As expected, after the banquet ended that evening, Shi Jing had just returned to the manor when he received a notification from the elders' council that an emergency meeting would be convened early the next morning.

Shi Jing knew perfectly well that Shi Song must have played a significant role in this, and he was probably starting to get anxious too.

Butler Shi looked at Shi Jing sitting at his desk with a worried expression and slowly voiced his guess, "Master, if nothing unexpected happens, the successor assessment will probably be moved up."

He paused, his worry deepening, and continued, "I wonder if the young lady will be able to pass the test by then."

After all, Shi Miao had never received any training from the family. Compared to Shi Ying, who had been groomed as an heir and had already taken over many family affairs, there was definitely a gap between the two in terms of assessment.

Shi Jing glanced at him, crossed her hands and rested them on her chin, looking quite calm and composed. She said in a low voice, "Trust her. Besides, I have her backing. They can't cause any trouble."

Butler Shi's eyes flickered slightly as she suddenly remembered that Shi Miao was also the vice president of the Pharmacy Association. This status alone was enough for her to gain a foothold in the Elders' Council.

Thinking of this, his expression relaxed considerably. "The patriarch is right. I was worrying too much."

Shi Jing raised his chin slightly and instructed Butler Shi, "By the way, go and call Miao Miao here."

Butler Shi nodded and respectfully said, "Yes."

A moment later, Shi Miao came over and said, "Dad."

Shi Jing looked at her gently and pointed to the chair in front of the table, "Sit down and talk."

Shi Miao hummed in agreement, pulled out a chair and sat down, asking, "What's wrong?"

Shi Jing: "The elders' council is holding a meeting tomorrow, and it should be about the successor assessment."

Shi Miao raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, casually lifting her hand from the armrest, "So impatient?"

Seeing her fearless expression, Shi Jing smiled, his eyes full of doting affection. "Confident?"

Shi Miao looked at him, her beautiful black eyes filled with a hint of arrogance, and curled her lips into a smile, "Of course."

......

The next morning.

When Shi Miao finished tidying up and went downstairs, she saw that only Butler Shi was in the lobby, who seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

"Young Miss," Butler Shi greeted her with a smile.

Shi Miao nodded slightly, yawned, and looked somewhat sleepy as she asked, "Butler Shi, where is my father?"

"Young Miss, please come with me." Butler Shi said as he walked outside, "The head of the family has already gone to the council hall of the villa next door. The clan elders, stewards, and branch managers have all arrived."

Shi Miao narrowed her eyes, clicked her tongue, and followed after him. "You've arrived quite early."

Soon, the two arrived at the council chamber.

At the long table, Shi Jing sat in the main seat. Except for the first seat to his left, which was empty, all the other seats were already occupied.

Shi Miao glanced indifferently at the dozen or so people sitting there, then walked to the empty seat, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Butler Shi then stood behind her.

Shi Miao looked up at the white-haired old man sitting opposite her, who was probably the clan's elder. Shi Song and Shi Ying were sitting in the third and fourth positions.

The First Elder was also observing her. Although he was a little surprised that Shi Si hadn't come over, he quickly looked away. After exchanging a casual glance with the other elders, he looked at Shi Jing in the main seat and said directly, "Patriarch, now that everyone is here, let's begin the meeting."

Shi Jing lifted his eyelids slightly, gave a light "hmm," and, without intending to beat around the bush, went straight to the point. His deep yet authoritative voice rang out, "This meeting was originally convened by you, Elder. Please speak freely, Elder."

The First Elder stood up, cleared his throat, and said, "Since you've said so, Patriarch, then I'll be frank."

He glanced at Shi Miao across from him and continued, "Actually, it's nothing major, just something about the future development of our Shi family. Now that the eldest young lady and young master have returned, we elders have discussed it and decided to bring forward the heir assessment. What do you think, Patriarch?"

Shi Jing leaned back in his chair, propping his forehead up with his hand, his face expressionless, as if he had expected this all along. "Okay, I have no objection."

The elder was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, clearly not expecting Shi Jing to be so agreeable. After regaining his composure, he picked up the stack of papers on the table and distributed them to everyone present.

"I will now send the list of candidates for successor to everyone, and the assessment rules are also attached to it."

Shi Miao picked up the list in front of her and glanced at it casually.

There are six people on the list.

Besides her, Shi Si, and Shi Ying, the other three are from collateral branches of the Shi family, but they are older than them, so they are probably just there to make up the numbers.

The elder sat back down in his chair, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of tea, and said calmly, "If no one has any objections, then this matter is settled, and the first assessment will be conducted in two days."

Shi Jing tossed the list on the table, not surprised that they had added Shi Si's name as well. He glanced at everyone present and said calmly, "Alright, meeting adjourned."

......

Shi Miao and Shi Jing were the first to leave the council hall, followed by other deacons and branch managers.

Only Shi Song, Shi Ying, and three elders remained.

The First Elder turned to look at Shi Ying and stated his position directly, "You must go all out in this assessment. We, the elders, will unanimously support you."

Shi Ying's lips curled slightly, looking quite confident. "I know, thank you, Elder."

The elder nodded and said with a smile, "We've watched you grow up, and your abilities are beyond question."

Shi Ying stood up. "Then I'll go back and prepare for the assessment."

"Go then." The Grand Elder waved his hand.

Soon, Shi Ying's figure disappeared from the council hall.

The First Elder slowly withdrew his gaze, then suddenly remembered something, looked at Shi Song, and asked, "By the way, why did the Patriarch agree so readily?"

Shi Song's eyes flickered slightly as he twirled the pen in his hand. All he knew so far was that Shi Miao could concoct medicine and was the vice president of the Pharmacy Association. However, this alone could not completely affect the assessment and rating. He figured Shi Miao must have other outstanding abilities.

Moreover, he didn't mention Shi Miao's alchemy skills or his position as vice president of the Medicine Association to the elders, mainly because he was afraid that those shrewd people who had already chosen sides might switch sides at the last minute.

However, I will still give you the reminders you need to know: "It's better to be careful. I don't know Shi Si, but Shi Miao is not that simple."