Just as Lüluo was about to move, she saw Lüdou shaking her head at her.
Lüluo curtsied to Nanny Li.
"Nanny, please wait a moment. This servant will go ask the Princess for instructions."
Nanny Li's gaze swept over Lüdou.
Lüdou had her hands clasped over her abdomen, her head half-lowered, allowing Nanny Li to examine her.
"Alright, you may rise. There is no need."
"Yes."
Lüluo stood up straight.
Nanny Li walked up to Lüdou, who slightly raised her head.
Then, she curtsied to Nanny Li.
Nanny Li did not tell her to rise, so Lüdou remained steadily in her curtsy.
"Why did you stop her from coming with me just now?" Nanny Li's tone was extremely strict.
Lüdou replied, neither haughty nor humble, "This servant did not."
"This servant only wanted her to understand who her true master is."
Lüdou's words made Lüluo, who was standing to the side, lower her head deeply.
Today, if Lüdou had not reminded her, she definitely would have violated the Princess's taboo.
Nanny Li was not angry at Lüdou's contradiction; instead, she nodded.
"Not bad! It seems you have taken what I taught you to heart."
"This servant will always remember your guidance, Nanny. This servant will always remember to put the Princess above all else."
Lüdou spoke with absolute sincerity.
"Alright, rise. Do you still remember the rules I taught you back then?"
Lüdou stood up. "Thank you, Nanny. They are etched in my heart."
Nanny Li nodded.
"Very well then, you shall teach these few the rules."
Lüdou looked up in surprise. "This servant will teach?"
Lüdou waved her hands. "Nanny, this servant cannot."
Nanny Li's face darkened. "What? Have you forgotten? Or are the things I taught you not good enough to show?"
Lüdou hurriedly dropped into a curtsy.
"That is not what this servant meant."
"I do not care what you meant. If I tell you to teach, you teach!"
"Teaching them will also be helping the Princess!"
Duoduo walked out from the doorway.
"Lüdou, if Nanny tells you to teach, then do it!"
"Nanny is here for everything! What are you worried about?"
Since Duoduo had spoken, Lüdou lowered her head.
"Yes, this servant obeys."
Nanny Li stood where she was and watched as Lüdou called the other maids together and began to instruct them.
She watched for a while before walking back into the room.
Duoduo followed her back inside, beaming with a wide smile.
Seeing Duoduo, Nanny Li looked thoughtful.
"Princess, next, this old servant will teach you dining etiquette..."
Nanny Li sat by the table and began to demonstrate for Duoduo.
Inside the room, one taught and the other learned, both very serious.
Outside, the three maids and Shitou all learned the rules from Lüdou.
Meanwhile, in another place, Xu Jinxin was glaring at Li Jin.
"The child already said her stomach hurts, and you still want her to go to class!"
Li Jin looked at his daughter, who was clutching her stomach and hiding in Xu Jinxin's embrace.
"Yingniang, are you sure your stomach hurts? If it really does, then Father will have Dr. Zhang come over and check your pulse."
Yingniang hurriedly shook her head.
"It doesn't hurt that much anymore, Father. If I rest for a bit, it might just get better."
Li Jin sat down opposite Yingniang.
"It doesn't hurt? Is it that it doesn't hurt right now? Or will it never hurt again?"
"This pain of yours, it wouldn't happen to hurt today and then hurt again tomorrow, would it?"
Yingniang uncomfortably turned her face away.
"How would your daughter know? My stomach just started hurting all of a sudden."
"Oh, Father understands."
"Your stomach stops hurting as soon as a doctor is called."
"But when you are told to go learn rules, it hurts, doesn't it?"
Yingniang knew that her little trick had been seen through by her father.
But she refused to admit it even if it killed her.
"Father, you are wronging me! I don't want my stomach to hurt either!"
Yingniang buried her face in her mother's embrace.
Hearing her husband's words, Xu Jinxin suddenly realized what was going on.
Her daughter was afraid of Nanny Li!
Xu Jinxin made a gesture to her husband, signaling him to step out.
"Hmph! A doting mother spoils her child!"
Li Jin deliberately stormed out in a huff.
Hearing the sound of Li Jin leaving, Yingniang finally lifted her head.
Xu Jinxin observed her daughter carefully.
"Are you afraid of Nanny Li?" she asked directly.
Yingniang did not hide anything from her mother.
"Mhm! Nanny Li is so scary!"
"She is just like the man-eating old witch Mother told stories about!"
When Nanny Li paid her respects to Princess Consort Pingyang, Xu Jinxin had been there too.
Nanny Li was merely unsmiling and rigid in her ways.
Xu Jinxin did not know why her daughter would have such an idea.
"Did Nanny Li scold you?" Xu Jinxin guessed.
Yingniang shook her head, and she recounted the scene of meeting Nanny Li that day to her mother.
"Mother, she pulled a long face, it was terrifying!"
"As soon as I see her, my legs go weak! Mother, I'm not entering the palace, so why do I have to learn palace rules and etiquette?"
This was what Yingniang did not understand.
Hearing this, Xu Jinxin finally understood the truth of the matter.
She patted her daughter's head.
"Yingniang, think about it. The Princess is even younger than you, so why isn't she afraid of Nanny Li?"
Yingniang tilted her head and thought for a moment.
"Duoduo always says that Nanny Li is a good person!"
"But I feel like in Duoduo's eyes, everyone is a good person. There are no bad people in this world!"
Xu Jinxin shook her head.
"No! Mother is saying that your perception is wrong!"
"You haven't even interacted with Nanny Li, yet based purely on her appearance, you assume she is a bad person."
"Doing this is not right."
"Do you know that in this world, there is another kind of person."
"They might smile at you one second, and kill you the next!"
"This kind of person is the most terrifying!"
"Mother taught you, how do you find out what kind of person someone is?"
"You have to interact with them, and judge what kind of person they are based on their words, actions, and manners!"
"As for what kind of person Nanny Li is, Mother thinks you should uncover the answer yourself."
"Yingniang, when you encounter something you are afraid of, you must be brave enough to face it and overcome your inner demons. That way, you won't be afraid next time or judge people by their appearances."
After listening to her mother's words, Yingniang thought for a while.
"Mother, do you mean that Nanny Li is a good person?"
Xu Jinxin smiled.
"Mother doesn't know either whether she is truly a good person or a bad person."
"However, Mother thinks you can go and experience it for yourself."
"Think about it, you endured those bitter days of practicing martial arts back then."
"Learning etiquette is nothing more than standing and walking. Isn't this a piece of cake for you?"
"If you go, you will definitely give Nanny Li a big surprise!"
Xu Jinxin encouraged her daughter.
"Really?" The light returned to Yingniang's eyes.
"Of course. Have you forgotten? Even your father praised you."
Xu Jinxin coaxed Yingniang.
"Mhm! You're right, Mother! I'll go find Duoduo right now."
"Yingniang is so wonderful! Mother happens to be going to see the Princess Consort, so Mother will walk with you."
Xu Jinxin took her daughter by the hand and walked out the door, where Li Jin came over to meet them.
"Where are you mother and daughter off to?"
Xu Jinxin glanced at her daughter and smiled.
"Take a guess."
