That day, she was taken hostage by Xiao Che, which made Lüdou very angry.
Today, she finally caught him, so there was no way she would let him off.
With that thought, Lüdou immediately kicked Xiao Che.
Xiao Che didn’t expect Lüdou to strike so suddenly; he only managed to step back a little.
In the end, she still landed a kick on him.
Xiao Che swayed.
Duoduo happened to run up to him and kindly helped steady him.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Xiao Che pulled himself out of Duoduo’s grip and prepared to leave with an expressionless face.
“Xiao Che, wait.” Duoduo quickly reached out to block him.
Xiao Che noticed that classmates emerging one after another were casting strange looks their way.
Duoduo followed his gaze and saw them too.
She grabbed Xiao Che by his uninjured hand and led him out.
“Come with me!”
A flicker of obscure emotion crossed Xiao Che’s eyes.
He noticed that Duoduo, standing on his right, had deliberately avoided his injured right hand and was holding his left instead.
How did Changle know he was hurt?
Could the group that attacked him be from Pingyang Manor?
Filled with doubt, Xiao Che didn’t resist. He let Duoduo pull him along to Kunning Palace.
This was Xiao Che’s first time there, and he looked around with curiosity.
As a prince, he naturally knew the story of Kunning Palace.
But it was forbidden ground, and he had never set foot there before.
The Kunning Palace here seemed different from the cold palace of his imagination.
In the courtyard, all sorts of beautiful flowers were in bloom.
The ground was spotlessly clean.
Inside the room, there was no strange smell either.
Turning her gaze, Duoduo saw Lüdou staring at Xiao Che with displeasure and patted her hand.
“Xiao Che, you must know who put that needle in my chair, right?”
Lüdou was shocked by this. She leaned in to look. “Princess, who could be so cruel as to stick a needle in your chair?”
Xiao Che stared at the calm Duoduo without speaking.
He felt that this Changle was different from other princesses and noble ladies.
Any other girl her age would have cried and run to the tutor to complain.
But she had immediately questioned Xiao Yunshi instead.
Xiao Che also recalled how, that day, Changle had acted completely unshocked when she saw him being chased.
He pursed his lips. “I don’t know.”
“No! You definitely know!” Duoduo was certain.
“If you tell me who did it, I’ll tell you a secret too!” She rolled her eyes playfully.
“I’m not interested.” Xiao Che turned and prepared to leave.
He had to get back for a meal; if he was late, there would be nothing left.
“Your right arm was slashed with a knife.” Duoduo blinked.
Xiao Che didn’t slow his pace, as if he couldn’t care less.
Seeing him about to step out the door, Duoduo was forced to play her trump card.
“The medicine on your wound is compromised!”
Finally, she saw Xiao Che stop in his tracks as the words left her mouth.
He turned around, his eyes brimming with scrutiny as he looked at her.
“Are you testing me?”
Duoduo shook her head.
“I’m not lying to you. The medicine on your wound is no good.”
“Isn’t your right hand completely numb right now, without any feeling?”
Duoduo saw shock flicker in Xiao Che’s eyes.
She pressed on.
“If you keep using that medicine, your right hand will be ruined!”
Duoduo noticed Xiao Che’s left hand clench into a fist.
Seeing his expression, Lüdou quickly stepped in front of Duoduo.
“Princess, why bother telling him all this?”
“Some people don’t feel gratitude even when you help them!”
Duoduo watched as Xiao Che hesitated for a moment, then turned around and removed his outer garment.
Lüdou hastily turned away, pulling Duoduo into her arms.
“Hey, what are you doing? Men and women shouldn’t touch—if you need to undress, go outside!”
Xiao Che stared at the bandage on his right arm, applied by the imperial physician.
Gritting his teeth, he tore the bandage off.
Sure enough, he saw the wound was badly swollen and red.
Xiao Che stood frozen for a moment, then said coldly,
“The needle was placed by Xiao Yunshi.”
“But the needle was given to him by Song Shuyu.”
“What?” Duoduo pushed Lüdou aside without a second thought.
Lüdou was also taken aback. “Are you sure? How could Song Shuyu do something like that?”
“Believe it or not, I’ve told you what you asked!”
Xiao Che quickly threw his clothes back on, though his youthful, bare upper body briefly flashed before Duoduo.
Duoduo stuck out her tongue.
Keen-eyed, she caught a clear glimpse of his wound.
“Oh, that’s a serious cut you’ve got there.” She was somewhat surprised.
The wound on his arm went deep enough to show bone.
Yet the person had remained completely silent, acting as if nothing had happened.
Thinking of Xiao Che’s background, Duoduo suddenly felt a surge of sympathy.
Without a mother to protect him, Xiao Che must have had a tough time surviving alone in this devouring palace.
She felt a kindred sense of shared misfortune.
Xiao Che glanced at Duoduo.
“You don’t seem scared.” There was a note of testing in his voice.
Duoduo played dumb. “Scared of what? This wound?”
She shook her head.
“No, I’m not afraid. When Lüdou and I were dependent on each other before, we almost died once or twice.”
Surprise showed in Xiao Che’s eyes.
He looked at Lüdou, who stood rigidly behind Duoduo like a mother hen, ready to protect her at any moment.
A hint of barely noticeable envy crossed Xiao Che’s face.
Why didn’t he have someone who constantly wanted to protect him like that?
No—there was someone once.
But she was gone now.
Xiao Che’s eyes dimmed.
“Alright, I’ve told you what you wanted to know.”
He carefully tried to lift his arm to put his clothes on properly, preparing to leave.
Duoduo quickly grabbed his hand, and unable to bear the pain, Xiao Che cried out.
Duoduo instantly let go.
“Sorry, I was too eager—I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Seeing Xiao Che’s face turn cold, Duoduo forced a placating smile.
“Eighth Uncle, I really didn’t do it on purpose.”
“I just meant that what you’re doing will make your injury worse.”
Xiao Che looked at the small, bean-sized figure—Duoduo—and a skeptical expression appeared on his face.
“Do you know medicine?”
Duoduo paused for a moment, then shook her head vigorously.
“Lüdou used to get hurt all the time. I’ve seen it a lot.”
Hearing her explanation, Xiao Che’s defensive spikes settled down.
Duoduo considered making him use her own medicine but decided against it.
Still, as someone with medical knowledge, turning a blind eye to an injury didn’t sit well with her.
She turned to Lüdou.
“Lüdou, I remember you’re carrying some wound-healing powder?”
Lüdou nodded very reluctantly.
“Princess, last time he even tried to steal our carriage, and you still want to save him?”
Duoduo blinked.
“If he hadn’t warned me today, I would’ve sat right down on that needle!”
At that, Lüdou’s face went pale with alarm.
Duoduo was a girl; if a needle pierced her backside, treating it would become a major problem.
For such a private area to be seen by a physician would likely become the nightmare of Duoduo’s entire life.
