Did The Young Prince’s Kingdom Get Destroyed Today? Chapter 132

Upon hearing this, the little one quickly covered his mouth.

He had seen his sixth brother lose teeth, and when that happened, his brother could hardly speak clearly.

The little one was very concerned about his appearance and didn’t want to lose any teeth.

“Sixth brother, how can I avoid losing my teeth?”

The little one, not wanting to lose his teeth, kept his hands over his mouth but didn’t stop talking.

Ling Fu patted his shoulder and, speaking from experience as a child, said, “All kids lose their teeth; no one can avoid it.”

The little one: “…”

He didn’t want to become a toothless little one.

He sat next to his sixth brother, still wanting to discuss how to prevent losing his teeth. But after a long discussion, they couldn’t come up with a solution.

Eventually, it was mealtime. Ling Fu returned to the palace to eat, and the little one patted the dust off his clothes and stood up to leave.

Instead of going to find Noble Consort Yi or the Emperor, he went to look for Shui Shui.

When he arrived, Shui Shui had just returned from seeing the Emperor.

Upon seeing the little one, Shui Shui’s gaze lingered on his face for just a second before looking away.

“Shui Shui, I came to eat with you.”

“Wait a moment, I need to take a bath.”

As Shui Shui spoke, he went to fetch water for a bath. He had been sweating and couldn’t stand the sticky feeling without washing up.

While Shui Shui bathed, the little one squatted in the courtyard and helped turn over the herbs that were drying in the sun.

Over the past two years, Shui Shui had lived in this courtyard and turned part of it into a medicinal herb garden, specifically for growing medicinal plants.

Besides the courtyard, there was also a garden behind it.

No one was allowed to damage the plants Shui Shui was growing.

Once, a favored beauty wandered into Shui Shui’s courtyard by accident and saw the herb garden.

There was a particular herb in the garden that bloomed with very beautiful flowers.

The beauty, enamored by the sight of the flowers, couldn’t resist picking them all.

As a result, before the flowers had even wilted, the beauty’s own fate was sealed—she fell from favor just as quickly.

After that, everyone in the palace knew that the herbs in Shui Shui’s garden were used to brew calming tea for the Emperor.

Anyone who dared damage Shui Shui’s herb garden was seen as not wanting the Emperor to recover.

And the consequences for such actions didn’t need to be spelled out.

The little one also loved flowers, but he only admired them—he would never pick flowers that someone had carefully nurtured.

He had picked wildflowers from the roadside before, but rather than discarding them after admiring them, he would put them in a vase and take care of them.

While the little one was outside drying herbs and admiring flowers, Shui Shui soaked in the bathtub, so exhausted that he nearly passed out.

For two years, he had been fighting to keep the Emperor alive.

During this time, he had pored over countless medical texts, searching for a way to save the Emperor. Unfortunately, none of the books mentioned a cure that could fully restore the Emperor’s health.

“Little Seven will be heartbroken.”

Lying in the water, Shui Shui murmured to himself.

Even though two years had passed, he had to keep trying to extend the Emperor’s life as long as possible.

Otherwise, Little Seven would be devastated.

After soaking for a long time, Shui Shui finally came out of the bath, feeling a little less tired.

“Little Seven.”

As Shui Shui stepped out, he called to the little one, “Are you hungry?”

The little one touched his stomach and honestly replied, “Yes, I’m hungry.”

He hadn’t snacked much earlier, so now that it was mealtime, his stomach was growling.

In Shui Shui’s courtyard, there was a small kitchen that was always stocked with food, ready to serve at any time.

After both of them had freshened up, Shui Shui called for the kitchen to bring out the food.

“Shui Shui, the food here is delicious.”

“If you like it, I can send the cook to Fenghua Palace.”

“No need. The cook at Fenghua Palace is also very good!”

The little one chewed on a big chicken leg and contentedly said, “If I want to eat here, I’ll just come over.”

If he took the cook away, Shui Shui wouldn’t have one left.

As the two ate and chatted, the little one, halfway through his meal, asked Shui Shui, “Shui Shui, is my daddy having headaches again?”

Shui Shui replied, “Yes.”

In reality, the headaches were a symptom of the poison taking effect.

The Emperor had originally suffered from headaches, but when they worsened and didn’t go away, it became clear that poison was involved.

Shui Shui had promised the Emperor to keep his poisoning a secret.

So, when the little one asked questions, Shui Shui always gave selective answers.

“Daddy has gotten so thin.”

Thinking about his now thinner father, the little one found the chicken leg in his mouth starting to lose its flavor. “Shui Shui, when will my daddy get better?”

The little one still hoped to see his father as he used to be, rather than the thin version now.

“I don’t know.”

