Ji Jinyou was completely unaware of the gaze behind her. She walked forward on her short legs and soon turned the corner.

　　Many years later, she had already died and everything had nothing to do with her, so she was not very interested in the man who destroyed Dasheng.

　　But just walking was boring, so she chatted with the system in a rambling manner.

　　[No wonder his clothes are a bit old, he is a hostage, what is his name? ]

　　System: [Xue Yili.]

　　Ji Jinyou: [What is he doing? Why doesn’t he bring any servants with him? ]

　　System: [The only little attendant beside him caught a cold, so he went to the Imperial Hospital to get some medicine. But who knew that the Imperial Doctor who gave him the medicine had been instructed by someone else to tamper with the medicine. After his attendant drank the medicine, his condition became worse, and he died tonight.]

　　Ji Jinyou stopped and said, “Who is so bad?”

　　System: [I haven’t unlocked it yet, but it’s always the princes and royal family members.]

　　Ji Jinyou was puzzled: [This little hostage hasn’t done anything to Dasheng yet, why would those people want to harm his followers? ]

　　[Who made him so good-looking? He just makes people jealous.] The system kept nagging: [Besides, some people are born bad, and they have no reason to hurt others. Of course, this is also the author’s way of making little hostage evil.]

　　Seeing Ji Jinyou standing there and looking back, as if she was planning to do something, the system advised again: [Let’s go, Baby You, you can’t say it, you can’t write it, and you can’t change anything. ]

　　Ji Jinyou held the chubby hand: [How about I take the medicine away? ]

　　It would be fine if she didn’t know, but if she heard it and did nothing, she would feel guilty.

　　System: [My Baby You, he is nine years old and you are three, are you sure you can snatch it away? ]

　　Ji Jinyou looked down at her round body, [I can’t get it. ]

　　System: [Yes, don’t underestimate him because he looks skinny. He is very ruthless. The follower grew up with him and they are as close as brothers. If you go to steal his brother’s life-saving medicine for no reason, he might beat you up. Besides, even if you succeed, he will probably grab another one, and the imperial physician can still do something.]

　　Ji Jinyou: [Then I can’t do anything? ]

　　System: [Can’t do it, let’s go. ]

　　This shabby world, Ji Jinyou sighed helplessly: [Okay then. ]

　　The little girl walked away and her voice could no longer be heard. Xue Yili stood out from the corner.

　　Looking at the small figure walking away, he was horrified as he confirmed that she was alone and there was no one else around her.

　　He was very sure that he was normal, not crazy, and not hallucinating. So, the problem was with the chubby girl.

　　At this age, she dares to walk around the palace alone. If I’m not mistaken, this is the youngest daughter of that old Emperor Wen Zhao, the Ninth Princess of Dasheng.

　　Who was the man who was talking to her just now? Was he a ghost? Or a god?

　　How did he know that the medicine in his hand had been tampered with?

　　And why did he know that many years later, he destroyed Dasheng?

　　Can you believe what that person said?

　　Did Cong’an really die after drinking the medicine?

　　Did he really return to his hometown?

　　Xue Yili’s mind was filled with confusion and he was thinking quickly, trying to figure out a clue when he saw the chubby girl who had walked away suddenly stop.

　　He hurriedly stepped back, and just as he turned the corner, he heard the sound of running.

　　Is she coming back to look for him? Xue Yili turned around hastily and pretended to continue walking forward, but his steps were very small and slow, so that the girl would be able to catch up.

　　Soon, the conversation between the doll and the mysterious man was heard behind.

　　[Baby You, what are you doing? ] The system is puzzled.

　　Ji Jinyou ran out of breath, and spoke in a baby voice intermittently: [I still have to remind him, otherwise I won’t be able to sleep today. ]

　　Seeing that it couldn’t persuade her, the system gave her some advice: [Then you have to run faster, otherwise he might get too far away and you won’t be able to catch up.]

　　Ji Jinyou ran as fast as she could with her short legs. Fortunately, she didn’t go too far and caught up with him as soon as she turned a corner.

　　The situation was urgent, and she didn’t pay attention to why Xue Yili only walked a short distance away.

　　She ran to Xue Yili, stretched out her two chubby arms to block his way, tilted her head back, and opened her mouth to say: “…”

　　Alas, as expected, I still can’t say it.

