Nanny Li had originally prepared to properly teach Duoduo a few things, but now she hesitated.
The child was too young, and her temperament wasn't steadfast enough.
Most importantly, the people close to her had too great an influence on her.
If she wanted to teach Duoduo well, the only way was to figure out how to move Lüdou away from Duoduo's side.
Then, she could arrange a more reliable maid for Duoduo.
Nanny Li kept this matter in mind, planning to observe carefully during this period of training.
"Alright, go and call Lüdou over."
Duoduo was a bit puzzled, but she obediently curtsied and left the room.
Hearing that Nanny Li was looking for her, Lüdou immediately became nervous.
Duoduo tugged at Lüdou's hand, "Don't worry, Nanny is very nice!"
Lüdou forced a smile at Duoduo and hurried to the next room.
Bored, Duoduo walked into the courtyard, intending to watch the ants moving house in the flower bed.
"Duoduo! Duoduo!"
Duoduo suddenly heard someone calling her name. She stood on tiptoe to look outside.
"Who are you?"
Duoduo saw a simple-looking maid with a kind face, calling her name softly outside the courtyard wall.
Seeing her, the maid grinned.
"You must be Duoduo, right? I finally found you."
Duoduo walked out of the courtyard and looked at the other girl with great curiosity.
"Who are you?"
"I have a message for you. There's a man locked in the woodshed."
"He told me to tell you to go save him quickly!"
After saying this, the maid turned and ran away.
Duoduo was completely bewildered.
A man? Who was it? And he knew her?
The maid must have gotten the wrong person!
Duoduo squatted down, ready to continue playing with the little ants.
But, the little ants had already marched away in a line and disappeared.
Feeling bored again, Duoduo recalled what the maid had just said.
That maid had clearly called her name.
So, the message shouldn't have been delivered to the wrong person.
But, this was Pingyang Prince's Estate. She didn't know anyone here?
Moreover, a man?
The more Duoduo thought about it, the more she couldn't suppress her curiosity.
She stood up and looked towards Nanny Li's room. Lüdou had been in there for so long, why wasn't she out yet?
Maybe... she could just go take a quick look?
Yes, she would just go take a quick look and then come right back.
Yes, that's it!
Thinking this, Duoduo took off running towards the woodshed.
Duoduo knew the location of the estate's woodshed; it was next to the kitchen.
She and Lüdou had seen kitchen staff going in to fetch things when they came to collect their meals.
The prince's estate was very large, and since Nanny Li preferred quiet, the Bamboo Pavilion was quite a distance from the kitchen.
Duoduo ran for a good while before reaching the outside of the woodshed.
She stopped and curiously pressed her ear close to the door to listen.
There was no sound inside. Disappointed, Duoduo prepared to head back.
Duoduo thought it must have been a joke played by that maid earlier!
As Duoduo turned around, she knocked over a stick leaning against the outside wall.
Movement immediately came from inside the woodshed.
"Is that Duoduo?"
Hearing the voice from inside the room, Duoduo was initially pleasantly surprised.
So, there really was someone in there!
But when she clearly recognized who was speaking,
Duoduo's face changed.
"Duoduo, it must be you, right?"
"Good child, could you open the door for your father?"
Magistrate Song hadn't had a drop of water all day and was already dizzy with hunger.
He had finally managed to get a simple-minded, rough-work maid to come by and persuaded her to give him a bowl of water.
Later, he wanted the maid to deliver a message for him, but she absolutely refused.
Magistrate Song, unwilling to give up, tempted the maid with silver, and only then did she finally agree to make a trip for him.
But he had waited for a long time without Duoduo arriving.
He had thought the maid took his silver without doing the errand.
Hearing the noise outside, he guessed it must be Duoduo.
"Duoduo, are you there? Be a good girl, open the door and let your father out, okay?"
Duoduo bit her lip.
"The door is locked. I can't open it."
Magistrate Song was very happy that Duoduo had finally spoken.
"Good child, then can you see if you can find some food? Your father is starving to death."
Duoduo shook her head.
"Stealing things gets you beaten to death!"
Magistrate Song was speechless. Was the estate's management really that strict?
"Then go beg the prince for your father. Tell him your father truly isn't part of the Second Prince's faction!"
"Your older sister going to the Second Prince has nothing to do with me either."
Duoduo stood still without making a sound.
"What? You can't even manage a couple of sentences?" Magistrate Song grew somewhat agitated.
"Just go see the prince. When you see him, say your father is innocent."
"Then beg him to release me, understand?"
Duoduo still didn't speak. Just as Magistrate Song thought she had left, he heard Duoduo speak again.
"I'm just a servant. I can't see the prince."
Magistrate Song was taken aback. "Didn't the prince say he wanted to adopt?"
After saying this, Magistrate Song suddenly remembered that at the time, Pingyang Prince had said he was adopting Song Shuyu.
As for Duoduo, she was bought.
Only servants had indentures signed.
"You're so useless, not a patch on your sister."
"Pingyang Prince and his consort don't even have a child. If you fawned over them a bit and became their adopted daughter, how good would that be?"
"In the future, you'd have endless wealth and honor! Your father and brothers could also benefit."
Duoduo clenched her fists tightly.
"I don't want it!"
"Stupid. You don't have half your sister's cleverness. No wonder no one likes you."
Magistrate Song was infuriated by this daughter. Thankfully, this jinx was no longer his daughter.
Duoduo didn't want to listen anymore. She turned and ran away.
Magistrate Song continued to prattle on, criticizing Duoduo. He talked until his mouth was dry, but there was no response.
He lunged at the door, peering through the crack to look outside.
There was no trace of Duoduo outside anymore.
Furious, Magistrate Song kicked the door.
"Bang!"
A plank on the door frame, already somewhat loose, was kicked off by Magistrate Song.
It immediately fell and hit Magistrate Song squarely on the back of his head.
"Thud!"
Magistrate Song collapsed.
His eyes were wide open. Before he lost consciousness, he couldn't understand.
He had already sent the jinx away, so why was he still suffering misfortune?
Duoduo ran all the way back, her ears filled with her father's criticisms.
Duoduo covered her ears. "Don't say it! Don't!"
She ran, crying.
But her father's words, like an evil incantation, chased after her as she ran.
Trying to escape them, Duoduo changed direction and kept running.
"Stop!"
At this moment, Duoduo's mind was completely filled with what her father had just said.
So, she didn't hear the voice at all, nor did she notice the person in front of her.
She ran headlong into them.
With a "crash," she knocked over Pingyang Prince along with his wheelchair.
As Pingyang Prince fell, he shielded Duoduo in his arms.
Duoduo only felt the world spin, and then she found herself staring into a pair of cold, indifferent eyes.
