Just as he was about to apply the glue to his teeth, his older brother Ling Hao happened to spot the little white bottle in his hand.
Ling Hao knew immediately it was glue, and the sight made his heart skip a beat. His voice rose in alarm as he shouted:
“Little Seven, stop!!!”
Ling Hao rushed over as quickly as he could.
Little Seven, startled by his fourth brother’s voice, hesitated for a moment, but the glue had already touched his front tooth.
His front tooth now felt a little sticky, but nothing else seemed to happen yet.
Feeling guilty, Little Seven hid his hands behind his back, trying to keep his brother from noticing.
But Ling Hao had already reached him and grabbed his mouth, inspecting it closely.
“Why are you putting glue on your teeth? You can’t eat this stuff!”
Realizing he’d been caught, Little Seven had no choice but to explain honestly, “My teeth are loose, and I don’t want them to fall out.”
So, that’s why he wanted to glue his tooth back in place.
Ling Hao: “…”
Ling Hao looked at the little one like he was watching a silly little fool.
Tired, he grabbed the child’s hand, which was trying to hide the glue, and took the glue from him. After confiscating the glue, Ling Hao picked him up and carried him outside.
“Missing teeth are ugly; I don’t want to look ugly,” the little one whimpered as his fourth brother carried him, still stubbornly protesting.
Ling Hao quickened his pace, no longer wanting to argue with him.
A moment later, Ling Hao brought some water and told the little one to rinse his mouth and clean the spot where the glue had been applied.
But the little one pouted, his expression growing increasingly odd.
“This glue isn’t for sticking teeth. All children lose their baby teeth. Messing around like this will only make things worse for your teeth!” Ling Hao warned in a firm tone. “If you don’t wash it off right now, you won’t be able to keep your tooth!”
The little one: “…”
His little face scrunched up as he reluctantly started trying to pry his mouth open himself.
The glue applied to his front tooth had stuck his upper and lower teeth together, and now he was starting to feel uncomfortable.
He finally managed to open his mouth, but after rinsing, it still felt strange.
“Fourth Brother…” The little one called out, mouth open, “It feels weird!”
Seeing the red circles around the little one’s eyes, Ling Hao personally tried to help. But the glue on his tooth was stubborn and hard to remove.
After some time, a faint crack came from the already loose tooth.
The next second, a little white tooth fell into Ling Hao’s hand, right in front of the child’s eyes.
The little one stared at the tooth, not quite processing it. After a few seconds, he reached up to touch his own mouth.
The moment he realized what had happened, his expression crumbled.
“My tooth… fell out.”
The little one, who hadn’t wanted to lose a tooth, was devastated by the harsh reality. His entire world seemed to collapse in an instant.
It was over.
He was no longer the cutest child!
Now, he would have a gap in his smile, and his words would whistle through the hole!
Having lost his first tooth at six years old, the little one tilted his head back and burst into tears.
Ling Hao, having already pulled out one tooth, saw how upset the child was and didn’t want to force him to wash any further.
While crying, the little one held his head high, clearly not wanting his fourth brother to touch his mouth again.
Between sobs, he still tried to rinse out his mouth, uncomfortable with the sticky feeling.
The little one cried in his brother’s arms for a good while.
Ling Hao could only hold him and patiently comfort him. “That tooth was going to fall out sooner or later. The sooner it falls out, the sooner a new one will grow in.”
“Little Seven, don’t you want a new, prettier white tooth?”
“I want my tooth back right now!” the little one wailed, his words slightly whistling through the gap where his tooth used to be.
Of course, Ling Hao couldn’t make a new tooth appear instantly, so he carried the little one up to the highest rooftop.
“Little Seven, we’ll throw your lost tooth onto the roof, and then a new, prettier one will grow in soon.”
Tearful, the little one looked at the roof, then at his tooth.
With a small hand, he tossed the tooth up onto the roof. He nearly missed, but Ling Hao, quick on his feet, gave him a little boost just in time.
Even after throwing the tooth, the little one clung to Ling Hao’s neck, still crying pitifully.
While this was happening, Noble Consort Yi in the palace was massaging her temples.
“Ji Yan, what is Little Seven doing all alone?”
