Ling Chen had heard the little one say, “Please!” in his soft, sweet voice, paired with his cute little face, which always melted his heart.
But hearing Murong Xu say it made him want to punch something.
“Murong Xu, you’re unbelievable.”
Ling Chen glanced at Murong Xu’s grinning face, finding his shamelessness truly astounding.
Murong Xu, still laughing, deliberately repeated, “Please, eldest prince!”
He repeated it a few more times, until finally, with a dark expression, Ling Chen stood up and stormed out.
Seeing him leave, Murong Xu laughed so hard he almost doubled over.
Ling Chen is too easy to tease.
Once he had laughed enough, Murong Xu rested on the table, waiting for Ling Chen to return.
Ling Chen walked briskly, and after a while, he slowed down, carefully considering his next steps and avoiding palace servants along the way.
He couldn’t let his mother know he was going to Fenghua Palace.
Dodging people all the way, Ling Chen finally reached Fenghua Palace.
He arrived just in time, as the little one had only just returned.
Noble Consort Yi saw her little one come back and was about to bring out his little stool—usually reserved for punishments—when she noticed Ling Chen arriving as well.
Seeing Ling Chen, the little one’s face lit up with joy.
“Big Brother!”
“Little Seven.”
Ling Chen bent down and caught the little one as he ran towards him. Lifting him up, he turned to Noble Consort Yi and asked, “Your Highness, may I take Little Seven to stay with me for the night?”
Noble Consort Yi glanced at him, clearly not planning to give him any face.
Ling Chen quickly sensed her reluctance, and before she could refuse, he added the real reason.
“Murong Xu is at my palace. He wants to see the little one.”
Upon hearing this, the refusal that was about to leave Noble Consort Yi’s lips was swallowed back.
“Little Uncle! Little Uncle’s here!” the little one, hugging his big brother’s neck, shouted excitedly, “I want to see Little Uncle!”
Seeing both the little one and Murong Xu eager to meet, Noble Consort Yi didn’t feel like playing the bad guy between the uncle and nephew.
She said lightly, “If you want to go, then go.”
Even though she agreed, Noble Consort Yi didn’t forget to add, “Little Seven doesn’t sleep well at night. If you can’t handle him, just bring him back.”
“I’ll do my best to take care of the little one.”
After saying goodbye, Ling Chen, knowing they didn’t have much to say to each other, left quickly to avoid any awkwardness.
Noble Consort Yi watched the pair leave, then told Ji Yan to put away the little stool.
“We’ll deal with him tomorrow when he returns.”
In truth, Noble Consort Yi had a growing suspicion in her heart. In the past few days, she had been too frantic to think clearly, but now, after calming down, she began to realize something was off.
“Your Highness, the young prince just recovered. Wouldn’t punishing him now be a bit too soon?” Ji Yan, noticing Noble Consort Yi’s intention to punish the little one, asked with concern.
Noble Consort Yi’s expression remained calm. “He’s the type that if you don’t discipline him for three days, he’ll turn the place upside down.”
While they discussed the little one in the palace, outside, the little one, hugging Ling Chen’s neck, was puzzled as he noticed Ling Chen sneaking around the palace, avoiding servants.
“Big Brother, why are we hiding from them?”
“It’s nothing.”
Ling Chen didn’t elaborate, quickly carrying the little one back to his own palace.
As soon as they arrived, Murong Xu’s delighted voice rang out, “Little one!”
The little boy in Ling Chen’s arms responded just as loudly, “Little Uncle!”
The little one stretched his small body, reaching out his arms for Murong Xu to hold.
Murong Xu wasted no time, eagerly taking him from Ling Chen’s arms.
The two, uncle and nephew, were all smiles as they affectionately hugged each other. Murong Xu called him his little treasure, and the little one, hugging his arm, giggled happily.
“Did you miss Uncle?”
“Yes, I missed you!”
As they snuggled together, Ling Chen stood by, feeling quite unnecessary.
Murong Xu seemed to share his thoughts.
“I still have lots to talk about with the little one, eldest prince. Could you close the door on your way out? Thanks.”
Ling Chen: “…”
Was he being kicked out of his own palace?
