The light in Lüdou’s eyes dimmed.
“Princess, do you think we’ll ever get out of here?”
Duoduo tilted her little head, looking puzzled.
“Why do you ask that?”
“Of course we can get out!”
“Eat up! As long as we’re alive, there’s always a chance!”
When Nanny Li and Lüdou heard Duoduo say this, they both shoved the bean cakes into their mouths.
The cakes were dry, and they had to stretch their necks and swallow with great effort to get them down.
The bean cakes were small, and after eating them, their stomachs only felt hungrier.
Duoduo rested her chin on her hands, thinking hard.
They were now locked in a solitary water dungeon, with no one else around.
Duoduo looked at the water and suddenly had an idea.
“Lüdou, do you have a flint with you?”
Lüdou nodded. “I have one on me, maidservant.”
Duoduo broke into a smile. She directed Lüdou and Nanny Li.
“Nanny Li, go keep watch at the cell door. If anyone comes, cough.”
“Lüdou, sort through that pile of hay and see what can be used to start a fire.”
Nanny Li acknowledged and went to the door, while Lüdou looked confused.
“Princess, you want to set the prison on fire? But this is a water dungeon.”
Duoduo waved her hand. “Go quickly, while no one’s around.”
Because of the jade pendant in Duoduo’s possession, the people from the Judicial Tribunal dared not come in.
Seeing Lüdou start sorting the hay, Duoduo walked over to the pool.
Taking advantage of the others’ distraction, she reached into the water and made a swift grab.
“Hey! Lüdou, come quick! There are fish in here!”
Duoduo held a big fish in both hands and called out as she stood up.
Lüdou froze for a moment, then hurried over and took the fish.
“How are there fish here?”
Duoduo grinned, her eyes narrowing.
“There’s water, so shouldn’t there be fish in it?”
“Hurry up and clean it. We’ll roast it!”
Lüdou’s jaw dropped in astonishment.
“Roast... roast it? Here?”
Duoduo gave Lüdou a little push.
“Of course. Do you want to go hungry?”
“While no one’s here, let’s fill our stomachs quickly so we can wait for Father and the others to rescue us!”
At this, Lüdou’s face grew resolute.
“Yes, maidservant will do it right away!”
Lüdou pulled a hairpin from her bun, slit open the fish, and scraped off the scales.
Duoduo crouched down again, scooped up two more fish, and stood up.
“Look! I caught two more!”
Carefully holding the fish by the gills, Duoduo walked over to Lüdou.
Lüdou’s eyes lit up. She took them and quickly began cleaning them.
Keeping watch at the door, Nanny Li cast a complicated glance at Duoduo.
As a palace veteran, she knew full well that there couldn’t possibly be fish in the water of a dungeon.
Yet Duoduo had pulled three fish out of it.
She didn’t know whether to trust her own eyes or not.
Nanny Li watched as Duoduo and Lüdou chatted and laughed while cleaning the fish, then lit the hay and set the fish over it to roast.
Above the water dungeon was an air vent.
So the smoke from the roasting drifted out through it.
Nanny Li silently turned back and kept a cautious eye on the outside.
Ever since she had resolved to serve the princess for the rest of her life, she had become bound to her.
Today, thrown into this prison, she had thought her future would end here.
Nanny Li knew very well that today’s events were no accident—someone had orchestrated them.
That was why she had sent the princess away.
She had thought it wouldn’t be a big deal, but she never guessed it would lead to sorcery.
And that the matter would involve the Emperor himself.
Nanny Li had been prepared to take the blame for her mistress.
But she never imagined that at the critical moment, the princess would pull out her jade pendant, saving both her and Lüdou.
And now the princess was even finding ways to get them food!
Such kindness, Nanny Li felt, she could never repay in this lifetime.
When Lüdou threw the last pile of hay into the fire and it burned out, the fish were done.
Lüdou gave the biggest fish to Duoduo.
“Princess, please eat!”
Duoduo nodded with a smile. “Mm. You and Nanny Li can share the other two.”
Lüdou smiled and nodded, then stood up and ran to Nanny Li.
“Nanny, eat up! It won’t taste as good when it’s cold.”
Nanny Li gave Lüdou a deeply complex look, then bowed to Duoduo.
“Thank you for the gift, Princess!”
Duoduo waved her hand. “Eat quickly. It’d be a waste if someone finds out.”
“Lüdou even added Aunt Xu’s special barbecue spices!”
With that, Duoduo ate carefully.
Lüdou had always been curious about Xu Jinxin’s barbecue seasoning.
She had specially asked for some from Xu Jinxin and studied the ingredients herself.
Later, she discovered that adding a little of the seasoning to stir-fried dishes also made them taste wonderful.
Lüdou kept both her own recipe and Xu Jinxin’s on her person, hoping that one day she’d have a chance to compare notes with Xu Jinxin and see whose was better.
She never expected to use it today.
Seeing Duoduo nod approvingly as she ate, Lüdou lowered her head and started eating too.
Nanny Li hesitated for a moment, then put the roasted fish into her mouth.
To her surprise, the fish wasn’t unpleasant; it was actually quite fresh and delicious.
And this fish had no small bones.
Just as the three were eating with relish, Nanny Li heard footsteps outside.
“Someone’s coming!”
Nanny Li frantically tried to hide the fish, looking left and right but finding nowhere to put it.
“Eat it,” Duoduo said, shoving the rest of her fish into her mouth.
Lüdou and Nanny Li followed suit.
The moment they finished the last bites, the person at the door arrived.
Because of the roasting, the smoke had drifted out through the vent.
At first, the smoke was faint and went unnoticed.
But as the fish cooked, the aroma spread far and wide.
That enticing smell wafted everywhere, impossible to ignore.
Following the scent, the guards noticed the smoke coming from the vent.
The official in charge tracked it down.
He surveyed the three people in the cell. Nanny Li and Lüdou stood protectively in front of Duoduo.
The official smelled a strong fishy aroma and the scent of burning.
He sniffed hard, unable to believe his nose.
This was a prison. Where would fish come from?
Then his gaze landed on the fish guts Lüdou had tossed aside.
Real fish!
The official looked around carefully.
The lock on the cell was intact.
There were no signs of damage—no one had entered.
A chill crept up his spine.
Had he seen a ghost?
He rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them, the fish guts were still there. He was stunned.
Lüdou noticed his gaze and inwardly cursed her own carelessness.
She should have thrown the guts into the water!
The official lifted his head and stared suspiciously at Lüdou.
“Where did the fish come from?”