The little one hadn’t stayed with Ling Fu and the others to play but had gone off by himself.
He had been quiet for a while, but Noble Consort Yi wasn’t comforted by the silence. In fact, it made her more uneasy.
Children around six or seven were at the prime age for causing trouble.
Her Little Seven had a sweet, angelic face that made everyone gush over how cute he was. But only those who raised him knew that his appearance was very deceiving.
If you didn’t keep an eye on him for even a moment, chaos would ensue.
“The little prince wouldn’t let us follow him, but Cui Xi said he was carrying a small mirror, likely to check himself out.”
As they spoke, not long after, the tearful little one was brought back by his fourth brother.
He returned, looking wilted and defeated, head hanging low, not wanting to talk to anyone.
Noble Consort Yi took him in her arms and exchanged a few words with the fourth prince.
The prince hesitated, glancing at the little one, but decided not to tattle.
On the way back, the little one had begged his fourth brother not to mention what had just happened.
After greeting Noble Consort Yi, the fourth prince left.
Watching the tear-streaked boy, Noble Consort Yi asked curiously, “What happened? Did someone bully you?”
But that didn’t seem likely.
In the entire palace, who could even manage to bully him?
The little one kept his mouth shut, unwilling to let Noble Consort Yi see his missing tooth.
Not pressing him for answers, Noble Consort Yi let the matter drop.
That evening, the emperor came to join them for dinner. It was at the dining table that the issue of the little one’s tooth finally came to light.
“Little Seven,” the emperor said, his gaze locking onto the little one’s mouth, eyes narrowing. “Open your mouth.”
Little one: “…”
The little one slapped his hand over his mouth.
Even though he wanted to cover his mouth, Emperor Ling firmly pulled his small hand away.
With nothing to hide behind, the little one’s missing tooth was now exposed to both Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi.
The two adults: “…”
They exchanged a glance and, in unison, frowned slightly.
“Little Seven, when did you lose your tooth?”
“In the a-afternoon…”
Realizing he couldn’t hide it anymore, the little one hung his head as his parents took turns inspecting his teeth.
They still didn’t know that the tooth had been pulled out because of the glue. At the moment, they just assumed it had fallen out naturally.
“Well, if it’s gone, it’s gone. It’ll grow back in a little while,” Noble Consort Yi said reassuringly, gently stroking his face and offering him a spoonful of soft egg custard.
After dinner, when Emperor Ling played with the little one, he noticed that the usually lively and cheerful boy was now smiling with his lips tightly pressed together.
Feeling a bit helpless, Emperor Ling said, “Little Seven, even with a missing tooth, you still look great.”
The little one shook his head, not believing him.
Holding a small wooden horse, he mumbled quietly, “I’ve already looked in the mirror. I look ugly now.”
After losing his first tooth, the little one soon lost a second one, and with two missing teeth, his confidence plummeted.
No matter how Emperor Ling, Noble Consort Yi, and even Ling Fu tried to cheer him up, nothing worked.
For several days, the little one remained downcast.
Emperor Ling thought for a while and eventually let him leave the palace to play outside, which finally lifted his spirits.
When the little one was feeling better, everyone in the palace breathed a small sigh of relief.
Seeing him happily playing with Ling Fu and the others again, Noble Consort Yi resumed looking through the list of candidates.
At first glance, the list seemed long, but upon careful consideration, there weren’t many truly suitable options.
“Your Highness, why not ask the Second Princess for her thoughts?” suggested Ji Yan, who had been assisting Noble Consort Yi in the selection process.
“She’s a woman with her own opinions, and if she’s allowing you to oversee this marriage arrangement, it means she’s not shy about the matter. You could first ask her what kind of husband she has in mind.”
“You make a good point,” Noble Consort Yi smiled. “It wouldn’t be right for me to make the decision entirely on my own.”
As they discussed the Second Princess’s marriage, Ji Yan suddenly mentioned Murong Xu.
“Your Highness, the Fifth Young Master’s marriage hasn’t been settled yet. I’ve heard that both Madam and the Old Madam are starting to feel anxious.”
“There’s no rush for Xu Er’s marriage. He’s focused on taking over his eldest sister’s responsibilities, and the battlefield is dangerous. Families of eligible young ladies would naturally be more cautious about it.”
