Duoduo was stunned by the sudden, harsh reprimand.
"Kneel! Didn't you hear me?!" Xiao Yi's face was gloomy, his tone freezing cold.
Duoduo stared at Xiao Yi with her big eyes, and after a moment, she slowly knelt down.
However, she stared at him stubbornly, refusing to let the tears welling up in her eyes fall.
"Father, what did your daughter do wrong? Please enlighten me!"
Xiao Yi looked at Duoduo kneeling on the ground, tears swirling in her eyes but kept under strict control.
His own heart softened first.
Xiao Yi's hands, resting on his knees, clenched into fists.
"Tell me yourself, what did you do?" Xiao Yi tried his best to harden his heart.
Today, the Emperor had suddenly appeared at the shop with Eunuch Li, giving Xiao Yi a huge fright.
While dealing with the Emperor, he had Yunxiao investigate what exactly had happened.
By the time the Emperor left, Xiao Yi knew everything that had occurred in the palace.
He was furious.
He had told Duoduo to hide her talents, but what did she do? Not only did she disobey, but she also made a huge spectacle of herself!
Xiao Yi had rushed back immediately.
He couldn't quite understand it. Duoduo had always been so obedient; why did she suddenly seem like a completely different person after entering the palace?
Xiao Yi was deeply worried that someone in the palace had said something to her, causing such a drastic change.
No matter how smart Duoduo was, she was only a four-year-old girl.
How could she possibly outsmart those monsters and demons in the palace!
The more Xiao Yi thought about it, the more worried he became, and the more worried he was, the angrier he got.
He was angry at Duoduo for being disobedient, but even more so, he was angry at himself for not being able to protect his child openly!
Just as his anger was peaking, Duoduo knocked on the door.
Caught in the heat of his fury, Xiao Yi saw her and blurted out,
"Kneel!"
Now, Duoduo's pitiful and wronged appearance made Xiao Yi's hand unconsciously reach out toward her.
Halfway there, he curled it into a fist and pulled it back.
"I was good in class today," Duoduo said righteously.
Xiao Yi laughed out of sheer anger.
Hah! Was she playing word games with him?
Xiao Yi picked up the disciplinary ruler beside him and slammed it onto the table.
Smack! The loud sound made Duoduo flinch involuntarily.
She suddenly remembered the beatings she had endured in her early childhood. Those painful memories were like shadows, entwined in her very bones and blood.
Unable to hold back any longer, Duoduo burst into loud wails.
"I didn't do anything wrong! I just didn't do anything wrong!"
Xiao Yi looked at the ruler in his hand and silently tossed it aside.
He hadn't even struck her yet, and she was already crying like this.
If he actually hit her, who knew how long it would take to coax her to stop?
Duoduo's crying reached outside the door, making Lüdou and Nanny Li extremely anxious.
"Lüdou, hurry and find the Princess Consort to come save the Princess!"
Nanny Li made a prompt decision. Lüdou nodded, put down the book box, and ran off as fast as her legs could carry her.
Though anxious, Nanny Li pretended not to notice the breach of decorum.
Inside the room, the more Duoduo thought about it, the more wronged she felt. What had she done wrong?
She just wanted to help her father, how was that wrong?
Not only did her father not appreciate it, but he also yelled at her!
The more she thought about it, the sadder she became, and she couldn't stop crying.
Xiao Yi raised a hand to rub his temples.
It was the first time he realized Duoduo was quite the crier.
She had been crying for a good while now and still showed no signs of stopping.
He sighed, stood up from his wheelchair, and picked Duoduo up.
"Refusing to admit your mistakes and crying on top of it! I don't know who you get this temper from."
Feeling wronged, Duoduo wrapped her arms around Xiao Yi's neck.
"From you, Father!"
Xiao Yi was amused.
But as he smiled, his smile suddenly faded.
Because a memory suddenly flashed in his mind.
When he was a child, his Imperial Father had hit his palms as punishment, and he had stiffened his neck, refusing to admit fault.
Later, his Imperial Father made him kneel as punishment for a day and a night, until he finally fainted.
His Imperial Father was terrified and stayed by his side until he woke up, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
At that time, his Imperial Father had also said, "So stubborn and unyielding, I don't know who you get it from."
And his answer back then was exactly the same.
"From you, Imperial Father!"
Xiao Yi carried Duoduo over to a nearby chair and sat down, placing her on his lap.
"I explicitly told you to hide your abilities. Why did you show off today?"
Earlier, Duoduo had guessed that her father might be angry about this.
So, upon hearing his question, her crying gradually subsided.
Xiao Yi took a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped Duoduo's face.
Duoduo noticed that it was the very handkerchief she had embroidered for him.
She had embroidered a little rabbit in one corner.
When Xiao Yi first saw it, he had shown great disdain.
Duoduo hadn't expected her father to have been using it all along.
She grabbed the handkerchief and haphazardly wiped her own face.
"Hmm? Still haven't thought of how to answer?" Xiao Yi asked lightly.
"Tell Father, did someone tell you to do this?" Xiao Yi's voice carried a trace of tension.
Duoduo tilted her head and looked at him curiously.
"Father, why do you ask that?"
"Answer my question first," Xiao Yi pursed his lips.
Duoduo lowered her head, playing with the handkerchief in her hands.
"No one taught me to do it. I wanted to do it myself."
"You told me to hide my talents, and I did."
"Originally, during today's horseback riding and archery class, I didn't plan on standing out at all."
"On the way to class in the afternoon, I ran into Imperial Grandfather."
"Imperial Grandfather heard that I chose horseback riding and archery, so he offered to come and watch."
"But then Noble Consort Li suddenly brought Xiao Yun'an, saying he also wanted to take the class."
"That Xiao Yunchuan deliberately provoked Xiao Yun'an, and Xiao Yun'an fainted from fright."
"I saw the disappointment all over Imperial Grandfather's face, and remembered that Noble Consort Li had specifically brought Xiao Yun'an over."
"I guessed that Noble Consort Li wanted to curry favor with Imperial Grandfather."
"At that moment, I just didn't want to give this rare opportunity to anyone else!"
As Duoduo reached this point, she lost some of her confidence.
She had acted on impulse then, but now, after crying and calming down, she understood Xiao Yi's concerns.
"Just to fight for this momentary opportunity, you stuck your neck out?"
Xiao Yi pinched Duoduo's cheek, frustrated by her failure to meet his expectations.
Duoduo covered the pinched spot, feeling guilty.
"Didn't I teach you that an emperor's favor is the most illusory thing of all!"
"For the sake of those illusory things, you exposed yourself to danger. Where did you put my words?"
As Xiao Yi spoke, his tone grew increasingly serious.
Duoduo pouted. "What if those things aren't illusory?"
"What if they are important?"
Xiao Yi hadn't expected Duoduo to dare talk back.
His expression turned cold.
"Important? What is important?"
"Even I, his own biological son, can become an abandoned pawn!"
"You are a child with no blood relation to him at all. Do you really think he will feel any familial affection for you?!"
Duoduo stared blankly at Xiao Yi. She saw the pain, sorrow, and struggle in his eyes.
And a deep sense of self-loathing.
Duoduo dazedly raised her little hands and wrapped them around Xiao Yi's neck.
She pressed her little face against his cheek.
