“Quick! Say, ‘Ptui, ptui, ptui!’” Duoduo said as she released Lüdou.
After her initial surprise, Lüdou obediently spat three times.
“Don’t say things like that about dying or living ever again.”
“We’re both going to live to be a hundred!” Duoduo urged her anxiously.
Lüdou’s eyes grew hot, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
She hurriedly wiped them away, then gave Duoduo a wide smile.
“Yes!”
“Your servant obeys!”
Only then was Duoduo satisfied. She pulled Lüdou down to sit beside her.
“Father said he’ll send plenty of guards to protect you tomorrow.”
“When you’re alone in the carriage, you must stay alert at all times.”
“If nothing unexpected happens, we’ll meet at the Great Buddha Temple!”
Duoduo told Lüdou every detail of the arrangements and analyzed all the abnormalities that might occur.
Lüdou nodded, committing every word Duoduo said to memory.
The next day, after watching Li Jin lead Duoduo into the secret passage, Lüdou and Qingliu headed outside the residence.
“Qingliu, I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with being my maid today.” Lüdou worried that Qingliu might be unhappy.
Qingliu shook her head. “We’re both the Princess’s maids. We do whatever the Princess orders.”
“Besides, I’m only able to leave the residence because I’m accompanying you. I’m the one benefiting here.”
Lüdou took Qingliu’s hand. “If anything unexpected happens, don’t worry about me. Escape and save yourself first.”
Qingliu flung Lüdou’s hand away.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m the Princess’s maid. How could I abandon my mistress and run for my life alone?”
Lüdou froze for a moment before reaching for Qingliu’s hand again.
“I’m not the Princess!”
Qingliu stared straight at her.
“Lüdou, have you forgotten what the Princess just said?”
“From the moment you put on this outfit, you became the Princess!”
“Have you forgotten that?”
Lüdou pressed her lips together.
Of course she hadn’t forgotten.
She was merely worried that Qingliu, who also served Duoduo, might feel uncomfortable serving her instead.
“Don’t worry. I’m not as petty as you think,” Qingliu said, having guessed what was on Lüdou’s mind.
At first, she really had felt rather uncomfortable.
But she had quickly adjusted.
After all, Lüdou resembled the Princess the most.
If the Princess had been given a choice, she certainly would have chosen Lüdou as her double—not Qingliu.
That was because Lüdou might face danger on this journey.
The Princess and Lüdou were close, so she would never have the heart to send Lüdou into danger.
Thus, some things might look glorious on the surface, but in reality, they were fraught with danger.
Qingliu had initially felt a little schadenfreude about it.
But after seeing how Lüdou always put the Princess’s interests first, she had no choice but to admire her.
If their positions had been reversed, she would have valued Lüdou too.
“Let’s go!”
With that thought, Qingliu took the initiative to support Lüdou as they left the Prince of Pingyang’s residence and climbed into the carriage.
Once inside, Lüdou removed her veiled hat.
The weather was hot, and the hat made her feel even more stifled.
“To the Great Buddha Temple,” Qingliu instructed from inside the carriage.
The carriage began to move.
Meanwhile, Duoduo and Li Jin hurried through the secret passage.
“Teacher, I haven’t seen Elder Sister in such a long time.”
The capital had been unsettled these past few days.
To keep Li Jin and the others from being dragged into the trouble, Xiao Yi had arranged a different residence for them.
Hearing this, Li Jin smiled.
“This morning, Yingniang said the exact same thing.”
Duoduo immediately brightened.
“Does Elder Sister miss me too?”
“What about Aunt Xu? Does she miss me?”
Li Jin nodded.
“They both do.”
“Your Aunt Xu even made a special trip to the pastry shop. When she came back, she couldn’t stop praising you and Lüdou.”
Duoduo’s eyes lit up.
“How’s Aunt Xu’s shop doing?”
Li Jin thought for a moment. “Recently, the weather’s been too hot, so business for the grilled fish has suffered a little.”
“On the other hand, the iced drinks at the shop are selling incredibly well!”
“Your Aunt Xu bought the shop next door and opened an iced-drink shop.”
“Now, whenever people in the capital hold a banquet, they come to her to order iced drinks.”
As Li Jin spoke, he couldn’t help smiling.
He hadn’t expected his wife to bring grilled fish to the capital—and even milk tea and iced drinks.
The business had turned out to be unexpectedly successful!
This was the first time Duoduo had heard about the iced-drink business. She pouted.
“How come I didn’t know?”
Duoduo felt a little dejected.
As one of the shareholders, she felt that she hadn’t contributed at all.
Li Jin glanced at her. “Your Aunt Xu said it was all thanks to the inspiration you gave her!”
“When you gave her watermelon juice before, it reminded her to open an iced-drink shop!”
Duoduo instantly cheered up.
“Really?”
“Teacher, you’re not teasing me, are you?”
“A gentleman’s word is his bond,” Li Jin said with a serious expression.
Duoduo happily shook her head from side to side. “Aunt Xu really is a genius!”
Li Jin laughed. “No wonder your Aunt Xu is always saying that you’re more like her daughter than Yingniang is.”
“Looking at the way you two praise each other, it’s hard not to think you’re mother and daughter by blood.”
Duoduo laughed too.
“Elder Sister is like Aunt Xu! I’m like Father!”
Li Jin nodded. “You’re right!”
As they talked, they reached the entrance to the secret passage.
They stopped, and Li Jin listened carefully to the sounds outside.
“Princess, I’ll go up first and take a look. If everything’s safe, I’ll call for you.”
Duoduo nodded. “Teacher, be careful!”
Li Jin patted Duoduo on the head, then vaulted out of the passage.
Duoduo hid in a dark corner and waited quietly for Li Jin.
Before long, Li Jin’s voice came from the entrance.
“Princess, you can come out now.”
Duoduo cautiously approached the opening and peered outside.
She saw that Li Jin was the only person there.
“Princess?” Li Jin moved closer to the entrance and called softly once more.
“I’m coming out!” Duoduo answered as she hopped out.
Seeing that Duoduo was unharmed, Li Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
“Come on. There’s a carriage waiting outside the shop.”
Li Jin put a veiled hat on Duoduo, then carried her outside.
Sure enough, a carriage was waiting in front of the shop.
Li Jin carried Duoduo into it.
The carriage slowly made its way toward the Great Buddha Temple outside the city.
At the Great Buddha Temple, Princess Consort Rui was kneeling on a prayer mat, her hands pressed together as she murmured a prayer.
Princess Consort Rui rose to her feet and bowed once more toward the Buddha statue.
“Abbot, this is my offering.”
She took a banknote from her maid and handed it to the abbot.
The abbot glanced at it.
One thousand taels!
His eyes narrowed, and the smile on his face grew even warmer.
“Your generosity is boundless, Patron. The Buddha will surely bless you!”
Princess Consort Rui pressed her palms together and bowed to the abbot.
“I’ve made plans to meet a friend. May I borrow one of the temple’s side rooms?”
“Of course. Please follow me.”
