The Prince of Pingyang took the comb, only to realize he had no idea where to start.
He had regretted his words the moment they slipped out of his mouth.
He had never combed anyone else's hair before; even his own hair was managed by his guards.
However, he didn't want to leave Duoduo's hair to the guards.
Even if he had never done it, he had seen it done before.
The Prince of Pingyang raised the comb and began to smooth out Duoduo's hair.
Because she hadn't eaten well in the past, Duoduo's hair was somewhat sparse.
Moreover, her hair was fine and soft; if not handled carefully, it would easily look like a messy bird's nest.
After smoothing it out, the Prince of Pingyang used the comb to part Duoduo's hair into two sections.
Then, what should he do?
The Prince of Pingyang reached out to grab Duoduo's hair, wanting to comb it up.
His usually nimble, large hands became incredibly clumsy for the first time.
Duoduo's hair slipped through his fingers like a slippery fish.
When the Prince of Pingyang caught one side, the other side slipped away.
He didn't dare use too much force, afraid of hurting Duoduo.
The Prince of Pingyang struggled until he broke a sweat, yet he still hadn't managed to tie a single hair bun.
He looked at Duoduo's hair with a sense of defeat.
His hands could wield a calligraphy brush and draw a heavy bow.
He refused to believe that he couldn't handle a few strands of hair.
The Prince of Pingyang stubbornly locked horns with Duoduo's hair.
Coordinating his hands, he finally succeeded in tying one hair bun.
The Prince of Pingyang looked at the rather ugly bun and felt extremely satisfied.
See!
He knew he could do it!
With the first one done, the second one naturally went much more smoothly.
Soon, the Prince of Pingyang finished tying the second one.
He inspected them with great satisfaction, then casually undid the first one and retied it to match.
Once the buns were done, the Prince of Pingyang tied the hair ribbons for Duoduo.
"All done!"
The Prince of Pingyang said calmly.
Duoduo shook her head, smiling so widely her eyes turned into little crescents.
"Father, you are so amazing!"
The Prince of Pingyang quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Just now you said you figured it out? Tell me, how do you understand it?"
At the mention of this, Duoduo's eyes instantly lit up.
She explained the principles she had grasped to the Prince of Pingyang.
After listening, the Prince of Pingyang nodded.
"Hmm, not bad. You have good comprehension!"
Hearing her father's praise, the smile on Duoduo's face grew even brighter.
"Father, what are you going to do today? I'll keep you company!"
The Prince of Pingyang handed the comb to Duoduo.
"Are you not studying today?"
Duoduo skipped over and put the comb back in its place.
"Teacher said we have a day off today, so I can take a rest!"
The Prince of Pingyang looked at the military book in his hand.
"Since your teacher gave you a day off, aren't you going to see your friends?"
Duoduo's eyes went wide.
Father was actually being this nice? Letting her take a break?
"Father, really? Can I go play with them?"
The Prince of Pingyang nodded.
"You may, but do not go near the water, and pay attention to your safety!"
Duoduo nodded continuously like a little chick pecking at rice.
"Okay! I'll remember! Father, I'm going now!"
Duoduo ran toward the door.
Halfway there, she ran back.
The Prince of Pingyang looked at Duoduo in confusion.
Duoduo rushed over and threw her arms around the Prince of Pingyang. Her milky scent immediately enveloped him.
"Father, I like you so much! Thank you for tying my hair!"
After saying that, Duoduo quickly opened the door and ran out.
The milky scent from Duoduo still lingered on the Prince of Pingyang.
The Prince of Pingyang sat there, as if he had been frozen in place.
Duoduo skipped happily outside and saw Li Jin practicing martial arts in the courtyard.
She ran over and shook her head back and forth in front of Li Jin.
Li Jin stopped and stood still. "What's wrong? Does your neck hurt?"
Duoduo tilted her head right in front of Li Jin.
"Teacher, do you notice anything different about me?"
Li Jin looked Duoduo up and down. There wasn't anything different.
Except that her hair buns were tied rather poorly.
"Well, these hair buns..."
Before Li Jin could finish his sentence, Duoduo began to giggle.
"Teacher, don't they look really pretty?"
Li Jin thought Duoduo had learned to tie them herself. A four-year-old child needed encouragement when doing things.
"Yes, not bad at all!"
Li Jin replied against his conscience.
"Right? I think so too!"
"Teacher, do you know who tied them for me?"
"My father tied my hair! Isn't my father amazing?"
"Teacher, I am the prettiest girl right now!"
Holding the edges of her clothes, Duoduo happily spun in a circle.
Li Jin looked at the precarious hair buns, an indescribable expression appearing on his face.
Had the sun risen in the west?
The Prince of Pingyang actually tied the Princess's hair?
He must still be half-asleep and hearing things.
"Teacher, I'm going out to show my good friends!"
"Teacher, I'm off! You keep practicing!"
Duoduo flashed a brilliant smile and skipped away.
Li Jin stood rooted to the spot, a look of sheer disbelief on his face.
He remembered how guarded the Prince of Pingyang had looked just yesterday.
It had only been one night. How did the Prince of Pingyang's attitude toward the Princess take such a massive turn?
What exactly had happened?
Could it be that the Prince of Pingyang had figured things out? Did he want to repay the Princess for saving his life?
Li Jin felt he had found a plausible explanation.
This was good too. At the very least, the Princess was very happy.
Duoduo skipped her way out.
Every time she saw someone, she pointed at her hair buns.
"My father tied these for me! My father is super amazing!"
Before Duoduo had even left the estate, almost everyone inside knew.
The Prince of Pingyang had tied the Princess's hair buns!
The Prince of Pingyang probably hadn't anticipated this himself.
Because of this single action, his subordinates' impression of him underwent a massive change.
The Prince of Pingyang usually gave off a stern, unapproachable vibe.
However, a father who could tie his daughter's hair was incredibly down-to-earth.
Everyone instantly felt that the Prince wasn't as cold and unreasonable as they had imagined.
Later, the Prince of Pingyang inexplicably noticed that his guards were working much more proactively.
But that is a story for later.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Pingyang was giving orders to Li Jin.
"After lunch, take the Princess back to the manor."
"You've been out for so long; the Princess Consort must be very worried!"
"And what about you, Your Highness?"
Li Jin asked casually, but the moment the words left his mouth, he felt a wave of oppressive pressure wash over him.
Li Jin raised his head, "The Princess will definitely want to stay with you. She won't leave with me."
The Prince of Pingyang rubbed his fingers together.
"You don't need to worry about that. I will convince her myself."
"Just remember to get ready to take her back after you eat."
"Those men in black, has Your Highness found out their identities?"
"If they track us to the estate, are you prepared, Your Highness?"
Li Jin changed the subject.
The Prince of Pingyang's gaze fell on the book resting on the table.
On the open page of the book, a few large characters were written.
The Empty City Stratagem.
