Duoduo had no time to think. She hastily tucked the blood letter into her hand.
Then, she quickly returned to Lüdou’s side, closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep.
Duoduo heard a familiar voice.
“Open the door!”
It was Eunuch Li, who served the Emperor!
Duoduo hesitated for a moment before slowly opening her eyes.
Eunuch Li entered. Seeing that Duoduo was already awake, he bowed to her.
“Princess Changle, please follow me.”
Lüdou was startled awake. She quickly stood up and shielded Duoduo behind her.
“Whatever happened today, it was this servant’s doing. It has nothing to do with our princess!”
“Kill me or cut me up as you please, but please spare our princess!”
With that, Lüdou took the blame upon herself.
Duoduo noticed a flicker of amusement in Eunuch Li’s eyes.
She patted Lüdou on the shoulder.
“Stay here with Nanny Li. I’ll go and be back soon.”
Lüdou immediately grabbed Duoduo’s sleeve.
“No! This servant said before—wherever you go, this servant will follow!”
Lüdou’s voice woke Nanny Li as well.
Hearing Lüdou’s words, Nanny Li immediately stepped in front of both Duoduo and Lüdou.
“Eunuch Li, the witchcraft affair was entirely this servant’s doing!”
“It has nothing to do with the princess or Lüdou! This servant will go with you.”
Eunuch Li watched the two people vying to take the blame, his eyes shifting slightly.
“His Majesty wishes to question Princess Changle! No one else has been summoned!”
Nanny Li straightened her chest.
“Then this servant will go with you! I’ll go to His Majesty and confess!”
“This servant will go too! Everything was done by me—it has nothing to do with the princess or Nanny!”
Lüdou quickly blocked Nanny Li’s way.
Duoduo looked at the two of them and blinked.
“Fine, you can both come along,” Eunuch Li relented.
He himself wasn’t quite sure what the Emperor intended.
Still, the Emperor had not ordered Princess Changle to be punished.
Duoduo sighed helplessly at the two figures blocking her path.
“Let’s go.”
Lüdou quickly grabbed Duoduo’s arm tightly, as if afraid Duoduo would leave her behind.
Nanny Li also hurriedly took Duoduo’s other arm.
Almost carried along between them, Duoduo barely moved her feet as they walked.
She simply let them have their way.
After passing through winding, long palace walls, Eunuch Li finally stopped and pushed open a door.
“Enter.”
Duoduo quickly motioned for Lüdou and Nanny Li to let go.
They released her, and Duoduo straightened her attire.
Nanny Li and Lüdou also tidied their own clothes and hair.
Duoduo was the first to step through the hall’s threshold.
Lüdou and Nanny Li followed closely behind.
“Changle pays respects to Grandfather!” Duoduo stopped in the middle of the room and knelt, along with Lüdou and Nanny Li.
The Emperor looked at the three of them, his brow furrowing.
Eunuch Li quickly stepped forward and quietly recounted what had just happened.
A flicker of surprise passed through the Emperor’s eyes.
“Changle, do you know why I called you here?”
Duoduo lowered her head. “To answer Grandfather, Changle does not know.”
“Regarding the witchcraft affair, do you admit your fault?”
Duoduo thought she detected a hint of amusement in the Emperor’s voice.
She kept her head down. “The witchcraft affair was not done by Changle. Changle will not admit fault!”
As Duoduo finished speaking, the room fell into utter silence.
“But the two people beside you both claim it was their doing!”
Duoduo was now certain—there was laughter in the Emperor’s voice.
She lifted her head and looked at the Emperor.
Indeed, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.
“To answer Grandfather, Nanny Li and Lüdou merely did not want Changle to be punished, so they fought to take the blame upon themselves!”
“But the truth is, we knew nothing about this matter!”
“We have been framed!”
The Emperor tilted his head. “Oh? Who would frame you?”
Duoduo hesitated. “Changle does not know!”
“However, Changle has said before: if Grandfather investigates where the fabric went, the truth can be found.”
The Emperor looked at Eunuch Li. Before he had fainted, he had ordered Eunuch Li to look into it.
Eunuch Li stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, that bolt of fabric was once bestowed by you to Consort Li, and the Empress Dowager also has some.”
The Emperor turned to Duoduo. “I recall that the Empress Dowager recently gifted you many fabrics?”
Duoduo thought for a moment, then shook her head decisively.
“Great-Grandmother did gift fabrics to Changle, but none of them were that kind of material.”
“If Grandfather does not believe me, you may ask the nanny who serves Great-Grandmother.”
The Emperor studied Duoduo for a long moment, then suddenly asked, “Do you know medicine?”
A quick flash of hesitation crossed Duoduo’s face.
The Emperor, watching her closely, saw it clearly.
He took a cloth bundle from the inner side of his bed.
“Is this yours?”
Duoduo saw her own acupuncture needle pouch and nodded honestly.
“To answer Grandfather, it is Changle’s.”
At the time, the situation had been urgent, and she had no choice but to act.
Later, her needles had been left behind at the scene, and she hadn’t retrieved them in time.
Seeing Duoduo looking deflated, the Emperor waved at Eunuch Li.
Eunuch Li bowed and gestured for Lüdou and Nanny Li to wait outside.
Lüdou didn’t want to leave, but Nanny Li pushed her out.
The Emperor opened the needle pouch and took out one of the silver needles.
“When did you learn medicine?”
“Who was your teacher?”
Duoduo kept her head down. “To answer Grandfather, Changle has not studied for long.”
“Father saw that Changle was fond of medicine, so he found a physician to teach me.”
“That day, Changle saw that Grandfather’s condition was unusual. I did not want anything to happen to Grandfather, so I dared to insert the needles.”
“Grandfather, Changle knows I was wrong. Please punish me!”
Duoduo finished speaking, keeping her head lowered, looking obedient.
The Emperor remembered what Imperial Physician Li had said. He felt that Changle was not telling the whole truth.
“Come here,” he commanded.
Duoduo obediently rose from the floor, walked to the bedside with her head bowed, and stopped.
The Emperor extended his hand to her.
“Take my pulse.”
Duoduo looked up in surprise and saw the Emperor staring at her with keen curiosity.
She hesitated for a moment. “Grandfather, Changle’s medical skills are poor.”
“It doesn’t matter. I only ask you to take my pulse, not to treat me!”
“What’s wrong? Afraid?” The Emperor used a little provocation.
Duoduo blinked, then placed her fingers on the Emperor’s wrist.
The Emperor regarded her with amused interest.
“Why are you interested in medicine?” he suddenly asked.
Duoduo, focused on taking his pulse, answered without thinking.
“I wanted to heal Father’s legs…”
She stopped mid-sentence, realizing what she had said, and looked at the Emperor.
The Emperor looked back at her. “What? Done already?”
Duoduo quickly refocused and continued feeling his pulse.
The Emperor noticed that Duoduo’s brow was furrowed.
He watched her with keen interest. “What? Has my time come?”
