"Lianxin, you go and tell the messenger exactly that."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang calmly reached out to pick up the materials.
"I will go!"
Baihe stormed off angrily.
Lianxin placed the materials on the table. "Your Highness, are you really going to lower the rent?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang picked up a bamboo strip. "What else can be done? We can't possibly let the estate manager actually go to the magistrate to file a complaint, can we?"
"But, Your Highness..." Lianxin wanted to persuade her further.
"Enough. If you have that much free time, you might as well help us make the kite."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang interrupted what Lianxin was about to say.
"Duoduo, help Mother fetch a short bamboo strip."
Duoduo stood on her tiptoes, found a short one, and took it in her hand.
"Mother, do you know what 'deceiving superiors and hiding things from subordinates' means?"
Duoduo handed the bamboo strip to the Princess Consort of Pingyang, blinking her big eyes as she asked.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was taken aback, while Lianxin dropped to her knees with a thud.
"Please see clearly, Your Highness. I have absolutely never done such a thing."
Duoduo looked curiously at the Princess Consort of Pingyang, and then at Lianxin.
"Mother, what's wrong with Lianxin?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang felt utterly helpless.
"The Princess is just asking a question. Why are you being so sensitive?"
"Get up quickly. Acting like this makes me wonder if you've really done something bad behind my back."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Lianxin scrambled up from the ground.
Duoduo giggled at Lianxin, making her feel quite embarrassed.
"I will go make the rice paste." Lianxin curtsied and hurried off.
Duoduo was very puzzled. "Mother, why did Lianxin run so fast?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang pinched Duoduo's nose.
"Because she is afraid you might say something shocking again."
Duoduo tilted her head.
"But I didn't say anything!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang smiled.
"What made you think to ask about the phrase 'deceiving superiors and hiding things from subordinates'?"
Duoduo smiled at the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
"I saw those four words in Father's book."
"Mother, does this phrase mean something bad?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang nodded.
"Yes, the meaning of this phrase refers to the person in the middle deceiving both sides."
"The person in the middle? Where are they from?" Duoduo asked, trying to get to the bottom of it.
"For example, Lianxin, Baihe, or..."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang suddenly stopped, deep in thought.
She was, after all, the lady of the house. With some things, once a suspicion arose, she immediately understood where the problem lay.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang looked hesitantly at Duoduo, only to see her curiously bending the bamboo strip back and forth as she played.
Was it a coincidence?
Or something else?
The Princess Consort of Pingyang thought about it. In any case, they were heading to the estate tomorrow.
They could verify it then, and everything would be clear!
"Not like that, it should be like this. Watch how Mother does it, and once you learn, you can do it yourself."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang took the bamboo strip from Duoduo's hand and placed it on top of a longer bamboo strip.
Duoduo watched the Princess Consort of Pingyang's steps very attentively.
Lianxin brought over the cooked rice paste.
Just in time, the bamboo frame in the Princess Consort of Pingyang's hands was tied up.
The few of them worked together to paste the paper onto the bamboo frame.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang also cut two long tails and glued them to the bottom of the butterfly.
"Mother, is it done? Is it done?"
Duoduo anxiously craned her neck to look.
"It's done, it's done. Look, is it pretty?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang held up the kite in her hands.
"Wow! So pretty!"
Duoduo opened her little mouth wide, her eyes sparkling.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang placed the kite back on the table.
"We just pasted it, so we have to let the rice paste dry a bit."
"Now, let's wind the kite string."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang took a spool, chose some highly durable embroidery thread, and started winding it.
"Mother used to embroider kites in the past."
"Because kites made of paper break easily."
"Once, I drew a kite that I really loved."
"Every day, I would hold it and run all around the courtyard."
"But I ran too fast and accidentally fell into the pond. The kite got wet and was ruined."
"I was so heartbroken then, I cried for days and nights."
"After that, I swore to make a kite that would never break."
"Then, I thought of embroidering a pattern, so it would never be afraid of water."
Remembering the past, the Princess Consort of Pingyang's face was full of smiles.
"Is that kite still around?" Duoduo was very curious.
"Not anymore. Because its frame was made of bamboo, it broke as time passed."
"Couldn't you change the frame?" Duoduo really liked the current kite and didn't want it to break either.
"Of course not, because only bamboo is light enough for the kite to fly high!"
"Alright, the embroidery thread is tied on. Once the kite is left here to dry completely, we can fly it tomorrow."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang tied the string to the bamboo frame and placed the spool next to the kite.
"Mother, when that kite broke, you must have been very sad, right?" Duoduo blinked.
"Yes, the first time I was very sad, but the second time I wasn't."
"Because at least I had tried, and I knew that not everything's fate could be controlled by me."
"Besides, if the kite breaks, we can just make another one, right?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang patted Duoduo's head.
Duoduo tilted her head and took her mother's words to heart.
"Let's go, we'll accompany your father for a meal."
Seeing that it was already time to eat, the Princess Consort of Pingyang took Duoduo's hand and walked out.
"Mother, what are you going to do this afternoon?"
Duoduo obediently held the Princess Consort of Pingyang's hand.
"Mother will make you another bellyband this afternoon. Didn't you really like the last one?"
Duoduo nodded.
"Mhm, I really like it. But Mother, take your time making it. Nanny says it hurts the eyes."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang smiled faintly.
"Mother knows. By the way, how far has Nanny Li taught you with your embroidery?"
"Embroidering straight lines!" Duoduo answered excitedly.
"Mother, the straight lines I embroider are so straight, Nanny even praised me."
"The Princess is truly amazing! It took me two or three months to learn how to embroider straight lines properly!"
Lianxin praised from the side.
"Right, Nanny said the same thing too. Mother, am I amazing?"
Looking at Duoduo's face that was practically begging for praise, the Princess Consort of Pingyang laughed.
"Yes, amazing. Duoduo is truly amazing!"
As they spoke, they were about to arrive at the study.
"Huh, why is Lingfeng taking a doctor inside?"
From a distance, Lianxin saw Lingfeng's hurried back.
Because the Princess Consort of Pingyang had her head down talking to Duoduo, she did not see Lingfeng.
"Lianxin, did you see correctly? A doctor?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was a bit puzzled.
"Replying to Your Highness, I definitely did not see incorrectly. That doctor is the same one who treated His Highness last time."
Lianxin was very certain.
"Oh no! Could it be that His Highness is sick?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang's heart skipped a beat.
"Hurry!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang prepared to pick up Duoduo, but Lianxin, who was beside them, hastily reached out and picked Duoduo up instead.
