The Prince of Pingyang's harsh tone frightened Yingniang.
She hurriedly squatted down to put on her shoes and socks, then stood in front of Duoduo to shield her.
"Your Highness, I know how to swim. I won't let anything happen to Duoduo."
Duoduo tugged at Yingniang's sleeve. "Father, we were wrong."
The corners of the Prince of Pingyang's lips curled into a cold sneer.
"You are quick to admit your mistakes. Do you think you can turn the page so easily just by doing that?"
Duoduo blinked her big, watery eyes.
"Father, I know I was wrong. Is it wrong to admit one's mistakes?"
"Hmph! Sophistry!"
"I'm not. You were the one who told me, Father, that if you realize you've done something wrong, you must be brave enough to admit it."
"To realize one's errors and correct them is the greatest virtue."
The Prince of Pingyang stared intently at Duoduo, and Duoduo looked back at him openly and honestly.
Beside them, Yingniang thought the Prince of Pingyang was angry, so she hurriedly pulled at Duoduo.
"Your Highness, I was the one who brought Duoduo out to play. It's my fault!"
"If you want to punish someone, punish me! Besides, I was the one who wanted to go into the water just now. Duoduo was perfectly safe on the bank."
The Prince of Pingyang raised an eyebrow at Duoduo.
"Since you want to play in the water so much, I will grant your wish..."
"Father, I was the one who wanted to come to the pool. It has nothing to do with my sister. If you are going to punish someone, just punish me alone."
The Prince of Pingyang kept a cold face.
"Do you think doing this will make me soft-hearted and let you go?"
"Both of you are at fault, and both of you will be punished!"
Yingniang was shocked and looked at Duoduo with worry.
She wondered, did Duoduo know how to swim?
The Prince of Pingyang picked them both up and, with a flick of his wrist, tossed them into the pool.
Yingniang hit the water first with a splash. After flailing for a few moments, she surfaced and began looking for Duoduo.
Duoduo fell into the water, but sank like a lead weight, not even making a splash.
The Prince of Pingyang nervously pressed a button on his wheelchair, and a slender silver wire shot into the pool.
"Duoduo? Duoduo! Where are you?"
Yingniang took a deep dive, preparing to search for Duoduo.
Suddenly, the water in the pool began to churn.
With a loud whoosh, all the water in the pool vanished.
Losing her buoyancy, Yingniang landed with a splat in the mud at the bottom of the pool.
Meanwhile, Duoduo was sitting on the backs of a school of fish, giggling non-stop.
Wrapped around her waist was the silver wire that had shot out from the wheelchair.
The Prince of Pingyang was stunned!
He rubbed his eyes vigorously, unable to believe the scene before him.
The Prince of Pingyang suddenly remembered that when he had fallen into the pond back then, the water had also disappeared just as suddenly.
So, this was the truth!
The Prince of Pingyang's gaze fell upon Duoduo.
But where was the water?
Where did it go?
Looking all over Duoduo, aside from her wet clothes, there was nowhere she could hide the water!
This was an entire pool full of water!
Even if she drank it, her stomach would have burst from being so full, right?
The Prince of Pingyang observed carefully; Duoduo looked no different from usual.
What on earth was going on!
Such a massive pool of water had vanished into thin air!
If it hadn't happened right before his eyes, he wouldn't have believed it even if you beat him to death.
Seeing Yingniang struggling endlessly in the mud, Duoduo walked over carefully.
"Sister, are you alright?"
Duoduo helped Yingniang up.
Yingniang's eyes were covered in mud, so she had no idea what was happening outside.
However, she could feel that she was no longer in the water.
The Prince of Pingyang pressed the button again, dragging both Duoduo and Yingniang onto the shore.
Once on the shore, Duoduo watched as the silver wire retracted back into the Prince of Pingyang's wheelchair.
"Wow! Father, this is amazing! Is this a new mechanism you made?"
Duoduo examined the Prince of Pingyang's wheelchair with curiosity.
This wheelchair was newly commissioned after the Prince of Pingyang had fallen into the water last time.
Just now, if he hadn't been angry and wanted to teach Duoduo a lesson, the Prince of Pingyang never would have revealed it.
"Men!" the Prince of Pingyang called out, ignoring Duoduo's question.
A guard quickly appeared before them.
"Take these two back immediately."
"Yes, sir."
The guard quickly escorted Duoduo and Yingniang back to the inner residence.
Hearing that Duoduo had fallen into the water, the Princess Consort of Pingyang was terrified and rushed over immediately.
"How did you fall into the water out of nowhere? Weren't you playing in the garden? Did you run off to feed the fish?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang fired off a string of questions.
Duoduo smiled sheepishly at the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
"Mother, it's all my fault. I dragged my sister to feed the fish, and then..."
Duoduo felt very guilty.
"This must have been Yingniang's doing. Yingniang, you can't just take your younger sister to the water's edge just because you know how to swim."
"Thankfully, nothing bad happened today. If something had, it would be too late for regrets!"
Xu Jinxin wiped her daughter's face with heartache.
Because Yingniang had been diving just as the water vanished, she had plunged headfirst right into the mud.
Not only her hair, but even her eyebrows and eyelashes were caked in mud.
Just a moment ago, it took both Lüluo and Lüzhu working together to help wash her clean.
However, there was still some mud clinging to her eyelashes and eyebrows.
Yingniang felt very wronged and wanted to defend herself, but then she saw Duoduo shaking her head at her.
Yingniang muttered aggrievedly, "We were very careful, we wouldn't have fallen in normally..."
"Normally wouldn't have, but who is this little mud person here?" Xu Jinxin was both angry and amused.
Yingniang pouted. Her mother wouldn't believe her even if she told the truth!
"Alright, Jinxin. The children are upset enough, there's no need to scold them anymore."
"I've already ordered the kitchen to brew some medicine to ward off the cold. In a bit, they will both drink a large bowl to sweat it out!"
"Mother, we're totally fine!" Duoduo did not want to drink medicine.
"You must drink it even if you're fine, just in case." The Princess Consort of Pingyang was firm.
Duoduo stuck out her tongue.
"Sister, I'm sorry. Today was all my fault, I dragged you down with me."
Looking at Yingniang's state, Duoduo felt deeply apologetic in her heart.
Yingniang pressed her lips together.
She couldn't understand why the Prince of Pingyang was so cold-blooded.
They had clearly admitted their mistakes, yet he still threw them into the water!
Xu Jinxin gave Yingniang a light smack on the bottom.
"Your sister has already apologized to you, how can you still have the nerve to be angry?"
Yingniang defended herself, "I'm not angry at my sister!"
"I'm angry at His Highness! He was the one who threw my sister and me into the water!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang and Xu Jinxin both stopped dead in their tracks at the same time.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang squatted down and looked carefully at Duoduo.
"Did His Highness really throw you two into the water?"
Duoduo glanced at Yingniang, who looked like she was about to cry, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.
"Why would His Highness throw you into the water? That doesn't make any sense."
Xu Jinxin had a look of complete disbelief on her face.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang pondered for a moment. "I'll go ask His Highness!"
Duoduo grabbed hold of the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
"Mother, you don't need to go. I know why Father did it."
