Because Xiao Che had just lost his temper, the classroom was very quiet.
Duoduo's mumbled complaint was faintly heard by Xiao Che.
He heard Duoduo say he was meddling, which made him a bit irritated.
As if he wanted to meddle?
The noise in the classroom was disturbing his sleep!
Xiao Che initially didn't want to acknowledge Duoduo, but then he suddenly heard her say something.
Short-lived!
Short-lived??
Who was she referring to? Him?
Xiao Che's gaze darkened.
His hands clenched into fists secretly.
During the break between classes, Duoduo went to find Lüdou.
Lüdou and Qingliu accompanied her to relieve herself.
When they arrived, Lüdou had Qingliu wait outside.
"Lüdou, any luck? Did you find out anything?"
Duoduo asked.
Lüdou shook her head. "Princess, that Qingliu is very tight-lipped."
"I pressed her for a long time. She said what needed to be said, but didn't utter a single word about what shouldn't be said."
Duoduo thought for a moment. "Did she ask you about me?"
Lüdou shook her head again.
"She speaks very little. Apart from when I ask her questions, she almost never talks."
Duoduo stood up, and Lüdou quickly came over to help.
"Keep an eye on her these next few days."
"Even though she was sent by Father."
"But one cannot be too careful. We still need to stay vigilant."
Lüdou nodded emphatically.
"Rest assured, Princess. I'll keep a close watch on her."
Duoduo walked out to wash her hands. "Don't be too obvious."
"Just stay alert. If she truly has ulterior motives, she'll eventually slip up."
Lüdou nodded again.
"Princess, from what Qingliu said, it seems she knows martial arts?"
"Yes, Mother said she's here to protect me."
Lüdou grew curious.
"Then who's more skilled—her or you?"
Duoduo turned to look at Lüdou. "You could find a chance to ask her to teach you a thing or two."
Lüdou's eyes lit up.
"Princess, I understand!"
The two of them walked out and saw Qingliu standing not far away, waiting.
When she saw them come out, she immediately approached.
"Princess, I just saw the son of the Ling Prince's manor lingering nearby."
Duoduo and Lüdou glanced around but didn't see anyone.
"He saw me here and eventually left," Qingliu explained.
Duoduo nodded.
"Let's go. Back to class!"
Because of the Emperor's bestowal of the jade pendant the day before, everything was very calm today.
Duoduo smoothly finished her lessons.
As soon as the Tutor left, she grabbed her book chest and ran out.
Qingliu was quicker than Lüdou and took the book chest first.
Duoduo noticed the frustration on Lüdou's face, and her eyes flickered.
This Qingliu was indeed more skilled in martial arts than Lüdou.
But that was a good thing!
Lüdou was the type to go with the flow.
Ever since they arrived at the Pingyang Prince's manor, when Lüdou realized that the Prince and Princess genuinely treated Duoduo well, she had relaxed.
At first, she had still worked hard, hoping for a better future for herself and Duoduo.
But as Duoduo's situation improved, Lüdou had become content with her role as a servant.
Duoduo, recalling their childhood bond, relied heavily on Lüdou.
That was why, when she came to the capital, she had brought only Lüdou.
This, in turn, had caused Lüdou to grow complacent.
Duoduo remembered a lesson her father had once taught her.
When a person becomes complacent, that is the most dangerous time.
Because complacency equals regression.
Duoduo had no intention of regressing.
She certainly didn't want the Lüdou who followed her to regress either.
Duoduo always remembered Lüdou's dream.
To rise above, to become unyielding, to rely on her own strength to make those around her live well.
Lüdou might forget her original aspirations because of a change in circumstances.
But Duoduo would never forget.
No matter what happened with Qingliu, if she could ignite Lüdou's competitive spirit, that would be a merit on Qingliu's part.
Duoduo led her maids back to the residence smoothly.
The first thing she did upon returning was to pay her respects to Su Xian.
Su Xian gently waved her hand, beckoning Duoduo over.
Duoduo went over and nestled into Su Xian's embrace.
Su Xian took out a handkerchief to wipe Duoduo's sweat.
"You must be hot. Why didn't you walk more slowly? Look at all this sweat on your forehead."
Duoduo obediently let Su Xian wipe her face.
"Lian Xin, has that matter with the physician been investigated?"
Lian Xin quickly bowed. "At your command, Princess, I sent someone to ask."
"The steward indeed went to the Tongrentang Pharmacy to hire that physician."
"I went to the Tongrentang Pharmacy myself. The shop assistant said that physician had only recently joined the pharmacy."
"Princess, is there something wrong with the prescription that physician wrote?" Lian Xin voiced her doubt.
Duoduo took the prescription out of her sleeve.
"In this prescription, two of the ingredients counteract each other."
"These two ingredients are the most important ones."
"Their mutual restraint causes the entire prescription to become unbalanced."
"Simply put, this decoction won't cure the illness; it will only make it worse."
Su Xian's eyes showed shock.
"Duoduo, are you saying this prescription won't just fail to heal, it will actually kill Nanny Li?"
Duoduo nodded.
"Nanny Li is elderly. When she fell ill, her body was already weak."
"Taking this prescription would be like adding frost to snow—it's essentially a death sentence."
Duoduo explained only the gist, avoiding the more severe consequences.
She was afraid of frightening her mother.
This prescription was cunningly crafted.
At first glance, it seemed to suit the symptoms.
But because of the antagonism between the two ingredients, the whole prescription became a poison.
Nanny Li was someone Xiao Yi valued highly.
If she fell gravely ill, Xiao Yi would certainly not ignore her.
Whether it was Xiao Yi, Su Xian, or Duoduo herself, they would all go to visit her.
If any one of the three of them came into contact with the poison, it would quickly spread to the others.
Even if they were lucky enough to avoid direct contact during a brief visit, the servants tending to Nanny Li would certainly not escape.
In the end, the entire Pingyang Prince's manor would become infected.
This poison was a slow-acting toxin.
An ordinary physician would only treat it as a heat-dampness condition.
Without the correct treatment, the afflicted would eventually die in agony.
If it weren't for Teacher Zhang's extensive knowledge of various poisons and his willingness to pass on all his experience to Duoduo, she would never have been able to detect the pulse so quickly and prevent the situation from escalating.
"Mother, do not involve yourself in this matter."
"I'll go tell Father. Let him handle it."
Duoduo finished speaking, stood up, and prepared to leave.
"Duoduo, is everything alright with Nanny Li now?" Su Xian asked, still worried.
"Yes, it's fine. I caught it early and gave her some medicine. She'll recover in a couple of days."
With that, Duoduo hurriedly left.
This matter was serious. She needed to inform her father right away.