Shui Shui’s appetite wasn’t affected at all. His emotions were always steady. Even if he had minor fluctuations, they never impacted his ability to eat. He was very mindful of his health, making sure to eat well, relax, and get enough sleep. He adhered strictly to these habits.

“I will do my best.”

Seeing that the little one might lose interest in his chicken leg from worry, Shui Shui added, “I’ll try my best to cure his headaches.”

The Emperor’s poison had been kept hidden because they used his headaches as a cover. To outsiders, even Shui Shui’s treatments appeared to be for those headaches.

The poison was rare, and even when the royal doctors took his pulse, they failed to detect it in time. They had always said he just needed to rest for his headaches. With so many reasons layered on, the Emperor’s true condition remained well concealed.

“Shui Shui, this is for you.”

The little one offered his favorite large chicken leg to Shui Shui. “Eat more! Fill yourself up.”

Shui Shui was treating his father, so naturally, he should be the one enjoying the chicken leg.

The two kids ate together without being picky. After finishing the meal, Shui Shui worked in the yard for about half an hour and then went to take a nap. It wasn’t good to sleep right after eating, as it could hurt the body. You needed to move around a little first.

The little one accompanied him for some light activities. After that, instead of napping at Shui Shui’s place, he returned to Chengming Palace.

As soon as he arrived, the little one noticed a faint medicinal scent. It wasn’t overpowering, likely from a recent dose of medicine, so the smell hadn’t fully dissipated yet.

“Daddy.”

The little one ran over and stood before his father. He raised his chubby little face and carefully studied his father’s complexion. “Are you feeling better now? Was Shui Shui’s medicine bitter?”

“I’m feeling better. It was a little bitter.”

The Emperor’s handsome face had grown thinner over the past two years, but with his strong features, he still looked good. Though he had lost weight, he hadn’t lost his looks. In his youth, that face had certainly charmed many women.

The Emperor deliberately mentioned that the medicine was a bit bitter. Hearing this, the little one’s chubby face tensed up.

In the next moment, the little one widened his eyes and, without even taking off his shoes, tried to climb onto the bed.

But the Emperor was quick to grab him, pulling off the little shoes.

With his shoes off, the little one climbed onto the bed even faster. He crawled to the spot closest to the wall, then stuck his little butt up in the air, seriously rummaging around.

After searching for a while, the little one turned his face toward the Emperor, his last shred of hope still lingering. “Daddy, did you see my sugared melon seeds?”

He still had a bad tooth that hadn’t fallen out yet, so he couldn’t eat as much candy as he wanted. His candy intake was rationed.

Beyond his allowed portion, the little one would always try to sneak extra candy. The sugared melon seeds he had hidden this time were carefully stashed under a small secret compartment at the foot of his father’s bed, right by the wall.

Now, the secret compartment was still there, but all the melon seeds were gone!

Even the crumbs were gone.

The little one’s expression showed he was trying to hold it together, but his father didn’t give him any false hope.

“Oh, those sugared melon seeds? The white ones that are a bit sticky? Daddy just used them to chase away the bitterness after drinking the medicine.”

The little one: “!”

His entire stockpile of ten sugared melon seeds!

He had carefully counted them, planning to eat two a day, which would last him five whole days.

“Yeah, there were quite a lot of them. Little Seven, next time, hide fewer of them. Otherwise, Daddy’s teeth might stick together.”

The Emperor, having finished his son’s stash, even complained about there being too much and the seeds being sticky.

Devastated, the little one flopped onto the bed like a salted fish that had lost its will to dream.

The Emperor chuckled at his dejected little fish, his eyes softening.

The effects of the poison weren’t just headaches; it also made him irritable. He had a hard time controlling his temper, often feeling the urge to break things, shout, or even hurt people.

Shui Shui’s medicine helped suppress these reactions. But just as much as the medicine, it was his little one who helped calm him down.

Every time he teased his little one like this, the rage inside him would vanish instantly.

“Little Seven, why aren’t you talking?”

“Little Seven doesn’t want to talk.”

The little one, feeling thoroughly defeated, lay spread-eagle on the bed, eyes closed, refusing to communicate with his mischievous father.

The Emperor pinched his chubby cheeks, still teasing him. “You’re six years old now, but why are your cheeks still so chubby?”

The little one’s face still had baby fat, commonly called “milk chub.”

It was said that his eldest and fourth brother had lost their baby fat early and had grown into handsome young men. But the little one, whether from good nutrition or his natural constitution, still had a soft, plump face that refused to lose its chub.

The Emperor kept teasing, pinching his little cheeks even as he called him “chubby.”

“Daddy is so mean!”

Annoyed, the little one squirmed away from his father’s big hand and flipped over, turning his back to avoid getting his cheeks pinched again.