Speechless, Ling Chen looked at Murong Xu, who was entirely focused on the little one, and the little one cupping his uncle’s face in his hands. After a moment, he resignedly closed the door.
He headed to the adjacent room to sleep.
With the door closed, Murong Xu lifted the little one into the air, playing his favorite game of “flying high.”
The uncle and nephew played for a while before Murong Xu stopped and asked, “Have you eaten yet? Are you hungry?”
The little one shook his head. “Nope.”
Murong Xu was stunned, not expecting that he hadn’t eaten yet.
The next second, Murong Xu opened the door and called to Ling Chen in the next room, “eldest prince, can we have something to eat?”
Ling Chen: “…”
Ling Chen had some food sent over.
At the dinner table, the three of them sat together. Murong Xu sat next to the little one, almost feeding him directly.
With his mouth full of meat, the little one mumbled, “I can do it myself, Uncle.”
“Alright, alright, let our little one do it himself.”
While the two were being affectionate, Ling Chen sat on the side, not getting involved.
After dinner, Ling Chen left the room for them and walked out.
The door closed again.
Murong Xu sat down with the little one in his arms, pinching his little cheeks and hands before finally asking, “Little Seven, when you fell into the river this time, did you jump in on your own?”
The little one: “!”
His eyes widened.
He looked up at his uncle, trying to cover it up. “No, no, it was an accident.”
His guilty expression confirmed Murong Xu’s suspicion.
Murong Xu sighed, his voice a little low. “Little Seven, we agreed that your uncle would protect you, but this time, you protected the Murong family.”
“It’s Zai Zai’s family.”
The little one hugged his uncle, his expression determined. “I’ll protect everyone!”
His home and his family—he would protect them all.
Murong Xu looked at him again but didn’t scold him.
Based on his deduction, his second sister would soon realize that the little one was behind what had happened this time.
Given how dangerous it was, she would surely discipline him.
It would be better for the little one to only get scolded once.
By now, the sky had already darkened.
Murong Xu and the little one moved to the bed, playing simple games together, with the little one laughing so hard he nearly fell over.
Eventually, the little one got tired and collapsed onto the bed, still chatting with his uncle.
“Little Seven, are you going back to Guan Shan to study?”
“Ah Wu is at Guan Shan.”
At the mention of Ah Wu, Murong Xu knew he’d definitely go back.
The little one was very attached to Ah Wu.
“Alright, tell me about what happened at Guan Shan.”
“Okay!”
The little one started telling stories about Guan Shan, but as he talked, he laid down on his uncle’s chest.
They kept talking for a while, but eventually, the little one’s voice faded.
Murong Xu, hearing the silence, looked down and saw that the little one had fallen asleep.
His soft little cheek was still pressed against Murong Xu’s chest, pink and chubby.
Murong Xu shifted his position slightly to let the little one lie down properly.
He laid on his side, supporting his head with one hand, and kept watching him.
After so long without seeing his nephew properly, he had really missed him.
“My little treasure is so beautiful.”
Murong Xu’s mind had been busy with various thoughts, but as he gazed at the little one, all he could think about was how cute his treasure was.
Murong Xu watched him for a good half-hour before he began to feel sleepy too.
He cuddled the little one close, feeling completely content, and fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Ling Chen, whose master bedroom had been taken over, hadn’t stayed long in the nearby room before being called away by the Empress’s servants.
The reason given was that the Empress wasn’t feeling well and wanted to see him.
Without hesitation, Ling Chen followed them to her palace.
In the Empress’s main hall, she sat by the window in simple clothes, waiting for him.
Ling Chen bowed to her and asked with concern, “Royal Mother, I heard you’re not feeling well. Have you seen a doctor?”
“No need for a doctor. I’ll be fine after resting for a couple of days.”
The Empress sat in her chair, raising her eyes to look at Ling Chen. She asked, “Did Murong Xu come to your palace tonight?”
Ling Chen: “…”
His expression remained unchanged, but his heart grew colder.
He managed his palace strictly, yet news from inside still reached here.
“Royal Mother, I’ve had several dealings with Murong Xu. He came to me this time for something important.”
