Xu Jinxin glanced at Duoduo’s smiling face and nodded inwardly.
Duoduo was truly skilled at winning people over!
What Xu Jinxin didn’t know was that word of Duoduo’s medicine had already spread among the guards. They all knew that the princess’s medicine for bruises and injuries was even more effective than the imperial physicians’ remedies.
The guards carefully tucked the pills they had received into their sleeve pouches. As guards, they were bound to suffer minor injuries from time to time. For those small wounds, applying some ordinary wound medicine after returning would be enough to make them better soon.
It was more important to save the princess’s medicine for when it was truly needed.
Several of the more seriously injured guards hesitated when they received their pills, but eventually swallowed them. Sure enough, not long after taking the medicine, the wounds that had still been bleeding began to scab over. Those who had needed support to walk were soon able to walk on their own.
Only then did the guards who had taken the medicine truly experience its effects. They regretted not saving the pills for later.
What a waste!
After the guards’ leader finished distributing the medicine, there were still a few pills left in the bottle. He hurried to the carriage and held the bottle out.
“Princess, there are still some left.”
Duoduo waved her hand.
“Give another pill to those who are more seriously injured.”
“If they hadn’t risked their lives to protect us today, we wouldn’t have been able to leave safely!”
The guards’ leader hurriedly bowed after hearing this.
“Thank you for the reward, Princess. Protecting you is our duty!”
Duoduo smiled and waved, signaling that there was no need for such formality.
The leader returned to the group of guards and gave each of the more seriously injured men another pill.
The guards who had been regretting their decision moments ago were instantly overjoyed. Everyone broke into smiles as if they had struck gold.
The guards’ leader now understood the princess’s intentions. She would not take the medicine back.
So after giving another pill to every seriously injured guard, he noticed that there were still a few left in the bottle and made a decision.
“We won’t distribute the rest.”
“I’ll keep them safe. If anyone needs one later, they can come to me.”
“And we must all remember the kindness shown to us by the princess and the prince!”
“Yes!”
Everyone answered happily.
Inside the carriage, Duoduo beamed as she watched the guards behind them, all of whom had regained their energy.
Before long, the carriage returned to the Prince of Pingyang’s residence.
Xu Jinxin first looked around cautiously before helping Duoduo down from the carriage.
Lüdou stayed close in front of Duoduo, leading the way and shielding her.
The guards also surrounded the carriage tightly, making sure Duoduo could return to the residence safely.
Only after finally stepping through the main gates of the Prince of Pingyang’s residence did Xu Jinxin let out a sigh of relief.
She hadn’t expected them to actually encounter an attack today.
The capital seemed destined for chaos.
Xu Jinxin took Duoduo toward the rear courtyard, but halfway there, Duoduo pulled free of her hand.
“Aunt Xu, you go to the rear courtyard first. I’m going to the study.”
Xu Jinxin knew that Duoduo intended to look for Prince of Pingyang.
She nodded. “All right. I’ll go to your mother first, so she won’t worry.”
Duoduo nodded and led Lüdou down another path.
The guards’ leader was currently reporting the ambush to Xiao Yi.
“Did you get a clear look at who they were?” Xiao Yi asked. After hearing the report, his hand slowly clenched into a fist.
The guards’ leader looked ashamed.
“Your Highness, everything was chaotic at the time, and the attackers were all masked. This subordinate couldn’t identify them.”
“However, I did find this.”
The guards’ leader took an arrow from his sleeve. Yunxiao accepted it and placed it in front of Xiao Yi.
“This arrow is different from the ones we normally use.”
“The fletching is slightly shorter.”
The guards had discovered it while cleaning out the carriage.
Xiao Yi picked up the arrow and examined it. There were no markings on it, and aside from the difference the guard had mentioned, it offered no clues at all.
He fell into thought.
“Your Highness, the princess has arrived.”
A guard entered to report from outside the door.
Xiao Yi raised his head. “Let her in.”
Although the guards had told Xiao Yi that Duoduo was unharmed, he was still worried sick after hearing that she had been attacked. Until he saw her with his own eyes, he couldn’t put his mind at ease.
Yunxiao waved his hand and led the guards’ leader out.
At the door, the two men bowed to Duoduo.
“Princess, His Highness has been worried about you,” Yunxiao said, currying favor with Duoduo.
Duoduo smiled at Yunxiao and nodded before walking inside.
Hearing her footsteps, Xiao Yi set down the arrow in his hand.
“Come here!” he called, extending a hand toward her.
Duoduo had been about to bow, but when she heard Xiao Yi, she obediently walked over to him.
Xiao Yi took her hand and looked her over from head to toe. Seeing that her clothes were completely undamaged, he secretly relaxed.
“Were you frightened?” he asked, gently stroking her hair.
Duoduo gave Xiao Yi a broad smile. “Were you frightened, Papa?”
Xiao Yi laughed and patted her head. “What do you think?”
Duoduo mischievously stuck out her tongue.
“I was a little scared at first, but then I wasn’t anymore!”
In just a few words, Duoduo recounted everything that had happened to Xiao Yi. She also took the hairpin from her head and placed it in his hand.
“Luckily, Papa had the foresight to prepare this for me.”
“Otherwise, we might not have escaped so easily today.”
Xiao Yi examined the hairpin, then nodded and put it back into Duoduo’s hair.
“Mm. I’ll have some weapons placed in your carriage later.”
“This was Papa’s oversight. I’m sorry!”
Xiao Yi’s wheelchair was equipped with hidden weapons, so he hadn’t thought to prepare anything else. It was only after Duoduo ran into trouble today that he realized how careless he had been.
Seeing the guilt on Xiao Yi’s face, Duoduo immediately raised a hand and touched his cheek.
“This isn’t Papa’s fault! You don’t need to feel guilty.”
“If anyone is to blame, it’s those masked men!”
“How dare they? They actually attacked people in broad daylight!”
“Papa, who do you think their master is?”
“Were they really sent by Second Uncle?”
When Xiao Yi heard her question, he picked up the arrow beside him.
Duoduo found it strange that her father didn’t answer her and instead picked up the arrow.
Xiao Yi handed it to her.
“This is what the guards gave me,” he explained. “It’s an arrow left behind by those masked men.”
Duoduo took it curiously and turned it over in her hands.
“Papa, there’s nothing unusual about this arrow. It doesn’t even have a mark.”
“How can you determine whether Second Uncle’s people were behind it just from one arrow?”
Xiao Yi nodded.
“Indeed. One arrow alone isn’t enough to determine who was behind the masked men.”
“However, Papa can tell you this much: the attackers today were not people sent by Prince Ling.”
