Su Xian's face flushed again.
After arriving in the capital, Duoduo was busy, and Xu Jinxin was even busier, nowhere to be seen.
When she was alone, she often forgot to exercise.
Sometimes she remembered, but practicing alone always felt awkward.
Xiao Yi saw Su Xian's expression and understood immediately.
“Yunxiao!”
He called out toward the door.
“Your Highness.” Yunxiao pushed the door open and bowed.
“Bring those two matrons to see the Princess,” Xiao Yi ordered.
“Yes.”
After Yunxiao left, he soon returned with two matrons.
Though called matrons, the two were not very old.
One had a round face, looking very amiable.
The other had a very plain face, so ordinary that Su Xian felt as if she had seen her somewhere before.
To Su Xian, they seemed only slightly older than Lianxin and the others.
As soon as the two entered the room, they knelt and bowed to Xiao Yi and Su Xian.
The round-faced matron spoke with a smile on her face, making her very pleasant to look at.
The plain-faced one was quiet but not off-putting.
Both were surnamed Zhang, so based on age, they were called Big Zhang and Little Zhang.
Big Zhang was the quiet one, while Little Zhang was round-faced, smiling whenever she spoke.
Su Xian briefly inquired about their backgrounds and found their answers appropriate.
She felt somewhat satisfied.
“Your task is to never leave the Princess’s side,” Xiao Yi said coldly, his tone stern.
“Even if you must leave for something, one of you must stay by the Princess’s side.”
“No matter how urgent the matter, the Princess’s safety comes first!”
“The Prince of Pingyang’s mansion does not support useless people. Do you hear me clearly?”
Big Zhang and Little Zhang bowed their heads and responded.
“Alright, please rise,” Su Xian said, generous to her servants as always.
“Yes, thank you, Your Highnesses!”
The two stood up after expressing their gratitude.
Su Xian felt it was best not to linger. “Your Highness, I’ll go practice my boxing,” she said, bowing to Xiao Yi and leaving with the two matrons and her maidservants.
After Su Xian left, Yunxiao bowed to Xiao Yi.
“Your Highness, the Junzhu has been having Shitou buy servants. Should we plant someone among them?”
Shitou had contacted several middlemen, and the people shadowing Shitou naturally reported this to Yunxiao.
Xiao Yi’s lips curled into a smile.
“The Junzhu is building her own group. Our people won’t get in.”
Yunxiao was puzzled.
“Our people have families with children too. We can arrange for them to join.”
“Wouldn’t that be safer than outsiders?”
Xiao Yi looked up at Yunxiao.
“Whose orders do you think they would follow?”
Yunxiao answered without hesitation, “Yours, of course, Your Highness!”
Seeing Xiao Yi staring at him silently, Yunxiao paused, confused about what his master meant.
“What the Junzhu wants are servants loyal to her!”
Xiao Yi was in a good mood, so he hinted at this to Yunxiao.
“What’s the difference? Being loyal to you isn’t that the same as being loyal to the Junzhu?” Yunxiao grumbled.
Xiao Yi shook his head.
“No, it’s different. If I order you to prevent the Junzhu from going out, as her person, would you obey me or her?”
Yunxiao was momentarily speechless.
He only knew that the prince greatly valued the Junzhu.
In his eyes, protecting the Junzhu was no different from protecting the prince.
But if the prince and the Junzhu clashed, he would still prioritize the prince.
No reason other than he was the prince’s guard.
“I understand now,” Yunxiao said, lowering his head.
“You’ve reminded me. I recall a soldier who joined us recently brought an orphan, didn’t he?” Xiao Yi asked.
Yunxiao nodded. “Yes, he picked him up on the road.
“They say his whole family is dead, and he’s about the same age as Shitou.”
Xiao Yi nodded.
“Have him find a way to bump into Shitou. You know the rest, don’t you?”
Yunxiao understood.
“Yes, Your Highness. I heard Shitou is going to an abandoned temple tomorrow to look for people. I’ll send him there right away.”
Xiao Yi waved his hand, and Yunxiao quickly walked out.
Duoduo had no idea that Xiao Yi was planting someone by her side.
Right now, she was excitedly leaning out the carriage window.
“Lüdou, how much longer?” she asked.
Lüdou glanced outside. “After this street, we’ll be there.”
“Junzhu, do you think that with this new watermelon juice, people will still buy pastries?”
Lüdou had been nervous for a long time and finally asked.
Duoduo pulled back inside and saw Lüdou’s anxious look. She blinked.
“Lüdou, do you have faith in your own skills?”
Lüdou nodded firmly. “I do!”
Duoduo smiled. “Then what are you worried about?”
“We can start small. If many people like it, we’ll make more.”
“Besides, I have high hopes for your pastries!”
“I think they’ll sell even better than the watermelon juice!”
Lüdou looked dubious. “Junzhu, how is that possible?”
“The watermelon juice looks so tempting that anyone would want to buy it. How could it lose to pastries?”
“Because watermelon juice can’t be taken away, but pastries can be bought and shared with family!” Duoduo explained.
Lüdou thought it over and felt Duoduo had a point.
Her confidence grew a little.
Just then, the carriage stopped in front of a shop.
Duoduo stepped out of the carriage and saw a bustling crowd inside, with the aroma of barbecue floating in the air.
She took a deep breath.
“It smells so good!”
Lüdou helped Duoduo down from the carriage.
They saw a long line outside the shop.
The shop had set up chairs and served tea to those waiting in line.
The waiting customers weren’t impatient; they chatted among themselves.
Inside, waiters carried trays of barbecue to various tables.
Duoduo stared at the scene, her mouth agape.
Xu Jinxin, who was busy greeting guests inside, looked up and saw the carriage outside.
Thinking it was just some wealthy family coming to eat, she did a double-take when she spotted Duoduo.
“Ah!”
Xu Jinxin quickly put down her work and ran out.
“Duoduo, what are you doing here?”
“Aunt Xu, where is Sister?” Duoduo looked around for Yingniang.
Since the shop opened, Yingniang had been helping out daily.
Duoduo hadn’t seen Yingniang in a long time.
“Yingniang! Yingniang, come quick! Look who’s here?”
Xu Jinxin shouted into the shop.
Soon, a small figure ran out from the kitchen.
“Duoduo!”
Yingniang was delighted to see her and came over to take Duoduo’s hand.
“Come on, let me treat you to something delicious!” Yingniang pulled Duoduo toward the entrance.
“Hold on,” Duoduo stopped Yingniang. “I brought you something good! Guess what it is?”
