Under Ah Wu’s comforting, the little one wiped his tears and told Ah Wu about the vision he had regarding the Noble Consort.
Ah Wu was a bit surprised after hearing it.
He hadn’t expected that Emperor Ling would go to such lengths for his child.
However, that wasn’t the main focus right now.
The little one was crying so hard because he had “seen” his father bullying his mother.
In Ah Wu’s eyes, Emperor Ling was an incompetent ruler and an unqualified husband.
But there was no doubt that, to the little one, he was a good father.
He raised the little one for so long, and his feelings for him aren’t fake. The little one can feel his father’s love, which is why he’s so heartbroken right now.
His most beloved father is going to hurt his most beloved mother. Being stuck in the middle like this, it’s no wonder he’s in so much pain.
“Little one, the future can be changed.”
The little one was truly devastated this time. Listening to his sobs, Ah Wu couldn’t help but feel a surge of resentment towards the Emperor.
While the Emperor might be a good father, he was too foolish.
His caution toward the Murong family wasn’t unwarranted, but the problem was that endless scheming against them was bound to backfire.
If it were Ah Wu, once he’d confirmed the Murong family’s loyalty, he would use them to strengthen the army, while simultaneously inserting his own people—not just to monitor them, but also to have them help train capable individuals.
Besides that, there were countless other strategies…
But the Emperor’s dull mind clearly couldn’t come up with any better plans.
Beyond the Murong family issue, his decisions concerning the little one seemed even more impulsive and reckless.
Ah Wu was too tired to criticize the Emperor further.
For now, his focus was solely on comforting the little one.
“Do you remember how you’ve already changed the future for many people?”
At Ah Wu’s gentle reminder, the first person the little one thought of was his uncle, whose fate he’d already altered.
He recalled his uncle’s original fate.
“Ah Wu.”
The little one became even more sorrowful. “Uncle’s death was caused by Father!”
From the beginning, he’d foreseen his uncle’s tragic death, but he never understood why it had happened.
Now he knew—it had been Father who caused it.
“Zai Zai, your uncle’s future has already changed.”
Ah Wu repeated this, not letting the little one dwell in these awful memories.
He continued soothing him, over and over again.
After a while, the little one’s sobs finally subsided a bit, though now he started hiccupping from having cried too hard.
Seeing that his mood had stabilized somewhat, Ah Wu spoke more patiently, “These visions of the future can all be changed. You can stop your father from mistreating Noble Consort Yi.”
“If he doesn’t hurt her and doesn’t turn bad, you won’t have to feel so sad.”
Ah Wu’s words made sense, but the little one, still hiccupping and with a sob lingering in his voice, asked, “But what if Daddy has already hurt Mother?”
Ah Wu: “…”
Ah Wu’s mind began racing.
He had learned many things, but even at the esteemed Guan Shan Residence Academy, he’d never been taught how to handle such complex family matters.
“Little one, you’re watching over them now, aren’t you? Maybe your daddy hasn’t hurt your mother yet.”
Ah Wu didn’t know the exact details of what had already transpired between the Emperor and Noble Consort Yi, and he had no experience in dealing with such situations.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to pass the problem to someone else.
“Little one, you could write to the Chief Examiner.”
Ah Wu’s tone was calm. “He should be able to help you with this.”
The little one: “….”
Tears still in his eyes, the little one looked confused and doubtful. “Do you think the Chief Examiner can really help?”
“He can,” Ah Wu confirmed.
With Ah Wu’s comfort, the little one finally wiped away his own tears. Sniffling, he said with a shaky but determined voice, “I’ll protect Mother.”
He wouldn’t let his father become like the man in the future he’d seen!
“Yes, I believe in you, Zai Zai.”
Ah Wu encouraged him, “You’re very capable—you can do it.”
“Ah Wu, I miss you.”
Having made his firm declaration, the little one then turned back to expressing his longing for Ah Wu.
Whenever he felt sad, he couldn’t help but cling to Ah Wu.
Ah Wu knew this, and he was always quick to respond. “I miss you too, little one.”
After their brief exchange of affection, the little one cut off their connection, determined to figure out how to stop his father from turning bad.
As soon as the connection ended, Ah Wu muttered to himself.
“There was something I forgot to tell him.”
Ah Wu had been about to tell the little one something important, but his cries had delayed it.
Now that he remembered, the little one was no longer there.
“Oh well, I’ll write it in a letter.”
Of course, writing a letter would be much slower than the quick connection the little one had just used.
Mumbling to himself, Ah Wu personally wrote the letter and sent it off as fast as possible.
The matter he wanted to inform the little one about was something he believed the little one might get anxious over.
While Ah Wu’s letter was on its way, the little one was already taking action.
First, he did his best to cheer up Noble Consort Yi, hoping to put her in a good mood. Then, he stopped pretending to be studious in front of his father.
Seeing him becoming more and more lazy, the Emperor couldn’t help but pinch his little face and scold him.
