The Demon Prince

Xiao Xingyue immediately stood up straight:

"The Seventh Princess is righteous."

Li Miaoqing gritted her teeth: "You'll drive me crazy sooner or later."

As the fire in the furnace gradually stabilized, the bitter smell of the medicine slowly turned into a pleasant fragrance, and the life-extending elixir reached its most crucial moment.

The gray-robed doctor also abandoned his interest in watching the show and stared at the furnace opening.

Suddenly, the fire inside the furnace leaped up, the medicinal vapors became chaotic, and red flames licked the furnace wall, making crackling sounds.

The gray-robed doctor's expression changed:

"The fire is too volatile; I'm afraid we should stop the furnace."

Li Miaoqing did not back down. She rolled up her sleeves and swiftly picked out three herbs from the medicine tray:

"Not only that, change the order of the medicines."

She sprinkled the first ingredient of powder into the stove opening, and the flame immediately went down.

The second medicinal liquid was poured into the oven, and the aroma of the medicine once again suppressed the burnt smell. The third medicinal herb was picked apart with a silver needle, divided into seven sections, and then added in one by one.

Xiao Xingyue couldn't understand the series of actions, but the restlessness in the medicine furnace was forcibly suppressed.

The fragrance of incense rose again, and Xiao Xingyue glanced at Li Miaoqing.

This girl is usually not very bright when she's trying to trick people, but she completely changes when she stands in front of the medicine furnace.

Her waist was no longer weak, her hands were no longer trembling, and her judgment was decisive. She truly deserves to be called the granddaughter of Beitang Jimin and the Little Fairy Doctor.

Xiao Xingyue rarely spoke seriously:

"Seventh Princess, although you can be quite foolish when you're trying to trick people, your excellent alchemy skills just make up for that."

Li Miaoqing had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the first half of the sentence, and wanted to curse, but when she heard the second half, she was somewhat pleased.

Two emotions collided, and after holding it in for a long time, she could only manage to utter one sentence:

"Do you need to tell me?"

Seeing that the fire had stabilized, Xiao Xingyue spoke up:

"The poison Shen Yan was given last night contained a special herb."

Li Miaoqing paused in her movements:

Why are you asking this?

Xiao Xingyue picked up a fan and fanned the fire in the stove twice:

"Just asking, besides the royal pharmacy, are there any other channels through which that stuff could leave the palace?"

Li Miaoqing became wary: "Are you trying to trick me into revealing information again?"

After being wary for a while, and finding there was nothing to be wary of, she then said:

"The Imperial Pharmacy is just the most direct source; the Imperial Medical Academy also uses it, and the Imperial Academy's Medicinal Cuisine Department sometimes dispenses medicine for senior officials, also receiving a very small share..."

And... the Imperial Examination Hall Medical Office.

Xiao Xingyue paused with his fan in his hand. "The Imperial Examination Hall Medical Office?"

Here comes the route to the Imperial Examination Hall.

Li Miaoqing regretted her words as soon as they were spoken, and she immediately added:

"But everything is recorded, and outsiders can't access it."

Xiao Xingyue continued to fan the flames:

"The worst thing about keeping records is when someone takes them seriously."

With a hum, the elixir was completed.

The gray-robed doctor immediately stepped forward and opened the furnace.

Three life-extending pills lay in a jade plate, their color warm and lustrous, their medicinal fragrance deep and lingering.

Li Miaoqing's shoulders, which had been tense all morning, finally relaxed. She took a step back, but her legs suddenly gave way.

Xiao Xingyue reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist and casually touching her small hand.

It's soft, a little cool, and smells wonderful.

Li Miaoqing leaned half her body against his chest, her face already flushed before she could even catch her breath:

"Xiao Xingyue, don't lay a hand on me."

Xiao Xingyue looked righteous:

"Like you, I have the heart of a healer."

Li Miaoqing gritted her teeth:

Are you a doctor?

Xiao Xingyue spoke with righteous indignation:

"I just started learning today, so I'm only halfway there."

"Then take your hand away!" Li Miaoqing said, embarrassed and annoyed.

Xiao Xingyue then released his grip.

Just then, Beitang Jimin walked into the pharmacy. The old man glanced at Li Miaoqing's flushed face, then at Xiao Xingyue's innocent expression, and then at the furnace of life-extending pills.

He knew perfectly well that his silly granddaughter had been badly tricked today.

He picked up a life-extending pill, smelled it, and then scraped off a bit of the powder to taste:

"It works."

