"Keep your back straight and your head up. What do you look like, slouching and looking down like that?"
Nanny Li tapped Duoduo's back with a discipline ruler.
Duoduo shivered, straightened her back, and raised her head.
"Right, look straight ahead, do not look left or right. Stand just like this for the time it takes an incense stick to burn."
After saying this, Nanny Li sat down on a chair and picked up her teacup.
Having been trained in standing before, Duoduo found it quite easy to stand still.
After the incense stick burned out, the nanny taught Duoduo how to walk over to the chair and how to sit properly.
"When walking, you must not expose your feet. When sitting, your back must be straight. When smiling, you must not show your teeth..."
Duoduo felt that what Nanny Li was teaching her now was different from what she had taught everyone else before.
Although she was confused, she obediently followed the instructions.
Duoduo felt that Nanny Li must be doing this for her own good.
Therefore, Duoduo learned very earnestly.
Seeing that it was almost time for lunch, Duoduo started to get a little anxious.
"Do not sway when you walk. Your upper body must remain as steady as a mountain. No matter how big the issue is, you must remain unhurried."
Nanny Li frowned.
Duoduo stuck out her tongue.
"Nanny, it is almost time for His Highness to have his meal..."
Nanny Li heard what Duoduo said; the prince had indeed told the girl to go over at noon.
Nanny Li secretly shook her head.
What exactly was the Prince of Pingyang trying to do? Even she could not understand it anymore!
"Alright, off you go," Nanny Li waved her hand.
Duoduo curtsied to the nanny and left with small, quick steps.
Duoduo arrived at the study panting, just as the Prince of Pingyang's servant had brought the food back.
Duoduo patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
Fortunately, she had made it just in time!
Suddenly, Duoduo saw golden words appear before her eyes again.
Duoduo froze in place, trying to decipher the words.
[To... day... there... is...]
Duoduo realized that there were a few words she did not recognize.
Subconsciously, Duoduo felt this was very important.
Because today's words were different from the usual ones.
Usually, the words were a standard golden yellow.
But today's gold had a hint of red in it.
Duoduo scratched the palm of her hand and ran inside, completely disregarding etiquette.
The Prince of Pingyang was holding a book, sitting leisurely at the desk by the window, flipping through the pages.
Seeing Duoduo come in, the Prince of Pingyang merely lifted his eyelids.
Duoduo leaned closer and coincidentally saw a word on the page that matched one of the words she did not recognize.
"What is this word?"
Duoduo pointed her little finger at the word.
The Prince of Pingyang frowned. Seeing that Duoduo was pointing at the word "poison," he grew suspicious.
"Why are you asking about this word?" he scrutinized Duoduo.
Duoduo was very anxious, but she did not know how to explain it to the Prince of Pingyang.
If the Prince of Pingyang knew that words appeared before her eyes, he would definitely think she was a monster!
Duoduo scratched her palm and uncomfortably looked away.
"I just saw it, so I asked."
The Prince of Pingyang did not believe her. "This word is 'poison,' as in a toxic poison!"
Duoduo's eyes widened. She looked at the word "poison" on the Prince of Pingyang's book, and then looked at the row of golden words in front of her.
They were indeed exactly the same.
There is poison?
What is poisoned?
Duoduo felt like her little brain could not process this.
"Your Highness, lunch is served," Ling Feng walked in.
The Prince of Pingyang put down his book and looked at Duoduo.
"Let's go."
Duoduo felt very uneasy. She wanted to ask about the other two words, but she was worried that the Prince of Pingyang would get suspicious.
Moreover, she did not even know how to write those two words.
Duoduo was very frustrated. If only she could recognize those two words!
Duoduo followed behind the wheelchair and arrived at the dining room.
Today's meal was about the same as usual.
Duoduo hesitated. What if the food was poisoned?
If she ate it, wouldn't she die?
Ling Feng picked a little bit of every dish into a bowl, and then handed the bowl to Duoduo.
Duoduo saw the Prince of Pingyang looking at her, waiting for her to taste the food, and she felt terrified.
"Your Highness! This food is poisoned!"
Duoduo steeled her heart and simply blurted it out.
The Prince of Pingyang and Ling Feng exchanged a quick glance.
Ling Feng quickly left the room, and a moment later, he brought a cat back in.
He placed the food in front of the cat. The cat smelled the aroma and gobbled it down in large bites.
After eating, the cat strolled around the room.
The time of an incense stick passed, and the cat was completely fine.
It even found a spot, curled up into a ball, and started to doze off.
The Prince of Pingyang's face darkened. "You did that on purpose!"
Duoduo waved her hands in a panic. "No, I didn't!"
The Prince of Pingyang glared at Duoduo with sharp eyes.
"Are you dissatisfied with me asking you to taste my food every day, so you deliberately claimed the food was poisoned? Just to stop me from eating?"
Duoduo's mind was completely blank. She thought the food was poisoned, but it wasn't.
Then what was poisoned?
Duoduo shook her head vigorously. "No, Your Highness, you misunderstood! It is..."
Duoduo stammered for a long time but could not come up with a proper explanation.
The Prince of Pingyang stared at Duoduo for a long while.
"Ling Feng, go investigate!"
"Inspect everything prepared for me in the manor today."
Ling Feng was a bit surprised. He had not expected the Prince of Pingyang to actually believe Duoduo's words.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Ling Feng withdrew from the room.
Duoduo looked at the Prince of Pingyang with a face full of surprise. "You believe what I said?"
The Prince of Pingyang stroked the jade thumb ring on his hand. "I don't believe it!"
"If you don't believe it, why did you ask Ling Feng to investigate?" Duoduo thought the Prince of Pingyang was acting very strange.
"To make you give up!"
The Prince of Pingyang could not explain why either.
It was just that, earlier, when he saw Duoduo so anxious that she was almost sweating, he inexplicably believed her.
Besides, in his current position, being a little cautious was never a bad thing.
If someone had truly planted poison and he did not know about it, wouldn't that just be letting the poisoner off easy?
"Since the food is not poisoned, let's eat!"
The Prince of Pingyang was hungry.
Hearing the Prince of Pingyang's command, Duoduo climbed onto a chair, stood on it, and began to serve food to the Prince of Pingyang.
The Prince of Pingyang grabbed her and lifted her down, placing her properly on her seat.
"I do not like others helping me!"
The Prince of Pingyang picked up his chopsticks, picked up some food, and put it in his mouth.
Duoduo tilted her head. Usually, it seemed like Ling Feng always helped the Prince of Pingyang serve his food.
She had only offered to help today because she saw that Ling Feng was not present.
But the Prince of Pingyang actually said he didn't like others helping him?
No wonder the Prince of Pingyang always ate so little!
Duoduo decided to tell Ling Feng about this.
This way, if the Prince of Pingyang served himself, he might eat a bit more.
Duoduo quietly observed the Prince of Pingyang.
Too thin!
Too pale!
Too weak!
"Are you planning to poison me while I am not paying attention?"
The Prince of Pingyang shot Duoduo a sidelong glance.
Duoduo hurriedly waved her hands. "I am not!"
"Then why aren't you eating?"
"Huh?" Duoduo froze.
The Prince of Pingyang's gaze shifted to the chopsticks resting by Duoduo's hand.
Duoduo followed the Prince of Pingyang's gaze, and she quickly picked up her chopsticks.
