“Come here, Zai Zai.”
Ah Wu wanted to call the little one over, his face growing serious. He planned to have a proper talk with him.
But the little one clung to Lian Qing, his big round eyes blinking. A few seconds later, the little one asked, “Uncle Lian Qing, could you please not leave the Big Boss?”
“If you leave him, he’ll be really sad.”
As the little one spoke, his face looked a bit pitiful.
He didn’t want the Big Boss to be abandoned, and more importantly, he didn’t want Lian Qing to leave either.
With his pitiful little face, the little one stared at Lian Qing intently. Before Lian Qing could even respond, the little one continued, “Oh, right, Uncle Lian Qing, has the Big Boss been bullying you?”
Lian Qing: “?”
Lian Qing: “What?”
Lian Qing couldn’t keep up with the little one’s train of thought.
The little one laid in Lian Qing’s arms, his innocent face full of concern: “You were sharing a blanket, and you cried… you–”
Before he could finish his sentence, Ah Wu quickly lifted him up and covered his mouth.
Although Ah Wu was fast, Lian Qing’s face was already flushed red.
Lian Qing had no idea that the little one had seen something inappropriate in his foresight. He just assumed the child had stumbled upon something.
The air was filled with an awkward atmosphere.
Ah Wu, holding the little one calmly, changed the subject: “Uncle Lian Qing, do you have any food? We haven’t eaten yet.”
Lian Qing quickly went along with the new topic, “You two should do your homework first. The Big Boss will be back soon to cook.”
“Okay.”
Ah Wu responded, carrying the little one and picking up his backpack as they headed to the study.
The Chief Examiner’s study had long since been equipped with a small desk for the little one to do homework. The room, which once exuded an elegant atmosphere, was now filled with the children’s books and toys scattered around.
Once in the study, Ah Wu closed the door, and the little one, with his puffed-up cheeks, glared at him in displeasure.
“Zai Zai,” Ah Wu, who had grown up in the chaotic harem of the Great Qing palace, understood far more than the little one.
He immediately recognized the strange question the little one had asked earlier.
“You’re still too young to understand certain things,” Ah Wu explained. “The Big Boss didn’t bully Uncle Lian Qing.”
The little one didn’t believe him at all, pouting, “Liar.”
“It’s definitely because the Big Boss keeps bullying Uncle Lian Qing that he wants to leave.”
“That’s not true.”
Ah Wu ruffled the little one’s hair. It was too complicated to explain what “bullying” really meant.
He could only emphasize, “Next time, don’t say things like that in front of Uncle Lian Qing or the Big Boss.”
“Why?”
The little one was confused, his head filled with questions.
Ah Wu was silent for a moment before deciding to be a bit clearer. “The Big Boss and Lian Qing, they’re a couple, just like your dad and mom.”
“So, they’re not bullying each other. They’re… in love.”
For the usually cold Ah Wu, explaining this was quite difficult.
“Zai Zai, you’ll understand when you’re older.”
With that, Ah Wu diverted the conversation, unpacking the little one’s bag and coaxing him to start his homework.
Outside, the Chief Examiner entered the room and immediately noticed Lian Qing lying with a blanket covering his face.
He frowned and pulled the blanket off. “Why are you covering your face with a blanket? Aren’t you afraid of suffocating?”
“I’d rather suffocate.”
Lian Qing turned away sulkily, not wanting to see the person in front of him.
Seeing him like this, the Chief Examiner sensed something was off. “Little Seven’s back? Did he tease you?”
“It has nothing to do with Little Seven.”
Lian Qing rolled his eyes at him in frustration. “It’s because of you.”
The Chief Examiner: “?”
The Chief Examiner: “What exactly happened?”
Lian Qing pursed his lips, unable to bring himself to say it.
After being pressed repeatedly, he finally snapped, “Can’t you even close the door properly? Don’t you know Little Seven loves barging into our room? He’s so young and curious about everything.”
“He asked me today if you made me cry!”
By this point, Lian Qing was beyond furious.
He kicked out at the man in front of him. “Get lost, get lost, I don’t want to see you right now.”
The Chief Examiner finally understood what had happened.
His face darkened.
No wonder Lian Qing was angry—something the adults had done had been seen by the little one.
“Where’s Little Seven? I’ll go talk to him.”
The Chief Examiner gritted his teeth, ready to have a word with the little one who had a habit of barging in without knocking.
“Forget it,” Lian Qing stopped him. “If you go now, he’ll just keep asking why you bullied me. Don’t bring it up again!”
Talking about it more would only make things worse.
“Go cook. Little Seven said he’s hungry.”
Not only was Little Seven hungry, but Lian Qing was too.
The Chief Examiner, still frowning, reluctantly headed to the kitchen.
