Nanny Li felt somewhat comforted in her heart. Whether these words were Duoduo speaking on behalf of Lüdou, or whether Lüdou had originally intended this meaning, at least, in the hearts of both children, they held great respect for her.
Nanny Li reached out to take the peach blossom pastry. Suddenly, her gaze fell on the handkerchief wrapped around it.
"Where did you get this handkerchief?"
Nanny Li's face suddenly turned stern, her tone sharp.
Duoduo was startled. She looked down at the handkerchief in her hand.
Oh no!
In her hurry earlier, she had hastily pulled a handkerchief from her bosom, wrapped the pastry, and left.
She hadn't realized that the handkerchief she had grabbed was actually the one given to her by the Prince of Pingyang.
"Replying to Nanny, this was given by His Highness the Prince," Duoduo answered carefully.
"Given by the Prince? When did the Prince give it to you? Why would the Prince give you a handkerchief?"
Nanny Li's voice grew more severe with each question.
Duoduo couldn't help but shiver.
"Replying to Nanny, it was because this servant was crying, so His Highness tossed a handkerchief to me."
Halfway through her sentence, Duoduo's face suddenly changed.
"Oh no! I forgot the most important thing!"
Seeing Duoduo's face turn pale, Nanny Li found it strange.
"What is it?"
Duoduo, her face ashen, looked at Nanny Li.
"His Highness ordered this servant to taste his food every day. I forgot."
Nanny Li frowned. Taste his food?
Since when did the Prince have someone taste his food? Could it be something that started after she left?
"Then you should hurry and go!" Nanny Li urged Duoduo.
Duoduo hesitated for a moment, then, without even having time to bow to Nanny Li, she turned and ran.
Nanny Li watched Duoduo's disappearing figure, lost in thought.
Once again, Duoduo was running through the garden. The maids and older servants she passed looked at her figure in surprise.
Panting heavily, Duoduo appeared before the Prince of Pingyang.
The Prince of Pingyang sat in his chair, staring fixedly at the food on the table before him.
The commotion of Duoduo's arrival caught the Prince's attention.
He lifted his eyelids and glanced at her.
Duoduo ran over, grabbed chopsticks, and took a bite of each dish, stuffing them into her mouth.
Her mouth was stuffed full, like a squirrel hoarding food, her cheeks bulging.
The Prince of Pingyang looked coldly at Duoduo, seemingly very dissatisfied with her performance.
Duoduo wolfed down the food in her mouth, then looked at the Prince.
"Sorry, this servant is late. I have tasted the food now. Please eat, Your Highness."
The Prince of Pingyang frowned, looking at a grain of rice stuck at the corner of Duoduo's mouth. His fingers itched slightly.
Duoduo seemed to sense the Prince's gaze. She raised her hand and wiped the rice grain away.
"Where is the handkerchief?" The Prince frowned again.
Thinking the Prince wanted his handkerchief back, Duoduo hurriedly pulled it from her bosom.
Only after taking it out did she suddenly remember the handkerchief was still wrapped around the peach blossom pastry.
"Sorry, I'll wash it clean and return it to you next time."
Duoduo prepared to stuff the handkerchief back into her bosom, but a hand with distinct knuckles appeared before her eyes.
"Hand it over!"
Duoduo looked up. "It's dirty."
"Hand it over!" The Prince of Pingyang frowned tightly, seeming very impatient.
Duoduo had no choice but to take the peach blossom pastry in her hand, shake out the handkerchief, and place it on the table.
"I had washed it clean, but I accidentally forgot today and got it dirty again!"
The Prince of Pingyang's gaze swept over the peach blossom pastry, then returned to Duoduo.
Noticing the Prince's gaze, Duoduo pulled her hand back behind her.
This peach blossom pastry was for Nanny Li!
The Prince's hand stretched out before Duoduo.
"Take it out!"
A little frightened, Duoduo had no choice but to produce the peach blossom pastry in her hand.
The Prince took it. It was just an ordinary peach blossom pastry, yet she had guarded it so tightly?
Without a second thought, he put the pastry into his mouth.
Hmm, too sweet, too cloying, not tasty.
After eating the entire piece, the Prince wore an expression of distaste.
"When did the skills of the manor's cooks become so poor?"
"It wasn't the cook. Lüdou made it specially for me," Duoduo hurriedly explained.
If a cook got punished by the steward because of a piece of pastry, Lüdou would definitely be implicated.
Only then did the Prince's brow relax.
So that was it. No wonder, he had thought, how could the manor produce such low-quality pastries.
Having eaten a piece of pastry, the Prince looked at the food on the table and lost his appetite.
He pushed his wheelchair, preparing to leave.
Duoduo blocked his path.
"Your Highness, you haven't eaten your meal yet."
The Prince raised an eyebrow. This little girl had quite some nerve! Daring to tell him what to do?
Seeing the Prince frown, Duoduo pointed at the food on the table.
"This whole table of dishes is really delicious!"
Duoduo rubbed her stomach. She had eaten too hastily earlier and hadn't really tasted much.
But the Prince's food was truly excellent.
Just looking at it made it seem delicious.
"Not eating." The Prince of Pingyang would not obey the words of a little maid.
"If you don't eat, you won't grow tall!"
"If you don't eat, you won't gain weight!"
"If you don't eat, if you don't eat, you won't grow up handsome!"
After saying the last sentence, Duoduo's eyes widened.
"Pfft!"
The Prince of Pingyang couldn't help but let out a scoffing laugh.
"You don't know? This Prince's legs are broken. I cannot grow taller."
"Also, this Prince does not like being fat, nor does he care about being handsome."
After hearing the Prince's cold reply, Duoduo blinked her eyes.
"But your legs, they're fine!"
The Prince's face darkened. "This Prince knows his own legs' condition better than anyone."
"Also, no matter who sent you to curry favor with this Prince, it's useless!"
"Enough. Go back to wherever you came from!"
After saying this last sentence, the Prince pushed his wheelchair out of the room.
Lingfeng appeared outside the door and pushed the wheelchair away.
Duoduo didn't understand. What had she said wrong?
The Prince of Pingyang, who had been amiable just moments ago, had turned hostile in the blink of an eye. No wonder Duoduo was always afraid whenever she saw the Prince.
Especially when she remembered Old Woman Li from the Song household, who was ordered killed by the Prince for saying the wrong thing.
Whenever Duoduo remembered that, she would shiver.
Thinking of this, Duoduo turned and ran out of the room.
If not for the Prince's order, she would never have come.
Staying by Nanny Li's side to serve her was actually quite nice.
At least, Nanny Li wasn't moody.
Moreover, Nanny Li taught her so many things!
Thinking of this, Duoduo's steps lightened.
She needed to hurry back, finish her tasks, and find time to review what Nanny had taught her.
Meanwhile, Lingfeng pushed the Prince of Pingyang to his study.
Since his fall and injury, the Prince had moved to live in the study.
After helping the Prince wash up, Lingfeng carried him to the bed.
Lingfeng brought the books the Prince usually read and handed them to him.
The Prince felt an itch on his neck and scratched it.
Lingfeng suddenly noticed the red mark on the Prince's neck and was startled.
"Your Highness, what happened? Why is there such a large red patch on your neck?"
