Did The Young Prince’s Kingdom Get Destroyed Today? Chapter 144

On the bed, the little one was squirming under the covers.

At first, he hadn’t seen who was on the bed. He just hugged the person and said, in a tone filled with emotion, “Big Boss, you’ve lost some weight. Were you thinking about me so much that you lost weight?”

The little one was flattering himself, but the person being hugged couldn’t take it anymore and smacked his bottom.

“Be quiet! I’m exhausted. Let me sleep.”

The person, sounding obviously tired, slapped the little one again and pressed him down.

The little one’s chubby face froze for a moment. He realized this wasn’t the Big Boss’s voice.

“Uncle Lian Qing?”

The little one asked in confusion, “Why are you sleeping in the Big Boss’s bed?”

Although the little one had slept in the Big Boss’s room many times, he had never taken over the bed entirely.

Could Uncle Lian Qing have stolen the Big Boss’s room?!

The little one looked up at Uncle Lian Qing, reaching out to touch his face. But seeing that Uncle Lian Qing kept his eyes closed, the little one swallowed all his questions and decided to nap with him.

With the little one by his side, Lian Qing slept for a good while. His sleep was restful, and before long, he woke up.

When Lian Qing woke up, his voice was lazy, but he seemed much more refreshed.

He woke the little one from his nap, and the two of them, big and small, started playfully tussling under the covers.

When the Chief Examiner opened the door, he saw the two of them rolling around on the bed.

Lian Qing was tickling the little one’s chubby waist, making him laugh uncontrollably. As the little one laughed, he tried to pounce on Lian Qing.

The two were so engrossed in their fun that they didn’t even notice the door opening.

Feeling ignored, the Chief Examiner knocked on the doorframe a few times. Only after several knocks did the people on the bed notice him.

By now, the little one’s face was flushed from all the laughing, his hair a bit messy. His big, dark eyes were gleaming with tears of joy as he looked at the Chief Examiner.

Their eyes met, and the little one’s face lit up with an even bigger smile.

“Big Boss!”

The little one called out sweetly, his small hands resting on Lian Qing as he knelt up and called out to the Chief Examiner.

The Chief Examiner walked over, and the little one quickly opened his arms, expecting to be hugged.

But instead of hugging him, the Chief Examiner bent down, pinched the little one’s cheek, and asked, “Was it you who ate all the food and drank the drink in my kitchen?”

The little one nodded, giving his feedback: “The noodles were delicious! Big Boss, can you cook them for me again next time?”

Although the stir-fried noodles were good, the little one preferred boiled ones.

The Chief Examiner: “…”

The Chief Examiner pinched the little one’s cheek a bit harder: “You sure don’t hold back, do you?”

The little one had his cheeks pinched, but he didn’t get mad at all. Instead, he pulled on the Chief Examiner, asking him to play along.

“I can’t be bothered to play with you,” the Chief Examiner said as he sat down, his gaze shifting to Lian Qing, who was standing behind the cub. After a few seconds of looking at him, he asked, “Did you sleep well?”

Lian Qing glanced at him, snorted coldly, and didn’t bother to respond.

Seeing the two of them talking, the little one quickly asked the question he was most concerned about, “Big Boss, Uncle Lian Qing, are you two sharing a room? Is my room still there?”

The little one was very attached to his room.

Before Lian Qing could answer, the Chief Examiner beat him to it, “Your room is still there. Go on, go sleep in your room.”

The Chief Examiner was trying to send the little one away. But the little one just grinned, plopped down on the bed, and spread out lazily, saying, “I’m not going. I want to sleep with both of you!”

This little clingy cub was originally going to be carried to the next room by the Chief Examiner. However, the little one was becoming more skillful at being clingy. He turned around and hugged Lian Qing, challenging the Chief Examiner to throw them both out together if he could.

Hearing the little one’s cheeky challenge, the Chief Examiner didn’t throw him out in the end, but he did smack the little one’s bottom several times.

The little one was used to these spanks and wasn’t afraid at all.

As the sky outside gradually darkened, the clingy cub, who still hadn’t left, told the Chief Examiner that his father was staying at the inn.

“Daddy got sick again on the road. Big Boss, please help him,” the little one begged while clinging to the Chief Examiner, hoping he could save his dad.

The Chief Examiner knew Emperor Ling had arrived. He responded indifferently, “I’ll go over tomorrow morning.”

It was late, and he wasn’t in the mood to head out. If Emperor Ling had made it this far, another night wouldn’t make a difference.

