Duoduo's body was suddenly lifted into the air, startling her.
She looked up, saw the stern-faced Prince of Pingyang, and immediately shut her mouth.
The Prince of Pingyang tossed Duoduo onto a chair and then stared at her coldly.
Duoduo averted her gaze, not daring to look the Prince of Pingyang in the eye.
"Hmph!"
The Prince of Pingyang seemed to let out a cold sneer.
Duoduo trembled, her tears almost falling.
"Hold it in! No crying!"
The Prince of Pingyang's ruthless words caused Duoduo's tears to hang on her eyelashes.
The Prince of Pingyang looked away, feeling somewhat irritated.
He had just kicked Li Jin and Duoduo out, wanting to rest for a moment and sort out the cause of the matter.
However, he tossed and turned, unable to calm his racing thoughts.
This temporarily erected house was made of ordinary wood.
Moreover, it was inside a cave, so the Prince of Pingyang could hear Li Jin and Duoduo's conversation crystal clear from inside the room.
He had also heard the sound of Duoduo running to the door.
The Prince of Pingyang suspected that Duoduo was a spy deliberately planted by his side.
That was how Duoduo knew he would be in danger.
He was once again filled with wariness toward Duoduo, making up his mind to ignore her.
But as Duoduo stood at the door, hesitating to come in for a long time, he felt uncomfortable instead.
Unable to control himself, he got up and opened the door.
When he saw Duoduo's anxious face, his heart softened again.
He hated his own soft-heartedness and simply hauled her inside.
But instead of speaking, she was about to start crying again upon entering.
The Prince of Pingyang worried that his soft-heartedness would make him lose his vigilance. After all, many people relied on him to survive.
He could not put those loyal to him in deep waters and scorching fire just because of his soft heart, so he forced himself to be cold.
The Prince of Pingyang scrutinized Duoduo coldly. "What were you doing standing at my door?"
"Were you trying to eavesdrop on some information?"
The Prince of Pingyang could not continue speaking. He saw the tears on Duoduo's eyelashes blink and fall.
Then, tear after tear rolled down her cheeks.
Those tears felt like massive boulders, pressing down on the Prince of Pingyang so hard he could barely breathe.
"I am sorry!"
Duoduo's childish, milky voice echoed in the room.
The Prince of Pingyang frowned.
"Li Jin, come in!"
Hearing the voice from inside, Li Jin hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open.
"Your Highness?"
"I will have someone escort you out. Take the Princess back to the manor."
"First thing tomorrow morning, hurry back to the estate."
Li Jin looked at Duoduo, who was crying her eyes out to the side, and his brow furrowed.
"Your Highness, the Princess..."
The Prince of Pingyang shot Li Jin a cold glance, and Li Jin wisely shut his mouth.
Li Jin walked over and picked Duoduo up.
Duoduo wanted to open her mouth to explain to the Prince of Pingyang, but her throat felt blocked, and she could not utter a single word.
Duoduo panicked a little. If she did not explain, her father would definitely misunderstand her!
"Let us go, Princess. We will talk when we get back."
Li Jin sighed softly.
He had originally thought that the Princess and His Highness could clear up their past misunderstandings.
Now look at this, it seemed their misunderstanding had only deepened.
Duoduo hugged Li Jin's neck, sobbing silently.
Li Jin felt full of sympathy for Duoduo.
The Prince of Pingyang called for guards to escort Li Jin and the others down the mountain.
Upon arriving at the manor, the guards who escorted Li Jin turned around and headed back into the mountains.
Li Jin and Duoduo settled down to stay at the manor.
Ever since Duoduo came out of the Prince of Pingyang's room, she had not said a word.
She barely ate a few bites of dinner before returning to her room to sleep.
Worried about Duoduo, Li Jin tidied up and then found a random chair in Duoduo's room to lie down on.
In the middle of the night, Li Jin suddenly heard Duoduo speaking.
"Father! Father!"
Li Jin flipped over and sat up.
He walked to the bedside and saw Duoduo on the bed, frowning and constantly sleep-talking.
Was she having a nightmare?
"Princess? Wake up!"
Li Jin reached out and gently shook Duoduo.
Duoduo's eyes snapped open, and she stared blankly at Li Jin.
"Father?"
Li Jin reached out to feel Duoduo's forehead. No fever. It seemed she really was just dreaming.
"It is me."
Duoduo blinked. "Master? Why are you in my room?"
"I was worried you might get sick, so I rested on that chair for a while."
Li Jin pointed to the chair not far away, which still had his blanket on it.
Duoduo sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"Master, I am fine. Go back to your room to sleep. Sleeping on a chair is uncomfortable."
Seeing that Duoduo was clear-headed, Li Jin felt relieved.
"Alright, then I will go back to sleep. You should rest too."
"Mhm." Duoduo nodded.
Suddenly, Li Jin heard a commotion coming from within the manor.
Could it be that the people who went out searching have returned?
Li Jin quietly picked up his blanket. "Princess, go back to sleep quickly. I will close the door for you."
"Okay."
Duoduo obediently lay down.
After Li Jin walked out, he closed the door properly.
He took the blanket back to the next room, then went out again, walking toward the source of the noise.
He did not notice that when he left, Duoduo's little head also appeared at the door.
Duoduo quietly followed behind Li Jin; she had heard the noise just now as well.
She was not curious at first, but then she heard Li Jin enter his room and leave it again.
Duoduo's curiosity was piqued, so she got out of bed and followed Li Jin.
Li Jin was entirely focused on seeing what was happening ahead, so he did not notice the little tail behind him.
"Quick! Go fetch a doctor!"
The front courtyard was brightly lit and in complete chaos.
Li Jin grabbed a passing servant. "What happened?"
The servant glanced at Li Jin and recognized him as the Princess's teacher.
"His Highness is sick! It is very critical!"
After saying that, the servant hurried off; he needed to fetch a doctor.
Li Jin's heart skipped a beat.
The Prince of Pingyang was sick?
Li Jin recalled that when the Prince of Pingyang was rescued, he was soaked in water. They had been rushing on their journey and then went up the mountain.
The Prince of Pingyang had been wearing those wet clothes the whole time, and they had never dried.
No wonder he got sick!
Li Jin walked into the room. The guard standing by the bed merely glanced at him before looking away.
Li Jin walked to the head of the bed. He saw the Prince of Pingyang's face was completely flushed from the fever, and his lips were peeling.
Li Jin reached out, just about to test the Prince of Pingyang's forehead.
The guard by the bed grabbed his hand.
"Master Li, what are you trying to do?"
"I just want to check on His Highness's condition." Li Jin signaled for the guard to let go.
The guard looked delighted and stepped aside from his spot.
"Master Li, please forgive my offense. So you also understand medicine! Please, quickly take a look at His Highness."
Li Jin did not answer. He reached out and touched the Prince of Pingyang's forehead.
Hot! Incredibly hot!
It was so burning hot that you could probably boil an egg on it.
He then touched the Prince of Pingyang's hand, which was equally hot.
"Go find some liquor, the stronger the better!"
"What do you need liquor for?" The guard looked at Li Jin with a face full of suspicion.
