Xiao Yi raised his hand and smacked Duoduo on the bottom.
“Enough mischief!” he said sternly.
“Do you think you can run wild in the palace?”
“When you encounter trouble in the palace, absolutely do not act recklessly!”
“You need to learn to use that little head of yours!”
Xiao Yi lightly tapped Duoduo on the forehead.
Duoduo stuck out her tongue.
“Daddy, I know!”
“I was just teasing you because you were so nervous.”
Xiao Yi was utterly speechless.
“You actually dare to make fun of your father? Do you want me to refresh your memory?”
Duoduo hurriedly covered her bottom with a beaming smile and backed away.
“Daddy, Granny is still waiting outside. I’m leaving now!”
Xiao Yi watched anxiously as Duoduo bounced away.
The hand resting on his knee slowly curled into a fist.
With Qingliu’s help, Duoduo climbed into the carriage.
When the nanny saw her, she hurriedly bowed.
Duoduo waved her hand. “Get up, Granny!”
“By the way, what exactly happened to Great-Grandmother? Is she all right?”
The nanny wiped at the corners of her eyes, her face full of sorrow.
“The Empress Dowager… I’m afraid she won’t make it.”
Duoduo sprang to her feet in shock.
“What?”
The nanny’s tears began to fall uncontrollably.
“Ever since His Majesty fell unconscious, the Empress Dowager’s health has been failing.”
“At the time, Imperial Physician Li was still here, so she was able to hold on while taking the medicine he prescribed.”
“But after Imperial Physician Li was sent south, the Empress Dowager grew weaker with each passing day.”
“She hasn’t eaten anything for several days!”
“Today, she suddenly kept saying that she wanted to see the Princess.”
“So this servant took the Empress Dowager’s token and left the palace to invite the Princess inside.”
Duoduo froze for a moment before calling toward the front of the carriage, “Driver, go faster!”
“Yes, Princess.”
The driver cracked his whip, and the carriage picked up speed.
“The medicine pills I gave Great-Grandmother… she didn’t take them?”
When Duoduo had previously visited the palace, she had noticed that the Empress Dowager had little appetite, so she had specially made her some pills to strengthen the spleen and stimulate the appetite.
“It was precisely because of your pills that the Empress Dowager managed to hold on for several more days.”
“Before Imperial Physician Li departed, he also sent someone to deliver a message.”
“He said that if the Empress Dowager felt unwell, she could invite the Princess to the palace to take a look at her.”
“The Empress Dowager didn’t want to trouble the Princess, but today she heard that the Princess had gone to the Li residence for the flower-viewing banquet.”
“She wanted to hear about it, so she asked the Princess to come into the palace and keep her company for a few days.”
Duoduo rolled her eyes.
Then she sat down.
This nanny truly was the old servant who had stayed by Great-Grandmother’s side for years.
What a sly old fox!
She and Daddy had both been fooled!
She had known it—how could Great-Grandmother really be in danger?
No matter how busy he was with state affairs, Fifth Uncle would never dare neglect Great-Grandmother!
Once Duoduo understood what was going on, she relaxed.
The carriage traveled quickly and soon stopped in front of the palace.
Qingliu helped Duoduo down from the carriage.
The nanny displayed her token, and the guards let them pass.
As soon as they entered the palace gates, a sedan chair came over to meet them.
“Princess, please take the sedan chair.” The nanny bent at the waist respectfully.
“Would that really be appropriate?” Duoduo had never ridden in a sedan chair inside the palace.
“This was ordered by the Empress Dowager,” the nanny explained.
The moment she heard that, Duoduo climbed in without the slightest hesitation.
If she didn’t have to walk, of course she was willing.
After all, it was a very long way from the palace gates to the Palace of Benevolent Peace.
Once Duoduo was seated securely, the nanny called out, “Raise the sedan!”
Duoduo felt a trembling, swaying motion. Then the sedan chair was lifted into the air.
