"Yes!" The driver jumped down from the carriage and kicked out.
The man dodged, slipping out from under the driver's armpit.
He followed behind Lüdou, trying to climb onto the carriage.
Just as the driver was about to swing his whip, Duoduo heard a somewhat familiar voice.
"Princess Changle, kicking someone when they're down—is that your style?"
Duoduo saw the person's face and quickly stopped the driver.
"I know him, stop!"
The one who had climbed aboard was actually Xiao Che!
The driver's whip changed direction mid-swing, hitting the carriage curtain.
The curtain instantly tore open a slit.
Remembering what she had just seen in the writing, Duoduo made a snap decision and instructed the driver.
"We need to get out of here now!"
The driver acknowledged and whipped the horse into a fast gallop.
Not long after they left, a large group of men in black chased after them.
"There are carriage tracks here!"
One of them quickly spotted the still-visible wheel ruts in the mud.
"Five of you, follow the tracks! The rest, come with me!"
A man who seemed to be the leader quickly deployed their forces.
The heavy rain and the nearly pitch-black sky became their best cover.
The sound of hooves almost melded into the rain.
Duoduo looked at Xiao Che, who had sat down on the floor after climbing into the carriage, and found it strange.
She remembered that the golden characters had clearly said Xiao Che would die.
But why was Xiao Che still alive?
Just now, when she heard the voices, more than one person had been chasing him.
Xiao Che was only in his teens—how had he managed it?
Duoduo knew nothing about Xiao Che as a person.
The Grand Tutor never called on him with questions, and he never attended lessons like archery or riding.
Except for the Grand Tutor's class, he spent all other lessons sleeping facedown on his desk.
For someone who seemed like useless scum, how had he escaped an assassination?
Was it pure luck, or was he playing the fool to hide his strength?
Lüdou blocked in front of Duoduo, afraid that Xiao Che might harm her.
Duoduo patted Lüdou's shoulder.
"Lüdou, he's my classmate."
Lüdou turned back in surprise. Duoduo nodded and clarified his identity.
"He's the Eighth Prince."
Lüdou was momentarily flustered—she had just hit a prince!
Then she straightened herself up firmly.
Prince or not, if he tried to hurt her again, she would still hit him!
But Lüdou deeply regretted her earlier carelessness.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been taken hostage by Xiao Che.
Xiao Che, sitting on the floor, watched the mistress and servant chatting so casually, and a flicker of unreadable emotion passed through his eyes.
He looked at Duoduo. "Princess Changle, do you have any medicine for wounds?"
Duoduo leaned in for a look and saw that Xiao Che's leg had been slashed.
Blood had already soaked his trousers red.
Fortunately, it was pouring rain outside.
Otherwise, with all that blood, they would have been caught in no time!
Duoduo blinked her big eyes.
"I do have some, but my medicine is very expensive."
Xiao Che looked at Duoduo with a deeply meaningful gaze.
Right now, Duoduo looked utterly like a money-grubber, her face full of calculation.
Xiao Che untied the pouch from his waist and tossed it to Duoduo.
"Here, give me the medicine."
Lüdou picked it up, opened it, and found twenty taels of silver inside.
She showed it to Duoduo, who thought for a moment and began fumbling in her sleeve.
Soon, she pulled out a small bottle and handed it to Lüdou.
"Lüdou, go apply the medicine for him."
Lüdou hesitated.
This man had just held a knife to her throat.
Not stabbing him was mercy enough—and now she had to treat him? She'd rather poison him!
"Your Highness, he has hands and feet. He can do it himself."
Duoduo understood Lüdou's grievance and stood up.
"Then I'll do it."
"If he does it himself, what if he uses too much?"
"My medicine is very expensive! The twenty taels he gave only buys twenty taels' worth!"
Hearing this, Lüdou immediately took the bottle from Duoduo's hand.
"Your Highness, you sit. Let me handle it."
Duoduo patted Lüdou's hand with a smile.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
Xiao Che squinted, watching the mistress and servant put on their act.
He sneered inwardly.
It was already strange enough that Princess Changle and her maid had suddenly appeared in the middle of nowhere.
And they just happened to show up on the road where he was ambushed, and just happened to save him—that was even more suspicious.
But for now, he was injured and wasn't sure if he could take them on.
He would see what Princess Changle was really up to.
Lüdou took the medicine, crouched in front of Xiao Che, and tore his pants open in one sharp motion.
The fine brocade fabric ripped into a strip of cloth.
Xiao Che's wound was exposed, and Lüdou gasped.
The cut went all the way to the bone!
And this Eighth Prince hadn't made a single sound!
What incredible endurance!
Lüdou had originally planned to get some revenge, but now she abandoned the thought.
She couldn't help but admire someone with such self-control.
Carefully, Lüdou sprinkled the powder onto the wound.
Xiao Che watched her cautious movements and let out a mocking laugh.
With twenty taels, he could buy a pile of top-grade wound medicine.
This stingy Princess had a stingy maid to match.
Hearing his laugh, Lüdou's hand jerked, sprinkling a bit more than intended.
Her face twisted in dismay.
"Hey, I'm kindly helping you with your wound, and I haven't even heard a single 'thank you.' Where are your manners?"
Xiao Che looked at her with surprise.
He, a prince, was being scolded by a maid?
Lüdou caught his look, looked down at the wound already beginning to heal, screwed the lid back on, and returned to Duoduo's side.
Duoduo took the bottle from Lüdou and put it back in her sleeve.
Xiao Che stared at the wound closing at a visible speed, his eyes filled with shock.
This was no ordinary medicine.
It was practically a miracle drug!
A wild light flickered in Xiao Che's eyes as he looked up at Duoduo.
"Princess Changle, would you sell me this bottle of medicine?"
Duoduo rested her chin on her hands, as if in thought.
Lüdou, who already disliked Xiao Che, was annoyed when she heard he wanted Duoduo's medicine.
"Hey, have you no shame at all?"
"Our princess kindly saved you, and now you're scheming to take her medicine?"
"Do you think our princess is short on silver?"
"This kind of medicine—our princess spent days and nights..."
Duoduo pulled Lüdou back, stopping her from continuing.
"Lüdou is right. This medicine took me days and nights of begging to get."
"I only have this one bottle. If I give it to you, I won't have any left."
Her words made Xiao Che's eyes flicker.
He had clearly seen more than one bottle in her sleeve just now.
Xiao Che thought for a moment.
"By rights, you should call me Eighth Uncle."