The little one whined and flopped about. “I just want to play.”
“If you only think about playing, how will you handle things when you have real responsibilities?”
“I’ll start working when I grow up.”
The little one remained unfazed, continuing to act lazy. “Or maybe I won’t have to work at all. After all, I’ve got my eldest and fourth brothers.”
With his older brothers around, he figured he wouldn’t have to work hard like his father.
He counted on his eldest and fourth brothers but had no expectations of the third and sixth.
His third brother needed to focus on his health and required constant care, while sixth brother’s dream was to live a carefree life as a rich and idle prince.
For now, the little one’s immediate goal was to emulate his sixth brother.
The Emperor massaged his temples, feeling quite frustrated by him.
“You can’t always rely on others. How do you know they’ll take care of you?”
“I just know, Daddy.”
The little one raised his chubby face confidently and said, “Someone will take care of me.”
Seeing the lazy little one, Emperor Ling still wanted to set him straight, but it was no use.
The little guy didn’t follow the emperor’s plan at all.
After a few days of the little one being lazy, Emperor Ling was at his wit’s end. He could only focus on choosing between the Eldest Prince and the Fourth Prince.
These two princes seemed to be good to the little one.
However, regarding the Empress and Consort De, Emperor Ling felt he needed to think more carefully.
While Emperor Ling was still pondering, an unexpected piece of news arrived.
The emperor of Great Qing learned that the second princess of Qi Dynasty had reached marriageable age and sent an envoy to propose marriage.
Emperor Ling confirmed repeatedly, “Clarify this for me—who exactly is Great Qing proposing the second princess marry?”
“Your Majesty, it’s—it’s Emperor Qing who wants to marry the second princess.”
Emperor Ling: “???”
Emperor Ling, though fond of beautiful women, felt that even in his most indulgent moments, he would never be shameless enough to marry someone young enough to be his granddaughter, as Emperor Qing was attempting to do.
“Is Emperor Qing serious?! He wants to marry my second princess?”
The matter was so absurd that Emperor Ling had to confirm it several times.
But no matter how many times he asked, the answer remained the same.
The old emperor of Great Qing truly wanted to marry the young second princess.
Great Qing was a powerful nation, and Qi Dynasty had long been dependent on its protection.
Qi Dynasty’s annual tribute to Great Qing had always been generous, but this time, Great Qing’s demand was truly outrageous.
Emperor Ling’s face darkened, and his suppressed anger caused the residual poison in his body to flare up again.
Fortunately, Shui Shui saved him once again.
Though saved, Emperor Ling remained bedridden for some time.
He had no emotional attachment to the second princess, as he had never even held her, nor had he raised her personally.
But even without affection, she was still his daughter.
Marrying off his young daughter to an elderly emperor was a disgrace Emperor Ling couldn’t bear.
The eldest son of Emperor Qing was over thirty years old, and his grandchildren were almost as old as the second princess.
“I won’t agree to this marriage.”
Emperor Ling cared about his dignity, and this marriage proposal felt like a profound humiliation.
He was unwilling to agree, but before he could finish refusing, Great Qing’s envoy delivered a threat.
The old emperor of Great Qing was adamant about marrying the second princess.
If Qi Dynasty agreed to the marriage, Great Qing would waive Qi Dynasty’s tribute for the next ten years.
If not, Great Qing would withdraw its protection from Qi Dynasty entirely.
Without Great Qing’s protection, not even the Murong family could handle the crises Qi Dynasty would face.
Emperor Ling was so furious that he couldn’t even stomach his medicine.
In the end, it was the little one who brought him the medicine, handed to him by Shui Shui, and insisted on feeding it to him.
The atmosphere in the palace had grown terrifying.
The lazy little one, who had been misbehaving, suddenly became quiet and well-behaved.
He noticed that his usually calm second sister had red-rimmed eyes.
He overheard Noble Consort Yi sighing.
Noble Consort Yi was no longer concerned about her own relationship with Emperor Ling; she was now focused on how to keep the second princess from being sent away.
The second princess was in the prime of her youth, and the thought of sending her off to marry an old emperor made Noble Consort Yi’s heart ache.
Ji Yan spoke with Noble Consort Yi, saying, “Your Highness, I’ve read in ancient records that in past diplomatic marriages, when an emperor didn’t want to part with his daughter, they would sometimes send a fake princess in her place.”
Ji Yan suggested substituting someone else for the marriage, but Noble Consort Yi shook her head. “Great Qing is demanding a royal princess. If we try to pass off a servant girl or a commoner, they won’t be satisfied.”
“This is a difficult situation.”
Noble Consort Yi rubbed her temples, feeling relieved that her youngest son was a prince and not a princess.
As a royal princess, though respected and privileged, one could easily end up in such a dire predicament.
Throughout history, many princesses had been married off in diplomatic unions, but it was rare to hear of princes being sent away for such purposes.