The father and son played around like this for a while, until finally, though still a bit annoyed, the little one couldn’t resist laughing when his father started tickling his chubby waist, making him giggle uncontrollably.

He was laughing uncontrollably from the tickling but also felt so upset that he wanted to cry. After all the fuss, he finally let out a long sigh and fell asleep, exhausted.

Seeing that the little one could barely keep his eyes open, the Emperor held him close, and they both fell asleep together.

When they woke up, the Emperor got busy with his duties, and the little one returned to Fenghua Palace.

In the Imperial Study, the Emperor sat at his desk, turning his head to ask Lu Guang, who was attending to him:

“Lu Guang, between the eldest and the fourth prince, who do you think treats Little Seven better?”

Lu Guang wasn’t fazed at all by the question. He smiled and replied, “Your Majesty, the little prince is so lovable. In my opinion, both the eldest and the fourth princes adore him very much.”

Although Lu Guang’s response was neutral, the Emperor didn’t stop there. He asked further, “But tell me, if either the eldest or the fourth prince were to inherit the throne in the future, who could protect Little Seven?”

This question touched upon the matter of succession.

Lu Guang hurried to kneel before the Emperor, not answering directly but instead saying urgently, “Your Majesty is in the prime of life. The little prince is safest under Your Majesty’s care, so there’s no need to dwell on such concerns.”

Lu Guang didn’t align himself with any prince, only with the Emperor.

The Emperor had only asked casually, but Lu Guang’s answer pleased him, making him both satisfied and slightly melancholic.

If he could live longer, staying in his position for more time, perhaps he could see Little Seven grow up.

But now, he wasn’t sure how much longer he had to live.

“The eldest prince has the Empress, and the fourth prince… has Consort De.”

The Emperor weighed the situation in his mind, considering whether the families of the eldest and fourth prince could accept Little Seven.

The fourth prince’s family was close to Little Seven; the young master of the Li family had even been a classmate of Little Seven. But the eldest prince’s family had no such ties with him.

The Emperor thought long and hard about the possibility of the eldest or the fourth prince ascending the throne, and even about Little Seven himself becoming emperor.

He considered all these possibilities.

He lingered longest on the idea of Little Seven taking the throne.

If that were to happen, the Murong family might support Little Seven in the early stages, but there were historical examples of puppet emperors. If Little Seven were to avoid becoming one, the Murong family would eventually need to be removed once Little Seven grew older.

Little Seven on the throne, Noble Consort Yi as Empress, and no Murong family.

The Emperor pondered this until his temples began to throb, and he decided to stop thinking about it.

His feelings toward the Murong family were too complicated. He both relied on them and feared them.

These mixed emotions had built up over many years, and he couldn’t resolve them so easily.

While the Emperor was mulling things over in his study, Little Seven was busy in Fenghua Palace, staring into a mirror.

He looked left, then right, checking himself over again and again.

“Mother, look!”

After finishing his self-inspection, Little Seven pushed his chubby face toward Noble Consort Yi.

Noble Consort Yi was currently flipping through name cards. 

The second princess had reached the age where she could choose a husband, and Noble Consort Yi was helping her review the eligible young men on the list.

This task should have fallen to the Empress, but the second princess had personally asked Noble Consort Yi for help.

Noble Consort Yi and the second princess didn’t have much personal relationship beyond their occasional interactions, mostly because of the little one.

Because of her little one, Noble Consort Yi had agreed to take on this responsibility.

She was still going through the name cards when the little one’s chubby face suddenly appeared in front of her.

“Mother, look!”

The little one nervously opened his mouth wide, showing his teeth to Noble Consort Yi. He pointed to his two front teeth and asked, “Mother, are these teeth loose?”

He had taken a nap with his father, and when he woke up, he felt like his teeth were starting to wobble.

Now, the anxious little one was starting to wonder if his father had secretly tried to pull out his teeth while he was asleep!

Kids often lose their teeth easily, so Noble Consort Yi wasn’t surprised. She washed her hands and gently touched his teeth.

“They are a bit loose.”

Noble Consort Yi was pleased about his teeth falling out. Once they were replaced with new ones, the new teeth would grow stronger.

She didn’t think losing teeth was a big deal.

But the little one, who was about to lose his teeth, couldn’t accept it at all.

After sulking in Fenghua Palace for a while, clutching his little mirror, he finally went outside.

He wandered around for a while before coming across something.

He found what looked like glue—it was something made by the artisans in Guanshan Residence.

Though the glue wasn’t particularly strong, in Little Seven’s eyes, it held great promise.

Holding his little mirror in one hand and the glue in the other, Little Seven boldly attempted to stick his wobbly tooth back in place before it fell out.

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