Invitation

When they reached the junction of the rice fields, the timing was just right as Jiang Nian had calculated, and they happened to meet the court officials.

Jiang Nian looked forward.

He turned his head slightly, picked up the fan in his hand, with a cold smile on his lips, and looked at the official with extremely cold eyes.

When the Censor saw someone walking towards him in the rice field ahead, a layer of cold sweat suddenly broke out on his forehead and he bowed quickly.

"Your humble servant greets the Duke. I wonder..." The usually calm Censor's lips trembled as if he had encountered something terrifying. He hurriedly continued, "I didn't know the Duke would come here today. Is it..."

It is often said that the Duke acts eccentrically, and meeting him here now proves this point. The Duke was supposed to go with them, but they didn't see him on the road. They thought that with his unpredictable nature, he might not come, but now they meet him in this remote rice field!

And also with the daughter of a wealthy family in Pingzhou...

The Censor raised his eyes slightly and glanced cautiously at Jiang Nian behind the Duke.

When he came to Pingzhou before, he focused on checking the relationship between Xu's Pharmacy and Liangdu Pharmacy, but there was no connection between them. So he focused on checking the new recipe called "Arsenic Mixing Seeds", but the Duke in front of him stood on the side of the people related to Liangdu Pharmacy... Could it be that he missed something in his research?

A chaotic stream of thoughts flashed through the Censor's mind, and then he saw the Duke standing not far away from him with an unrecognizable expression. When he met the Duke's cold gaze with a smile that did not reach his eyes, his heart skipped a beat, and his chaotic and sluggish brain seemed to be cleared. He quickly lowered his head and changed his words, and his speech became much smoother.

"Your Excellency, I was careless the other day and didn't realize you were here. I'm sorry for my negligence. I'm willing to serve you with all my heart to make amends."

He took a careful breath, as if afraid of disturbing the Duke, and continued, "If you have any orders, I will do my best!"

As soon as the words fell, the place fell silent. The other officials dared not breathe, and there was only silence in their ears.

It seemed like an eternity, yet also like a moment. Just as the Censor was about to cautiously raise his eyes to look at the Duke in front of him, he suddenly heard the sound of a fan folding, accompanied by a seemingly spontaneous response.

"Then you will assist as the 'Judge' today."

…

Jiang Nian listened to the conversation between the two people in front of him, and the plan he had just been brewing in his mind came to fruition naturally.

She made the right bet.

Rumor has it that the current Duke, Xiao Yingzhu, favors crimson brocade robes and possesses a sinister, unpredictable personality, his emotions difficult to discern. He is known for his ruthlessness and brutality. At a young age, he ascended to a position of power, above the king and above the marquis, through his immense strength. Regardless of the complexity of the root causes and intertwined connections involved in his actions, he investigates and resolves every one of them.

And the people involved in what he is about to do seem to be unable to escape his eyes and control.

Just like this time.

Jiang Nian withdrew his gaze slightly and looked sideways at the rice field beside him.

Even though she was just the daughter of a wealthy medicinal herb merchant, and even though she hadn't told her father the details of the recipe she used for her field experiments, he could still sense something was wrong.

As for what Xiao Yingzhu just mentioned about going to the fields personally.

Jiang Nian's eyes fell on the eye-catching red hem of Xiao Yingzhu's clothes. A hint of gloom flashed in his eyes that was inconsistent with his quiet face, and his thoughts became deeper and deeper.

In the past two months, I only ran into villagers twice on the way to the rice fields, and behind the rice fields was the endless sea.

Xiao Yingzhu's spies were actually deployed here.

Could the purpose of his coming here be what he thought?

After the conversation, Xiao Yingzhu retracted his gaze and glanced at the hay next to Jiang Nian. He then ordered the secret guards to deliver the two bundles of hay to the Jiang family warehouse.

Jiang Nian met Xiao Yingzhu's gaze and then smiled at her without any fear.

"My Lord, please."

In a short period of time, the situation developed beyond the original expectations, but taking risks always has its rewards.

