"Where do you think you're going? Get in that cell!"
The overseer pointed to a filthy, stinking cell, shoving Nanny Li.
Nanny Li, caught off guard, her legs buckling, was pushed to the ground.
"Nanny!" Lüdou rushed to help Nanny Li.
Only now did Duoduo react.
So, it was all because of that grilled fish earlier!
Duoduo bent down, also helping to support Nanny Li.
After all, Nanny Li was getting on in years, and the dampness of the dungeon made her legs and feet unsteady.
"Let's go." Duoduo helped Nanny Li into the cell.
"Princess! This cell is dirty and stinking, how can anyone live here?" Lüdou was indignant.
"Hurry up and get in!" The overseer's face darkened as he glared at the three.
Duoduo, seeing he was about to shove them again, pulled Lüdou and Nanny Li into the large cell.
With a "clang," the cell door slammed shut.
Nanny Li nudged Lüdou. "Go, clean up a spot for the Princess to rest."
Lüdou nodded and went to tidy a corner.
Duoduo looked around.
This wasn't like the solitary water cell.
Instead, their neighboring cells and the ones across were all packed with prisoners.
Moreover, Duoduo noticed that men and women were locked up together here.
To their right, there were men imprisoned.
Duoduo frowned.
It seemed she had to figure out a way out, and quickly.
Lüdou finally managed to clear a small, clean area. She laid her handkerchief on the ground.
"Princess, come sit here."
Duoduo nodded and was about to walk over when she suddenly felt a hostile stare fixed on her.
Duoduo followed the gaze and saw it was a man in the next cell.
When he saw Duoduo looking back, he lowered his head.
Duoduo glanced at him. He was someone she didn't recognize.
She walked over to Lüdou and sat down.
The dungeon had no natural light, only oil lamps flickering on the walls.
And occasionally, light filtering down from above.
Duoduo looked up. The light from above was already very dim.
Outside, it must be getting close to nightfall.
In the Cining Palace, Xiao Yi had finally waited for the Empress Dowager to return.
"Grandmother, how is Father?" Xiao Yi asked calmly.
The Empress Dowager looked much better.
"The imperial physician said the Emperor woke briefly. He told me not to worry."
"But when I went, the Emperor hadn't woken yet."
Xiao Yi's eyes flickered.
"Grandmother, just now I had Yunxiao make some inquiries. Some things happened this afternoon..."
Xiao Yi relayed to the Empress Dowager what Yunxiao had found out about Duoduo.
"How is that possible?" The Empress Dowager looked astonished.
"Nanny Li is a veteran of the palace. She couldn't possibly make such a low-level mistake!"
The Empress Dowager immediately sided with Duoduo.
Xiao Yi pressed his lips together.
"Grandmother, I don't wish to delve into the other matters."
"But I do want to get Changle out first!"
"She's so young, locked in that cell. She must be terrified!"
This was also why Xiao Yi hadn't left.
He could use his own power to forcefully rescue Duoduo.
But he didn't want his impulsiveness to play into someone else's hands.
After much thought, he decided to turn to the Empress Dowager for help.
In this palace, besides the Emperor, the Empress Dowager was the only one who could say a word.
The Empress Dowager nodded and instructed her personal attendant.
"Take my palace token and bring Princess Changle and her two servants back."
The attendant agreed and rushed out.
The Empress Dowager looked at Xiao Yi with relief.
"Don't worry. Changle will be fine."
"She has a connection to Buddha; the Bodhisattva will surely protect her."
Xiao Yi looked at the Empress Dowager.
"Grandmother, I have one more request."
"Alright, tell me."
"As long as I can help, I will," the Empress Dowager said with some emotion.
Other princes, when facing problems, could discuss them with their mother or wife.
Only this grandson had no one to consult.
Xiao Yi lowered his head, looking at his clasped hands.
"Changle is attending the Imperial Academy. To avoid her running into trouble with certain people in the palace, I had her stay at Kunning Palace."
"I thought that since Kunning Palace was abandoned, it wouldn't attract attention."
"But I never expected that someone would still dislike Changle and want to frame her."
"Today it's witchcraft, tomorrow what will it be?"
The Empress Dowager's face showed sympathy.
She prayed to Buddha daily and spent a lot of time looking at the portrait Duoduo had painted.
She felt that her mind had become much calmer lately.
She attributed it to the lifelike Buddha statue—she felt she was receiving the Buddha's energy.
"Grandmother, I would like to ask you to send a few trusted people to guard Kunning Palace for me."
Xiao Yi paused after speaking.
"Not for long, just while Changle is at school."
"Their salaries will be paid by the Pingyang Prince's manor."
As soon as Xiao Yi finished, the Empress Dowager's face darkened.
"Nonsense! They're just a few servants; do you think I can't afford it?"
"And besides, Changle is my great-granddaughter; it's only right that I protect her."
"If you're going to be so distant with me, I'll get angry!"
The Empress Dowager put on a stern face, pretending to be annoyed.
Xiao Yi forced a slight smile.
"I'm sorry to trouble you again, Grandmother. I do feel bad about it. I don't mean to be distant."
The person now in charge of the harem was Consort Li.
Xiao Yi's request to the Empress Dowager carried a hint of going against Consort Li.
Although Consort Li wouldn't dare to openly challenge the Empress Dowager.
Behind her back, she certainly wouldn't let it go.
The Empress Dowager naturally understood the implication in Xiao Yi's words and smiled faintly.
"I am still the Empress Dowager!"
"If I can't even do this small thing, I might as well just become a nun!"
Hearing this, gratitude flashed in Xiao Yi's eyes.
"Thank you, Grandmother."
At this moment, the attendant sent to rescue Duoduo rushed back in a panic.
"Where is she? Why didn't I see her?"
Seeing the attendant return alone, the Empress Dowager immediately asked.
The attendant curtsied and rose.
"Your Highness, I went to the Directorate of Punishments."
"But the official in charge said the Emperor had given orders: no one is allowed to take Princess Changle away."
"The Emperor wants to interrogate her personally."
The Empress Dowager and Xiao Yi exchanged a glance.
"And the Princess? Did you see her? Is she alright?" The Empress Dowager was worried.
Her grandson had finally found a daughter, and the father and child seemed to get along so well.
As parents, they must be extremely anxious with their child locked up.
"Your Highness, I did go to look," the attendant reported.
"The Princess is fine. Her two servants are protecting her well."
Then the attendant hesitated. "The official said the Princess was grilling fish in the cell..."