In the Murong family, though they treated everyone fairly, they couldn’t guarantee that Murong Xu would return safely from war. While the Murong family didn’t fear death, those marrying into the family might worry about widowhood. That’s perfectly understandable, and they couldn’t rush or pressure anyone.
“Your Highness,” Ji Yan wasn’t bringing up Murong Xu without reason. Standing behind Noble Consort Yi, massaging her shoulders, she said gently, “There are rumors in the palace that people are speculating about a potential match between the Second Princess and the Fifth Young Master.”
Noble Consort Yi: “…”
She was speechless. “How could Little Xu possibly be a princess consort?”
As a princess consort, he would always have to defer to the princess in all things.
Her younger brother had a gentle temperament, and if he had a wife in the future, he would undoubtedly treat her well, but he wouldn’t be suited for marriage to a princess.
“Send word to the household,” Noble Consort Yi instructed. “Tell them to let Little Xu keep busy outside the capital for a while. There’s no need for him to linger here.”
While she was arranging a marriage for the Second Princess, people were already talking about her and Murong Xu. It was best to avoid further gossip.
Although Noble Consort Yi didn’t care much for idle rumors, that didn’t mean the Second Princess would be indifferent to them.
Noble Consort Yi was a cautious person, always thorough in her actions. She sent Murong Xu away and then handed the list of candidates she had carefully selected to Emperor Ling.
She suggested to Emperor Ling that they host a banquet for young people, inviting those on the list and other notable young lords and ladies from different households.
She proposed that the Second Princess attend the banquet under the pretext of celebrating Little Seven’s birthday. But in truth, it would serve a dual purpose: both for the celebration and as an opportunity for the Second Princess to meet potential suitors.
After hearing her suggestion, Emperor Ling nodded in agreement.
He wasn’t overly concerned with the Second Princess’s marriage—nor, for that matter, with the Fifth Princess’s.
Emperor Ling had once frequently taught and tested the eldest and fourth princes, and the sixth prince was close to Little Seven. He was more familiar with the princes.
But when it came to his two daughters, Emperor Ling didn’t feel much attachment.
“The focus of Little Seven’s birthday banquet should still be Little Seven himself,” Emperor Ling reminded Noble Consort Yi after agreeing to her proposal. “Don’t let it overshadow the main event.”
“I know,” Noble Consort Yi shot him a look, playfully reproaching him. “Do you think I’d forget about Little Seven?”
So, Noble Consort Yi fulfilled his wish.
This year’s birthday banquet was well arranged in advance by Noble Consort Yi, with his little friends set to play with him. As for the adults and the young lords and ladies attending the banquet, that was more about the adults’ socializing.
Noble Consort Yi and Emperor Ling discussed the banquet twice.
Their second conversation about it happened in bed, with the little one nestled between them during his afternoon nap.
The adults assumed he was still asleep and spoke about some matters.
But adults often forget—children are excellent at eavesdropping.
The little one, already awake, held back his urge to go to the bathroom, straining his little ears to catch their conversation.
Luckily, Noble Consort Yi and Emperor Ling didn’t say much. Otherwise, the little eavesdropper might have ended up wetting the bed from holding it in too long.
“Sixth Brother, this time we can’t just focus on playing.”
After secretly listening to the grown-ups, the little one gravely informed his Sixth Brother, “Second Sister is looking for a consort. We need to help her keep an eye out!”
“How do we do that?” asked Ling Fu, confused. “We’re just kids. How can we help her choose?”
“Kids are the best at spotting things!” the little one said with great confidence. “Some people can be bad, but we kids can tell if they’re bad or not!”
Just like last time when they met Jin Yuan Er in Jiangyu County—if it hadn’t been for his keen eyes, Jin Yuan Er would have ended up marrying into Consort Ru’s family!
Convinced by this reasoning, Ling Fu nodded and agreed to help keep an eye on things during the birthday banquet.
Before the big day, the little one received several letters from Guan Shan Residence.
His friends there had sent him letters and gifts, and even the Chief Examiner had sent him the noodles he had been dreaming of.
Even before the birthday celebration began, the little one was already bubbling over with happiness.
He also mailed out a box full of letters he had written.
