Did The Young Prince’s Kingdom Get Destroyed Today? Chapter 124

When Shikong saw the little prince’s swollen face, he realized something was wrong.

He reached out to try and set the little prince down, but the little prince, who had climbed up, clung tightly to his clothes with his chubby little hands.

“Your Highness, what are you trying to do?”

Shikong didn’t even chant “Amitabha” this time, furrowing his brows as he tried to pull the little one off.

“I’m not getting down, I’m not getting down!”

The little one buried his head in Shikong’s chest, refusing to come down.

Shikong had no choice but to worry that staying there might attract attention, so he carried the little one and strode off to the side.

The little one, still on high alert, perked up his little ears. When he no longer heard the buzzing of the bees, he discreetly scanned the area.

After looking around, he confirmed that the bees hadn’t followed them.

Although the bees hadn’t caught up, the guards had started approaching.

The little one glanced at Shikong’s tense expression, then at the guards, and a light bulb went off in his head.

He quietly let go of one of his little hands and waved at the guards.

Guards: “……”

The guards obediently didn’t appear.

Master Shikong strode over and took the little one to the side, then lowered his head and once again tried to make the little one leave.

“Your Highness, this humble monk still has scriptures to recite. Please, return now.”

The little one lifted his face, his right cheek red and swollen, looking rather frightening.

As the initial panic faded, the pain began to creep in.

Even an adult would have a hard time enduring such pain.

The little one, who wasn’t yet an adult, had tears quickly welling up in his beautiful eyes, his nose reddening as he locked eyes with Shikong.

Shikong’s expression grew even more serious.

He didn’t ask how the little one’s face got like that, seemingly just focused on getting him to leave.

But the more he tried to make the little one leave, the more the little one refused to go.

“It hurts so much,” the little one whimpered.

“If Your Highness is in pain, you should go see the imperial physician.”

“I don’t want the imperial physician, I want master!”

The little one’s round tears, like tiny pearls, fell from his red eyes. He looked pitiful.

If Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi saw this, their hearts would surely ache.

Unfortunately, the one looking at him now was Shikong.

Shikong wasn’t moved by his pitiful appearance in the slightest.

“Your Highness, in your current situation, only the imperial physician can help.”

“I don’t want that.”

The little one clung to Shikong, staring into his eyes—one knowing that the naughty child was trying to get attention, the other knowing the bad monk was trying to get rid of him.

“Master said to save others, to save the world.”

The little one had only vaguely remembered some key phrases from Shikong’s words.

Shikong lowered his gaze and explained to the increasingly swollen-faced little one, “What this humble monk meant was that Buddha saves all beings, not that this monk knows how to treat illnesses.”

The little one hugged him tighter, wanting to say more.

But now even his mouth was hurting, and speaking made his swollen face contort with pain.

Shikong couldn’t shake him off, not because he couldn’t forcefully remove the child, but because he realized the little one was clinging to him with all his might.

If he pulled him off, it might injure the child’s arms or legs.

Right now, the swollen face had nothing to do with him. But if he hurt the child’s limbs, that would be hard to explain.

“It hurts so much, I’m going to die!” the little one cried, clutching his face, his body burning with fever from the pain.

Shikong pressed his lips together, and after a moment of struggling with the child, he resigned himself to taking him to the Imperial Medical Institute.

When the doctors there saw the little prince, they almost didn’t recognize him.

Imperial Physician Tang, who often treated the child, sent someone to notify Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi. He also called for Shui Shui.

In the past, Imperial Physician Tang frequently treated the little prince, but ever since Shui Shui arrived, the little one had always sought Shui Shui when feeling unwell.

Imperial Physician Tang had met Shui Shui before and was deeply impressed after their encounter.

After sending word, Imperial Physician Tang glanced at Shikong, then at the little prince in his arms.

With Shikong, such a big person, watching over him, and yet the prince’s face had ended up like this? Imperial Physician Tang felt a flicker of disapproval.

Holding the little prince, Shikong calmly explained, “The little prince somehow injured his face. Since he’s so young, upon seeing this humble monk, he clung to me and refused to let go.”

It was a clear way of saying that the little prince had clung to him against his will.

But just as he finished speaking, the little one stretched out his hands pitifully towards Imperial Imperial Physician Tang and said, “Imperial Physician Tang, hug.”

Shikong: “……”

Imperial Physician Tang: “……”

Imperial Physician Tang quickly took the little prince into his arms.

