The path leading to the Cold Palace was completely different from the roads outside, as if they belonged to two entirely separate worlds.
Duoduo was a little curious.
"Grand Tutor, are there no people living in the palaces over here?"
The Grand Tutor gave Duoduo a long, meaningful look.
"Princess Changle, this place is the Cold Palace."
Duoduo tilted her little head. "Is there no one inside the Cold Palace?"
"Even the paths here are never swept or cleaned."
The Grand Tutor did not say anything else. He turned his footsteps and headed down a different road that led to the Palace of Benevolent Peace.
Duoduo could not help but glance back twice more.
She noticed that there were no guards on duty at the Cold Palace at all.
Not a single hidden guard could be spotted anywhere nearby.
What was more, the walls surrounding the Cold Palace were not particularly tall.
Duoduo estimated that with her current abilities, she could climb over them easily without any effort.
Perfect!
Duoduo was overjoyed in her heart, and she quickened her pace to catch up with the Grand Tutor.
The Grand Tutor seemed to have seen right through what Duoduo was thinking.
"The Cold Palace is a forbidden, taboo place in the imperial palace. Princess, do not come over here without good reason."
Duoduo pretended not to understand.
"There aren't any pretty flowers or plants here anyway, why would I come wandering over?"
"Just remember my words, Princess." The Grand Tutor did not wish to elaborate further.
There were countless rules in the imperial palace. Since the Prince of Pingyang had been confident enough to let Princess Changle enter the palace, he must have already given her proper instructions.
"Grand Tutor, I heard from Xiao Che... uh, Eighth Uncle, that the Imperial Academy has suspended classes?"
Duoduo only remembered to ask about this matter at this moment.
The Grand Tutor lifted his head to glance at the sky.
The sun was blazing fiercely!
Autumn had already arrived, yet the weather still showed no sign of cooling down.
He could not help but wonder when the world would return to normal again.
"Mn, it's far too hot," the Grand Tutor replied lightly.
Too hot?
Duoduo also lifted her head to follow his gaze towards the sky.
But back in the middle of summer, the Imperial Academy had still been running as usual, hadn't it?
Now that it was already autumn, even though it was still warm, it was nothing compared to the scorching heat of summer days.
Why would the Imperial Academy suspend its classes?
Seeing that the Grand Tutor did not look keen to talk about this matter, Duoduo did not press him further.
All of a sudden, Duoduo remembered the day the Grand Tutor had taken her to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
"Grand Tutor, there's a question that's been puzzling me for a very long time."
"I happened to run into you today, Grand Tutor, can you clear up this confusion for your student?"
Duoduo glanced around them. Since they were near the Cold Palace, not even a single passing eunuch could be seen on the paths.
The Grand Tutor lowered his head to look at Duoduo.
"As your Grand Tutor, I will naturally tell you everything I know, and leave no question unanswered."
A bright, sunny smile spread across Duoduo's face.
"Grand Tutor, why did you take me to the Imperial Ancestral Temple that day?"
"I heard from my father that women are never allowed to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"
Right after Duoduo finished speaking, she caught a sharp glint flash quickly across the Grand Tutor's eyes.
Then the Grand Tutor lifted his feet and continued walking, seemingly lost in thought.
Duoduo walked quietly beside him, not rushing him at all.
"Princess, do you know that apart from the successive emperors, no other person is ever permitted to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple?"
Instead of answering her question directly, the Grand Tutor tossed another question back at her.
Duoduo nodded.
"I didn't know that before, but my father told me later!"
The Grand Tutor nodded slowly, then fell silent again.
Duoduo was left completely confused, scratching her head trying to figure out what he meant.
Why had the Grand Tutor stopped talking halfway?
Leaving sentences unfinished, forcing people to guess what he wanted to say.
This is so tiring!
Duoduo puffed out her cheeks in slight frustration.
From what the Grand Tutor had just said, no one but the emperor could enter that place. But that one time, the Grand Tutor had clearly taken her inside.
What's more, Duoduo remembered very clearly that the imperial guards stationed outside had not stopped them at all. It was as if they had known in advance that the Grand Tutor would be coming.
A flash of inspiration struck Duoduo.
"Oh! I get it now!"
