Lüdou bit her lip, turned her back, and stayed silent.
The warden’s eyes lit up.
“Speak! Did someone deliver food to you?”
“If you just tell me who’s behind this, I... I’ll plead for leniency and let you go.”
Nanny Li kept her head down, pretending not to hear.
The warden was growing irritated.
“His Majesty is still unconscious. Don’t delude yourselves into thinking anyone can save you!”
Duoduo poked her head out from behind Lüdou.
“We fished them out of the water!” Duoduo pointed at the water in the dungeon cell.
The warden was stunned.
He’d been stationed here for years, and this was the first time he’d heard of fish in the water dungeon!
“Nonsense! Don’t think you can fool me with such tricks, Princess!”
Duoduo blinked.
“If you don’t believe me, I’ll catch one for you to see!”
With that, Duoduo walked over to the edge of the pool.
She reached her hand into the water and quickly pulled out a small fish.
“Here! For you!”
Duoduo tossed the fish out of the cell.
It landed on the floor, flopping about.
The warden’s eyes almost popped out of his head.
In disbelief, he picked up the fish.
It was real!
A fish!
The warden felt like he must be hallucinating.
Watching the warden stumble away as if in a dream, Duoduo clutched her stomach and laughed.
Lüdou ran to the pool and peered down.
“Princess, I don’t see any fish,” she said.
Duoduo shook her head with a grin.
“Maybe they got scared off by me.”
Nanny Li kicked the fish scraps into the water, and Lüdou quickly moved to help.
Together, they cleaned up all traces of the grilling.
With full bellies, the three of them settled onto the clean straw and sat down.
Duoduo leaned against Lüdou and yawned.
She wondered if her father had received word of her imprisonment.
At that moment, in the Prince of Pingyang’s mansion, the guards who had escorted Duoduo were reporting to Xiao Yi.
“When school ended, I didn’t see the Princess or Nanny Li come out.”
“I thought something must have delayed her, so I waited a bit longer.”
“But after a full hour, she still hadn’t appeared.”
“I made some inquiries and was told the Princess had left early and never attended class.”
“The Grand Tutor was quite upset about it.”
“I dared not wander off, so I came back to report to Your Highness.”
Xiao Yi’s eyes turned sharp.
“Did you leave your post at any point? Could she have left the palace?”
The guard shook his head hastily.
“No! I checked—the Princess never left the palace!”
Xiao Yi fell into thought.
“Your Highness, could the Princess have been summoned by the Empress Dowager?” Yunxiao guessed from the side.
The guard suddenly remembered something.
“Your Highness, there is one more thing.”
Xiao Yi raised his head. “Speak!”
“While I was waiting outside, I saw Prince Ling and Prince Rui entering the palace.”
“They were in a hurry and looked very anxious.”
Xiao Yi recalled what Yunxiao had told him about the Emperor’s unconsciousness.
The second and fourth princes had likely gone to play the dutiful sons.
And with Duoduo missing at such a critical moment, Xiao Yi’s heart began to stir with unease.
“Yunxiao, prepare the carriage. We’re going to the palace,” Xiao Yi decided.
“Yes, Your Highness.” Yunxiao hurried out.
The carriage arrived smoothly at the palace gate, and Xiao Yi was helped down from it.
“Wait here and don’t wander off,” he ordered the driver.
The driver acknowledged, and Xiao Yi entered the palace with Yunxiao.
“Your Highness, where shall we go first? The Empress Dowager’s palace or the Emperor’s?” Yunxiao asked quietly.
Xiao Yi lifted his chin. “First, the Hall of Supreme Harmony.”
“Understood.”
An incense stick’s time later, Xiao Yi arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, only to be stopped outside.
He looked at the young eunuch. “Go and summon Eunuch Li.”
The eunuch hesitated, then bowed, turned, and went inside.
Before long, Eunuch Li opened the door.
“This old servant greets the Prince of Pingyang,” he said with a slight bow.
Xiao Yi nodded. “How is Father now?”
Eunuch Li looked somewhat surprised, glancing up at Xiao Yi quickly.
Meeting Xiao Yi’s gaze, he immediately lowered his head.
“To answer the Prince of Pingyang, His Majesty is fine now.”
“But the imperial physician says he needs rest, so I ask Your Highness to return.”
Xiao Yi nodded, turned his wheelchair, and left.
Eunuch Li stood for a moment, then went back inside.
Inside the hall, the Emperor had just opened his eyes.
Seeing this, Eunuch Li rushed over in joy.
“Your Majesty, you’ve awakened!”
The Emperor’s mind was momentarily blank. “What happened to me?”
Imperial Physician Li, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward to bow.
“Your Majesty, you fainted.”
The memories of the afternoon came flooding back.
The Emperor furrowed his brows, an expression of displeasure settling on his face.
Imperial Physician Li approached to take his pulse.
Then he stood, bowed, and said, “Congratulations, Your Majesty. Your health has greatly improved.”
The Emperor was baffled, not understanding his meaning.
Even Eunuch Li looked confused. “Imperial Physician Li, are you certain? His Majesty just fainted—how can his health be better?”
Imperial Physician Li paused. He reached into his sleeve and pulled out his silver needles.
“Your Majesty, I once told you that, due to excessive worry, your heart meridians were damaged.”
“But now, your heart meridians have healed completely.”
He hesitated. “Or rather, not just the heart meridians—all the chronic ailments in your body have eased.”
The Emperor’s face showed surprise, and he reached out his hand.
Eunuch Li quickly stepped forward to help him sit up.
Leaning against a soft pillow, the Emperor looked at Imperial Physician Li with suspicion.
“Are you saying that fainting actually made me healthier?”
Imperial Physician Li nodded, then shook his head.
“What does that nod and shake mean?” the Emperor demanded, his expression darkening.
“To answer Your Majesty, by the time I arrived, someone had already administered acupuncture.”
So saying, Imperial Physician Li took out a cloth pouch from his sleeve.
Opening it revealed a row of silver needles of varying lengths.
Eunuch Li thought they looked familiar.
“These seem to belong to Princess Changle!”
Surprise flashed across the Emperor’s eyes.
“Changle? Little Li, are you certain?”
Eunuch Li nodded eagerly.
“Yes, Your Majesty. After you fainted, Princess Changle used these very needles to treat your hand.”
“At the time, she told this old servant that you would surely be all right.”
“I thought she was just sticking them in randomly…” Eunuch Li’s voice trailed off.
Upon hearing this, Imperial Physician Li grew excited.
He cupped his hands and bowed to the Emperor. “Your Majesty, that needle technique is extraordinarily refined!”
“Might I ask Your Majesty for permission to learn it from Princess Changle?”
A look of astonishment appeared on the Emperor’s face.