Li Miaoqing immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then said with a hint of reproach, "Grandpa."

Beitang Jimin didn't scold her, he only glanced at Xiao Xingyue:

"Young Master Xiao has made quite a haul today."

Xiao Xingyue cupped his hands in thanks: "It's all thanks to the Seventh Princess's excellent teaching."

Li Miaoqing immediately straightened her chest.

Looking at her little bit of pride, Beitang Jimin sighed inwardly, "Silly girl, she's been sold out and she's still helping the seller count the money."

When Xiao Xingyue took his leave, Li Miaoqing followed him to the courtyard entrance, arms crossed, adopting a cold demeanor.

"Come at the same time tomorrow. Don't even think about slacking off."

Xiao Xingyue boarded the carriage, and as soon as the carriage drove away, Ning Jing walked out from under the eaves.

He had been holding it in all morning, but upon seeing Beitang Jimin, he immediately spoke:

"We shouldn't have let Xiao Xingyue come to Beitang Prefecture in the first place. Does he even deserve it?"

Slap! This slap was even louder.

Ning Jing was spun around halfway by the blow, Thomas spun around, lost his footing, and sat directly on the ground.

The disciples of the Medicine King watched from afar, their scalps tingling. Senior Brother Ning had been hit yet again.

Ning Jing covered her face, tears welling up in her eyes from the pain.

Beitang Jimin said coldly:

"Fool, whether he deserves it or not is not for you to decide."

"If word gets out about what you said at the gate today, what will become of the Beitang family's reputation?"

Ning Jing lowered her head, her teeth almost grinding to powder.

Beitang Jimin looked at Li Miaoqing:

"Qing'er, what do you think of Xiao Xingyue today?"

Li Miaoqing thought for a moment: "Annoying, shameless, has a sharp tongue, and likes to trick people into revealing information."

Beitang Jimin Road:

"Anything else?"

Li Miaoqing frowned: "Anything else?"

Beitang Jimin stroked his beard:

"He's not as talented as you, but he's smart."

He wrote down all the drawbacks of alchemy today.

Even if he doesn't understand now, he'll break it down step by step when he gets back.

Li Miaoqing was taken aback:

"Is he really that hardworking?"

Beitang Jimin looked in the direction Xiao Xingyue had left:

"Just you wait, he will definitely go back and work hard, and he will make great progress tomorrow."

The old man's voice deepened:

"My grandfather has come to understand a principle over the years."

Being exceptionally intelligent is useless, and neither is working diligently.

But a person of exceptional intelligence who can also work diligently and conscientiously will have an immeasurable future.

Li Miaoqing stood there, recalling Xiao Xingyue's appearance in front of the medicine furnace. Despite talking nonsense, she never lost focus every time Xiao Xingyue explained the principles of medicine.

Li Miaoqing pursed her lips, her impression of Xiao Xingyue subtly changing slightly.

On the other side, the King's Palace of Zhenwang.

As soon as Xiao Xingyue entered the door, he called out to someone:

"Full of blessings, pen and ink."

Chen Manfu jogged in:

"Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Xiao Xingyue sat down and wrote: "Record".

He wrote down everything he had learned about pharmacology that day.

The roles of the emperor, his ministers, his assistants, and his envoys; the changes in heat and temperature; the order in which medicinal materials are added to the furnace; the various medicinal materials; and the channels through which they are distributed, such as the Imperial Hospital, the Imperial Academy's medicinal cuisine kitchen, and the Imperial Examination Hall's medical office.

The more Chen Manfu looked, the brighter his eyes became:

"Your Highness, these are all the finest ingredients."

The foundation of the Beitang Mansion is so precious that outsiders can't buy it even with money.

He read a few more pages and couldn't help but sigh:

"It seems the Seventh Princess is really good to you."

"Sigh, if she can teach you medicine, even if she refuses to marry you later, we'll still have gained something."

Xiao Xingyue shook his head seriously:

"That won't work."

Chen Manfu was stunned: "Huh?"

Xiao Xingyue put down his pen. The ink on the paper was still wet. He looked at the pharmacology notes and his mind was racing.

The imperial examination scandal must be investigated, the Hanlin Academy must be mobilized, one's cultivation level must be raised, the art of medicine must be learned, the Seventh Princess's vote must be obtained, and the Eighth and Ninth Princesses cannot be lost.

He can't let go of any of the benefits he can currently seize.

Xiao Xingyue patted the stack of papers:

"I want them all!"