The whole family, all of them, were waiting for his meal.
As the Chief Examiner entered the kitchen, he originally thought about making a special drink that night. But now, it seemed plain water would do just fine for the little one.
At the dinner table, the little one, having just finished his homework, hugged his bowl and looked eagerly at the Chief Examiner.
“Big Boss, Zai Zai is thirsty.”
“Drink water.”
The Chief Examiner pushed the cooled boiled water in front of him.
The little one pouted.
That wasn’t the drink he wanted.
“Zai Zai, this will quench your thirst,” Ah Wu said, noticing the Chief Examiner’s deliberate gesture. He coaxed the little one and even gave him some of his meat.
Unable to get his desired drink, the little one kept glancing between Lian Qing and the Chief Examiner.
Ah Wu kept serving him food, cutting him off every time he tried to say something.
Before long, dinner was over.
Ah Wu took the little one for a bath, and they finished quickly. Soon after, they were both in bed.
The little one sat on the bed, his eyes wide open, showing no signs of sleep.
“Ah Wu.”
The little one, thinking about the foresight he had seen, found it hard to fall asleep. “I want to see Uncle Lian Qing.”
He wanted to check if Uncle Lian Qing had been bullied.
Ah Wu, holding onto his chubby waist, stopped him just in time. “It’s too late now. You can see him tomorrow.”
The little one wriggled his chubby waist, determined to get down.
Ah Wu tried to hold him down for a while, but in the end, he couldn’t win against him. He watched as the little one climbed out of bed.
“Thud, thud, thud—”
The little one, barefoot, padded across the floor, making soft noises.
As he approached the door to the next room, he placed his little hand on the wall and tiptoed carefully.
He tried pushing the door, but it wouldn’t budge.
The next moment, the little one appeared by the window.
This time, he managed to push the window open.
The window creaked, and the little one, thinking he was being sneaky, climbed through it. By the time he was inside, both the Chief Examiner and Lian Qing were already in bed.
The little one crept closer, bit by bit.
The two people in the bed weren’t asleep; they had a bedside lamp on, and in the dim light, they could clearly see each other’s faces.
Lian Qing’s expression was written all over his face: See, I knew this would happen.
The little one had asked some questions during the day, and Lian Qing had known there’d be a scene like this at night.
The Chief Examiner twitched the corner of his mouth but said nothing.
Soon, the little one reached the bedside. Just as he was about to peek closer, the Chief Examiner suddenly turned over and sat up, facing him.
Caught off guard, the little one froze, then fell onto the floor with a thud, landing on his bottom.
The Chief Examiner, having scared the little one, crossed his arms and looked down at him from above.
The little one pouted, and his eyes quickly filled with tears.
“Why are you sneaking in here in the middle of the night?”
Before the Chief Examiner could finish asking, the little one had already burst into tears.
Resigned, Lian Qing sat up and picked the little one off the floor, placing him on the bed.
“Don’t cry.”
Lian Qing wiped away his tears, speaking softly, “Your Big Boss didn’t bully me. There’s no need to worry.”
Lian Qing knew that this little guy had snuck in to check if he had been bullied.
The little one only meant well.
Lian Qing comforted him for a while before finally calming him down.
The Chief Examiner looked at the two of them, wanting to say something more, but Lian Qing shot him a sharp look, stopping him.
After being scared once more, it was clear the little one wasn’t going to leave and sleep elsewhere.
Lian Qing held him close, laid back down, and prepared to sleep together.
The little one snuggled into Lian Qing’s arms, sniffling, but refused to look at the Chief Examiner.
That night passed peacefully, and everyone slept fairly well.
The next morning, the Chief Examiner made a new dish, which finally cheered up the little one enough to start speaking to him again.
For the next few days, although the little one was willing to talk to the Chief Examiner, he still had a temper and kept pouting angrily at him.
Seeing this, the Chief Examiner turned to Lian Qing and said, “Look at him. Doesn’t he look like a little pufferfish?”
Lian Qing: “…”
Lian Qing: “Hmm… yeah, he does, a little.”
The little pufferfish had no idea he was being talked about. When he caught the Chief Examiner looking at him, he puffed his chubby cheeks even more.
Lian Qing almost burst into laughter at his little, puffed-up face.
Life at Guan Shan Residence was calm and orderly.
Just like before, the school continued giving out rewards.
The little one worked hard toward earning those rewards, and he never forgot to visit his dad.
His father’s treatment was ongoing, and the doctor in charge kept the little one, as the only immediate family member, informed of any updates.
The doctor didn’t care about the little one’s age, always notifying him of the treatment progress first.
Days passed one after another.
The little one counted on his fingers the days until his dad could be moved to a regular ward.
When that day came, the little one even brought flowers to his dad.