　　Xue Yili pretended to be startled and took a small step back. He didn’t say anything and just looked back at her. However, the hand holding the medicine bag loosened its strength and held it loosely.

　　Ji Jinyou tried several times to tell him that there was something wrong with the medicine, but all in vain. Helplessly, she could only stretch out her two chubby little hands and slap the medicine bag heavily, causing it to fall to the ground.

　　Oh, is it so easy to snatch? Ji Jinyou was delighted, and hurriedly squatted down, picked up the medicine bag, and ran away with it.

　　No matter what the considerations were, Xue Yili couldn’t let her take the medicine bag away. He stretched out his arm and grabbed the girl by the back of her neck.

　　Ji Jinyou had just run two steps when he was grabbed by the collar. She struggled hard to get free.

　　Ji Jinyou’s purpose was not to snatch the medicine away. Just like the system said, if she snatched it away, he could still go get it again, and he would be plotted against later.

　　So she threw the medicine bag on the ground and stepped on it with her little feet.

　　After the little girl jumped and stepped on the medicine a few times, Xue Yili carried her away, bent down to pick up the medicine bag, put it behind his back, and pretended to be puzzled: “Why did you step on my medicine?”

　　Ji Jinyou couldn’t reach it anymore, so she stopped jumping and looked up at him, pointing his little hand behind him and shaking her head repeatedly.

　　Xue Yili pretended not to know, frowned and asked, “Do you want this medicine?”

　　Ji Jinyou shook her head again and waved her two little hands vigorously.

　　As she was fiddling with the food, an idea suddenly occurred to her. She brought her two chubby hands together to make the shape of a bowl, then raised it up and pretended to take a sip.

　　Then he covered his neck with both hands, stuck out his tongue as if vomiting, rolled her eyes, closed her eyes, and tilted her little head towards Xue Yili, pretending to be dead.

　　[System, did I act like it? Can he understand what I mean? ]

　　[Wow~] The system was deeply shocked by the girl’s vivid and exquisite acting skills. [It looks like she was poisoned to death.]

　　Looking at the chubby girl who was leaning on his arm and pretending to be dead, Xue Yili’s mouth twitched, and a smile appeared in his eyes: “…”

　　Seeing that Xue Yili didn’t say a word for a long time, Ji Jinyou was a little anxious: [System, why didn’t he respond? Did he not understand what I meant? ]

　　System: [No way, this is a scheming person, he shouldn’t be so stupid.]

　　Ji Jinyou was worried: [How about I act it out again? ]

　　Xue Yili spoke up in time, pretending to be puzzled: “Are you trying to say that this medicine cannot be used?”

　　Oh my god, I finally understand.

　　Ji Jinyou quickly opened her eyes, stood up straight, and nodded her head desperately.

　　Yes, yes, yes, you must not use it, it will kill people.

　　There was anxiety in the little girl’s dark and pure eyes. Xue Yili pretended to be hesitant and nodded: “Okay.”

　　Ji Jinyou felt relieved: [Everything is done.]

　　The system is particularly supportive: [Baby You is awesome. ]

　　Ji Jinyou pinched her neck with her hands again to warn Xue Yili, then turned around and walked away with her chubby little legs, feeling relieved.

　　Xue Yili stared at the swaying little figure until a team of patrolling guards came in front. Xue Yili did not linger any longer. Holding the packet of medicine, he lowered his head and hurried back to his residence, which was the most remote small courtyard in the palace.

　　After pushing open the mottled and rusty gate, I heard a violent cough coming from inside the house, followed by a weak question: “Your Highness?”

　　”Cong’an, it’s me.” Xue Yili closed the gate and ran into the house quickly. He threw the medicine bag on the table, poured a bowl of water and handed it to the boy of about twelve or thirteen on the couch.

　　After he finished drinking, he said with a gloomy face: “I got the medicine from the Imperial Hospital, but I’m afraid it can’t be used.”

　　Cong An had a fever, his face was red, and he looked dazed. “Why?”

　　The girl’s strangeness was too bizarre, so Xue Yili didn’t plan to tell anyone about it for the time being. He just lied, “I saw that the doctor looked strange, and I’m afraid there’s something wrong with the medicine.”