Although Jiang Nian did not guess what Xiao Yingzhu's real purpose was in coming here, he believed that what he was thinking about must be related to the anthelmintic prescription.

What she could do now was to put the anthelmintic prescription in her hand on the table as a bargaining chip to spend time negotiating.

The secret guard put the hay in the warehouse and disappeared, followed by the officials who came with the Censor.

Jiang Nian's gaze stopped at the three bundles of hay that had been used to wrap the sacrifice, and then he looked away.

Jiang Nian used the warehouse as a laboratory.

In front of the wall at the end stood a long wooden square table, on which lay the simple experimental instruments made by craftsman Jiang Nianling.

Xiao Yingzhu stopped in front of the wooden table, with his eyes downcast, his expression difficult to discern.

The aura around him seemed to be substantial, suppressing the officials so that they dared not breathe. Jiang Nian was now looking for the remaining croton spray. The warehouse was silent for a while, with only the leisurely and melodious chirping of birds in the trees outside the yard.

Jiang Nian glanced at the croton spray that had been placed in the corner earlier, walked up and picked it up, then turned and faced the people in the warehouse.

Xiao Yingzhu's eyes fell on the cabinet. Hearing the movement behind him, he turned his head and saw the strangely shaped instrument in Jiang Nian's hand. His expression finally showed some interest.

Jiang Nian gently shook the croton spray in his hand and spoke directly to everyone in a confident and steady voice.

"Just now I mentioned that this cup of Chinese medicine is used to verify whether the prescription is effective."

The officials' attention shifted slightly from Xiao Yingzhu, and they began to focus on Jiang Nian's introduction. Xiao Yingzhu, who was standing aside, listened to Jiang Nian's words with a somewhat nonchalant look on his face.

"The insect repellent recipe developed by the woman is to grind croton seeds into powder and mix it with rice seeds to mix with the seeds."

Jiang Nian took out the wooden bowl used to prepare the spray from the wooden table and sprayed some croton spray in his hand into the bowl.

"The ground croton powder can be mixed with water to make a liquid medicine, which can then be sprinkled on rice to repel insects."

She showed the wooden bowl to everyone.

The water in the wooden bowl was brown. Xiao Yingzhu listened quietly to what Jiang Nian said, and lowered her eyes to look at the croton spray in the wooden bowl.

"name?"

Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood what Xiao Yingzhu meant and answered immediately.

"Croton spray."

Just now in the rice field, Xiao Yingzhu seemed to be interested in the name she called.

As if confirming Jiang Nian's guess, Xiao Ying curled his lips, his eyes fell on the wooden bowl for a moment, then he opened the folding fan and shook it gently.

"I've always heard that croton is good for expelling phlegm and promoting diuresis, but now I know it can also expel parasites. Miss Jiang is truly insightful."

He spoke lightly, but the tone in his words was unpredictable. Jiang Nian calmly met Xiao Yingzhu's gaze, raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and took the astragalus from the cabinet.

"This Astragalus is similar to Croton, and it also has the effect of expelling insects..."

Unfortunately, before Jiang Nian could finish his words, he was interrupted by the censor beside him.

"Miss Jiang is absolutely right, but I haven't seen any effect here. Isn't this just empty talk?"

Although the Duke seemed to be somewhat interested, the 'arsenic-mixed seeds' of the Xu family next door were better. Besides, the Duke appointed him as the judge, wasn't it to judge which one was better, Liangdu Pharmacy or Xu's Pharmacy?

This must be the Xu's Pharmacy that I had checked out! This way, the Duke would forgive me!

And how capable is the little girl in front of me?

When the Censor thought of this, he interrupted Jiang Nian impatiently.

Jiang Nian saw the distrust and doubt in the eyes of the Censor, and the smile on his lips deepened. He turned the bottle in his hand, as if he was not in a hurry at all.

"In that case, I'll just state the facts."

Jiang Nian put down the Astragalus insect repellent liquid in his hand, walked to the warehouse, and motioned everyone to look at the hay that Xiao Yingzhu's secret guards had just brought.