The Chief Examiner promised to take a look, and although the little one didn’t want to leave, he eventually went back to his father after grabbing a drink.

It was the first day his father had arrived, and the cub was worried he might feel scared.

When he returned to the inn, Shui Shui had already woken up and was standing by the window, gazing outside.

The nighttime at Guanshan Residence was lively. There was no curfew, and some shops stayed open all night.

Shui Shui, who had rarely left the palace, found the bustling scene outside quite captivating.

“Shui Shui, are you hungry?” the little one asked when he saw Shui Shui staring out the window. “Shall I take you downstairs for a late-night snack?”

Shui Shui was stunned for a moment.

Before he could answer, the little one had already come over and grabbed his hand. “You and Daddy slept through the afternoon and didn’t get a proper look around. Let’s go buy some food from the street.”

Shui Shui nodded.

The little one held Shui Shui’s hand, and then his father’s, leading them both down the street to buy snacks.

Emperor Ling had only walked a short distance before becoming slightly irritated. He had gotten into a small argument earlier when he tried to buy something.

During the disagreement, he mentioned his identity, but instead of showing him respect, the person became even more hostile.

Had the little one not arrived in time, things might not have ended peacefully.

“Daddy, this meatball soup is delicious,” the little one said as he ordered a bowl of meatball soup for his father. He added, “These meatballs are hand-rolled, you know!”

He had watched with his own eyes as the stall owner made the meat paste and rolled it into meatballs.

The tasty soup eased some of Emperor Ling’s frustration.

Seeing his father’s face brighten, the little one breathed a small sigh of relief.

Sigh.

This place valued equality for everyone, which made the little one worry that it would be hard for his father to stay here.

The little one rubbed his chubby cheeks, encouraging himself.

It’s okay. He had been a difficult child to raise, but his father and mother had managed to bring him up. Now it was his turn to take care of his father!

The little one continued buying snacks for his father. As Emperor Ling ate, a thought suddenly occurred to him. Lowering his voice, he asked the little one, “Little Seven, do you think this food… might be poisoned?”

Every bite Emperor Ling had taken in the past was carefully checked for poison. Especially since he had already been poisoned once, he was particularly cautious about food. Now, with these street snacks, he wasn’t sure if they were safe.

The little one patted his father’s arm to reassure him and, lowering his voice as well, said, “Don’t worry, Daddy. These foods are not poisoned.”

In Guan Shan Residence, all the food sold had to pass inspection.

No one would dare poison food here.

Knowing his father was worried, the little one took a bite of each food before handing it over for his father to eat.

“Little Seven, you don’t need to test the food for me,” Emperor Ling said with a mixture of amusement and exasperation as he patted the little one’s head. “Father is already full. You don’t need to buy any more.”

The little one had eaten earlier at the Chief Examiner’s place, so he wasn’t very hungry. Once both his father and Shui Shui were full, the three of them returned to the inn.

Shui Shui had his own room, while the little one slept with his father.

By the time they went to bed, it was already the middle of the night.

Emperor Ling, holding the cub in his arms, murmured softly, “I wonder how long we’ll have to stay in this place?”

“Daddy, once the Big Boss checks you tomorrow, we’ll know,” the little one replied. He still didn’t know what was wrong with his father, so he could only wait for the Chief Examiner’s diagnosis in the morning.

As the night grew quieter, Emperor Ling, lying in someone else’s territory, couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

While he felt uncomfortable here, back at his palace in Qi Dynasty, his absence didn’t seem to bother anyone at all.

Noble Consort Yi was managing the harem well, and the Eldest Prince and the Fourth Prince had taken control of the court. Their style was nothing like Emperor Ling’s.

The first thing the two princes did when they took charge was to punish and imprison several ministers who had been Emperor Ling’s favorites.

The two brothers, one playing the role of the good cop and the other the bad cop, risked their lives to rid the court of its corrupt elements. 

Qi Dynasty’s weakness couldn’t be separated from Emperor Ling’s poor governance and the toxic officials in power.

The two princes were taking bold actions to reform the government, with only one thought in mind—**please, Royal Father, don’t return too soon.**

Those corrupt officials were desperate to find their father, but unfortunately for them, the letters they sent to Guan Shan Residence never reached him.

During Murong Xu’s short stay at Guan Shan Residence, he had built some connections. Thanks to his presence, they ensured that anyone they targeted would not receive Emperor Ling’s help before they were dealt with.

These corrupt officials sought aid from Emperor Ling but failed. 

Meanwhile, the letters from Murong Xu, the Eldest Prince, and the Fourth Prince successfully reached the little one.

