Did The Young Prince’s Kingdom Get Destroyed Today? Chapter 141

As they walked, the little one chattered, and Ah Wu would quietly respond to each comment.

Before long, they arrived at the Eastern Palace.

Ah Wu had already tidied up the bedroom, and the little one was familiar with the place, as he often came here to sleep.

Once inside, the little one wriggled out of Ah Wu’s hold, not wanting to be carried anymore.

“Let me check on you first,” Ah Wu said, recalling how the little one had deliberately fallen earlier. Even though he knew it was an act, he still wanted to make sure the little one hadn’t hurt himself.

“There’s no need! I’m fine,” the little one protested, wriggling away and refusing to let Ah Wu check him over.

Ah Wu pressed the little one down, coaxing him with words but continuing to check him carefully. After the examination, the only mark on the little one was a small bruise on his bottom from a stone, and there were no other noticeable injuries.

“All done. You can go play now.”

Ah Wu had prepared many toys in the palace, and these new and intriguing toys always managed to keep the little one entertained for a long time.

He sat cross-legged on the floor playing with the toys, while Ah Wu got busy with his duties.

Ah Wu wasn’t just a prince—he was the Crown Prince, already involved in governmental decisions.

Though his birth mother had long passed away, he had a powerful maternal family.

His maternal family was even more influential than the Murong family of Qi Kingdom.

With his maternal family behind him, the old emperor couldn’t dethrone him even if he wanted to.

His living maternal relatives, along with his ambitious mother, who had also passed, were Ah Wu’s trump cards.

He was intelligent and resourceful.

At first, his maternal family had some reservations about him, but now, they only trusted and supported him fully.

“Ah Wu, how much longer will you be busy?” the little one asked, getting up after playing for a while and looking for Ah Wu.

Ah Wu reassured him, “Almost done.”

The little one was living quite happily in the Eastern Palace, with the Crown Prince personally doting on him. He grinned and, from time to time, would cause a little mischief just to get Ah Wu’s attention.

Meanwhile, in the Consort’s palace a bit farther away, Noble Consort Jia was listening to reports from her servants.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I didn’t expect this little prince to have some skill, managing to get Huo Qinwu, that little menace, to take him back.”

“Your Highness, the Seventh Prince worked hard to win over the Crown Prince for a long time. It wasn’t until he fell in front of him that the Crown Prince reluctantly took him back.”

Noble Consort Jia smiled. “It doesn’t matter whether Huo Qinwu was willing or not. Little Seven is in his palace now.”

“His palace is sealed tight like a drum. I couldn’t even plant someone inside. Little Seven has done well.”

Noble Consort Jia was very pleased with Little Seven’s efforts this time.

“With Little Seven keeping an eye on him, I can focus on dealing with the empress.”

Huo Qinwu would eventually have to be eliminated, but with Little Seven watching him for now, Noble Consort Jia felt she could afford to take her time.

Once the empress fell and she took her place, she’d have even more power to kill Huo Qinwu.

She and Huo Qinwu had been enemies for years, and their feud could never be resolved. In the end, only one of them could survive.

Noble Consort Jia was determined to be the one who lived—not just to survive but to live with dignity.

For her to live, Huo Qinwu had to die.

Time passed slowly.

The little one stayed in the Eastern Palace during the day. The floors were covered with thick carpets, and he ran around barefoot, wearing only socks without shoes.

At first, he wasn’t even wearing socks, but Ah Wu had caught his chubby feet and made him wear them.

“Ah Wu, why are you always so busy?” the little one asked as he sidled over, sitting down next to Ah Wu and leaning against his leg.

Ah Wu freed one hand to rub the little one’s head.

“Are you getting impatient? Just wait another half an hour, and I’ll take you out of the palace.”

“I’m not in a hurry,” the little one replied, sitting on the ground, his soft, chubby face pressed against Ah Wu, his big, dark eyes glistening and clear. “I just want to lean on you for a bit.”

No matter how fun the toys in the Eastern Palace were, the little one would always stop playing after a while and come looking for Ah Wu to be close to him.

Ah Wu had gotten used to his clinginess.

There wasn’t anyone else in the palace to play with the little one, which was why he was so attached to Ah Wu.