Duoduo was so delighted once she worked it out.
The Grand Tutor turned his head to look at her.
Duoduo shook her head playfully, and she said nothing more either.
The Grand Tutor pondered for a moment, then asked, "What is it that you have figured out, Princess?"
Only then did Duoduo reveal a proud grin.
"I've worked out why I was allowed to go inside!"
The Grand Tutor nodded, and walked forward in silence.
Seeing that the Grand Tutor was not going to ask her any further, Duoduo felt a little deflated.
This Grand Tutor really is an old, crafty veteran!
She took back her earlier thought that the Grand Tutor was a nice, easygoing person.
"Grand Tutor, it must have been Grandfather who told you to bring me in there, right?"
Duoduo remembered that Prince Ling and Song Shuyu had been there that day too.
Could it be that her grandfather had always been optimistic about her Second Uncle?
But then why had he also asked the Grand Tutor to bring her along?
"Second Uncle and Commandery Princess Funing were also brought there on Grandfather's orders, weren't they?"
The Grand Tutor glanced at Duoduo, but did not give a verbal reply.
But Duoduo knew at once that she had guessed correctly.
There was still a little confusion lingering in Duoduo's heart though.
If Grandfather had asked Second Uncle and her elder sister to go there to pray for rain, why did he also have the Grand Tutor bring her along to observe the rain ceremony?
Could it be that Grandfather did not truly believe the story that her elder sister was the lucky star?
Or rather, maybe Grandfather was testing both of them, to see which one of her and her elder sister was the real lucky star.
Duoduo carefully recalled all the different attitudes her grandfather had shown towards her before and after that incident.
She suddenly realized that her grandfather's treatment of her had changed noticeably over time.
In the middle of her reminiscing, Duoduo noticed a small detail she had completely overlooked before.
Her grandfather's attitude towards her father had also changed.
Did that mean that her grandfather was slowly starting to lean in her father's favor?
If one day, Grandfather found out that her father's leg had fully healed...
The corners of Duoduo's lips tugged up into a smile as she thought of that.
Heh! She had been able to help her father!
Now, all that was left was to catch the mastermind behind the poisoning incident, and everything would be able to return to the way it should be.
Duoduo was so happy that she hopped a little on the spot.
The Grand Tutor gave a soft, deliberate cough.
Duoduo immediately froze and stopped moving.
Oops. She had forgotten that she was in the imperial palace.
She had to be careful with her words and behavior!
Duoduo smoothed the smile off her face, and walked properly and respectfully by the Grand Tutor's side.
A soft, gentle look flickered across the Grand Tutor's eyes for a split second, before he shifted his gaze away.
The two of them walked quietly through the covered corridor, and finally arrived at the Palace of Benevolent Peace.
The palace maids who saw the Grand Tutor and Duoduo hurried over to curtsy to them.
"I have heard that the Empress Dowager is unwell, so I have come specially to pay my respects to her. Please go in and announce my arrival."
The maid hesitated for a moment. "Please wait a moment, Grand Tutor, this servant will go in and report immediately."
Duoduo curtsied to the Grand Tutor. "Grand Tutor, Changle will go inside first to pay my respects to Great Grandmother."
The Grand Tutor gave Duoduo a slight nod, and Duoduo walked into the main hall with Qingliu following behind her.
Inside the hall, the Empress Dowager had woken up and not found Duoduo by her side. She was worried that the little girl might be wandering off somewhere she should not be, and was just about to send people out to look for her, when she heard the palace maid come in to report. "Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor has come to pay his respects to you."
The Empress Dowager was full of confusion. "What special occasion is it today?"
The old nanny by her side shook her head. "Your Majesty, there is nothing special about today."
"Then why would the Grand Tutor suddenly think to come pay his respects to this old woman?"
"Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor came here together with Princess Changle," the palace maid recalled the scene she had just seen outside.
The Empress Dowager suddenly realized. "No wonder!"
Just at that moment, Duoduo walked into the room with Qingliu.
"Great Grandmother, you're awake!" Duoduo scurried over in small quick steps to curtsy and pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager waved An'an over to her. An'an got up and walked to the Empress Dowager's side.
The Empress Dowager looked Duoduo up and down. "How did you happen to run into the Grand Tutor?"
