The Princess Consort hurriedly went to grab the silver needles.
"This child, how could she play with silver needles?"
"If she accidentally pricked herself, it would hurt so much!"
Baihe stepped forward, carefully took the silver needles, and put them together with the other needles in the cloth bag.
"Princess Consort, today is all thanks to the Princess."
"If she hadn't given you acupuncture, you might not have woken up so quickly."
Baihe recounted everything in detail: how the Princess Consort of Pingyang fainted, and how Lianxin fetched a doctor to no avail.
And then, she explained how Duoduo returned, administered the needles, and how the Princess Consort of Pingyang finally regained consciousness.
After hearing this, the Princess Consort of Pingyang was extremely surprised.
"Baihe, you're saying the Princess gave me acupuncture, and that's why I woke up?"
Baihe nodded vigorously.
"Yes! The doctor said that if you continued to be unable to swallow your medicine, it would be extremely dangerous."
"Then, Teacher Li had the Princess give you acupuncture."
"Teacher Li?" The Princess Consort of Pingyang was very confused.
"Baihe, go and call Teacher Li here. I have some things I want to ask him."
"Yes."
Baihe quickly backed out of the room.
When Li Jin saw that the Princess Consort of Pingyang had woken up and the few people in the room were crying...
...he had quietly slipped out.
As an outsider male, he was not supposed to enter the inner courtyard in the first place.
Had it not been for the Princess Consort of Pingyang's severe illness, Li Jin would not have risked coming in.
He had just returned to the outer courtyard and hadn't even had time to say a word to Yingniang.
Then a servant came over and said that the Princess Consort of Pingyang wanted to see him.
Li Jin pulled Yingniang along. "Come, let's go see the Princess Consort together."
The two of them chatted along the way and soon arrived at the Princess Consort of Pingyang's courtyard.
Li Jin entered the room and, leading Yingniang, bowed to the Princess Consort of Pingyang from behind a folding screen.
"No need for formalities, Teacher Li."
"I asked you to come because I want to know, how is the Prince doing?"
"To answer the Princess Consort, the Prince is fine. You do not need to worry."
"Lingfeng and the others suffered heavy injuries while saving the Prince."
"The Prince also has some matters he hasn't finished attending to, so he won't be back for another two days."
"Before we left, the Prince asked the Princess to tell you not to worry."
"Yes, the Princess already told me."
Hearing that the Prince of Pingyang was unharmed, the Princess Consort of Pingyang's heart was finally at ease.
"There is one more thing. Just now, a maid said that you were the one who asked the Princess to give me acupuncture?"
Separated by the screen, Li Jin could not see the Princess Consort's expression.
He pondered for a moment.
"To answer the Princess Consort, the Princess is very gifted."
"Although she has only just started studying medicine under Teacher Zhang, her acupuncture skills are formidable."
"At the manor, Lingfeng was unconscious and in critical condition. The doctors were all at their wits' end."
"It was Duoduo's miraculous touch that cured him."
"Therefore, this commoner boldly suggested letting the Princess try giving you acupuncture."
"All the responsibility lies with this commoner. If the Princess Consort wishes to punish someone, please punish me."
"The Princess acted out of pure innocence. I beg the Princess Consort to consider her young age and not be angry with her."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang looked at Duoduo, who was sleeping soundly in her arms, and a look of heartache appeared on her face.
"Are you saying that the Princess healed Lingfeng?"
"Yes. The Princess treated the Prince last night and didn't sleep well the entire night."
"This morning, she healed Lingfeng and then hurried back without stopping to rest."
"As a result, she ran right into the Princess Consort falling ill."
"The Princess has worked very hard. If she made any mistakes, please be forgiving, Princess Consort."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was stunned.
Duoduo had actually worked so hard!
No wonder she had been talking to her one second and fell asleep the next.
"The Prince fell ill? What illness? Did you call for a doctor?"
Only then did Li Jin realize that in his anxiety, he had let something slip.
"Rest assured, Princess Consort, the Prince is fine. He just got caught in the rain and caught a cold. He is already fine today."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang stroked Duoduo's back, feeling deeply moved.
"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Li. With the heavy rain these past two days, Jinxin must be very worried at home."
"You should take Yingniang and head back for a trip, and please pass on my regards."
Li Jin bowed. "Yes!"
Li Jin straightened up, hesitating to speak.
"Princess Consort, may I ask where the Princess is? Can this commoner girl say goodbye to her?" Yingniang asked.
Yingniang hadn't heard Duoduo's voice and was very worried.
"Yingniang, Duoduo is asleep."
"You go back and keep your mother company first. You can come back and play together the day after tomorrow, alright?"
"Alright."
Hearing that Duoduo hadn't been punished, Yingniang breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Jin bowed once more and led Yingniang away, preparing to head home.
Meanwhile, Lianxin had the servants remove the screen and brought over food to set the table.
"Princess Consort, this servant will help you out of bed."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang carefully set Duoduo down, letting her lie comfortably.
Then, the Princess Consort sat on the edge of the bed while Lianxin helped her put on her shoes.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang stood up and swayed a few times.
Fortunately, Lianxin was quick to react and supported the Princess Consort.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang felt as if she were stepping on a ball of cotton, completely devoid of strength.
"People really just can't afford to get sick."
"Once you fall ill, you feel as fragile as paper."
Baihe scooped a small half-bowl of medicinal porridge and handed it to the Princess Consort.
"Princess Consort, have a few bites. You'll gain some strength once you eat."
Smelling the aroma of the food, the Princess Consort's appetite immediately opened up.
She drank the porridge in small sips and took a few bites of the other dishes.
When Baihe was about to serve her some more, the Princess Consort waved her hand.
"I won't eat anymore. Clear it away."
Baihe suddenly remembered what Li Jin had just said.
"Princess Consort, the Princess rushed all the way back. She definitely hasn't eaten dinner yet."
"This servant will go instruct the small kitchen to keep some food warm on the stove, so the Princess can eat as soon as she wakes up hungry."
"Mm, go ahead."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang looked at Duoduo sleeping soundly on the bed, her eyes full of pity and gratitude.
This child had saved both her and the Prince's lives!
In just a short span of two or three days, the baby fat that had finally grown on Duoduo's face had disappeared again.
Later, she definitely had to make sure the child received proper nourishment.
They absolutely couldn't have Duoduo fall ill just as they were getting better.
Duoduo slept all the way until dawn before finally waking up.
She had overexerted her mind these past two days; she was just too tired.
As soon as Duoduo opened her eyes, she saw the Princess Consort of Pingyang's face.
Duoduo carefully crawled up. She stretched out one leg, wanting to step over the Princess Consort.
However, because her legs were too short, she ended up flopping right onto the Princess Consort's body.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang opened her eyes.
Mother and daughter locked eyes.
Duoduo felt very embarrassed and gave the Princess Consort an apologetic smile.
"Mother, it's my fault. Did I wake you up?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang hugged Duoduo, affectionately nudging her head against Duoduo's.
"Mm, Mother was just dreaming when suddenly an elephant crashed down."
"And when Mother opened her eyes to look, it turned out to be you, my little elephant!"
Duoduo covered her mouth, laughing shyly.
"I'm not an elephant! I'm Duoduo!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang smiled.
"That's right! You are Mother's Duoduo! Full of good fortune!"
Definitely not the 'Duo' in 'superfluous'!
Duoduo hugged the Princess Consort's neck and smiled blissfully.
Duoduo pushed the image in her mind of Song Shuyu, who was scolding her with hands on hips, right out of her head.