When the little one received the letter, Emperor Ling was undergoing an examination alone. 

While Emperor Ling and Shui Shui were in one room, the little one was anxiously waiting outside. As he waited, Ah Wu, who had also been staying at Guan Shan Residence, brought him the letter.

Ah Wu didn’t care much for Emperor Ling, so he rarely appeared in front of him. 

Not only did he bring the letter, but he also brought some meat buns.

The little one nibbled on the meat bun as he read the letter, his face frowning as he read further.

“Big Brother and Fourth Brother want Daddy to stay here a while longer,” the little one said, confused. “Why don’t they want Daddy to return?”

Ah Wu, who knew much more than the little one, understood what the First and Fourth Princes were doing. He thought their actions were long overdue. If it were him, and if Emperor Ling were as incompetent as he was, Qi Dynasty would have seen a change in leadership long ago.

Emperor Ling was so easily manipulated, and yet the First Prince had waited so long to act. This kind of character, generously, could be called benevolent; less kindly, it was just weak.

Now that the First Prince had taken this step, Ah Wu wondered if he could finally break free from that weakness.

“Little one, your Big Brother and Fourth Brother are dealing with some bad people. If your father goes back, those bad people won’t die.”

Ah Wu’s explanation made the little one’s face turn serious.

“Bad people need to be dealt with,” he said, clutching the letter, determined to listen to his brothers.

Before he could come up with a plan to keep his father there, about an hour later, the chief examiner and the doctors who had been checking on his father came out.

The lead doctor said, “Your father needs to stay for treatment.”

“You’ll have to pay for his treatment in advance,” he added.

The little one was stunned. “How long will it take to treat my father?” he asked.

“It’s hard to say,” the doctor replied, looking at the little one. Ignoring Shui Shui’s silent disapproval, he bluntly explained Emperor Ling’s true condition: “If he doesn’t receive treatment, he won’t live more than two months.”

“And even if he does, I can’t guarantee he’ll recover. I can only do my best to prolong his life. The poison has already damaged his organs.”

The little one didn’t understand all the complicated medical terms, but he grasped the main point. His father had been poisoned, and if he didn’t get treated, he wouldn’t live much longer.

His face paled with fear. “Uncle, our family has a lot of money. Please, I beg you, save my father,” he pleaded.

“I’ll do my best.”

The little one had brought quite a bit of money with him. He had intended to use it for daily expenses, but unexpectedly, by the second day, it was all spent.

After spending everything, the little one, with red eyes, wrote a letter home asking for help.

Once Emperor Ling had finished his examination, he was taken to the treatment room. The little one stayed by his side for several days.

During this time, Emperor Ling’s condition remained stable, and with Ah Wu, the chief examiner, and Lian Qing comforting him, the little one’s mood slowly improved.

Meanwhile, students who had received their school notices began arriving one by one.

The first thing they asked upon arriving at Guan Shan Residence was, “Is Little Seven here?”

“Yes, yes, he’s inside,” came the reply.

As the students gathered, the first person they wanted to see was Little Seven, and when they heard that Little Seven had brought his father to school, they also decided they had to visit his father. They knew they couldn’t come empty-handed when visiting an elder, so after some discussion, they prepared gifts and headed over.

“Little Seven!” they called out excitedly the moment they spotted his figure from afar.

Hearing their voices, the little one, who had been slurping noodles, immediately teared up.

“Jiujiu! Dundun! Tengteng! Little Bai!”

Even before he could make out their faces clearly, the little one was already shouting their names.

Each of the children whose names were called eagerly responded in turn.

As they ran over, they hugged the little one tightly.

The little one handed his unfinished bowl of noodles to Ah Wu, reminding him tearfully before reuniting with his friends, “Ah Wu, you eat them. Eat quickly, or the noodles will get soggy.”

Ah Wu: “…”

Ah Wu silently moved aside and started eating the noodles he hadn’t finished.

The Chief Examiner, who had been sent over to deliver the noodles, gave Ah Wu a cool glance and then shifted his gaze back to the group of kids.

“Little Seven, how did you lose a tooth?”

“Little Seven, your face is still chubby.”

“Little Seven, did you miss us?”

Little Seven, who was surrounded in the center, was passed from one hug to another, as busy as a little spinning top.

After being passed around, the little top tearfully counted the group.

When he finished counting, he choked up and said, “This is wonderful, not a single one of you has died.”

The kids: “…”

The kids also felt that not being dead was pretty great.

The Chief Examiner, who was leaning against the wall and watching, couldn’t bear to look at them any longer.

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