After that, he didn’t even spare a glance for Shikong, turning and leaving.

Ha! And Shikong had just said the prince wouldn’t let go.

This Shikong, he really knew how to flatter himself.

Imperial Physician Tang kept his dissatisfaction with Shikong to himself.

Before long, Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi arrived at the Imperial Medical Institute after receiving the news.

By then, Shui Shui had already arrived.

Shui Shui was grinding herbs, with Imperial Physician Tang assisting him.

The little prince sat on a stool, his face aching every time he cried. He didn’t want to cry, but the swelling made tears stream down uncontrollably.

Noble Consort Yi, seeing the little one’s swollen face, nearly lost her balance.

The little prince’s appearance at that moment was indeed quite frightening.

“What happened here?!” she exclaimed.

Supported by Emperor Ling, Noble Consort Yi steadied herself, then hurried over to the little prince, crouching down in front of him.

“It hurts,” the little one whimpered through tears, his words slurred by the pain.

Heartbroken, Noble Consort Yi didn’t even ask for an explanation from him, but turned to the physician instead. “What’s happened to Little Seven?!”

“Your Grace, the little prince was stung by a bee. However, we’re not yet sure how it happened,” replied Imperial Physician Tang.

“Master Shikong was the one who brought the prince here, but he left after dropping him off,” Imperial Physician Tang added, causing both Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi’s faces to darken.

Shikong, such a grown man, had been with the little prince, yet the child had gotten stung?

The prince had been stung so badly, and Shikong just left after delivering him?

The more Noble Consort Yi thought about it, the angrier she became. She sneered, “They say monks are supposed to be compassionate, but with Little Seven like this, where’s the compassion to be found?”

The Emperor Ling glanced at the little pitiful cub and then thought of Shikong, who wasn’t present.

He didn’t say anything, but his expression was as cold as frost.

The little one was in so much pain that he didn’t even have the energy to put on a pretense anymore.

He was nestled in Noble Consort Yi’s arms, with the un-swollen side of his face pressed against her. The entire little one looked pitiful.

Shui Shui quickly prepared the medicine. He applied the green ointment to the cub’s face. Though the green ointment didn’t look appealing, it brought an immediate cooling relief, reducing the pain almost instantly.

“This ointment works best if you change it every hour,” Shui Shui explained. After saying that, he squatted down and continued grinding the medicine, explaining, “You have to grind fresh herbs before each application; it’s the most effective that way.”

With his face no longer hurting, the little one sniffled and said, “Thank you, Shui Shui.”

“No need to thank me,” Shui Shui replied, fully focused on preparing the medicine. After a while, he took the medicine back to his small courtyard.

“I’ll bring you fresh ointment on time. You should go back with Noble Consort Yi for now.”

The little one hesitated, not really wanting to leave.

Although he had framed Shikong earlier, making the adults think that Shikong hadn’t been careful, Noble Consort Yi would eventually figure out that he’d been stung because he wanted to eat honey and had tried to get into the beehive.

“Shui Shui, I… I’ll help you grind the medicine.”

“No need,” Shui Shui refused and left with the herbs.

Unable to stick around Shui Shui, the little one was carried back by Noble Consort Yi.

Emperor Ling also followed them to Fenghua Palace.

At Fenghua Palace, the little one was accompanied by both his father and Noble Consort Yi, while elsewhere, Goudan and Ling Fu realized that Little Seven had disappeared. They were stunned.

Earlier, to distract the bees, they had scattered and run in different directions.

Not finding the little one, they asked around.

As fate would have it, Goudan ended up in front of Shikong.

Shikong, seeing the young monk before him, coldly reprimanded him, “Have you finished your daily tasks? Instead of reciting scriptures and practicing Buddhism in your free time, you cling to the powerful—you’re truly difficult to educate.”

Shikong’s words were harsh, and Goudan hung his head in shame.

Seeing Goudan’s lowered head, Lu Guang seemed ready to say more.

Luckily, the chubby Ling Fu stood up.

“Why don’t you look at yourself before you criticize others?!”

Ling Fu snorted heavily, “If you’re so detached from power, why don’t you stop living in my father’s palace and refuse the donations my father gives you for incense money? You’re so pure and above it all—why haven’t you ascended to heaven right here? Why stay here eating the grains of this world?”

The chubby boy wasn’t just good at eating; he could argue too.