“Here, take this,” Ah Wu said, pulling out a ball woven from twine. He said it was for the little one, but before it could even reach his hands, Ah Wu tossed it high into the air.

The little one’s eyes followed the ball, and as it soared upward, he instinctively transformed into a small furry bundle and, with a yelp, chased after it.

With the ball in play, the little one busied himself sharpening his claws and playing, full of energy.

As he focused on his game, Ah Wu was able to concentrate on his work.

The two of them carried on with their tasks, not disturbing each other.

The little one’s happy yelps filled the air around Ah Wu, sounding like music that soothed his mind.

He worked with a smile on his face.

After some time, the little one got tired and collapsed onto the carpet, belly up, fast asleep.

With him sleeping like that, it was easier for Ah Wu to carry him out of the palace.

Ah Wu moved so gently that when the little one woke up, he had no idea how he had ended up outside the palace.

They were at a teahouse outside the palace.

Murong Xu, who had regained a bit of weight after some days of rest and nourishment, was also there.

Though Murong Xu had only put on a little weight, the little one, now a small ball of chubbiness, had become noticeably plumper.

“I can’t tell if it’s the palace food or if you’re just too good at feeding him. If Little Seven keeps eating like this, he’s going to turn into a little dumpling,” Murong Xu remarked.

“He won’t,” Ah Wu said indifferently. “He’s not too heavy yet.”

Murong Xu: “…”

Murong Xu picked up the little one and weighed him in his arms. “He’s at least seven or eight pounds heavier than when he was in the Qi Kingdom.”

As they discussed the little one’s weight, the small chubby ball, now held in his uncle’s hands, kicked his legs in protest.

“Yip yip!”

Little Seven wasn’t fat!

He kicked his short legs, nearly scratching his uncle with his tiny claws.

Murong Xu playfully swung the little one in the air, his eyes filled with amusement as he spent a while entertaining him.

After tiring out the little one, Murong Xu finally said, “Little Seven, Uncle has to leave now.”

The little one was shocked, “?!”

The little one chirped, “Chirp chirp chirp?!”

Murong Xu could easily understand the little one’s tone just by hearing the sound.

He pinched the little one’s soft paws and gave him a quick kiss on the head. “Uncle can’t stay here all day doing nothing. With Ah Wu watching over you, I feel at ease, but I also have to do what I’m supposed to.”

Murong Xu wasn’t heading back to the capital of the Qi Dynasty; he was returning to Murong Xue. 

Murong Xue had allied with Lisha from the grasslands and had already reclaimed several small tribes. Murong Xue’s journey had just begun.

Murong Xu had received a letter from her, asking him to come and help.

“Uncle, when will you come back?” The little one shifted back into his human form and hugged his uncle tightly.

Murong Xu smiled and said, “I’m not sure, but I’ll try to come back as soon as I can.”

“Okay!” Even though the little one was filled with reluctance, he knew he couldn’t stop his uncle from leaving.

The little one understood clearly that Uncle stayed here only to watch over him, afraid that he might encounter danger. But the truth was, Uncle wasn’t happy staying here. After all, this was Great Qing, not their home.

“Uncle, you should go back. Little one will return home too.”

The nephew and uncle hugged each other tightly, unwilling to part.

Ah Wu stood by, watching, and frowned slightly.

Before leaving, Murong Xu wanted to leave some money or something else for the little one. Unfortunately, he had rushed out so quickly that he didn’t have any money on him. His current living expenses were all covered by Ah Wu.

“Ah Wu, lend me a little more,” Murong Xu said as he pulled Ah Wu aside, thick-skinned and extending his hand. “I want to buy something for Little Seven before I go, but I don’t have any money left. And lend me extra; I don’t even have enough for travel expenses.”

Ah Wu, while lending him the money, looked at Murong Xu with undisguised disdain.

Murong Xu endured it, pretending not to notice the disdain.

After receiving the money, he grumbled, “If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to tell Little Seven! I am still your elder, you know! You’re being disrespectful to your elders!”

Muttering a lot under his breath, Murong Xu finally took the money and took the little one out for a stroll through the marketplace.

Their last moments together were wonderful, but even the best times have to end.

