"Ling Feng is still investigating. However, since they managed to reach their hands into the Prince of Pingyang's Manor, it can only be those people."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang's eyes were full of heartache. "Your Highness, you are blood brothers. Why must they press you so relentlessly?"
The Prince of Pingyang turned the jade thumb ring on his finger.
"As long as Imperial Father does not appoint a Crown Prince, their actions will never cease!"
"But Your Highness, you have absolutely no intention of fighting them for it!" the Princess Consort cried out in defense of her husband.
The Prince of Pingyang stroked his senseless legs.
"Perhaps they think my injuries are faked."
"How could your injuries be fake? All the imperial physicians in the palace have examined you, and not a single one had a solution!"
A cold, ruthless smile curled the corners of the Prince of Pingyang's mouth.
"The imperial family is ruthless. In their eyes, only a dead man poses no threat to their position!"
The Princess Consort fell silent.
The Prince was right. Since ancient times, the succession of the throne had always been a storm of blood and violence.
"Therefore, if you wish to leave, tell me at any time. I will certainly let you go."
"Rest assured, I will transfer all my mansions, shops, and farming estates in the capital to your name as compensation."
"Even if you never remarry, you will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life!"
The Princess Consort bit her lip.
"I only want Your Highness. I don't want anything else."
The Prince of Pingyang stared intently at his wife. The Princess Consort's face instantly flushed red.
Good heavens, what kind of bold and shameless words had she just spouted?
The Prince of Pingyang cleared his throat softly.
"Well, there are still many things to do tomorrow. You should go back and rest first, Princess Consort."
"Then I shall take my leave."
The Princess Consort stood up in a flurry.
"Right, that maid from earlier... I recall she is your dowry maid, isn't she?"
The Princess Consort nodded. "Baihe and Lianxin were both brought over from my maiden home."
"That maid is fiercely loyal to you; she is a good one. If you drive her away, you will regret it."
"I understand." The Princess Consort curtsied gracefully and turned to leave.
The Prince of Pingyang looked down at the jade thumb ring on his hand. It was covered in sweat.
He took off the ring, pulled out a handkerchief to carefully wipe it dry, and put it back on.
After Duoduo left the study, she checked the sky to gauge the time, turned around, and ran toward the kitchen.
She remembered her promise to Lüdou to teach her how to read.
Duoduo thought the Prince of Pingyang's method was quite good, and she planned to teach Lüdou the same way.
By the time Duoduo ran to the kitchen, Lüdou was squatting in front of a large basin filled with a mountain of bowls and chopsticks.
Lüdou had her head down, washing vigorously without even looking up.
Duoduo stood at a distance and did not run over.
She watched as the kitchen staff continuously dumped dirty bowls and chopsticks into the basin.
Someone was even shouting harshly at Lüdou, telling her to hurry up.
Duoduo felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest.
Lüdou finally managed to wash a portion of the dishes. She raised her head and straightened her back, wanting to stretch a little.
As soon as she looked up, she saw Duoduo standing across from her, her face covered in tears.
"Duoduo, when did you get here? Why didn't you call me?"
Lüdou flashed a smile at Duoduo.
Duoduo wiped her eyes and smiled back.
"I just got here. I will help you wash them!"
Duoduo ran over, squatted down, and reached her little hands into the basin to grab a plate.
Lüdou hastily snatched the plate out of Duoduo's hands.
"Miss, you can't do this kind of work! It will hurt your hands!"
Duoduo grabbed Lüdou's hands and saw that they were covered in cuts and scrapes.
"How did you get hurt?" Duoduo gasped.
Lüdou pulled her hands back. "It's normal to get hurt when doing chores. My hands used to be like this before, too."
Duoduo looked very crestfallen. "That's different."
Lüdou squeezed out a smile for Duoduo.
"There's no difference. At least here, neither of us has to go hungry anymore, right? We should be happy!"
"Oh right, are you done with your tasks? Sit here and wait for me. I'll be done in a jiffy!"
As she spoke, Lüdou carefully pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and stuffed it into Duoduo's hands.
"Try this. It's a pastry the cook made today. I tasted it, and it's delicious!"
Duoduo's eyes grew red. She opened the handkerchief, and inside lay a piece of mung bean cake.
She had eaten some in the study today, and it was indeed very delicious.
Duoduo also pulled a handkerchief from her own clothes and opened it.
On the handkerchief was also a piece of mung bean cake, only the one she brought had a small bite taken out of it.
Lüdou took it in great surprise.
"Did you bring this for me?"
Duoduo nodded.
"Mhm, I took a tiny bite. It was really yummy, so I brought it for you."
Lüdou smiled. She cherishingly wrapped the handkerchief back up and tucked it away in her clothes.
"I'll finish my work right away, and then we can eat them together."
"Okay!"
Duoduo also carefully wrapped up the handkerchief in her hands and placed it in her clothes.
Lüdou washed the dishes quickly, while Duoduo stood beside her, reciting passages from the Three Character Classic.
As Lüdou washed and listened, she no longer felt that washing dishes was such a grueling chore.
Finally, all the bowls and chopsticks were washed.
Lüdou stood up, reaching back to rub her lower back.
Suddenly, a pair of small hands began gently thumping her back.
"Ah, that feels so nice!"
Lüdou gave Duoduo a grateful smile, which made Duoduo thump even more diligently.
The people in the kitchen had already finished cleaning up and left.
Lüdou pulled Duoduo into the kitchen.
Because the kitchen still needed to prepare midnight snacks for the masters later, the candles inside had not been extinguished.
Lüdou pulled Duoduo over to sit on a stool, and she took out the handkerchief from earlier.
Duoduo also took out her handkerchief. The two girls looked at each other and giggled.
"Duoduo, let's eat together," Lüdou said, holding up her mung bean cake.
"Mhm!" Duoduo nodded.
She put the mung bean cake to her mouth and took a bite.
A rich mung bean aroma instantly filled her mouth.
Mixed with a sweet flavor, it was something Duoduo liked very much.
"The cook's skills are so good! It tastes even better than the ones from Jixiang Bakery!"
Duoduo stuck out her tongue and licked the corner of her mouth.
"Of course. Her specialty is making all sorts of pastries," Lüdou nodded.
"I'm secretly learning from her right now. Once I master her skills one day, I'll make them for you every day!"
Lüdou shared her wish.
"How worthless!"
Suddenly, a disgusted voice rang out.
Lüdou and Duoduo were so frightened that they immediately jumped off their stools.
A person walked in from the door. It was none other than the cook they had just been talking about, Li Da's wife.
"Li Da's wife, why have you returned?"
Lüdou was extremely nervous.
Li Da's wife had a very fiery temper. Lüdou had once seen another cook, who refused to submit to Li Da's wife, speaking ill of her behind her back.
As a result, Li Da's wife grabbed that person by the hair and dunked her head straight into the slop bucket.
The poor cook nearly threw up to death, and the foul stench didn't dissipate for days.
Lüdou carefully stole a glance at the slop bucket. Fortunately, the bucket was clean today.
Li Da's wife walked right up to Lüdou.
"If I hadn't come back, how would I have known you were gossiping about me behind my back?"