In one letter, he asked the Chief Examiner when they could return to school.
Besides asking when school would start, the little one also gave the Chief Examiner a heads-up—he planned to take his daddy to visit Guan Shan Residence.
While the little one fully trusted “Shui Shui,” he couldn’t help feeling a bit worried about his father, who had grown noticeably thinner.
With all his updates and greetings, the little one ended up writing quite a lot. His letter was filled with heartfelt expressions, as he dearly missed the Chief Examiner, his teachers, and his classmates after such a long time apart.
He didn’t know when the letters would get a reply, but the little one wasn’t in any rush. He knew the Chief Examiner would respond.
Time passed, and eventually, the day of the birthday banquet arrived.
The night before the banquet, Emperor Ling briefly lost consciousness.
Shui Shui stayed by his bedside through the night, keeping him alive.
When Emperor Ling woke up, he sat up against the pillows, his eyes filled with exhaustion. “Shui Shui, will I be able to attend Little Seven’s birthday banquet next year?”
Shui Shui remained silent.
Though Emperor Ling tried to hide it, his fainting episode and Shui Shui’s sleepless vigil had not gone unnoticed. Someone had already been counting the days.
After all, ever since he was poisoned, there had been those waiting for certain news.
Soon enough, the day of the birthday banquet arrived.
The little one wore his finest outfit. His delicate little face, glowing with a rosy pink hue, made his gem-like eyes sparkle with joy.
Ling Fu patted his face, genuinely marveling, “Little Seven, you’re so good-looking!”
This incredibly handsome Little Seven was his little brother!
Ling Fu felt a surge of pride and excitement at that thought.
“Sixth Brother, do I sound good when I speak?”
The little one’s teeth hadn’t fully grown back yet, and with so many people around today, he wasn’t sure if he should speak or not.
“You sound great too!” Ling Fu affirmed. “Trust me, you’re the most handsome kid here. Even with your teeth growing in, you’re still better-looking than anyone else!”
The most dazzling little one grinned widely, and that smile only made him all the more adorably lively.
Before, when he hadn’t been smiling or talking, he looked like a perfect little celestial being, flawless in every way. But in Ling Fu’s eyes, this cheerful version was even better.
“Little Seven, you should go with Royal Father and Noble Consort Yi first. We’ll meet up later.”
“Okay!”
Since it was his birthday banquet, Little Seven was the star of the event, so naturally, he had to make an appearance with Noble Consort Yi and Emperor Ling.
Neither Emperor Ling nor Noble Consort Yi would stay long at the banquet. After making an appearance, Noble Consort Yi would sit and chat with the duchesses, while Emperor Ling, after lingering for a bit, would leave. He didn’t like to stay too long, as his presence made the guests uncomfortable.
Once he left, everyone would feel more at ease.
Little Seven loved lively events, but with him standing there, the party couldn’t truly come to life.
After his appearance, Little Seven was showered with a wave of compliments.
Though Noble Consort Yi remained composed, she was inwardly quite pleased with all the praise.
After sitting with the others for a bit, she sent the ladies off to mingle, telling them not to worry about her.
Then, she and the duchess began chatting intimately.
The duchess was pregnant again, which made the duke overjoyed.
Jiang Yan was also delighted, and two months into the pregnancy, he began finding ways to coax Little Seven out of the palace.
Once outside, Jiang Yan took Little Seven to the duchess’s residence to feel her belly.
As Little Seven touched the belly, Jiang Yan muttered, “A little brother, a little sister, a beautiful little sibling, just as pretty as Little Seven.”
One time, while muttering, Jiang Yan even added, “Please, don’t take after my father! Please!”
Jiang Yan’s muttering was overheard by the Duke, and he got a smack on the head right then and there.
This time, the little one didn’t come to feel the Duchess’s belly, but Noble Consort Yi reached out and touched it.
“Yi Er, I owe this pregnancy to that ‘Shui Shui’ from the palace.”
“When he came to the Duke’s manor with Little Seven, he checked my pulse and left me a recipe for a nourishing tonic.”
“I followed the regimen for a while, and to my surprise, I ended up with this little one.”
“Yi Er, do you… want to let Shui Shui check you too?”