"This is the yellow hay that was used to wrap the offerings. Insects like the aroma of the offerings and lay their eggs on the yellow hay, which can be used to lure and kill them."

She spoke slowly and calmly, as if she had prepared everything in advance, and then she picked up the Astragalus insect repellent liquid that she had just put down on the table.

"This is water that repels insects. If you spray a certain amount on areas where there are many pests, it will kill them."

Everyone's eyes were focused on Jiang Nian's hands. The Censor's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he felt something was wrong for some reason. But when he thought of the power that the Duke had just temporarily given him, the Censor calmed down a little and asked with his hands behind his back.

"Then how do you say you're going to prove it? If it doesn't work, can you bear the guilt of disrespecting the Duke?"

Before Xiao Yingzhu could even speak, the Censor began to bully others. Jiang Nian showed no fear, meeting the Censor's accusatory gaze calmly and speaking calmly.

"Before I can prove this, I have a request. If I can prove its extraordinary effects, can the Censor-in-Chief withdraw this charge and grant me one favor?"

Currently, the Censor-in-Chief reports to the Duke, and the questions Jiang Nian asked were directed at the Duke, but this was all thanks to the Censor-in-Chief being the first to initiate the attack.

The Censor Wei Liao and an ordinary commoner woman dared to advance instead of retreating, and even used their questioning as a ladder. The Duke was present, and the Censor was a little at a loss for a moment.

The officials standing aside who dared not show their heads silently cast their eyes towards the person with the most power present.

Xiao Yingzhu's gaze paused slightly on Jiang Nian's face, and there was a hint of indistinguishable inquiry and scrutiny in her eyes, as if she wanted to see how sincere she was.

After the warehouse was quiet for a while, Xiao Yingzhu seemed to be somewhat interested in this development. He casually shifted his gaze to the cabinet next to him, spread out his hands, and curled his lips.

"please."

Jiang Nian turned around and prepared the Astragalus anthelmintic soaking solution on the spot as usual, and handed it to the official who was ordered by the Censor to check the effectiveness of the anthelmintic solution.

The secret guard on the other side consciously picked up the hay next to the warehouse, put it in the melon field not far away, and stood in the distance to observe the movement.

When the people on both sides left, only Xiao Yingzhu and Jiang Nian were left in the room, along with a censor who was inexplicably feeling weak and kept wiping his sweat.

It took two hours for the repellent effect to appear. During this time, Jiang Nian was contentedly making mugwort fumigant on the side. Xiao Yingzhu occasionally glanced at him from the side, but there was no change in his expression.

The Censor did not dare to get too close to Xiao Yingzhu. He was waiting for the result not far away. He was anxious to prove to Xiao Yingzhu who was right, but at the same time he was worried about the result.

Fortunately, this torturous moment was ended by the sound coming from outside. The official who came running was panting, but his eyes were brighter than at any previous moment.

"The results... the results are in! Miss Jiang is absolutely right! This water really does have insect repellent properties! It works quickly! I think it's even better than the 'arsenic seed dressing' from Xu's Pharmacy!"

Upon hearing this, the Censor's face turned pale and he looked at Xiao Yingzhu with a shaky body.

Xiao Yingzhu didn't pay any attention to the changes in the Censor. His attention was on Jiang Nian. Seeing Jiang Nian not being arrogant even after hearing the result, he chuckled for a moment, opened his folding fan and shook it casually.

The strange red and black fan was as unpredictable as its owner's style of doing things. The black fan handle was held by slender fingers, and the blood-red pendant on Xiao Yingzhu's ear swayed slightly in his ink-black hair as he stood up.

He raised his lips slightly and curved his eyes towards Jiang Nian, with a hint of coldness still in his eyes.

"Miss Jiang, as you wish."

Xiao Yingzhu paused slightly, raised her eyelids and looked into Jiang Nian's eyes, with a sharp and probing look in her eyes.

The hidden viciousness in it made Jiang Nian's heart skip a beat. As if to verify what she thought, Xiao Yingzhu opened her lips and spoke slowly.

"But I'm interested in how Miss Jiang got these recipes. Why don't you tell me about their origins?"