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

Shen Jingque fell silent.

She looked down at the blade pressed against her chin, her tone sincere.

"Big brother, steady your hand."

The person behind him didn't speak, but instead moved the blade forward slightly.

Shen Jingque immediately shut up.

Immediately afterwards, she was like a duck being grabbed by the scruff of its neck, taking off into the air and thrashing about wildly with her feet dangling in the air.

"Oh dear! Let's talk this out!"

Handling him like a chick, is that polite of you?!

The moment her feet left the ground, she couldn't help but complain to the system in her mind.

"Feudal society is unacceptable; the rights of minors are completely unprotected."

You absolutely deserve it.

The electronic sound of System 001 had a strong theatrical feel to it.

The ebony door was pushed open, and Shen Jingque was led into the Shadow Bamboo Garden.

The smell of herbs was even stronger inside the garden.

Rows of green bamboos blocked out the sunlight, and the surrounding silence made one unconsciously hold their breath.

In the central pavilion of the courtyard, a window was half open, and the medicine stove was bubbling away.

Shen Jingque was casually tossed down the steps. The long sword remained held against her neck.

A moment later, the sound of wooden wheels rolling over the ground came from the warm pavilion.

A young man was pushed forward.

He wore an indigo robe and a black fox fur shawl over his shoulders. His face was pale, with a strand of silver hair at his temples. His brows pressed down on his eyes, giving him an overall cold and sharp demeanor.

Shen Jingque's eyes darted around, and she had a better idea of ​​what was going on.

Sure enough, Xiao Changgeng lived in Yingzhu Garden.

Xiao Changgeng lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on her mud-stained skirt and messy hair.

"Which courtyard's maidservant is she from?"

Shen Jingque blinked. A maid?

She looked down at herself.

Although the original owner was twelve years old, she was probably malnourished and looked only about ten years old, thin and small, with her hair pulled into two round and fluffy buns.

Okay, she does look like a maid or child laborer in a princess's mansion.

The guard in black stood to the side and whispered, "Young Master, this little brat is peeking around outside the door, acting suspiciously. She's up to no good."

Shen Jingque immediately turned her head and glared at him.

"Brother, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

"Was that sneaky? You can't make me sound so sleazy just because I'm short."

The black-clad guard: "..."

Xiao Changgeng's gaze was fixed on her confident little face.

"Name."

Shen Jingque straightened her back and gave him a sweet smile.

"Young Master, my name is Shen Jingque, daughter of Shen Yan, a retainer of Xiling Residence. I just entered the manor yesterday."

A hint of mockery surfaced in Xiao Changgeng's lifeless eyes. "So it's the burden brought by that scholar who offered himself as a concubine."

Shen Jingque's face fell. "Young Master, don't say such unpleasant things. We're here to help Her Highness the Princess in her time of need."

Xuan Qi, standing behind Xiao Changgeng, felt her eyelids twitch wildly. This little girl was truly fearless; how dare she speak to the young master like that?

Xiao Changgeng looked at her for a moment, then suddenly laughed, his voice low and slightly breathless, carrying a hint of illness.

"Drag him away and hand him over to Uncle Xu."

Shen Jingque immediately raised her hand, "Wait a minute."

She raised her chubby little hand and pointed towards the medicine furnace, saying in a clear voice, "Young Master, there's something wrong with your medicine."

After a moment of silence in the courtyard, Xiao Changgeng's gaze returned to her face.

"What did you say?"

Shen Jingque looked at him, her tone firm and clear, "There's something wrong with your medicine. If you keep drinking it, not only will you not be able to stand up, but you might even become completely paralyzed. You'll be inhuman!"

If System 001 had eyes, it would probably have closed them in despair by now.

[Host, why do you always have to tap dance in other people's sensitive areas?]

Shen Jingque didn't have time to pay attention to it.

If Xiao Changgeng had thrown her in front of Uncle Xu on this very first day, Xiao Mingyue might have simply rolled her into a ball and made her leave the Princess's residence in a round shape.

Therefore, the most important thing now is to demonstrate one's value.

Xiao Changgeng scrutinized Shen Jingque with a critical gaze: "Oh? Tell me, what's wrong with my medicine?"

His leg was treated by a disciple of a renowned physician, and the medicine was exclusively supplied by the imperial physicians.

If there's something wrong with the medicine, wouldn't they be able to tell?

But why is this little girl so sure? Isn't she afraid of causing trouble?

Or was she instructed to say that?

Shen Jingque had no idea that Xiao Changgeng had conjured up such a long conspiracy theory. She sniffed, and the prescription subtitles from before reappeared in her mind. She spoke with certainty.

"The three herbs, snake grass, red thread root, and gray shell flower, are non-toxic when used individually, but when combined, they can prevent toxins from being eliminated from your body."

"If this continues, the toxins will erode the body, and over time, the person will truly be ruined!"

Xiao Changgeng's eyes flickered slightly, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that she, at such a young age, could speak so eloquently about medicine.

