"What's wrong?" Yingniang hurried over.
"Sister, can you help me move this flower pot down?"
Duoduo pointed at the dirt-covered flower pot up above.
The pot was a bit large, and with Duoduo's strength, she couldn't move it.
Yingniang looked at it and tried to move it.
"I can. Duoduo, stand to the side."
Duoduo quickly stepped aside to make room.
Yingniang found a better angle and grabbed the edge of the flower pot with both hands.
With a heave, she lifted the pot.
Duoduo stared nervously, afraid that Yingniang would run out of strength.
Yingniang placed the pot on the ground and breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, she had practiced martial arts since childhood, otherwise, she would have made a fool of herself.
"What's wrong with this pot of flowers? I just looked at it, and there are no signs of it being dug through."
"Sister, can you check if there is anything on that shelf?"
Duoduo stood on her tiptoes, but she was too short to see anything.
Yingniang glanced at the flower stand and shook her head.
"There is nothing."
"Still nothing?" Duoduo was discouraged.
She thought it would be under this flower pot, which was why she asked Yingniang to take it down.
"Yes, nothing," Yingniang shook her head.
"How could there be nothing?" Duoduo muttered indignantly.
Yingniang was about to comfort Duoduo when she suddenly noticed something unusual.
"There seems to be something under this flower pot?"
The flower stand was concave, so the pot sat very securely on it.
However, now that the pot was placed on flat ground, it tilted to one side.
This meant there was something underneath the pot.
Yingniang grabbed the edge of the pot again with both hands.
"Duoduo, I will lift the pot, and you see what is underneath."
"Okay."
Duoduo agreed as she crouched down.
Yingniang took a deep breath and lifted the pot.
As the pot rose little by little, Duoduo saw a cloth bundle underneath it.
It turned out that this flower pot had an irregular shape.
There was a hidden compartment at the bottom, just right for hiding things.
The butler must have heard someone coming while he was hiding it earlier.
He panicked and didn't hide the cloth bundle properly.
That was why Yingniang noticed the flaw.
Duoduo took the cloth bundle out. "Alright, Sister, you can put it down now."
With a thud, Yingniang set the pot down.
She looked at the cloth bundle in Duoduo's hands with great curiosity.
"Duoduo, open it quickly and see what's inside."
Duoduo nodded and slowly opened the cloth bundle.
Sure enough, inside were a few account books.
Duoduo flipped through them; they were densely packed with many details.
The writing was so small that it made her a little dizzy to read.
Seeing that they were just a few books, Yingniang instantly lost interest.
She had thought it would be silver!
"Duoduo, let's get out of here quickly, or that butler will get suspicious," Yingniang reminded Duoduo.
Duoduo thought for a moment and took the books out.
"Sister, hold these for me."
Yingniang nodded, took the books, and tucked them safely into her robes.
Duoduo picked up a rock from the ground and wrapped it in the cloth.
"Sister, lift the pot again, and I'll put this back."
Yingniang nodded and lifted the flower pot.
Duoduo quickly stuffed the cloth bundle back into its original place.
"Now we have to put it back up. Sister, can you do it?" Duoduo looked worried.
Yingniang waved her hand.
"It's fine. I exercise every day, it's no problem."
Yingniang shook out her hands, picked up the pot again, and put it back in one vigorous motion.
Finally done, Yingniang breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sister, the pot needs to be moved a bit. Turn this muddy part this way."
Duoduo noticed the details.
Yingniang nodded and shifted the pot, making sure it looked exactly as it did at the beginning.
Duoduo picked out a few withered and half-dead potted flowers from the ground.
"Sister, let's take a few each."
Yingniang was a bit surprised. "So many?"
Duoduo winked at Yingniang.
"Otherwise, how do we explain staying in here for so long?"
Yingniang suddenly understood. "Duoduo, you're so smart!"
"Hehehe, Sister, let's go."
Having found what she was looking for, Duoduo was very happy.
Seeing Duoduo and Yingniang coming out carrying many pots of flowers from afar, Lianxin and Lüluo hurried over.
"Princess, let your servant carry them."
Duoduo let go and handed all the pots to the maids.
Princess Consort Pingyang looked at the dirt on the front of Duoduo's clothes.
"You, oh you. How did you become like a little mud monkey?"
Duoduo giggled happily, letting Princess Consort Pingyang wipe her face with a handkerchief.
After wiping Duoduo's face clean, Princess Consort Pingyang finally noticed the flower pots in the two maids' hands.
"Why did you pick so many, and all dying flowers at that?"
Duoduo gave Princess Consort Pingyang a sweet and obedient smile.
"Mother, didn't the manor's gardener go home?"
"No one is taking care of these flowers, so they are all going to die!"
"I'm taking them back to take care of them. Maybe if they drink some water, they will get better!"
"If Sister and I hadn't run out of room to carry them, I would have taken a few more pots."
Princess Consort Pingyang pondered for a moment.
"Butler, when will the gardener I asked you to find arrive?"
The butler, who had been anxious the whole time, secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Duoduo come out.
His eyes quietly sized the two of them up.
Suddenly hearing Princess Consort Pingyang's question, he quickly retracted his gaze.
"To reply to Your Highness, this lowly one is already looking."
"It is not easy to find a good gardener on such short notice."
"Then hurry and send more people to ask around in other places."
"Yes."
Duoduo tugged at Princess Consort Pingyang's sleeve.
"Mother, isn't there an older female servant in your courtyard who is very good at tending to plants?"
Princess Consort Pingyang looked at Lianxin. "Who in our courtyard is very good at tending to plants?"
Lianxin lowered her head. "Your Highness, it is Nanny Ni."
"Have you forgotten? She tended to the plants so well before that you even rewarded her with silver!"
With Lianxin saying this, Princess Consort Pingyang remembered.
"Is it that tall and sturdy Nanny Ni?"
Lianxin smiled. "Yes, that's her."
"In that case, transfer Nanny Ni over to take care of things for a while."
"If she manages well, all the plants in the manor will be entrusted to her from now on."
"If she can't handle it, we will replace her once the butler finds someone."
The butler froze.
"Your Highness, this lowly one has already sent people to look. We might have already found someone."
"Besides, there is a wide variety of plants in this manor, not just ordinary flowers and grass."
"If by chance she doesn't tend to them well, the plants being ruined is a small matter, but when the Prince finds out, he will think Your Highness is not managing the household properly."
Princess Consort Pingyang looked at the respectfully acting butler, her eyes flickering.
In the past, whenever she had an objection, the butler would persuade her just like this.
The butler was someone arranged by the Prince, so Princess Consort Pingyang naturally relied on him.
Therefore, every time he said this, Princess Consort Pingyang would compromise.
This time, would she continue to compromise, or would she alert the snake by beating the grass?
