Duoduo reacted extremely quickly and dodged out of the way.
"Ah!"
The cabbage smashed right in front of Lüluo, startling her.
Duoduo turned her head.
"Lüluo, are you alright?"
Lüluo clutched her chest. "I'm fine, Princess. Your servant was just startled."
Duoduo turned back to look at the dumbfounded crowd.
"Who threw that?"
Everyone pointed at Pangya, gloating.
"Princess, Pangya threw it."
"Yes, Pangya definitely wanted to commit insubordination!"
"Princess, you must punish her severely!"
To shirk responsibility, everyone talked at once, pushing all the blame onto Pangya.
Pangya couldn't defend herself.
She burst into loud tears with a "Wah!"
"It was clearly you guys who bullied me first, so I fought back!"
Pangya's crying caught the attention of Li Da's wife.
When Pangya was bullied, Li Da's wife always turned a blind eye.
Li Da's wife had seen too many vain maidservants like her.
She had known for a long time that Pangya wouldn't come to a good end.
Therefore, as long as the kitchen maids didn't go too far and violate the rules of the prince's estate, Li Da's wife pretended not to see anything.
Hearing Pangya's crying, Li Da's wife looked outside.
Oh no!
"Lüdou, hurry, the Princess is here."
Li Da's wife hastily called out to her apprentice. She quickly wiped her hands clean and trotted out.
"Princess, why have you come?"
"If you need anything, just give an order. The kitchen is dirty and messy, be careful not to dirty your shoes!"
Li Da's wife hurriedly bowed to Duoduo.
Lüdou ran over in a hurry and also curtsied.
The kitchen maids who had just been chattering all at once finally realized what was happening and hastily paid their respects.
Seeing that Pangya was still crying, Li Da's wife glared at her.
"Shut up! Why aren't you paying your respects to the Princess?"
Pangya wiped her tears unwillingly and bowed to Duoduo.
"Your servant greets the Princess."
Duoduo looked at Li Da's wife.
"Are you the manager of the kitchen?"
Li Da's wife's heart skipped a beat.
"Yes."
Duoduo pointed at the completely smashed cabbage, then pointed at the vegetable leaves spilled on the ground by the water basin.
"Is this how you allow them to waste food?"
Li Da's wife took a look and immediately burned with anger.
These old women, it was one thing to bully someone, but why waste vegetables?
"Why aren't you lot cleaning this up immediately!"
"Also, you few will have a month's wages deducted!"
"If there is a next time, get the hell out of here!"
"There are plenty of people lining up to work in this kitchen!"
When the kitchen maids heard this, they were immediately displeased.
"Li Da's wife, we weren't the ones who smashed this cabbage."
"Right, if you're going to deduct wages, deduct it from those two."
"Yes, those two smashed the cabbage, it has nothing to do with us!"
Hearing that a month's wages would be deducted, the kitchen maids instantly exploded into an uproar.
"On what grounds? Didn't you just smash it too? You threw that piece of cabbage!"
The accused kitchen maid was immediately unhappy.
"You're not convinced, right? Then let's go talk to the Princess Consort and see how she will handle it!"
Li Da's wife was furious.
These subordinates actually refused to be disciplined, making her lose all face in front of the Princess.
Hearing this, everyone instantly wilted.
If this matter was brought to the Princess Consort, everyone would surely be beaten with boards.
Moreover, they would lose their jobs in the kitchen.
The kitchen job, although tiring, was very lucrative.
They could eat the leftover dishes from the masters first.
And during holidays and festivals, the main kitchen received the most rewards.
Apart from the three meals a day, they just rested at other times.
Unlike other jobs where they couldn't stop from morning to night.
Many of them had bribed the steward with red envelopes just to get in.
Such a good job, of course they couldn't lose it!
Everyone hurriedly lowered their heads and cleaned up the ground.
Li Da's wife finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She was also afraid of the matter reaching the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
She was the manager; if her subordinates caused trouble and it actually reached the masters,
Not only would she be implicated, but she might also be stripped of her position.
"Princess, did you come to find your servant?"
Lüdou saw her master winking at her, so she walked up to Duoduo.
Seeing Lüdou, Duoduo smiled happily.
"Lüdou, I have a day off today, I came to play with you!"
Lüdou looked back at Li Da's wife.
"Go ahead, play well with the Princess, I'll handle the stoves!"
Lüdou nodded. She saw Li Da's wife bow to Duoduo and enter the kitchen.
Only then did she say to Duoduo, "Princess, let's go, it's dirty here."
Duoduo nodded.
As she walked past Pangya, Pangya suddenly bowed to her.
"Your servant thanks the Princess for venting my anger for me!"
Duoduo looked at Pangya, who was soaking wet all over.
She remembered the time when she and Pangya studied together under Nanny Li.
"I didn't help you."
Pangya straightened up. "Your servant knows, you were helping me, and your servant will remember it in her heart."
Duoduo didn't take it to heart and pulled Lüdou along, skipping away.
"Lüdou, where are we going to play?"
Lüdou was worried about Duoduo.
"Your servant heard that you left the estate to look for the Prince?"
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Duoduo spread her arms.
"No! If you don't believe me, you can check."
Lüdou helped Duoduo lower her arms.
"If the Princess says no, then it's no!"
Duoduo glanced at Lüdou and smiled sweetly.
In this world, only Lüdou believed her unconditionally.
"Princess, I heard from the kitchen maids that you saved the Princess Consort last night. Aren't you a divine doctor now?"
Lüdou had a proud look on her face.
Duoduo waved her hands in embarrassment.
"I'm not yet! I just started learning from the teacher!"
"Your servant believes in the Princess, you will definitely become a divine doctor!"
"In the future, you can open a clinic and benefit the common people!"
Lüdou's adoring expression filled Duoduo with motivation.
"Okay, I'll work hard!"
Lüdou remembered that there was something she still hadn't done.
She leaned close to Duoduo and lowered her voice.
"Princess, do you still dream about the Eldest Miss... uh, the Eldest Miss of the Song family?"
At the mention of this, Duoduo couldn't help but puff out her cheeks.
Last night, Song Shuyu had been in her dream, smugly saying a whole bunch of things to her.
Duoduo's little face drooped.
"She even scolded me last night!"
In the blink of an eye, Duoduo became radiant again.
"I punched her, and she cried!"
Lüdou thought Duoduo was just trying to comfort her.
"Princess, come with your servant, I have something for you."
"Your servant asked someone to find it a long time ago, but I never had the chance to meet you."
"It's perfect that you came today, your servant will give it to you."
Duoduo thought it was a gift Lüdou had prepared for her, and she felt very happy.
"Lüdou, what good thing did you prepare for me this time?"
It wasn't convenient for Lüdou to say it out loud.
"Princess, you'll know when you see it."
"Remember, you must quietly take it back later, and absolutely do not let anyone see it!"
Duoduo's heart was filled with curiosity.
What on earth was it? To think it couldn't be seen by anyone?
