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

Seeing Shen Jingque lost in thought, Xu Wanying peeked out for a while, only to find an empty corner of the corridor. She asked疑惑地问道, "What are you looking at?"

Shen Jingque withdrew her gaze and casually pushed the teacup forward.

"It's nothing, let's go, let's go to the Herb Garden!"

Xu Wanying was already itching to get started, so she immediately picked up her heavy book box and followed along excitedly.

"What you've described has made me really curious. What does that garden actually look like?"

Helan Qing watched the two walk out one after the other, his lips moved slightly, and finally he put away the rolled-up papers on the table and resignedly followed them.

Shen Jingque wasn't very familiar with the route to Qishan Academy, but fortunately He Lanqing knew it very well.

He led the two around the path behind the teahouse, through a bamboo grove, and then through a side path piled with old stone tablets.

The path on the back mountain was more difficult to walk than Shen Jingque had imagined.

The ground was covered with withered leaves, and each step made a crunching sound, crisp and clear in the silent mountain forest.

Shen Jingque lifted the hem of her skirt, carefully avoiding the tree roots that were exposed above the ground.

"Qingqing, are you sure this is the path to the back mountain?"

Helan Qing looked at the moss under her feet, "I'm... sure."

After walking for about half a cup of tea's time, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

At the end of the woods, a simple bamboo house leans against the green mountains. A courtyard is enclosed in front of the house, and the tips of medicinal herbs sticking out from the wall sway gently in the wind, and the bitter medicinal smell mixed with the dampness of the mountains wafts over.

The three of them tiptoed closer, circled half of the low wall, and stopped in front of the courtyard gate.

Shen Jingque peeked through the crack in the door.

Inside the wall, the medicinal herb beds are crisscrossed, lush and green, and the plants are growing very well.

A rusty iron lock firmly secured the gate.

Shen Jingque reached out and shook it; it was very sturdy and didn't budge.

Xu Wanying flexed her wrists. "I'll pry open the door lock."

Helan Qing immediately stopped her, "No, that will leave a mark."

Shen Jingque thought for a moment, then decisively said, "Then let's climb over the wall!"

"That's forbidden territory. Going in there... what kind of behavior is that?" Helan Qing objected again.

"This won't work, that won't work, what should we do?" Xu Wanying said, hands on her hips, sounding a little anxious.

He Lanqing pursed her lips, her gaze lingering on the keyhole for a moment before she lowered her voice and said:

"The keyhole doesn't look too complicated...maybe...we can try to pry it open."

Shen Jingque and Xu Wanying both turned to look at him.

So this is what Helan Qing is like.

He Lanqing's ears turned bright red.

"I...I mean, theoretically it's more principled than...using a VPN..."

After saying this, he seemed to realize it was inappropriate, so he put his hands together in front of the void and muttered, "This student has spoken recklessly, I am sorry, I am sorry."

Shen Jingque squatted down and carefully examined the keyhole, then pulled out a plain silver hairpin from her hair.

"Qingqing is right, I'll give it a try."

She demonstrated by inserting the hairpin tip into the keyhole, saying, "Theoretically, it should open in just a few clicks."

Of course, this theory came from a short video about musical notes and a TV series she watched.

He Lanqing watched as she pushed the hairpin into the keyhole, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Little...Little Sparrow, don't break the hairpin inside."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a "click" was heard.

The tip of the hairpin broke.

Shen Jingque: "..."

Xu Wanying: "..."

He Lanqing rubbed her forehead: "I... what did I just say... what was it again?"

As they stared at each other, a voice drifted down from above.

"Do you need any help?"

The three of them looked up abruptly, almost shouting out at the same time.

Beside the bamboo house, on a large tree, the hem of an indigo-blue dress swayed gently in the wind amidst the dense foliage.

Rong Jing leaned against the branches, gently waving a folding fan, looking languid, as if he were enjoying the cool air at home.

Shen Jingque clutched her chest. "Young Master Rong, do you know that scaring someone can kill them?"

Then, with an unfriendly expression, she sized him up: "You've been following us?"

Rong Jing seemed to have heard something interesting. He rested his chin on his hand, and a hint of flirtatiousness appeared in his eyes, which were full of affection for everyone he looked at. He slowly spoke.

"I was the one who arrived first, and then I saw you sneaking around trying to pick the lock."

"Why are you turning around and accusing me of following you?"

Shen Jingque choked for a moment, unable to think of anything to refute him.

When I arrived at the entrance of the Herb Garden, I didn't notice anyone in the trees.

Even so, deliberately watching them struggle before trying to scare them is really going too far!

How presumptuous of you!

Shen Jingque was somewhat annoyed and was about to speak when footsteps suddenly came from afar.

A slightly aged voice approached from afar, and Bai Heling and the academy's steward were walking towards them.

Shen Jingque had only one thought in her mind:

We're doomed.

I hope my parents won't be called in again soon!

She quickly looked around, but there was nowhere to hide next to the bamboo house.

Just as I was in a flurry of activity, I felt a gust of wind pass by, and then suddenly my waist tightened.

One hand swept her up around the waist, and then her feet slipped and she lost her footing.

The scene before her was like a reverse shot in a movie; in an instant, she was lifted up into a tree.

Before she could even gasp, a hand covered her mouth.

"Don't scream," Rong Jing's voice came from above. "If you're discovered, I'll throw you down."

Shen Jingque: What do people do?

At the same time, another figure in black appeared behind Helan Qing.

Wenren Du grabbed Helan Qing by the back of the neck with one hand and reached for Xu Wanying with the other.

But then they saw Xu Wanying climbing up the tree trunk like a nimble monkey.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise, then, holding the boy in his hand, leaped into the tree next to Rong Jing.

The footsteps under the tree grew closer.

Bai Heling walked along the forest path with his hands behind his back, speaking quietly with the steward. They passed right under the trees, so close that they could almost be seen if one looked up.

Shen Jingque held her breath, gripping Rong Jing's clothes tightly, her heart pounding.

The two footsteps gradually faded into the distance and disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest.

The tree was quiet for a while.

Xu Wanying was the first to speak, her voice barely audible.

"...Have they left?"

Wenren Du, standing beside him, said expressionlessly, "Let's go."

She let out a long breath and leaned down onto the branch.

"I was so scared! I almost peed my pants!"

He Lanqing: "...", with his eyes closed, gripping the tree branch tightly, not daring to move an inch.

Shen Jingque slowly turned her face to the side.

Rong Jing sat down next to her, his arm tightly wrapped around her waist.

The sixteen-year-old boy had already begun to develop, and Shen Jingque could vaguely see the stubble on his chin and his sharp Adam's apple.

She stared at him for a while, her mind still reeling, before she blurted out a gasp of surprise.

"Holy crap... is this what lightness skill is?"