He had seen the Big Boss give flowers to Lian Qing.
Everyone at Guan Shan Residence liked giving flowers, and Uncle Lian Qing had explained that giving flowers was a way of expressing romance.
Emperor Ling, lying in the hospital ward, had received quite a few bouquets from his little one.
Looking at the large bouquet and feeling a bit tired, he smiled and asked, “Little Seven, why are you giving dad flowers again?”
“Because I love dad.”
The little one hugged his dad, rubbing his chubby face against him, his voice filled with joy. “The doctor said that after more treatment, I can take dad outside to live!”
Emperor Ling, having stayed here for so long, was also feeling weary from all the treatment.
He smiled, ruffling the little one’s hair, looking forward to being able to go outside and live with him.
Emperor Ling’s treatment had been going well. His body had improved, and he was much more energetic.
With his newfound energy, his mind began to wander.
While the little one poured him a cup of water, he overheard Emperor Ling trying to recruit his doctor.
“Do you want gold, a house, or an official position? I can give you anything.”
“Why not consider joining my Imperial Medical Bureau?”
When Emperor Ling first arrived here, he referred to himself as “I” in the imperial sense.
But the people he spoke to showed no respect for him at all.
Over time, he had to change the way he addressed himself.
Now, as he tried to recruit the doctor, he still put on the airs of an emperor.
The little one, holding the cup of water, quickly turned around. Before his dad could get scolded, he handed the water to the doctor.
“Sister, please have some water.”
The little one’s cuteness softened the doctor’s cold glare toward Emperor Ling.
The doctor, a sharp-eyed woman, sipped the water and responded to Emperor Ling with indifference, “I’m not interested in your Imperial Medical Bureau.”
Emperor Ling, not quite willing to give up, pressed on, “I can offer you the best conditions. Whatever you want, I can give you.”
The doctor heard his words and smiled.
She slowly repeated Emperor Ling’s words, “Are you saying that no matter what conditions I ask for, you’ll meet them?”
Emperor Ling nodded without hesitation.
After he nodded, the doctor stated her conditions, “I can join your Imperial Medical Bureau, but I have two requests.”
“What are they?” Emperor Ling asked eagerly, his eyes full of confidence, as if no matter what the doctor asked for, he would agree.
Under his confident gaze, the doctor spoke each word clearly: “First, I want you to promote gender equality in Qi Dynasty. Second, I want you to establish an academy for women, so they can also learn and take the imperial exams.”
When the doctor finished speaking, the little one instinctively nodded.
The little one, having attended school, had already been introduced to the idea of gender equality early on. Not just him, but all the children at the school had learned about it. They didn’t reject the idea at all; in fact, they were quite accepting.
While these children found it normal, Emperor Ling was utterly shocked.
With an incredulous expression, he looked at the doctor who had just spoken, “Gender equality and an academy for women… That’s absurd!”
For centuries, schooling and government positions had nothing to do with women. A woman’s role was to stay at home, support her husband, and raise children.
Emperor Ling couldn’t even imagine a world where women attended school or entered the government.
The doctor wasn’t surprised by his reaction at all.
With a calm expression, she finished her tea, placed the cup aside, and said, “Since you’re not willing to agree to my terms, we have nothing more to discuss.”
As she spoke, she packed away some of her medical supplies and turned to leave.
Watching her back, Emperor Ling frowned, still thinking her demands were insane.
“Daddy, I’ll go see the doctor off,” the little one said, more sensible than his father. After telling his father quickly, he ran out of the ward to catch up with the departing doctor.
“Sister!” the little one called out from behind as he ran over and hugged the doctor’s leg.
The doctor didn’t think highly of Emperor Ling, but she had a soft spot for the little one.
She bent down and pinched the little one’s cheek. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Don’t be mad at my Daddy,” the little one apologized on behalf of his dad. Looking up with his chubby face, he told the doctor, “When I grow up, I’ll make sure to do what you asked.”
Hearing this, a faint smile appeared in the doctor’s eyes.
Her eyes were filled with both amusement and a touch of sadness.
Other students had said the same thing before, but in this era, achieving gender equality and allowing women to study was incredibly difficult.
Though she didn’t have high hopes, she didn’t want to discourage the little one either.
She just replied gently, “Alright, I’ll wait for you to grow up, Little Seven.”
The two made a pinky promise, with the doctor agreeing to continue treating Emperor Ling, and the little one promising to ensure women could study and enter government when he grew up.
In that quiet afternoon, a promise was made between them.
The little one, his face filled with smiles after the pinky promise, returned to the ward.
As soon as he reached the door, he overheard his father trying to recruit another doctor who had just come in to change his bandages.
The little one sighed, “…”
Indeed, a good dad but a bad emperor, bad husband and a mediocre person.