“Chen Er, do you think the Murong family would support the seventh prince?”
The Empress ignored his response and asked him this question instead.
Ling Chen’s face darkened. He paused before answering seriously, “No, they wouldn’t.”
“Mother, the Murong family has always been loyal. They would never meddle in matters of succession.”
“Really.”
The Empress’s expression remained indifferent, her eyes deep and unreadable, but her words sent ripples through Ling Chen’s heart: “I don’t quite believe that.”
“Mother, I can assure you, Murong Xu has no ulterior motives in our interactions.”
“Chen Er, you’re an excellent son in every way, but there’s one thing you’re lacking.”
The Empress looked at her talented and virtuous son and said softly, “You’re too soft-hearted, and too quick to trust people. People can wear masks. If someone truly wants to deceive you, they can hide their intentions very well.”
“Royal Mother—”
Ling Chen wanted to refute her, but after seeing the look on her face, he swallowed his words.
He quietly listened to her, and after a long time, he respectfully said, “Royal Mother, I understand.”
His humble attitude softened the Empress’s expression a little.
“I am your Royal mother. I would never harm you.”
The Empress waved her hand gently, signaling for him to leave.
As soon as Ling Chen stepped outside, his expression changed. He returned to his residence with a heavy gaze and called for the head eunuch.
Murong Xu and the little one were still comfortably asleep, while Ling Chen only fell asleep in the middle of the night.
The next day, Murong Xu and the little one woke up.
Ling Chen didn’t join them for breakfast, only telling them to eat on their own.
After Murong Xu and the little one had their meal, he took the little one out of the palace.
The little one had already asked for permission from Emperor Ling yesterday, allowing him to spend the whole day with his uncle today.
Since Murong Xu hadn’t had the chance to enjoy himself in the capital after returning this time, he took the opportunity to spend a joyful day with the little one.
The little one counted on his fingers, mumbling softly. After finishing his count, he began buying local specialties.
“Uncle, buy this for me!”
“And this one too!”
“Uncle, let’s get another one!”
The little one didn’t have much pocket money himself, but his uncle had saved up some.
By evening, after a day of nonstop shopping, his uncle was exhausted.
“Alright, alright, I think this is enough,” Murong Xu said, planting a kiss on the little one’s cheek before sending him back to the palace. “The gift Ah Wu wants the most is you. He won’t care about the things you bought.”
Murong Xu comforted the little one. “When Uncle makes more money in the future, I’ll buy more for you.”
“Okay!”
The little one kissed his uncle’s cheek before waving goodbye to him.
Carrying bags of gifts, the little one returned to Fenghua Palace, where Noble Consort Yi first sat with him to look at the gifts. Afterward, she had all the palace attendants leave.
Once they were alone, the little one stood in front of Noble Consort Yi, smiling up at her.
“Little Seven, was this plan your idea alone?”
The little one: “…”
The smile on his soft, chubby face slowly faded.
He took two steps back, his little voice losing confidence. “What plan? Little Seven doesn’t know.”
“Jumping into the river on your own—who taught you that idea?” Noble Consort Yi asked more directly.
The little one lowered his head, realizing there was no escaping.
In a small voice, he admitted, “Little Seven thought of it himself.”
“You risked your life. Little Seven, do you think your eldest aunt would have agreed if she knew?”
Thinking of his aunt, the little one shook his head honestly.
His aunt wouldn’t have agreed.
Seeing him shake his head, Noble Consort Yi’s pent-up emotions hadn’t yet subsided.
She knelt down and looked at the dejected little one before continuing, “Didn’t I say before that adults will handle adult matters?”
“You’re still a child. You only need to eat well and grow up properly.”
“But… but Little Seven was worried about Eldest Aunt.”
The little one knew he was going to be punished, so he said, feeling wronged, “You all love me, and I love you all too.”
He just wanted to do something for them.
“Little Seven, if you had jumped into the river and something really happened, if you lost your life, what do you think I would have done? Did you think about Ah Wu, your uncle, your friends, or your brothers and sisters? They all would have been very sad.”
“Nothing is guaranteed to be safe in this world. Even if you can swim, you’re still so small. What if you encountered bad people?”