While Noble Consort Yi and Ji Yan continued their discussion, the little one had been eavesdropping for a while.
His little head caught onto the phrase “substitute bride.”
“We can’t use a servant girl…”
The little one murmured to himself, “But maybe we can use something else.”
He dashed back to his room and began rummaging through his belongings.
He had collected quite a few letters from Guan Shan Residence, enough to fill an entire box.
He had even organized them into categories, with different types of letters stored in different compartments.
The little one spent quite some time searching before finally finding the letter he was looking for.
In Guan Shan Residence, everyone’s identity was kept secret.
But while others couldn’t reveal who they were, the Chief Examiner, being the leader, could.
The little one flipped through his correspondence with the Chief Examiner and found mentions of Great Qing.
Some of his schoolmates at Guan Shan Residence were from Great Qing.
After reading the letter, the little one sat on the floor, deep in thought for a while. Then he patted the dust off himself and went to find his second sister.
“Second Sister.”
When he arrived, he could see right away that she had grown thinner.
He hugged her, his little chubby face full of concern. “You need to eat more. Don’t skip meals.”
Ling Xuan had no appetite. She had been preparing to choose a suitable match, but now, with this sudden turn of events, she felt like she wanted to die.
“Second Sister, I brought you something delicious.” The little one knew she probably hadn’t eaten well, so he made sure to bring her some food.
“If you eat, I’ll come up with a solution for you.”
The little one smiled, his eyes squinting as he beamed at her. “Little Seven promised to protect you, Second sister.”
Second Sister and Fifth Sister were both girls.
He was their little brother and a little man, and he had to protect his sisters!
The little one had already made up his mind, but he hadn’t told anyone about it.
He simply coaxed Ling Xuan into having a proper meal.
“Little Seven, what plan do you have to stop me from getting married?”
Ling Xuan had no idea what was going on in his mind, so she kept asking.
The little one just shook his head and stayed silent.
“You’ll find out when the time comes.” After accompanying Second Sister through her meal, he reassured her, “Don’t be afraid, I won’t let you get into that bridal sedan.”
The little one was calm and confident.
Ling Xuan looked at his small face but didn’t have much hope.
Little Seven was too young—how could he really protect her?
Even their royal father couldn’t protect her, let alone little Little Seven.
Ling Xuan understood that in the end, their royal father would agree to this request from Great Qing. Even if he didn’t, the court officials would pressure him to.
Qi Dynasty didn’t have the strength to oppose Great Qing. Ling Xuan knew this.
And sure enough.
In less than two days, the ministers were on their knees, pleading with the emperor to let the Second Princess go to Great Qing.
Sacrificing one princess for the peace of the kingdom was, in their eyes, a worthwhile trade.
Emperor Ling laid on his sickbed, gripping the sheets tightly.
He didn’t want to agree, but in the end, he had no choice. His voice was hoarse as he gave his consent.
Once the emperor agreed, the little one didn’t cry or make a fuss—he was just busy and nowhere to be found most of the day.
The wedding arrangements for the Second Princess were managed by both the Empress and Noble Consort Yi.
Noble Consort Yi looked at the Second Princess for a long while in silence before finally speaking, “Xuan Er, I’m sorry.”
Ling Xuan showed no expression.
She wasn’t angry, resentful, or full of complaints. Her face was calm, as if she had expected this outcome all along.
Noble Consort Yi pressed her lips together, wanting to offer words of comfort, but she knew any comfort she offered would be useless.
There was nothing she could do except continue preparing the dowry for Ling Xuan.
Meanwhile, a letter from Ah Wu arrived.
Ah Wu mentioned the situation too. He couldn’t stop Ling Xuan from marrying, but he comforted the little one, saying he would make sure Ling Xuan was treated well in Great Qing.
At the very least, the old emperor wouldn’t touch her.
Ah Wu wasn’t sure why he couldn’t reveal his identity to the little one, but he felt like he had dropped enough hints that perhaps the little one would figure it out.
He wasn’t entirely sure.
But either way, Ah Wu continued reassuring the little one.
The little one read the letter but didn’t waver in his decision.
He was determined to take his sister’s place and go to Great Qing!
He believed that once he got there, he could win people over.
If his sister went, even if the old emperor didn’t mistreat her, her reputation would be ruined.
The little one, his face puffed up in determination, clung to this plan.
Over the next few days, he flitted in and out of the wedding preparations, all the while plotting how to take his sister’s place.
The adults didn’t pay attention to his little maneuvers, but the Empress did notice.
However, she didn’t say anything, allowing him to carry on with his activities.
In those final days before leaving the palace, the little one not only busied himself with his sister’s matters but also took time to visit his other siblings.
He left letters for all of them.
In addition to that, the little one went to Shui Shui’s small courtyard to give him some advice.
“Shui Shui, if Father’s condition worsens, you need to take him to Guan Shan Residence.”