He didn’t give Shikong any face, leaving the monk with no way to respond.

After finishing his tirade, Ling Fu pulled Goudan away.

Once they were some distance away, Ling Fu seriously said to Goudan, “You should think about not going back to Guanghua Temple. I’m worried that Shikong will give you a hard time when you return.”

“Don’t worry. Little Seven and I won’t let you end up as a eunuch in the palace. We’ll find another place for you.”

This time, Goudan considered Ling Fu’s words seriously.

After asking around a bit more, they learned that the little one had gone to the Imperial Medical Institute. Ling Fu was certain, “Royal Father and Noble Consort Yi must have taken him. Goudan, you should rest for now, while I check on Little Seven at Fenghua Palace.”

“Okay, I’ll head back first.”

After saying their goodbyes, Ling Fu made a beeline for Fenghua Palace.

There, he found the little one with his swollen face.

Emperor Ling was gently holding the cub’s face in one hand and rubbing the green ointment with the other, checking to see if it had dried.

If the ointment dried, it would need to be replaced early.

The ointment seemed effective, and the cub’s pain had lessened, though he still whimpered as the mild discomfort bothered him.

When he saw his sixth brother enter, the little one, who had been whining moments before, immediately swallowed nervously.

The cub had only admitted to accidentally getting stung by the bees. He hadn’t mentioned that it was because he was greedy for honey.

He was worried his sixth brother might reveal the truth.

“Sixth… Sixth Brother, did you come to play with me?” The little one hurriedly spoke before his brother could say anything, “Just wait a bit, and I’ll come play with you.”

“You can’t go anywhere for a while,” Emperor Ling scolded. “Stay put and behave.”

Noble Consort Yi glanced at Ling Fu, then let her gaze fall on the little one’s nervous face.

She squinted slightly, realizing what had happened.

“Little Seven, your face—”

“It was an accident! I got stung by the bees,” the little one interrupted again.

Ling Fu was speechless.

He rolled his eyes and said, “Oh, I see. You sure are careless! How did you get stung? It must have hurt a lot?”

The little one nodded.

Watching their interaction, Noble Consort Yi couldn’t help but think that the children’s acting was far from convincing.

Compared to her own childhood tricks, they had a long way to go.

But she didn’t expose them on the spot. After sending Ling Fu away, she continued watching Emperor Ling check the little one’s ointment.

The ointment had to be freshly ground each time, and Noble Consort Yi didn’t want to bother Shui Shui too much. So, she requested herbs from the Imperial Medical Institute, arranging for them to take turns preparing the ointment for the little one.

Shui Shui was still young, and it was better for him not to stay up late—after all, he needed rest to grow.

Although Shui Shui didn’t have to stay up, Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi stayed up the entire night.

With his face uncomfortable, the little one couldn’t sleep like usual, all sprawled out like a little pig, easily movable.

When he starts feeling unwell, the only ones he wants are Noble Consort Yi and Emperor Ling.

Even if Ji Yan comes forward to apply medicine and soothe him, he’ll cry and fuss.

Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi have no choice but to take turns watching over him, each for an hour at a time, guarding him the entire night.

The medicine on the little one’s face was kept fresh all night.

With the fresh medicine on his swollen cheeks, by the next day, the swelling had gone down a bit.

As his face healed slightly, his spirits were also better than the day before. However, both Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi visibly looked tired.

After several exhausting days, the little one gradually got better, but Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi were nearly worn out.

Massaging his temples, Emperor Ling finally got a chance to rest, but he wasn’t in the mood to enjoy the songs and dances that used to relax him.

When a newly arrived beauty was mentioned, Lu Guang didn’t even bring it up to Emperor Ling.

If it had been any other time, it might have been mentioned, but right now it was definitely not the moment.

“Raising a child really is exhausting,” Emperor Ling muttered while massaging his temples, feeling drained and worn out over the past few days.

He couldn’t help but think back to when he first held this little one. Back then, the child seemed so cute and well-behaved, not at all like the troublemaker he was now.

Now, even if he wanted to return him, it was too late.

While Emperor Ling was still trying to recover, Noble Consort Yi had already called the little one over.

With a calm tone, she asked, “Little Seven, does your face still hurt?”

The little one smiled happily, reporting, “It doesn’t hurt anymore!”

The watery medicine worked wonders, and his face had healed. Even after the swelling subsided, his cheeks were still soft and tender, without any marks left behind.

