The little prince, denied a hug from his big brother, mumbled to himself that he would ask Ah Wu for a hug. But as he walked, his mood worsened.
Though he was young, the little one wasn’t foolish.
He could tell that his big brother’s attitude had changed.
His big brother used to love hugging him the most.
Feeling a bit down, the little one stopped on his way to find Ah Wu and, instead, found a tree to climb.
Compared to the trees at Guan Shan Residence, the ones in the palace weren’t particularly tall.
With a few swift moves, the little one climbed the tree and, imitating Uncle Lian Qing, laid down on a branch.
He looked up at the sky and murmured to himself, “I miss Guan Shan Residence.”
The palace was great, but Guan Shan Residence was also wonderful.
He missed Dun Dun and Jiu Jiu, missed the noodles and drinks made by Big Boss, and longed to hear Uncle Lian Qing’s stories.
The little one laid silently in the tree, staring at the sky.
In Jiao Palace Hall, Ling Chen stood before the empress, asking her slowly and deliberately, “Royal Mother, did you have anything to do with Little Seven’s poisoning?”
The empress sat on her chair, holding her prayer beads. Her expression remained unchanged as she listened to the question.
“Chen Er, you rushed here just to interrogate me?”
Ling Chen bent slightly at the waist, but there was no hint of compromise in his voice.
He continued, “While Shui Shui was treating Little Seven, a palace maid tried to take Shui Shui away and harm him.”
“Both the maid and her sister died suddenly of illness afterward.”
“Before she died, one of the maids tried to seek your help.”
“Royal Mother, were the palace maids who attempted to stop Shui Shui acting under your orders?”
As Ling Chen asked these questions, he felt as if his heart was being tightly squeezed, making it hard to breathe.
The clues he had found weren’t many, but based on those small leads and his deductions, the conclusion he reached chilled him to the bone.
He didn’t want to believe it and couldn’t accept it.
After locking himself in his room for an entire day and night, thinking everything through, Ling Chen realized he couldn’t avoid the truth any longer. He had to confront his mother and get a clear answer.
“Chen Er, I’m deeply disappointed in you.”
The empress tossed the prayer beads aside and stood, looking at her son with undisguised disappointment in her eyes.
“For the sake of the Seventh Prince, you dare question your own mother like this?”
“Royal Mother, I just want to know the truth.”
Though Ling Chen bowed his head, his stance was firm.
The empress looked at him, knowing that without an answer, he wouldn’t leave.
“It’s true that I had a hand in delaying Shui Shui.”
The empress admitted that she was responsible for stalling Shui Shui, but she denied having poisoned Little Seven.
“I’ve never had much interaction with the Seventh Prince. Your father and Noble Consort Yi treat him like a precious jewel. Where would I find the opportunity to harm him?”
“Chen Er, do you really think your mother is so cruel?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Ling Chen denied his mother’s accusation, his voice heavy. “But what about the deaths of the two palace maids—”
“I don’t need to dirty my own hands.”
The empress said calmly, “In this palace, sometimes all I need to do is show a little emotion, and there are plenty of people willing to act on my behalf.”
“Their deaths cannot be blamed on me.”
“But in the end, they still died because of you.”
After finishing his sentence, Ling Chen closed his eyes briefly before continuing, “You delayed Shui Shui to prevent Little Seven from receiving treatment. This time, Little Seven was lucky to be treated in time and is safe.”
“But if Shui Shui hadn’t been protected by Little Yi at that moment, the outcome could have been very different.”
In this matter, even though nothing serious happened to Little Seven, it was still a real and dangerous situation.
“Royal Mother, according to the fourth rule of palace law, what is the punishment for a consort who attempts to harm a prince—”
“Ling Chen!”
Seeing her son becoming increasingly audacious, the empress’s patience finally ran out. She raised her voice, coldly glaring at her eldest son.
The Eldest Prince, Ling Chen, was the emperor’s first son. Although he had never been pampered the way the emperor doted on the Seventh Prince, Ling Chen had received the best education from a young age, and even his teachers had praised his character.
The empress had always been pleased with his temperament. His noble conduct earned him the admiration and support of many ministers.
However, over time, the empress grew increasingly dissatisfied with him.
He was virtuous and held in high regard by others.
But as his mother, if she had been as virtuous as he was, she wouldn’t have been able to protect his life all these years!
Now, after all her efforts to support her eldest son, he dares to show her such disrespect for the sake of the Seventh Prince!
“Are you trying to accuse me of a crime?!”
