with Lü E behind.

As soon as the door closed, Shen Yan looked at Shen Jingque with a worried expression.

"Que'er, you must not run around. The residence of the Princess Zhenguo is not an ordinary place. We are only staying temporarily, so we must not cause any trouble for Her Highness."

Shen Jingque had just sat down and was enjoying her meal, holding the porridge bowl and nodding like a chick pecking at rice.

"Father, don't worry."

She won't wander off; she memorized the route yesterday and will definitely strike at the heart of the enemy.

Shen Jingque ate a couple of mouthfuls of porridge, but her mind was already on Yingzhu Garden.

Besides Xiao Mingyue, the Princess's residence also has three adopted sons.

Xiao Changgeng, the adopted son and commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is an injured and disabled character in the original book, and is portrayed as a gloomy villain.

Xiao Changqi, the second adopted son, is the richest man in Dayong. He is a smiling fox, and his money bag has become a spirit.

Qin Lie, the third adopted son, is a junior general in the Northwest Army. He has a temper that's as fiery as a firecracker, and he's the kind of dog who can flip a table at the slightest provocation.

In the original book, Xiao Changgeng makes very few appearances in the early stages.

But Shen Jingque thought about it all night.

Based on the timeline, she reasonably suspected that he was the one living in Yingzhu Garden.

Whether she and Shen Yan can gain a foothold in the Princess's residence depends on the Princess's attitude, as well as the attitudes of her three adopted sons.

Especially Xiao Changgeng.

Princess Chang had been in charge of military affairs for many years, and after Xiao Changgeng's leg injury, he took over most of the household affairs.

If he disliked her and Shen Yan, a single casual remark from him might send the father and daughter packing up and scrambling for a prime spot under a bridge the very next day.

Shen Jingque silently finished her porridge, already having made up her mind.

After finishing breakfast, Shen Yan went to see Uncle Xu.

As a retainer, he always wanted to do something, even if it was just some odd jobs, it was better than just sitting around eating for free.

No sooner had he left than Shen Jingque slipped out.

Instead of taking the main road, she circled around the flowers and trees behind Xiling Residence, deliberately walking along the base of walls and under the shadows of bamboo.

The princess's residence was very large.

The roads lead in all directions, the corridors are winding, and guards occasionally patrol behind the artificial hill.

Shen Jingque crouched behind a pine tree and waited until the two guards were far away before crouching down and continuing forward.

After circling around twice, I finally smelled the medicinal fragrance from yesterday.

Shen Jingque stopped behind a clump of bamboo and twitched her nose.

A semi-transparent panel suddenly appeared in front of me.

[Shennong's Illustrated Guide is now activated]

[Beginner Quest: Activate 50 illustrations to unlock the Spirit Spring Water feature]

Then, lines of medicinal herb names appeared before her eyes, along with small arrows pointing into the courtyard.

Chuanxiong (Ligusticum striatum) invigorates blood circulation and promotes the flow of qi.

[Dipsacus root, nourishes the liver and kidneys, and promotes bone and tendon healing]

Angelica dahurica, dispels wind and relieves pain.

Shen Jingque raised her eyebrows.

Huh? Does that mean the medicinal fragrance she smelled contained these herbs?

"System, your encyclopedia can even automatically pop up windows?"

The system voice sounded very proud.

Of course, it can be immediately identified no matter which of your five senses comes into contact with the medicinal herbs.

She sniffed, and a few more lines of text popped up on the panel.

Snake-sleeping herb, cold in nature, promotes the smooth flow of blood and qi.

The root of *Crimson Root* is warm in nature and enters the bone and blood vessels; when it comes into contact with cold-natured medicines, it will cause toxicity to accumulate.

【Grey-shelled flower, sweet in taste, can reduce the external toxicity when stored in tonics】

Shen Jingque chewed on these lines of text, and the more she read them, the more something seemed off.

The next moment, a new combination prompt popped up at the bottom of the panel.

[A rare formula for slowing down detoxification]

[This herb is non-toxic when used alone; when added to tonics, it can slow down the elimination of toxins. However, prolonged use can cause stagnation in the meridians and make injuries difficult to heal.]

Shen Jingque's expression disappeared.

Good heavens, what shocking secret has she stumbled upon? There's something wrong with this medicine!

She suddenly remembered the plot that was only revealed later in the original book.

Xiao Changgeng's leg was slow to heal, and the outside world thought it was because his injury back then was too severe, coupled with his gloomy personality and refusal to take proper care of himself.

It was only later that they discovered his medicine had been tampered with.

Liu Jin, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Medical Academy, under the instruction of a noble in the palace, took the opportunity of delivering medicine to replace the medicine that could help him recover with a prescription that would prolong his illness.

If he doesn't recover, the Princess will lose a valuable asset.

Shen Jingque squatted against the wall, her expression gradually becoming complicated.

It's truly eye-opening; ancient palace dramas are absolutely right.

Just as she was about to smell it again to confirm, she suddenly felt a cool sensation on her neck.

Shen Jingque looked down and saw a long sword lying across her shoulder and neck, gleaming coldly.