The little one’s happiness didn’t last more than three seconds before Noble Consort Yi calmly had a small bench brought over.

It was the little one’s special bench for spankings.

The little one: “…”

He slowly tried to retreat, but Noble Consort Yi grabbed his small hand, not letting him escape.

“Now that your face is better, it’s time for your bottom to get what’s coming.”

“Did you really think you could hide this from me?”

“I’ve been saving this up for you!”

“How dare you steal a beehive just to get honey!”

“Being so bold—don’t you think you deserve a good spanking?!”

Just as his face had healed, the little one received the spanking he had managed to avoid for a few days.

Noble Consort Yi gave him a proper spanking.

After the spanking, the little one had to go to school.

Noble Consort Yi felt he had rested enough and should now go to the academy.

At least in the academy, there would be a teacher to watch over him. When he wasn’t in the academy, this little one was always causing trouble.

Carrying his schoolbag, the little one was sent to the academy.

When he returned, his companions Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou naturally joined him.

However, when Jiang Yan arrived, he didn’t immediately reunite with the little one. He first went to see Noble Consort Yi.

He greeted her politely and then seriously said he had a message from his mother.

Noble Consort Yi looked at him for a few seconds, dismissed everyone else, and only kept Ji Yan by her side.

Once they were alone, Jiang Yan addressed Noble Consort Yi as “Second Auntie.”

Noble Consort Yi was the second in her family, so Jiang Yan would privately call her that.

“Second Auntie, there have been some bad rumors circulating among the people recently, and they are about the palace.”

“What rumors?” Noble Consort Yi frowned slightly. “Is it something absurd said by Shikong that got out? He deserved it. Who told him to stop reciting proper scriptures and instead claim the palace was unclean?”

The people spreading ghostly rumors in the palace were dealt with—those who deserved to be beaten were beaten, and those who needed to be locked away were locked away. Even the former ministers kept quiet and didn’t dare to bring it up anymore.

Yet Shikong still had nothing to say for himself.

At this thought, Noble Consort Yi wanted to spit at Shikong. It wasn’t that she disrespected monks; she had encountered monks with real skills who were humble and low-key.

She truly respected those monks.

But monks like Shikong—she felt the world would be better off with one less of them.

“Second Auntie, it’s not about Shikong being bad.”

Jiang Yan clenched his fists and truthfully reported, “People are spreading Shikong’s evaluation of Little Seven. Shikong has many followers, and he has been a famous monk for many years. Many people firmly believe in what he says.”

“Now, Shikong’s evaluation has spread, and his believers, interpreting his words, have concluded that Little Seven is unlucky.”

Noble Consort Yi: “?”

Noble Consort Yi: “What?”

Jiang Yan explained further. In the eyes of Shikong’s many fanatical followers, Shikong couldn’t possibly be wrong in his predictions.

Many people still believed that the ghostly disturbances in the palace were real. They were convinced that the Empress Consort was covering up for the Seventh Prince, claiming that it was human-caused just to protect him.

Hearing this, Noble Consort Yi almost laughed in anger.

After hearing the whole story, Jiang Yan nervously asked, “Second Auntie, will Little Seven be affected? Even in the capital, this rumor is spreading.”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Noble Consort Yi reassured him, patting Jiang Yan’s head. “I’ll take care of this matter. You go to school with Little Seven and study hard. Don’t cause trouble with him.”

“Got it! I understand.”

With his message delivered, Jiang Yan eagerly ran off to find Little Seven.

The three children went to school together, while Noble Consort Yi sat in Fenghua Hall, deep in thought. Her Little Seven had always had a good reputation.

As the Seventh Prince, he had once single-handedly relieved the people of taxes.

As the grandson of the Murong family, the people admired the Murong family, and because of that, they had a favorable opinion of him too.

Now, because of a single bald monk, her Little Seven’s reputation was being dragged down.

Noble Consort Yi was so furious that she wanted to take up a knife and kill that bald monk.

She had been thinking about this matter for the whole day.

After much thought, she realized she needed to let Emperor Ling know. Once he knew, it would be easier for him to deal with it.

Shikong had already left the palace and returned to Guanghua Temple.

Before Shikong left, Ah Wu’s people were secretly keeping an eye on Goudan.

The little one and Ling Fu were still trying to find a suitable place for Goudan, but it wasn’t something that could be arranged quickly.

