Duoduo didn’t stop walking. She acted as if she hadn’t heard.
Yunxi’s face revealed a very awkward expression.
Yunmeng, however, stared at the clothes Duoduo was wearing with pure jealousy.
“I heard from Aunt that you’re attending the Imperial Academy?” Yunmeng’s tone was dripping with envy.
Duoduo glanced at the uncomfortable Yunxi, then at Yunmeng, whose face was a mix of jealousy and curiosity.
She nodded solemnly.
“That’s right. Even princesses, princesses consort, and princes can go to the Imperial Academy.”
Hearing this, Yunmeng grew indignant.
“You’re just an adopted daughter of the prince—you’re only riding on my aunt’s coattails!”
Yunxi was about to put on a stern face and stop Yunmeng when she felt Duoduo give her a little squeeze.
Yunxi looked at Duoduo in surprise, only to see Duoduo flash Yunmeng a huge smile.
“Cousin, you’re wrong!”
“Mother and I are both riding on Father’s coattails!”
Did Yunmeng think that just because Su Xian was a daughter of the Su family, they could all benefit from it?
In Duoduo’s eyes, Yunmeng was just like Song Shuyu—both spoiled rotten by their grandmothers.
Both of them were shortsighted!
They thought they could use family ties to control Su Xian and make her secure benefits for the Su family?
But they forgot one thing: the only person Su Xian could rely on was Xiao Yi.
“My aunt is the princess consort!” Yunmeng protested stubbornly.
“That’s only because of Father that she became the princess consort,” Duoduo stated coldly, laying out the facts.
“Otherwise, why isn’t your mother the princess consort? Or your grandmother?”
Duoduo’s words left Yunmeng speechless.
She wanted to argue back but couldn’t find the words.
She wanted to leave, but she also hated to give up.
Duoduo ignored Yunmeng. She took Yunxi by the hand and led her into her own room.
As soon as Yunxi entered, she noticed the calligraphy practice sheets on the table.
“Your Highness, are you going to do your homework?”
Yunxi knew that when her older brothers came home from school, they had to practice calligraphy and review their lessons. Sometimes, their father would even test them on their studies when he returned.
Her brothers worked hard and diligently.
Duoduo shook her head.
“I’ve already finished mine.”
Duoduo signaled to Lü Dou to put the calligraphy sheets away, but Yunmood crowded closer.
“Pfft! Is this supposed to be writing, or are you just scribbling ghosts?” Yunmeng burst out laughing.
She had seen her brothers’ homework—clean and neat.
Not like Duoduo’s, which was barely presentable.
Lü Dou quickly rolled up the sheets carefully, planning to put them in Duoduo’s bookcase. These had to be shown to the tutor tomorrow.
Yunmeng reached out to snatch them. “Third Sister, come quick—look at her ghost scribbles!”
The paper was fragile to begin with, and Yunmeng’s tug tore it instantly.
Lü Dou’s tears fell in panic.
“Miss Cousin, that was Her Highness’s homework—she worked so hard on it!”
Lü Dou knew that Duoduo wrote with her left hand, which made it especially difficult.
Realizing she had caused trouble, Yunmeng guiltily pulled her hand back.
“It’s not my fault—you pulled too hard and tore it! I barely touched it!”
Yunxi hurried over, took the torn paper from Lü Dou’s hands, and spread it open.
The paper had a tear right down the middle.
The homework was ruined!
Panic hit Yunxi immediately.
“Seventh Sister, how could you ruin Her Highness’s homework?”
Yunmeng hadn’t expected Yunxi to scold her right away, and she grew furious.
“Third Sister, it wasn’t me who broke it!”
“Just because she’s a princess, don’t you dare throw the blame on me!”
“We’re real sisters. She’s nothing!”
Yunmeng pushed back recklessly.
Then she turned to run out.
Duoduo grabbed her sleeve. “You ruined my calligraphy. Apologize!”
Yunmeng hadn’t expected Duoduo to stop her. She struggled, trying to yank her sleeve free.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break loose.
The dress she was wearing was new—her mother had made it especially for their trip to the capital. Today was the first time she had put it on.
Seeing her dress getting wrinkled, Yunmeng grew frantic.
“Let go of my dress! My dress is very expensive!”
Duoduo held on stubbornly. “Apologize!”
Yunxi also came over and grabbed Yunmeng. “You ruined Her Highness’s things. Apologize now!”
“If you try to run, I’ll tell Aunt, and I’ll see if she lets you stay in the manor anymore!”
Yunmeng had already been feeling guilty about what she had done.
Hearing Yunxi’s words, she panicked.
Before coming to the capital, her mother had warned her never to make Aunt angry.
But lowering her head to apologize to Duoduo felt too humiliating.
Stuck in a dilemma, Yunmeng started crying.
“Fine, I’m sorry, okay?”
Since Yunmeng had apologized, Duoduo didn’t want to go too far and make things difficult for her mother.
She let go.
Yunmeng immediately started smoothing out the wrinkles on her dress, distressed.
Yunxi stared at the torn calligraphy, deeply worried.
“Your Highness, what do we do now?”
“If I try to glue it back together, will the teacher scold you?”
Duoduo shook her head. She took the torn paper from Yunxi and casually tossed it into the wastepaper basket.
“Third Cousin, don’t worry. I’ll just rewrite it.”
Duoduo walked over to her desk. Lü Dou quickly dried her tears and went forward to grind the ink.
Yunxi followed, worried. She saw Duoduo pick up the brush with her left hand, and her eyes widened in surprise.
“Your Highness, you’re left-handed too?”
Duoduo looked at Yunxi curiously. “What does ‘left-handed’ mean?”
Yunxi’s face reddened. She bit her lip.
“I’m sorry. I misspoke.”
Duoduo shook her head.
“It’s fine. Tell me, what does ‘left-handed’ mean?”
Just then, Yunmeng, who was still standing by the door, spoke up.
“Left-handed people are all dumb!”
“Yunmeng!” Yunxi shouted sharply, trying to stop her.
Yunmeng pouted and turned her gaze to the shelf nearby.
Yunxi turned back. “Your Highness, don’t listen to her nonsense.”
“Being left-handed just means someone is used to doing things with their left hand.”
“To be honest, I’m used to using my left hand too.”
After saying this, a hint of sadness flickered across Yunxi’s face.
Duoduo finally understood. So people looked down on those who used their left hands.
She tilted her head.
“Third Sister, who says using the left hand makes you dumb?”
“I think people who can use their left hands are actually the smartest.”
“Look, most people can only use their right hands; their left hands are useless.”
Yunxi forced a smile. She thought Duoduo was just trying to comfort her.
Duoduo noticed the disappointment in Yunxi’s face, then glanced at Yunmeng, who was smirking by the door.
Suddenly, she moved the brush to her right hand.
“Third Sister, watch this!”
Duoduo quickly wrote several characters on the paper.
With bold, sweeping strokes, several powerful letters appeared on the page.
Yunxi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Then Duoduo switched the brush back to her left hand and wrote the same characters again.
