A trace of reluctance flashed through the Emperor’s eyes.
Very few people had ever kept him company and spoken with him like this.
He was lonely.
But the dignity of an emperor kept him from lowering himself to ask Duoduo to stay.
“Did your bug tell you whether the... bug inside My body will act like that again?”
The Emperor remembered the bulge crawling beneath his skin just now and felt a wave of revulsion.
Duoduo shook her head.
“Under normal circumstances, it remains dormant inside Your Majesty’s body.”
“As long as You keep Your emotions under control, it won’t come out.”
“And if You do see it, don’t try to cut open Your skin and grab it!”
“It shares a connection with You and can sense Your intentions.”
“Once it senses that You want it dead, it will retaliate and make You wish You were dead!”
Little Gold had just told Duoduo that the parasite inside the Emperor’s body only wanted to control and torment him.
It had no intention of taking his life.
Unless the Emperor tried to kill it.
The Emperor’s expression darkened.
He remembered Imperial Physician Li telling him that keeping his mind calm was the best way to treat the condition.
But the court was in chaos, and the common people were suffering terribly.
As the ruler of the empire, he could not simply stand by and do nothing.
The Emperor could not bring himself to do that!
With that thought, he took a jade pendant from his sleeve and held it out to Duoduo.
“Take this jade pendant and give it to your father.”
Duoduo hesitated instead of accepting it. She tilted her head back and looked at the Emperor.
“Grandfather, are you giving this jade pendant to my papa as a reward?”
“Our Prince of Pingyang’s residence is very poor. Instead of a jade pendant, why don’t you give us some gold or silver?”
The Emperor stared at Duoduo. He saw her looking at him with a pair of crystal-clear eyes.
The corners of his lips suddenly curved upward.
“All right!”
“Tell your father that if he can take care of this matter for Me, I will reward him handsomely.”
Duoduo tilted her little head.
“Grandfather, can you tell me what the matter is?”
“I’ll help Papa see whether he can do it.”
“If I agree too readily and he gets angry with me later, that would be bad!”
The Emperor had not expected Duoduo to be so guarded despite her young age.
He lowered his gaze to the jade pendant. “Your father will understand when he sees this.”
Duoduo clasped both hands behind her back and shook her head vigorously.
“Then I can’t agree so casually!”
“Grandfather, let Changle go home and ask Papa first. If he agrees, I’ll come back and take the jade pendant. Is that all right?”
Seeing that Duoduo had not fallen for his ploy, the Emperor deliberately put on a stern expression.
“This is an imperial edict!”
Duoduo backed toward the door one step at a time, her hands still behind her back.
“I didn’t hear anything!”
“I’m leaving!”
With that, Duoduo turned and tried to run outside.
Unexpectedly, the Emperor waved his hand, and a shadow guard blocked her path.
Duoduo was about to run straight into him. Acting on instinct, she performed a backward somersault and dodged out of the way.
The Emperor’s eyes lit up.
He remembered the strength with which Duoduo had tugged at his hand earlier. It was clearly far beyond that of an ordinary child.
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
When the shadow guard saw the Emperor’s expression, he immediately launched an attack on Duoduo.
Ever since Duoduo had begun learning martial arts from Li Jin, he would often ambush her on purpose to train her ability to react in unexpected situations.
Therefore, whenever Duoduo encountered danger, the muscle memory she had practiced countless times instantly prompted her to counterattack.
Duoduo grabbed the guard’s arm and pulled backward, using his momentum. Then she kicked him in the ribs.
The shadow guard was startled. He hurriedly used Duoduo’s momentum to perform a somersault over her head.
Before he had even landed, Duoduo seized his arm and yanked it hard behind her.
The guard had not expected Duoduo to have another move ready. In shock, he was dragged half a step before barely managing to steady himself.
“That’s enough!” the Emperor ordered calmly.
The shadow guards who protected the Emperor at close range were no ordinary soldiers.
Yet even such a guard had been left full of openings by a little child’s attacks.
The Emperor found it humiliating.
The shadow guard immediately dropped to his knees when he heard the order. He lowered his head and knocked it against the floor in a kowtow.
Duoduo froze for a moment. Only then did she remember where she was.
She scratched her head in dismay.
Master Li had trained her far too many times. Whenever she encountered danger, she would instinctively strike back.
This was terrible!
Duoduo lowered her head as well, looking like a child who had done something wrong.
The Emperor studied her. His expression was filled with deep thought as he looked at the Duoduo who seemed completely different from the girl she had been moments earlier.
The Emperor clearly remembered the information gathered by the shadow guards when he had ordered them to investigate Changle.
She had been unloved by her family since childhood and had nearly died several times.
She was timid, cowardly, insecure, and rarely spoke.
It was said that she often stared blankly into space and muttered strange, incomprehensible things.
She had been regarded as an ill omen.
The image of Duoduo just now surfaced in the Emperor’s mind again.
Every move and stance she had used was nothing like those of a child.
She had seemed like a seasoned fighter who had practiced martial arts for many years.
If not for her height and her tender, childish face, no one would have believed that she was only a few years old!
The Emperor once again thought of the documents on his desk.
This Changle had been personally trained by the Prince of Pingyang.
Whether it was reading and understanding principles, horseback riding and archery, or dealing with people, the Prince of Pingyang had devoted tremendous effort to her.
He had practically raised her as a son!
When the Emperor had first read the report, he had scoffed at it.
Now, it seemed that the report had not exaggerated at all.
Although the Prince of Pingyang’s legs were crippled, he possessed extraordinary abilities that had been passed down to him by the Emperor himself.
What a waste it would be to let those abilities go unused!
It had taken him only half a year to train Changle to this level.
If he found someone else, would that person also...
Duoduo waited for a long while without seeing her grandfather move. She secretly raised her head and cast a quick glance at the Emperor.
Then she saw him staring at her thoughtfully.
Duoduo nervously rubbed the palm of her hand.
Had she gotten her father into trouble?
It was all because of her darned reflexes!
What was she supposed to do now?
Duoduo’s first instinct was to hurry back to the residence and discuss it with her father.
But she immediately rejected the idea.
No!
Papa had said that when she encountered a difficult problem, she had to solve it herself.
She could not always think about relying on others!
A mountain might collapse, and a person might leave!
With that thought, Duoduo lifted her head and put on a bright smile.
“Grandfather, did you deliberately arrange for someone to play with Changle?”
“It felt just like a dream!”
The Emperor snapped out of his thoughts and scrutinized Duoduo without answering.
Seeing that the Emperor was ignoring her, Duoduo rolled her big eyes.
“Little Gold, was it you?”
“Were you the one controlling me just now?”
Duoduo poked Little Gold in her palm and deliberately pulled a stern expression.
“Little Gold! If you ever take matters into your own hands again, I’ll roast you and eat you!”