Because she was so light, the chair rocked back and forth.
After sitting for a while, Duoduo felt that it was even less comfortable than walking.
She couldn’t understand why the noble ladies and officials in the palace thought riding in a sedan chair was so impressive.
Duoduo tried her best to relax. As she watched the red palace walls sliding past on either side, she began to think about the days when she had attended the Imperial Academy.
Although she hadn’t learned very much there, she had met many schoolmates.
She had also encountered all sorts of things.
It had been quite interesting.
Unlike now, when she was cooped up in the residence every day.
It was dreadfully boring!
Just as the swaying of the sedan chair was making Duoduo drowsy, it came to a stop.
Duoduo opened her eyes and saw that they had arrived at the Palace of Benevolent Peace.
She waited until the sedan chair had settled before taking Qingliu’s hand and standing up.
Well, not having to walk was still pretty nice.
Duoduo climbed down with a cheerful smile and entered the palace.
“Changle pays her respects to Great-Grandmother!”
She walked into the inner hall and obediently knelt to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.
“Rise.”
An elderly voice came from above.
Duoduo’s heart gave an uneasy thump.
Great-Grandmother’s voice sounded weak and lacking in strength.
This wasn’t good!
“Thank you, Great-Grandmother.”
After kowtowing, Duoduo stood up.
“Come here to Great-Grandmother.”
The Empress Dowager smiled kindly and beckoned Duoduo over.
Duoduo raised her head and hurried to the Empress Dowager’s side.
She took the Empress Dowager’s hand and discreetly felt her pulse.
The Empress Dowager smiled.
“Bring the Princess a stool,” she ordered.
A palace maid immediately brought over a chair and placed it below the Empress Dowager.
“Sit down and take your time,” the Empress Dowager prompted.
Duoduo sat down. The smile faded from her face as she began to examine the pulse seriously.
The pulse was weak and faint, barely perceptible.
“Great-Grandmother, have you been drinking ginseng soup lately?” Duoduo asked, frowning as she withdrew her hand.
The Empress Dowager’s personal nanny hurriedly bowed.
“Yes, Princess.”
“Her Majesty hasn’t eaten a grain of rice for several days and can only drink a little ginseng soup.”
Duoduo then asked the Empress Dowager to stick out her tongue and examined it for a moment.
She carefully asked about the Empress Dowager’s recent meals, sleep, and physical condition.
“Great-Grandmother, would you like to eat dinner?” Duoduo asked, judging from the sky that it was almost time for the evening meal.
The Empress Dowager gave an utterly helpless smile.
“When people grow old, their appetites worsen.”
“I don’t feel hungry.”
Duoduo nodded. “Then don’t eat if you aren’t hungry.”
The personal nanny was startled.
“How can you not eat, Your Majesty?”
“You’ve already lost so much weight!”
“This servant has tried every possible method, but Her Majesty doesn’t want to eat anything she sees!”
Duoduo looked at the nanny in confusion.
“If you’ve already tried everything, forcing Great-Grandmother to eat won’t make her able to swallow anything!”
“But I’m hungry!”
“I want japonica rice porridge, preferably cooked with a little milk. It should be white with a milky fragrance and soft and glutinous.”
“I also want silver-thread rolls, osmanthus cakes, exquisite rolls…”
Duoduo counted off the foods she liked on her fingers, one by one.
The Empress Dowager smiled and waved her hand.
“Did you hear that? Write it all down, then hurry to the Imperial Kitchen and have them prepare it.”
The nanny hesitated for a moment before bowing and hurrying out.
Duoduo took two bright-red little balls from her sleeve. She handed one to the Empress Dowager and stuffed the other into her own mouth.
“Great-Grandmother, I made these sugar balls myself. Try one and see if it’s tasty!”
The Empress Dowager had no appetite at all.
However, she didn’t want to reject Duoduo’s kindness, so she placed the sugar ball in her mouth.
The sugar ball was actually sour!