After all, Goudan still had his little eggs. The easiest place to stay would be in the palace, but he didn’t want to stay there.

As time passed bit by bit, The little one was attending school, unaware of the rumors spreading among the common people. He didn’t know, but Emperor Ling did.

Emperor Ling’s dissatisfaction with Shikong had reached its peak.

Although the little one didn’t know what Shikong had done, he was counting on his fingers, figuring out when Shikong would meet his downfall.

Uncle and Ah Wu had uncovered enough to ensure Shikong would be finished.

The little one felt quite secure at the moment. Outside the palace, he had his uncle and Ah Wu; inside, he had his father, mother, brothers, and sisters. He was a little one with a lot of confidence.

With such confidence, he wasn’t just counting down to Shikong’s misfortune but also to when he could leave the palace and play.

He was used to playing at Guan Shan Residence, and now, being confined in the palace all the time, he felt a bit restless and bored.

Emperor Ling had permitted him to leave the palace, but not immediately.

Another night descended.

The little one sat on his father’s bed, swinging his chubby feet.

“Daddy, who’s prettier, the beauty or the little one?”

“The little one is the most beautiful,” Emperor Ling replied, indulging him.

The little one pouted, his round face showing displeasure. “This is the fifth time I’ve seen that beauty.”

Recently, Emperor Ling had summoned a beauty he encountered while walking in the palace.

When he first saw her, she was dressed as a regular palace maid, yet her beauty was undeniable. She knelt under a flowering tree, softly praying.

She was praying for him.

She said she had only seen him from afar once, but since then, he had been in her thoughts.

It had been a long time since Emperor Ling had experienced such flattery, and finding it refreshing, he elevated the palace maid to the rank of a beauty and summoned her several more times.

Naturally, since the little one frequently visited him, he had seen this beauty several times as well.

The beauty was indeed thoughtful and new, but the one closest to Emperor Ling’s heart remained his little one.

“Don’t I see you far more often than her?”

Emperor Ling pinched the little one’s cheek, smiling. “Look at this pouty mouth—so much that you could hang an oil bottle on it.”

The little one, huffing in annoyance, pulled away from his father’s hand and turned his back to him, showing him only his little bottom.

Emperor Ling: “…”

Emperor Ling: “Alright, alright, I won’t summon her next time.”

He could always visit the Beauty Yu in her own palace.

The Beauty Yu had an exceptionally graceful appearance and a gentle, delicate temperament, much like the late Consort Li, whom Emperor Ling had once favored greatly.

It had been a while since new concubines had been taken into the harem.

Of all the consorts in the harem, none were quite like the Beauty Yu.

As a lover of beauty, Emperor Ling naturally wanted to experience something new.

“After a few more days, Father will take you out of the palace to play, alright?”

“I heard there’s a circus that just came to the capital. They have little monkeys that do tricks. Little Seven, would you like to see that?”

Although the little one wasn’t happy about his father constantly summoning the Beauty Yu, he had long known that his father had more than just his mother in the harem.

His eldest brother had told him that it was normal for an emperor to have three palaces and six courts full of concubines.

It seemed like everyone thought it was perfectly natural for an emperor to have so many beauties.

But the little one didn’t like it one bit.

No matter how much he tried to get used to it, he still didn’t like it.

In the little one’s young heart, whether you were an emperor or a commoner, you should be single-minded.

There wasn’t a lot of space in a person’s heart. If too many people crowded in, there wouldn’t be enough room.

People would leave, and others would enter.

This constant coming and going would make the heart unsettled.

After a while, the little one finally turned his small body back around.

He looked at his father and made a request: “Bring Mother along. We can go together.”

Emperor Ling’s expression became slightly more distant.

Recently, he had been summoning Beauty Yu frequently, not only because he found her fresh and intriguing but also because his relationship with Noble Consort Yi had cooled somewhat.

Little Seven’s reputation outside the palace had been salvaged by the Murong family.

Murong Xue had won great victories at the border. She had allied with a nomadic tribe on the plains, infiltrated the enemy’s camp, and discovered the headquarters of Qi Dynasty’s most hated enemy, cutting down their leader with her long sword.

She had achieved multiple victories, and when the news reached the capital, the people rejoiced.

Accompanying the news of Murong Xue’s success were her words:

“I am a general of Qi Dynasty and also the eldest aunt of the Seventh Prince.”

“I stake my ten years of military service on the fact that the Seventh Prince is not an unlucky person!”