　　Cong An didn’t want anything to happen to him, otherwise there would be no one to accompany His Highness. He patted his chest and said casually, “Then don’t drink. I can handle it.”

　　Xue Yili nodded: “I’ll go make you some hot porridge. After you drink it, cover yourself with a blanket and take a nap. Sweat it up and maybe you’ll get better. If not, I’ll think of another way.”

　　Cong’an struggled to get up and cook porridge by himself, but was stopped by Xue Yili, who forced him to lie back on the couch.

　　Xue Yili went out with the bag of medicine and came to the simple small kitchen in the yard. He washed the rice and put it in the pot, added firewood to start the fire, and cooked the porridge.

　　Then he stared at the two carps in the wooden barrel beside him for a while, took the medicine pot and started to boil the medicine.

　　Soon, the porridge was cooked and the medicine was boiled into black juice.

　　He filled a wooden basin half with water, scooped out two spoonfuls of medicine with a spoon, poured it into the basin, took a fish out of the barrel and threw it in, then squatted aside and watched quietly.

　　The carp, which was originally lively and energetic, swam in the water mixed with medicine for a while, and its movements gradually slowed down. After a while, it turned its belly up and died.

　　Xue Yili’s face was gloomy, and his pair of dark and deep eyes were changing with each passing moment.

　　There was indeed something wrong with this medicine, and what the man of unknown origin said was actually true.

　　If he hadn’t met that chubby girl today, wouldn’t Cong’an be…

　　He squatted for a long time, used a wooden stick to poke out the dead fish, threw it into the stove, added some firewood to burn it, and then dug a deep pit under the row of flowers and trees in the yard, buried the basin of water, the medicine juice and residue in the medicine jar, and everything else.

　　He cleaned the medicine jar several times to make sure there was no residue, then washed his hands carefully, scooped out the porridge, brought it into the house, and called Cong’an, who was dazed and had his eyes closed, to get up. His voice was cold, “That medicine really can’t be drunk. It seems that the two of us need to be extra careful in the future.”

　　And he needs to find a suitable opportunity to see the chubby girl again.

　　She saved Cong’an’s life, and he should be grateful.

　　Furthermore, he wanted to listen to her conversation with the man to see if he could hear anything else.

　　—

　　In the Imperial Concubine’s palace, the Eighth Princess and the Seventh Princess tried to tell the Imperial Concubine about the scene in the Imperial Garden, but as they expected, they still couldn’t make a sound.

　　So the two of them went to the desk again and tried to write it down, but after trying it one after another, their wrists suddenly felt painful and numb, and they became weak in an instant and couldn’t even hold the pen.

　　The Imperial Concubine noticed that the two men had been acting strangely since they hurriedly entered the room. First they took turns pretending to be dumb, and now they were holding their wrists and grimacing for no reason, showing no royal manners at all.

　　She frowned and scolded, “What are you two doing? You are already at the age to get married, but you are still so unstable.”

　　The Empress and the Imperial Noble Consort were close friends before they got married. After entering the palace together, they supported each other and fought their way through the many concubines to the end. One became the Empress and the other became the Imperial Noble Consort, who was equal to the Empress. Over the years, the two have been working together to manage the harem. Their relationship can be described as one of life and death together and a deep sisterly love.

　　The two of them treated each other’s children as if they were their own.

　　Especially the seventh and eighth princesses, who have been inseparable since they could walk. The queen and the imperial concubine dote on them in every way.

　　Therefore, the Imperial Concubine only gave a few mild reprimands, but the two princesses were not afraid at all.

　　The two of them looked at each other and walked out together.

　　The Imperial Concubine slammed the table and said, “You are so lawless! I haven’t finished what I want to say yet.”

　　”Mother, we have to pick up Xiaojiu and will be back soon.” The Eighth Princess said this and ran away pulling the Seventh Princess.

　　The Imperial Concubine looked at the maid beside her and asked, “Which Xiaojiu?”

　　The maid replied: “It should be the ninth princess born to Concubine Ru who lives in Miaoyunxuan.”

　　—

　　The Seventh Princess and the Eighth Princess hurried back to the Pearl Palace, only to find that Xiaojiu had left alone.

　　The Seventh Princess’s face turned cold. “You daring servant, that is the Ninth Princess, your master as well. She is so young, and you let her go alone like this? If she gets bumped on the road, can you afford it?”