The empress stared at her son with a fierce intensity, her voice icy. “You want to hold your mother accountable for a crime?!”
Ling Chen clenched his lips, his hands balling into tight fists.
“Royal Mother, Little Seven is still young. He poses no threat to me. I’ve already followed your advice and fought for the throne.”
He had clashed with the Fourth Prince at every turn for the throne.
Now, even though Little Seven was no threat, was his mother still unable to tolerate him?
The emotions on Ling Chen’s face were clear to the empress.
She looked at her son with mocking eyes. “Chen Er, do you think I’ve asked you to fight, fought for you, simply because I have nothing better to do?”
“You are indeed the Eldest Prince, but your father doesn’t care about that! He himself is neither the eldest nor born of the main consort, so do you think he will appoint you just because you are?”
“The Fourth Prince’s maternal family is strong. If you don’t compete with him, he may very well replace you.”
“And as for the Seventh Prince, he may be young, but haven’t you seen how your father treats him?”
“Your father has no limits or principles when it comes to the Seventh Prince.”
The empress knew Emperor Ling’s temperament too well.
He appeared affectionate and gentle, but in truth, he was the most heartless of all.
In this palace, no one could rival Emperor Ling in terms of coldness and ruthlessness.
Yet, this heartless man was unbelievably indulgent toward the Seventh Prince, to a degree that was shocking.
The empress had no doubt that Emperor Ling, who was so obsessed with imperial power that he couldn’t even bring himself to appoint a crown prince, would be willing to leave the throne’s succession to the Seventh Prince.
The empress would not take that risk.
Neither the Fourth Prince nor the Seventh Prince should stand in her way.
“Royal Mother, even if Royal Father wants to give the throne to Little Seven, Little Seven wouldn’t want it.”
Ling Chen almost added that the throne originally belonged to his father, and if it were given to Little Seven, perhaps Little Seven could grow up to be a good ruler.
But he didn’t say it.
His Royal mother would never listen to such words.
“Chen Er, you’re still too naive. I raised you to be far too naive.”
The confrontation between mother and son reached an impasse.
Even if the empress admitted to what she had done, under the palace laws, there would be little punishment.
The palace maids had died, and with no witnesses or evidence, there was nothing Ling Chen could do beyond questioning her.
He stood there for a long time, uncertain how much of her words to believe.
Before leaving, he spoke softly to the empress, “Royal Mother, no matter who poisoned Little Seven this time…”
“If it happens again, whatever accident befalls Little Seven, I will make sure the same accident happens to me.”
“If he dies, I will ask Royal Father to strip me of my title as Eldest Prince.”
After speaking, Ling Chen bowed deeply to the empress and turned to leave.
His words were a blatant threat.
He was using his life, his title, as leverage.
The empress watched his retreating figure, unable to contain her anger any longer. She slammed a cup down on the table.
“I should never have given birth to you!”
The son she had placed so much hope in had dared to turn on her like this!
In her fury, the empress not only shattered the cup but also knocked over the prayer beads beside it.
The beads scattered across the floor, and her personal maid quickly rushed over to pick them up.
“Your Majesty, please calm down. Don’t let anger harm your health.”
The maid softly consoled her, but even after a long time, the empress could not be soothed.
Half an hour later, a doctor rushed in to treat the empress for sudden discomfort.
Ling Chen heard about the doctor’s visit, but he remained in his study, not going to see her.
That night.
In a side hall of Fenghua Palace, the little one sat on the bed with his mouth open wide, letting Ah Wu check his teeth.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
After Ah Wu finished examining his teeth, the little one closed his mouth.
Ah Wu had just washed his hands before touching the little one’s bad tooth, which had already become loose. Besides the bad tooth, a few other teeth also showed signs of loosening.
He was going to start losing his baby teeth.
“Even if it doesn’t hurt, you still need to be careful.”
Ah Wu gently touched his face and reminded him in a low voice, “No sweets and no spicy food.”
“Ah Wu, do your teeth hurt?”
“No, they don’t.”
Ah Wu ate a balanced diet and didn’t have a sweet tooth, so naturally, his teeth were healthy.
The little one reached out his small hand, pried open Ah Wu’s mouth, and took a look inside.
Ah Wu’s teeth were white and strong, much better than his own bad tooth.
The two of them, looking at each other’s teeth and playing around, continued to mess around until late into the night before finally falling asleep together.
If it had been before, Ah Wu would have definitely made the little one go to bed earlier.