Judging from her actions just now, did she smell it?

No, he still didn't believe that a girl of ten or so years old could have such abilities. Maybe someone had told her the prescription beforehand and taught her to say it that way.

He composed himself and gestured to Xuan Qi beside him: "Xuan Qi, go and invite Ji Qianshang."

The attendant standing beside him responded and left.

Not long after, a young man carrying a medicine box entered the courtyard as if he had lost his soul.

He was dressed in a flamboyant purple top, his hair was half-tied up with a hairband, and a braid hung down in front of his chest.

His phoenix eyes were slightly upturned, paired with a youthful, doll-like face, yet they created a strangely harmonious effect.

He was walking unsteadily with his eyes half-closed, looking very grumpy after waking up.

"Xiao Changgeng, you'd better have something really important to say."

Ji Qianshang yawned and saw Shen Jingque as soon as he entered the door. He was stunned for a moment and asked, "Where did this little bean sprout come from?"

Shen Jingque looked up at him, startled by his deathly pale face. "Where did this boiled chicken come from?"

Ji Qianshang: "?"

He is the youngest son of a renowned physician, and countless girls secretly admire him. Yet today, he was called a "white-skinned chicken" by a little girl.

Xiao Changgeng raised his chin. "She said there's something wrong with my medicine."

Ji Qianshang's face immediately darkened. "Nonsense!"

"I personally prescribed this formula, and I personally inspected the medicinal herbs. It invigorates blood circulation, strengthens tendons, replenishes qi, and nourishes bones. What's wrong with it?"

Shen Jingque's eyes darted around, recalling that it seemed to have been mentioned in the original work that Xiao Changgeng had a close friend who was the youngest son of a divine physician.

Because he was a background character in the villainous camp and didn't receive much attention, Shen Jingque was unaware of his true situation.

So she reached out and pointed to the still-smoking medicine furnace, "There's something wrong with this combination of herbs."

She walked to the stove, squatted down, and poured the dregs of the medicine out of the basket, carefully sorting through them.

The Shennong Illustrated Handbook in front of me started flashing text like crazy.

She rummaged through them for a long time, then picked out three different shaped medicinal herbs and set them aside before clapping her hands in satisfaction.

【Snake-sleeping grass, red thread root, gray shell flower】

Ji Qianshang frowned. "A small amount of snake-sleeping grass can be used to relieve pain, vermilion marrow can unblock meridians, and gray-shelled flower can harmonize the medicinal properties. What's the problem?"

Shen Jingque frowned when she heard one of the ingredients. "Wait, what did you say? Crimson Essence?"

She reached out and picked out a clump of root-like dregs with dark red veins, holding it up to Ji Qianshang: "This is Red Root, not Crimson Marrow."

Ji Qianshang's expression changed drastically. He immediately took the dregs of the medicine, examined them closely, and then gently squeezed them with his hand.

The roots, which were originally tangled together, gradually began to separate.

He stood there, stunned, and gasped.

That damned Imperial Medical Academy actually used inferior materials, passing off tangled red thread roots as cinnabar marrow.

Wait, something's not right...

The Imperial Medical Academy possessed the most complete and largest stock of herbs in the Great Yong Dynasty, and Zhu Wen Sui was not a rare or expensive medicinal material.

Moreover, Xiao Changgeng was highly regarded by the Emperor before he was injured, so how could the Imperial Hospital dare to use inferior medicine and arbitrarily change the medicine?

Unless, it was intentional.

"How is that possible..."

Ji Qianshang muttered to himself, his face filled with disbelief.

He personally inspected the medicinal materials sent by the Imperial Medical Academy when they were put into storage.

Zhu Wen Sui and Chi Xian Gen look similar, but they have different smells and textures.

If it were a complete medicinal herb, he couldn't possibly have mistaken it.

Could it be that someone replaced some of the medicinal herbs after they were put into storage?

Or perhaps the vermilion marrow that was initially sent had been treated by someone using certain methods.

Seeing his reaction, Shen Jingque knew she had guessed correctly.

She clapped her hands, ready to make her escape.

When it comes to showing off, it's all about knowing when to stop.

Speak less to save your life; speak more and you'll make more mistakes.

"Young Master, I have finished speaking."

"I'm still a child, I'm going back to take a nap."

After saying that, she turned and left.

The next moment, Xiao Changgeng's voice came from behind, "Close the door."

The courtyard gate slammed shut.

Shen Jingque's short legs paused, she turned around, her smile as sweet as a New Year's picture doll.

"Young Master, is there anything else you require?"

Xiao Changgeng's expression was cold, showing no softening whatsoever because she was a child.

"Xuan Qi, seal the academy."

"Go to Xiling Residence again and invite her father over."

Shen Jingque's smile almost cracked.

It's all over.

She had just promised her father this morning that she wouldn't run around everywhere.

Are we really going to have to ask Xiao Changgeng to call our parents in now?