　　The Seventh Princess was usually kind to others, and the palace maids never expected that she would lose her temper over the unpopular Ninth Princess. They were so scared that they fell to their knees and kowtowed to admit their mistakes.

　　The Eighth Princess grabbed the Seventh Princess’s arm and whispered, “Seventh Sister, it’s important to find Xiaojiu first. It won’t be too late to scold her later.”

　　”Everyone, kneel down until I come back.” The Seventh Princess said this and followed the Eighth Princess out.

　　The group walked quickly and hurried to Miaoyunxuan.

　　—

　　When Ji Jinyou returned to Miaoyunxuan, she saw Concubine Ru sitting on a chair at the door embroidering. She called out, “Mother, Youyou is back.”

　　Hearing the sound, Concubine Ru smiled and looked up. Seeing the little girl’s face flushed with heat, she felt so distressed that she stood up and went to pick her up. Seeing that no one was following her, she asked in a low voice, “Why is it so hot? Where is the person who brought you back?”

　　Ji Jinyou raised her little hand and pushed away the loose hair on her forehead that was wet with sweat: “Sister was busy, Youyou came back by herself.”

　　Concubine Ru confirmed again: “Youyou is alone, without even a palace maid?”

　　The palace was really too big. Ji Jinyou walked all the way and felt hot and dizzy. She leaned her head on Concubine Ru’s shoulder and said with a droopy face, “Youyou didn’t ask them to see Youyou off.”

　　The smile on Concubine Ru’s face disappeared. She did not expect the noble Seventh Princess and Eighth Princess to send Youyou back personally, but at least they could send a palace maid.

　　Youyou was only three years old, at the age when she was very sleepy. The two princesses woke her up from her bed early in the morning and said they were taking her out to play. They didn’t even allow her to bring a palace maid with her and just took her away.

　　She was very happy at that time, thinking that if Youyou could win the favor of the Seventh Princess and the Eighth Princess, then when Youyou grew up, they would be able to take care of her marriage, and she would not be like other unfavored princesses who were just betrothed to someone at random.

　　As a result, they let such a young child walk a long way back alone in the scorching sun.

　　This is just too much and it is really cruel to others.

　　Concubine Ru felt distressed, angry, and hated herself for being incompetent. Tears welled up in her eyes. She carried the little girl into the house and ordered the palace maid to fetch some water and bring mung bean soup.

　　She held the little girl in her arms, wiped her face and hands with a wet towel, and then fed her a bowl of mung bean soup that she had cooked that morning, spoonful by spoonful. The little girl’s face was finally not so red anymore.

　　Seeing that Concubine Ru’s eyes were red and looked angry, Ji Jinyou, who had recovered, finally realized why she was like this and touched her face with her little hand: “Mother, when Youyou left, the sisters didn’t know because they had something to do and went out.”

　　Both of them would not live long, and she did not want Concubine Ru, her beautiful, kind, and gentle mother, to have any unpleasantness with others because of her.

　　Besides, at that time, the two princesses seemed to have something really going on. When the seventh princess was leaving, she asked her to stay there and play. It was she who felt it was not good to stay alone, so she wanted to leave.

　　The little girl was innocent and simple. She was treated like this, yet she foolishly said nice things to others. Concubine Ru felt even more uncomfortable. She took off the little girl’s shoes, carried her to the Luohan bed, and fanned her with a round fan: “Go to sleep, your mother will watch over you.”

　　Seeing her eyes getting redder, Ji Jinyou nudged in front of her and tugged at her collar, “Sister give Youyou some lotus cakes and grapes. They are so sweet. Youyou should bring some to mother next time.”

　　Hearing her say this, Concubine Ru felt better. These two things were not available in Miaoyunxuan at all. At least the child had eaten some, so it was not a wasted trip.

　　She lowered her head and kissed the little girl on the forehead: “Youyou is so good, but mother doesn’t want it, next time we won’t go either.”

　　The two princesses suddenly became very friendly. Ji Jinyou was also feeling suspicious, so she nodded her head and said, “Okay, Youyou won’t go.”

　　As soon as the voice fell, the eighth princess’ slightly anxious voice came from the courtyard: “Is Xiaojiu back?”