But since he was about to leave soon, before his departure, he indulged the little one more than usual.
They slept from the middle of the night until the early morning.
When the little one woke up, he refused to get out of bed. Lying on top of Ah Wu, he softly begged, “Ah Wu, tell me about your life.”
“My life isn’t worth talking about.”
Ah Wu’s life in Great Qing was filled with constant scheming and hidden dangers, facing both open and covert attacks.
He had adapted to this kind of life.
Now, there weren’t many who could get the better of him. Even the old emperor of Great Qing couldn’t remove him from his position as Crown Prince.
Ah Wu didn’t think his life was anything to talk about, but seeing the little one so eager to hear, he thought for a moment and decided to tell him about the new empress and her little sister who had entered the palace and were now engaged in a rivalry.
These two sisters had once been close and knew many things about each other.
Now that they were both in the palace, competing for resources and power, their daily quarrels were quite the spectacle.
Ah Wu picked some amusing stories about them and shared them with the little one as a joke.
As expected, the little one listened with wide, starry eyes.
“Ah Wu.”
After listening for a while, the little one patted Ah Wu and reminded him, “They sound kind of fun, but don’t play with them, okay? I think they’re a little bad.”
“Mm, I know.”
With Ah Wu around, the little one was happy.
But Ah Wu couldn’t stay in the palace forever. No matter how much he delayed his return, he had reached the point where he could delay no more.
“Little one, I’ll come back again. Don’t cry this time, okay?”
The little one: “…”
The little one shook his head earnestly.
Pointing to his pretty eyes, he said dejectedly, “My eyes will cry on their own. I can’t help it.”
Ah Wu fell silent.
Every time they parted, the little one would cry for a long time.
Thinking about how the little one would cry until his eyes were red again, Ah Wu gently wiped the corners of his eyes in advance. “Little one, just wait a little longer.”
“In the future, I’ll take you with me.”
“Okay!”
The little one nodded. “Ah Wu will take me to have fun!”
Just as Ah Wu had predicted, after he left this time, the little one cried for two days.
The little one cried for so long that Emperor Ling, not knowing the reason, almost thought he was possessed.
Luckily, the little one managed to stammer out that he had had a bad dream, which was why he cried.
Emperor Ling, frowning, decided to sleep with him that night.
Sure enough, in the middle of the night, the little one cried in his sleep again.
Emperor Ling held him in his arms and soothed him for a long time.
With Emperor Ling comforting him at night, Noble Consort Yi was finally able to get some proper sleep.
Days passed, and after Ah Wu had been gone for several days, the little one eventually stopped crying every time he thought of him.
Although the little one no longer cried when thinking about Ah Wu, he pouted and looked sad whenever he thought about his eldest brother, who was still in the palace.
He couldn’t understand why his big brother suddenly wasn’t close to him anymore.
“Sixth Brother, did I make Big Brother angry?”
The little one, unable to find an answer, asked his sixth brother.
Ling Fu scratched his head, also confused. “No, we’ve been together this whole time. We didn’t fight with Big Brother, so how could he be angry at you?”
“But Big Brother doesn’t want me anymore.”
“That’s not true. He would never abandon you,” Ling Fu said with certainty, biting into a meat cake.
His Little Seven was so adorable—who could possibly bear to abandon him?
Ling Fu was confident in his belief.
Even though he was sure, seeing his little brother’s sad face made Ling Fu’s heart ache. “Little Seven, don’t be sad!”
“Big Brother is just too busy. He’s not ignoring you on purpose.”
“Wait, I’ll think of a way to make Big Brother give you a hug!”
Ling Fu patted his chest and promised his little brother.
After he made that promise, the little one’s eyes finally lit up.
“Big Brother will still hug me?”
“Of course!”
Ling Fu said seriously, “He definitely will!”
With such a serious promise from his sixth brother, the little one smiled, feeling reassured.
Ling Fu had been very confident while making the promise, but afterward, he started to feel a bit guilty.
He wasn’t that familiar with Big Brother either.
How was he supposed to get Little Seven to go to Big Brother for a hug? That was quite a dilemma.
“Little Seven, wait a bit, okay? Sixth Brother’s stomach hurts.”
Holding his stomach, Ling Fu used the excuse of needing to squat, sitting there and cupping his chubby face, thinking hard for a solution.
Nearby, the little one waited patiently.
Both of them waited, and by the time Ling Fu’s legs had gone numb, he gritted his teeth, leaned against the wall, and came up with a simple, bold idea.