Murong Xue hadn’t said anything more, but those two simple sentences had people nodding in agreement.

Murong Xue hadn’t intended to be so high-profile, but she had seen Emperor Ling’s approach.

Emperor Ling’s approach was simply to suppress.

He took action against Guanghua Temple and Shikong.

But his suppression did nothing to restore the little one’s reputation.

If things continued like this, Murong Xue feared that it would eventually spiral out of control.

The word “unlucky” carried a lot of weight, and if someone were truly labeled as such, their fate would not be a good one.

The Emperor dearly loves Little Seven right now, but what if one day he doesn’t love him anymore?

And to put it bluntly, the Emperor’s health has not improved for a long time. If something happens to him, what if the new ruler deems Little Seven unlucky?

The last person recorded as “unlucky” in history was publicly burned alive at the altar.

With such a precedent, the usually low-key Murong Xue had no choice but to step into the spotlight this time.

Her boldness was indeed timely.

In Qi Dynasty, who hasn’t heard Murong Xue’s story?

She is the only female general of the court, and no one could deny her sacrifices for the country.

Thanks to her intervention, Little Seven has regained the favor of the people.

The common folk are like that. Most live at the bottom, without education or knowledge, and with limited exposure.

They believe in one person, then believe in their words and adopt their ideas.

First, they believed in the Buddha, and then they believed in Murong Xue.

Thinking of the whole situation, the Emperor felt a sense of defeat, which made him incredibly irritable.

Though he was already quite agitated, he restrained himself, not showing it in front of Little Seven, who had just turned back to face him.

He merely instructed Lu Guang, “Bring another cup of calming tea.”

The calming tea helped soothe his nerves, but the last cup had been mostly drunk by Little Seven.

With the sugar ban still in effect, Little Seven’s eyes now lit up whenever he saw anything sweet.

Another cup of calming tea was brought, but this time, the Emperor stood to drink it. One hand held the cup, while the other pressed down on Little Seven’s head.

Little Seven also stood up, bouncing up and down.

“Give me a little, Daddy, please!” Little Seven pleaded, jumping, but his head was firmly held by the Emperor’s large hand.

By the time he finally reached the cup, it was already empty.

Little Seven stared at the empty cup, frustrated enough to lose sleep that night.

As for the Emperor, even after Little Seven fell asleep, he still hadn’t decided whether to take Noble Consort Yi along on their trip outside the palace.

The Emperor believed he loved Noble Consort Yi, but he wished she could be more like Little Seven—needing only him, and no one else.

But Noble Consort Yi had more than just him; she had the Murong family, and Murong Xue.

Though the Emperor’s rationality remained intact, and he knew that Qi Dynasty had been kept safe thanks to the Murong family’s fierce defense, suspicion still lingered.

Throughout history, which emperor hadn’t been paranoid?

The Emperor believed that his wariness and caution were perfectly normal, and not the least bit wrong.

Even though he thought he was right, it wasn’t until late into the night, as the little one tossed and turned in his sleep from frustration, that the Emperor finally managed to fall asleep too.

The next day.

When the little one woke up, he noticed his father frowning.

Sitting beside the Emperor, the little one extended his little paw and started scratching at his father’s face.

After a bit of mischief, the little one finally woke up fully, and the Emperor was forced to wake up too.

“Your daddy didn’t sleep well last night. Can’t you let him sleep a little longer?”

“Nope,” the little one replied.

Though he stopped scratching his father’s face, the little one suddenly threw his head against the Emperor’s chest, wriggling to get him to dress him. He was ready to get up for the day.

The Emperor sighed, lifting him to the side. “You’re asking for trouble again, aren’t you?”

This little one was the type who would wreak havoc if left unchecked for even a few days.

The little one’s antics were, in part, due to the unresolved feelings from the previous night when his father didn’t fully soothe him.

After the Emperor dressed him, he patted the little one’s bottom and urged him, “Off you go now. Maybe I’ll finally get some peace.”

Rubbing his patted bottom, the little one sulked as he left.

He didn’t eat breakfast with the Emperor but returned to Fenghua Palace instead.

In Fenghua Palace, everything appeared normal, but the little one could sense that his mother, Noble Consort Yi, wasn’t happy.

“Mom, do you want to see Uncle? I can ask him to come to the palace, and maybe he can bring a little monkey with him. The monkey can perform tricks!”

