Following Duoduo's words, the icy aura surrounding the Prince of Pingyang immediately thawed significantly.
The Prince of Pingyang waved his hand, and Ling Yu and the others withdrew.
Li Jin hesitated for a moment, then he also stepped out.
Duoduo rubbed her eyes with her small hands and opened them, still half-asleep.
"Father?"
The Prince of Pingyang looked at Duoduo. "Mhm."
"Father! You're okay! That's wonderful!"
Duoduo threw her arms around the Prince of Pingyang's neck, and a sweet, milky scent instantly enveloped him.
The icy aura around the Prince of Pingyang vanished completely in an instant.
He raised his hand and clumsily patted Duoduo's back.
After that, he hesitated for a moment before patting her again.
"It's alright now."
Feeling the Prince of Pingyang's aura, Duoduo slowly came to her senses.
She released her little hands and shrank back into the Prince of Pingyang's embrace, feeling a bit shy.
Duoduo's face flushed, but her eyes shone as brightly as the stars in the sky.
"How did you and Li Jin end up there?"
The Prince of Pingyang voiced the doubt in his heart.
Duoduo picked at the palm of her hand, not knowing how to explain it to the Prince of Pingyang.
"Did Li Jin know that something would happen to me?" The Prince of Pingyang's tone revealed his suspicion.
Duoduo quietly lifted her head and glanced at the Prince of Pingyang.
She happened to see the Prince of Pingyang staring right at her, waiting for her answer.
Duoduo's eyelashes fluttered, and she quickly lowered her eyes.
"It's not like that!"
Duoduo defended Li Jin.
"It's... the teacher didn't know."
The Prince of Pingyang looked at Duoduo thoughtfully.
In his heart, he actually had a guess.
If Li Jin knew he was going to be in danger, he definitely wouldn't have brought Duoduo out.
"Was it you who knew that your father would be in danger?" the Prince of Pingyang asked probingly.
Duoduo kept her head down and gave a gentle nod.
The Prince of Pingyang looked at Duoduo in his arms, who looked like a timid little quail.
"Father thanks you for saving his life once again!"
Duoduo looked up, her eyes full of radiance.
"Father, you aren't blaming me?"
The Prince of Pingyang brushed the hair from Duoduo's face behind her ear.
"Why would I blame you? If you and Li Jin hadn't arrived in time, Father might have..."
The Prince of Pingyang's tone grew somewhat somber at this point.
Duoduo looked up and saw the Prince of Pingyang with his eyelids lowered, looking very desolate.
Duoduo reached out and gently stroked the Prince of Pingyang's cheek.
"Father, don't be sad. You won't die!"
"I will guard you and protect you!"
A strange light suddenly flashed in the Prince of Pingyang's eyes.
The little dumpling in front of him was saying with such a firm tone that she wanted to protect him!
Such a tiny little dumpling, a little creature he could seemingly crush with a single slap.
Yet, she said she wanted to protect him!
The Prince of Pingyang could not articulate what kind of emotion he was feeling in his heart at this moment.
But he knew that right now, there was something swelling and aching in his chest.
The Prince of Pingyang lifted his eyes, a hint of a cold smile curling at the corners of his lips.
"Do you know that one cannot make promises casually?"
"Because once you make a promise, you must keep it even if it costs you your life!"
Duoduo pulled her hand back and nodded with a resolute face.
"I know! Father, you taught me that a gentleman values promises and must do what he says."
The Prince of Pingyang stared at Duoduo for a few minutes, the cold smile on his lips vanishing instantly.
"You're not even as tall as a chair, yet you're already learning to deceive people! Wait until you make yourself stronger before you talk!"
Duoduo muttered softly.
"I'm not deceiving anyone! I saved Father."
"Oh? Why do I remember that the person who saved me was Li Jin."
"I begged the teacher to bring me to save you!" Duoduo put her hands on her hips indignantly.
"Oh, so it was Li Jin who wanted to save me, and you were the one holding him back!"
The Prince of Pingyang's tone seemed somewhat displeased.
"Not at all! It was because I knew you were in danger that I begged the teacher to come!"
As soon as Duoduo finished speaking, she realized in hindsight what she had done.
She had fallen into the Prince of Pingyang's trap.
Duoduo nervously picked at her palm.
The Prince of Pingyang stared at Duoduo without moving.
"You knew? That I would be in danger? How did you know?"
"Speak. Exactly who told you that I would be in danger?"
The Prince of Pingyang's hands clenched tightly into fists.
He was worried he wouldn't be able to control the urge to strangle Duoduo.
The Prince of Pingyang deeply suspected that Duoduo had deliberately said those touching words earlier.
Her purpose was to confuse him, making it impossible for him to lay a hand on her.
In his heart, the Prince of Pingyang intensely hated his own soft-heartedness.
Duoduo felt the Prince of Pingyang's aura suddenly become distant.
Out of instinct, Duoduo felt very uneasy in her heart.
"No one told me. I... I had a dream!"
"I dreamed it! So, I begged the teacher to come and take a look, and then, we really saw you in danger."
The Prince of Pingyang looked at Duoduo's timid eyes and lost interest in questioning her.
"Li Jin!"
He called out toward the door.
Li Jin walked in from outside. "Your Highness, what do you need?"
"Take her away. I am tired and wish to rest."
The Prince of Pingyang's words made Li Jin pause in surprise.
What had just happened inside? Why was there disgust in the Prince of Pingyang's tone?
"Yes."
Li Jin acknowledged, walked over, and picked Duoduo up.
Duoduo looked at the Prince of Pingyang, who had turned his head away, her face full of confusion.
Why did Father suddenly change his attitude?
Could it be that Father guessed she was lying?
Duoduo picked at her palm.
How could she explain to Father that the words she saw told her?
These words had always been right in front of her eyes.
But Father still asked her, which meant that Father couldn't see these words either.
If she told Father, would he treat her like a monster?
She heard Lüdou say that monsters would be burned to death by people!
She didn't want to die!
Feeling very disappointed, Duoduo hugged Li Jin's neck. She saw that the Prince of Pingyang didn't even turn his head back.
Li Jin carried Duoduo outside and found a rock to sit on.
"Princess, are you hungry?"
Duoduo shook her head, looking listless and unable to muster any energy.
"Princess, did His Highness scold you?"
"You don't need to be sad. His Highness must have been worried about you, which is why he scolded you."
Li Jin guessed whether the Prince of Pingyang had scolded Duoduo, causing her to be unhappy.
Duoduo shook her head weakly.
"No, Father didn't scold me."
Li Jin was a bit puzzled.
"Then why is the Princess unhappy?"
Duoduo looked up.
"Teacher, if you had a secret that you couldn't tell, what would you do?"
Li Jin's eyes flickered.
"That depends on what it is. If it's a matter of life and death, then you absolutely cannot tell, even if beaten to death."
A trace of confusion flashed in Duoduo's eyes.
"If you don't tell, what if the person asking gets upset?"
Li Jin thought for a moment.
"You still cannot tell. First and foremost, you must ensure that you stay alive."
"As the old saying goes, 'Every man for himself, or heaven and earth will destroy him!'"
Duoduo looked at Li Jin suspiciously.
"Teacher, do you mean to encourage me to lie?"
