“These people will all be under your management from now on.”
“They’ll contact only you if anything comes up.”
“And if anything happens to them, I’ll hold you responsible!”
Duoduo’s words left Shitou both excited and worried.
The princess had entrusted him with managing everyone, which meant she valued him.
But from now on, anything those people did would also be closely tied to him.
Shitou suddenly felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier.
“As for the number of people, let’s leave it at this for now,” Duoduo continued. “Add more only if you truly come across suitable candidates.”
Duoduo had taken into consideration that too many people would attract attention.
“By the way, what news has there been in the capital lately?” Duoduo asked.
Duoduo had been away from the manor these past few days, so Shitou had had no way to report anything to her.
Now that she had asked, he immediately poured out everything he knew, from beginning to end.
Naturally, he also mentioned the attack on Prince Ling.
Duoduo was intrigued.
“You mean you know who attacked Prince Ling?”
Shitou sheepishly scratched his head.
“Not exactly.”
“Someone happened to see where the people who assassinated Prince Ling went.”
“From that, we guessed who they might be.”
“You weren’t discovered, were you?” Duoduo did not ask who the attackers were first. Instead, she asked about the safety of Shitou and the others.
Duoduo knew that she herself had been attacked today.
If the culprits realized that Shitou and the others had figured out their identities, Shitou’s group would be in grave danger.
They did not live in the manor, and Duoduo could not protect them there.
Shitou was deeply moved by her concern.
He bowed to Duoduo.
“Rest assured, Princess. They weren’t seen.”
“These men were carefully selected by me, and they’re very good at keeping out of sight.”
“At first, I didn’t dare confirm who those people were.”
“I had someone watch that residence until they attacked you again today...”
After saying this, Shitou dropped to his knees, his face full of guilt.
“Please forgive me, Princess. When you were in danger, I had people nearby.”
“But there were too many of them, and I didn’t dare rush in recklessly to rescue you.”
“Please punish me!”
With that, Shitou lowered himself until his forehead touched the ground.
The garden fell silent.
Only the cicadas in the treetops continued their incessant cries: “It’s hot! It’s hot!”
Lüdou immediately grew displeased.
“If you were nearby, why didn’t you find someone to help?”
“I sent people to the authorities to call for assistance, but the officials dragged their feet. By the time they arrived, the Princess had already left safely,” Shitou explained.
Lüdou was about to say more when she saw Duoduo wave her hand.
“Shitou, get up and speak.”
Shitou did not dare disobey. He anxiously kowtowed to Duoduo before rising to his feet.
“You made the right decision,” Duoduo said first, affirming his actions.
“All of those people were armed. Even if you had rushed out, you would only have been throwing your lives away.”
“You might not have been able to help and could even have made things worse.”
Hearing this, Shitou hurriedly nodded.
“Exactly! Princess, that’s what I thought too!”
“So, after confirming where they were staying, I returned to the manor to report to you!”
Duoduo’s expression turned solemn. “All right. Tell me whose men they are.”
Shitou answered without hesitation.
“I saw them go outside the city, where someone was waiting for them.”
“After listening to their report, that person boarded a carriage. The carriage eventually entered a residence.”
“I had my men wait outside for quite some time. Once we confirmed that the person hadn’t come back out, I hurried back.”
“Our people are still keeping watch there.”
Duoduo pondered for a moment. “Did you investigate who owns that residence?”
Shitou nodded. “After finding out, I went there with Liqing to investigate.”
“It belongs to the Fifth Imperial Consort!”
A look of surprise appeared in Duoduo’s eyes.
It was Fifth Uncle’s people?
Her eyes flickered, and she immediately stood up.
“Shitou, come with me to see Father.”
Shitou grew nervous and awkwardly nodded.
He was terrified of the Prince of Pingyang.
He was especially afraid when the Prince of Pingyang said nothing and simply stared at him. At those times, Shitou felt like prey being watched by some kind of wild beast.
Duoduo did not notice Shitou’s expression. She was lost in thought.
The Fifth Prince had actually dared to send people to assassinate Prince Ling in broad daylight. He was incredibly bold!
No, he had actually dared to attack everyone. He must have been tired of living!
At that moment, Xiao Yi had also received the news in his study.
He frowned.
“Has the news been sent to Prince Ling’s residence?”
Yunxiao nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. As you instructed, Prince Ling must have heard by now.”
Xiao Yi’s fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop.
Could this really have been done by the Fifth Prince?
“Who else was attacked today?” Xiao Yi asked.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
Before Yunxiao could answer, a guard knocked on the door.
“Your Highness, the Princess is here.”
“She says she has something to discuss with you.”
Xiao Yi gave Yunxiao a look. Yunxiao nodded and went to open the door.
“Princess, His Highness will see you.”
Duoduo smiled at Yunxiao and motioned for Shitou to follow her inside.
When Xiao Yi saw Shitou, a trace of curiosity appeared in his eyes.
Duoduo entered the room and led Shitou in a formal salute to Xiao Yi.
Straightening up, she got straight to the point.
“Father, Shitou says he knows who is behind the people who attacked me.”
Xiao Yi and Yunxiao both looked surprised.
Xiao Yi recovered quickly and looked at Shitou.
“Tell me what happened.”
Shitou straightened and recounted everything from how he had happened to see the men to how he had followed them.
A flash of approval passed through Xiao Yi’s eyes.
He knew that Duoduo had been trying to establish her own information network.
However, he had not expected it to produce results in such a short time.
Xiao Yi was very pleased.
After all, it had taken him many years to build his own information network, and even now, it had only just uncovered this information.
Shitou and the others, however, had discovered it several days earlier.
They simply did not yet know how to analyze the situation, so they had not reported it immediately.
Xiao Yi believed that as Duoduo matured, this information network would grow stronger and stronger.
After Shitou finished speaking, Duoduo saw that Xiao Yi remained silent, apparently considering whether Shitou’s information was reliable.
“Father, Shitou’s men are still keeping watch outside that residence.”
“If you don’t believe him, you can have Yunxiao take some men there to investigate.”
Duoduo’s words brought Xiao Yi back to himself.
“There’s no need.”
“Shitou, go and withdraw your men.”
Shitou immediately looked at Duoduo.
He remembered very clearly that his master was Princess Changle.
Duoduo, somewhat puzzled, turned to Xiao Yi.
“Yunxiao has already sent people to pass the news to Prince Ling.”
“I was concerned that your people might be caught up in what happens next.”
Duoduo’s eyes lit up. “So, Father, you already knew about it!”
The corners of Xiao Yi’s lips curved upward. “I only found out one breath before you did.”
“Just wait. Someone will naturally avenge this grievance for you!”