Upon hearing this, Noble Consort Yi gave a faint smile. “You’re just talking nonsense.”

“It’s not nonsense! I’ve saved up lots of pocket money; I can ask Uncle to buy a monkey.”

Noble Consort Yi: “…”

She still wasn’t interested in seeing a monkey.

So, the little one continued to list other ideas, asking if she wanted to see them one by one.

Noble Consort Yi showed no interest in any of them.

Finally, the little one sent all the palace servants away. He transformed back into a little ball of energy and began rolling around on a ball, performing his unique Little Seven-brand circus tricks to cheer her up.

Seeing her little one trying so hard to entertain her, Noble Consort Yi finally smiled sincerely.

The little one continued playing with her, determined to lift her spirits.

But the thing that would make him even happier was yet to come.

Shikong hadn’t fallen yet, but Ah Wu had contacted Murong Xu, and now Ah Wu was coming in person.

His goal was clear: to make Shikong fall.

He hadn’t told the little one yet, hoping to give him a surprise.

The little one, unaware of the upcoming surprise, was already thrilled just to see his mother smile.

“Mom, I love you the most!”

The utterly exhausted little one changed back, hugging Noble Consort Yi’s neck. His soft, sweet voice was still panting as he spoke.

Noble Consort Yi held him and kissed him gently.

“Mother loves you the most too.”

In this palace, the one she loved the most used to be Emperor Ling.

Over the years, she had experienced both sweet and difficult moments with him. Somehow, even though outsiders saw her as the most favored in the six palaces and believed she had Emperor Ling’s heart, there were moments—sudden and fleeting—when she doubted herself, Emperor Ling, and the love they shared.

After everything they’ve been through, Noble Consort Yi no longer knows how much love she still has for the Emperor.

But what she does know is that if she has to choose between the Emperor and her child, she would choose the latter.

“Little Seven, there’s no need to go out of your way to cheer me up, and don’t get upset with your father. Adult matters are something children don’t understand, so you don’t need to worry.”

This is a phrase adults love to say. They always assume that children don’t understand anything, so they shouldn’t worry about anything.

But children can actually understand.

Noble Consort Yi asked Ji Yan to pack Little Seven’s school bag, placing some pastries inside, though they were still unsweetened.

“These flavors are good too. If you’re hungry, you can have a piece.”

She reminded him, “Just a few more days of avoiding sweets, and you’ll be fine.”

Thanks to the dietary restrictions and Shui Shui’s treatment, Little Seven’s bad tooth had improved significantly.

Ever since being stung badly by a bee, Little Seven was no longer obsessed with eating sweets.

He no longer begged for sugar everywhere and had started eating other things.

Ling Fu, being the foodie he was, loved to have his teacher bring snacks from outside the palace. These trendy treats from outside fascinated Little Seven.

Now, he had started eating spicy snacks with Ling Fu.

Shui Shui and his mother only told him to avoid sweets, not spicy foods.

After eating spicy snacks for two or three days straight, Little Seven had just finished another bag of spicy cake. He hadn’t even wiped the crumbs from his mouth when suddenly, his bad tooth began to throb with intense pain.

“It hurts! It hurts!”

Little Seven clutched his face in panic, his tear-filled eyes turning to Ling Fu.

Ling Fu was startled too.

He looked at the spicy cake they had eaten together and said in confusion, “But there’s nothing wrong with the cake! I ate more than you, and I don’t feel a thing.”

He didn’t feel any pain after eating it.

But Little Seven’s toothache seemed worse than before.

As the pain worsened, not only did his tooth hurt, but his little head started to throb as well.

Before Ling Fu could react, Little Seven had already collapsed.

Ling Fu: “!!!”

Ling Fu looked at the collapsed Little Seven in shock.

He quickly picked him up and ran frantically towards Shui Shui’s courtyard. “Shui Shui!! Help!! Little Seven has been knocked out by the spiciness!”

This was the fastest Ling Fu had ever run.

He didn’t dare stop, carrying Little Seven all the way to Shui Shui’s courtyard without pausing.

Luckily, Shui Shui was in the courtyard at the time and hadn’t gone to the imperial hospital.

Ling Fu hastily laid Little Seven down, describing the situation in a panic.

While listening to Ling Fu’s account, Shui Shui began examining Little Seven.

In addition to checking his bad tooth, Shui Shui also took his pulse.

A regular toothache wouldn’t cause such a severe reaction.