At Noble Consort Yi’s words, the little one finally felt a hint of fear.
He was indeed still little, and accidents could easily happen.
If he were gone, he thought—
Those who cared about him would surely be very sad.
Especially Ah Wu, who only had him, no one else that important.
The little one lowered his head even more, hugged Noble Consort Yi, and admitted his mistake with a muffled voice: “Little Seven was wrong.”
He should have told his mother beforehand.
Noble Consort Yi patted his head to comfort him, then gave him a light spanking.
The little one, now teary-eyed and rubbing his sore bottom, was still sniffling when Emperor Ling, who hadn’t seen him all day, arrived.
“What’s wrong with the little one?”
“He was disobedient and got disciplined.”
Noble Consort Yi explained casually before changing the topic.
Emperor Ling picked up the teary-eyed little one and smiled, “Be more obedient next time, and you won’t get spanked.”
As he was being held by Emperor Ling, the little one suddenly remembered that he had been so focused on spending his uncle’s money today that he hadn’t even told his fortune.
“Father, can I go out again tomorrow?”
“No.”
Emperor Ling said, “Tomorrow is an important day. There will be a banquet in the palace, so you must stay here.”
“Will Uncle come?”
“He will, along with the young master from the Duke’s household.”
Hearing that his uncle would come, the little one instantly relaxed.
While waiting for the banquet, he didn’t forget to tell his parents about his upcoming school date.
“I’m leaving soon. I’ll come back next time.”
The little one pressed his cheek to his father’s and said, “Daddy, you have to miss me!”
“Alright, alright, I will.”
Emperor Ling, having come to terms with the little one going to school, asked Noble Consort Yi, “Has his luggage been prepared? Later, I’ll take the little one to the inner treasury to see if there’s anything he wants.”
A trip to the inner treasury—something even Noble Consort Yi hadn’t experienced.
It seemed that after the little one’s close brush with death, in Emperor Ling’s eyes, it was as if he had paid a great price to save him.
Noble Consort Yi could clearly feel that Emperor Ling valued the little one even more now.
Indeed, when it comes to raising children, the more effort the father puts in, the more he cherishes them.
These subtle changes in Emperor Ling’s behavior had gone unnoticed by the little one, who was simply overjoyed at the thought of selecting treasures from the inner treasury with his father.
The little one picked out a set of beautiful small bowls and some pretty glass ornaments from the imperial treasury.
Being so young, he couldn’t tell what was valuable or not, and simply chose items based on what caught his eye.
Emperor Ling specially pushed a small cart for him, allowing him to place all the things he liked on it. The little one wandered around the treasury for an entire hour, pushing his cart.
That night, the little one piled up all the things he was going to take with him in his room. He was so excited that he kept going back to look at them every now and then.
“Daddy.”
After looking over everything he was going to take, the little one ran off eagerly to ask his father, “When I’m on vacation, can I bring my friends here to play?”
He had made friends at Guan Shan Residence, and if possible, he wanted to invite them over.
“Yes.”
Emperor Ling didn’t mind about the kids—if they wanted to come, they could.
Hearing this, the little one’s eyes curved into a smile. Next time, he could bring Ah Wu with him.
As his departure neared, the little one decided to take advantage of the banquet the next day to say proper goodbyes to everyone.
The next day came.
The little one dressed up in his finest clothes early in the morning, waiting for the guests to arrive.
Among the arriving guests, the little one spotted Yong Wang, whom he didn’t like very much. Yong Wang also noticed him.
The two exchanged glances—one big, one small—before Yong Wang turned away with a stiff expression.
Inwardly, the little one muttered a word of bad luck, then ran over to a small Buddha statue he had brought back the day before, bowing deeply and sincerely in prayer.
“Please protect me,” the little one prayed with his eyes closed. “Don’t let me bring bad luck anymore, and don’t let Uncle die.”
He wanted to break the pattern where his predictions always involved someone’s death.
After finishing his serious prayers, the little one turned around and ran off to find his uncle.
Once he found him, he even dragged his uncle over to bow to the Buddha as well.
When both had finished praying, the little one closed his eyes and started to predict the future.
