"You are afraid!" The Prince of Pingyang looked intently at Duoduo.
"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid I will ask you about what just happened?"
Duoduo picked at her palm.
"I'm not... not afraid, I just don't want to ask for leave."
The Prince of Pingyang glanced at Duoduo a few times as he stroked the armrest of his wheelchair.
"I heard that you found a plant that can anesthetize people?"
Hearing the Prince of Pingyang's words, Duoduo let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.
"Yes! I had Lüdou try it, but it only lasts for the time it takes an incense stick to burn."
"I'm still thinking of other ways to see if I can extend the time a bit more."
The Prince of Pingyang looked at the Princess Consort beside him. "Princess Consort, you may go attend to your matters."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang knew that the Prince of Pingyang was dismissing her.
She smiled, stood up, and curtsied.
"Then this concubine will take her leave first."
Duoduo gave the Princess Consort a reassuring smile.
The Princess Consort touched Duoduo's face and walked out.
The servants attending in the room all retreated, and the Prince of Pingyang pushed his wheelchair.
"Go and bring that thing to the study."
Duoduo looked surprised and hurriedly chased after him.
"Father, do you want to try it right now?"
The Prince of Pingyang left behind a cold figure from the back. "I give you the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
Duoduo stuck out her tongue and ran back quickly.
The Prince of Pingyang pushed his wheelchair into the study and had Ling Yu dismiss all the guards.
Ling Yu was puzzled. "Your Highness? Then should this subordinate guard the door?"
"Go and see how Ling Feng and the others are doing with their injuries."
"We are setting out in two days. If they cannot come along, they will swap with the people originally meant to stay behind."
"Yes, this subordinate will go check right away."
Hearing the Prince of Pingyang say this, Ling Yu also began to worry about Ling Feng and the others.
One must know that on this trip to the capital, the future was uncertain.
If they could stand together with the Prince of Pingyang through thick and thin, that bond would naturally be different.
Although staying behind carried much less risk, the chances of returning to the Prince's side in the future would be very slim.
Ling Yu left in a hurry. Not long after, Duoduo ran back, panting heavily, holding the items.
"Father, I didn't exceed the time limit, did I?"
Duoduo placed the items on the table and panted heavily with her hands on her hips.
The Prince of Pingyang looked at Duoduo's appearance and frowned.
"Why did you run like this?"
"Didn't Father say I had to be here within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea?"
The Prince of Pingyang remembered what he had just said. He poured a cup of tea from the table.
"Drink."
Duoduo was very surprised. Her father actually poured water for her with his own hands?
"Thank you, Father!"
Duoduo was indeed thirsty. She held the teacup and began to take small sips.
When Duoduo finished the cup of tea, the Prince of Pingyang finally spoke again.
"The time you just took to drink that tea was enough for you to run a lap around the manor at the speed you were just running."
"From your courtyard to the study, even if you walked step by step back and forth, the time to drink a cup of tea is more than enough."
Only then did Duoduo understand the reason the Prince of Pingyang poured her tea.
She carefully put down the teacup.
"I just didn't want Father to wait long!"
The Prince of Pingyang looked at Duoduo with deep eyes.
"I taught you that no matter what happens, you must not show your joy or anger on your face."
"Just because of a single 'didn't want to', you threw everything I taught you to the back of your mind?"
"Acting like this, how can I feel at ease bringing you back to the capital?"
"You must know that within those palace walls, no one is kind."
"If they see your weakness, they will use it to control you and force you into submission!"
Duoduo lowered her head, pondering the Prince of Pingyang's words.
"Father, I was wrong!"
Duoduo sincerely admitted her mistake.
"You must deeply remember that not putting yourself in danger is the greatest protection for yourself."
"Even if the sky falls, you must not panic."
"Only by staying calm can you come up with a perfect countermeasure!"
The Prince of Pingyang reasoned with Duoduo.
Duoduo raised her head and looked at the Prince of Pingyang.
"Father, I understand."
"Today, I will teach you another principle." The Prince of Pingyang stared at Duoduo.
"Even if you have done something wrong, you must believe that you are not wrong!"
"Also, if you have a secret that you don't want others to know, then you must keep it tightly hidden, not letting even the slightest crack show to others."
"If someone suspects something, you must deny it to the death."
"As long as you do not admit it, no one in this world can lay down a final verdict!"
Duoduo looked at the Prince of Pingyang, her big eyes blinking once, then twice.
She understood the meaning behind the Prince of Pingyang's words.
Her secret could not be told to anyone else!
This 'anyone else' meant everyone besides herself!
"Do you remember it?" The Prince of Pingyang stared at Duoduo uneasily.
Duoduo nodded vigorously, "Yes! I remember!"
"Then tell me, how did the water in the pond disappear today?"
The Prince of Pingyang suddenly asked.
Duoduo opened her mouth wide, looking completely bewildered.
"I don't know either."
The Prince of Pingyang stared intently into Duoduo's eyes. "You really don't know?"
Duoduo nodded, her face full of curiosity.
"Father, you were on the shore, could you see clearly?"
"I was in the water, and suddenly I just landed on the back of a fish!"
The Prince of Pingyang looked at Duoduo, his gaze full of scrutiny.
Duoduo also kept her big eyes wide open, looking back at the Prince of Pingyang.
After a moment, the Prince of Pingyang suddenly smiled. He raised his hand and patted Duoduo's head.
"Well done. It seems you took my words to heart."
Duoduo revealed an obedient smile.
"Father, I don't understand what you are saying?"
The Prince of Pingyang nodded.
"Alright, is this the thing you found that can make someone lose sensation?"
The Prince of Pingyang changed the subject, pointing to the bundle Duoduo had just placed on the table.
"Yes!" Duoduo opened the bundle.
Inside the bundle, there were not only the leftover plants but also the silver needles Duoduo had soaked.
"This thing looks familiar. Is it... is it planted in the garden?"
The Prince of Pingyang had a good memory and recognized the plant at a glance.
"Yes, this was originally planted in the garden. Later, someone from the Ni family recognized that it was poisonous, so they had it uprooted."
"My maid, Lüluo, fell onto the flowers that hadn't been transported away yet, and her hand suddenly lost sensation."
"Later, her hand got better on its own."
"So, I gathered some. I've already tested it, but unfortunately, the duration of the numbness is too short."
The Prince of Pingyang pondered for a moment. The time it takes an incense stick to burn actually wasn't short.
However, having not witnessed it with his own eyes, he didn't quite believe it.
"Come, try pricking it into my body."
The Prince of Pingyang rolled up his pant leg, revealing his pale calf.
Duoduo tilted her head. "Father, how about I try pricking your hand first?"
The Prince of Pingyang shook his head.
"No need, just try it on the leg. Anyway, this is where it needs to be pricked."
Duoduo nodded. She wrapped the silver needle in a handkerchief and pricked it towards the Prince of Pingyang's knee.