“Little Seven, be good while you’re here. This place isn’t like our home in Qi Dynasty. Even though Ah Wu is protecting you, you must still be cautious. If you run into any real trouble, write a letter back. If necessary, your eldest aunt will come to get you.”

“Uncle, Little one understands.” The little one hugged his uncle’s neck and said, “You have to stay safe too. Little one will miss you very much.”

As they spoke their parting words, the little one’s tears began to fall.

He watched, crying, as his uncle walked farther and farther away.

Ah Wu stood by his side, wiping away his tears.

The little one was very emotional and always felt sadness in the face of goodbyes. He didn’t want to face any farewells in life, even if they were short-lived.

Ah Wu wiped his tears, comforting him for a long time until the little one finally felt better.

Once he was calmed down, the little one said, “If only Little one had a big nest.”

His words seemed random, but Ah Wu understood what he meant.

The little one wanted to build a large nest and bring all his loved ones back to live together.

The little guy wished for all his family to stay together.

Ah Wu didn’t respond to this, letting the subject pass.

After two days, the little one’s mood improved, and there was a happy event in the palace—the empress had died.

The empress, who had lived in the palace for so many years, was dead.

Her death was related to Noble Consort Jia.

Noble Consort Jia had noticed the little one frequenting the Eastern Palace, so she casually gave him a plate of poisoned pastries to take to the Eastern Palace.

Poisoning the Eastern Palace was something even Emperor Qing himself had done before, so Noble Consort Jia didn’t think much of it.

But what she didn’t expect was that somehow, the poisoned pastries ended up being eaten by the empress.

The empress had been poisoned to death, and to Emperor Qing, the empress’s death and Huo Qinwu’s death were two completely different matters.

Although Emperor Qing’s feelings for the empress were no longer as strong as before, he hadn’t intended for her to die yet. Even if the empress were to die, it shouldn’t have been by Noble Consort Jia’s hand.

Now, with a grim face, Emperor Qing looked at the dead empress and the panicked Noble Consort Jia, barely containing his anger.

Noble Consort Jia screamed and pointed at the little one, who was standing in the corner watching the scene unfold. She accused, “It was him! He’s the one who poisoned her!”

“I didn’t mean to kill my sister, Your Majesty. It was the Seventh Prince who did it!”

Noble Consort Jia had planned to replace the empress, but she never intended to use such a foolish and obvious method.

Her accusation made the little one sniffle, his eyes filled with grievance.

“Little Seven didn’t do it,” he said, looking at Emperor Qing with teary eyes. “Little Seven doesn’t dare to hurt anyone.”

The sight of this pitiful little prince compared to the hysterical Noble Consort Jia was stark.

Emperor Qing knew something was off, but he didn’t suspect the soft, innocent prince from Qi Dynasty.

The idea that this little prince would poison the empress was absurd.

“Enough,” Emperor Qing said coldly. The news of Noble Consort Jia poisoning the empress had already spread, and the emperor’s eyes were icy as he prepared to deal with the matter. “The poison found in Noble Consort Jia’s palace matches the poison that killed the empress, and there are witnesses.”

“All the evidence is here, Noble Consort Jia—”

“Strip her of her title and throw her into the dungeons, to await further punishment.”

Emperor Qing sent Noble Consort Jia to the dungeons, and even as she was dragged away, she clung to the little one.

“It was the Seventh Prince! Your Majesty, it was the Seventh Prince who framed me!”

The Empress was dead, and the Noble Consort was imprisoned.

Within less than a month of the little one arriving at Great Qing, the entire imperial harem had turned upside down.

After Noble Consort Jia was imprisoned, the little one put on a pitiful act in front of everyone.

In front of the crowd, he was just like a poor, helpless child.

But once back in the Eastern Palace, he flopped onto the bed, reverting to the tyrant of the Eastern Palace, commanding everyone to serve him.

Even the original master of the Eastern Palace had to massage his back and waist.

“Ah Wu, is there any new mail today?”

The little one, lying on the bed and being pampered by the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, asked casually.

Ah Wu took out the newly arrived letters, opened one with a single hand, and prepared to read it aloud.

The little one perked up his ears, waiting for the reading.

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