Did The Young Prince’s Kingdom Get Destroyed Today? Chapter 147

After sighing at the door, he pushed it open and walked inside.

The new doctor seemed just as fed up with Emperor Ling as the previous one had been.

“Uncle, would you like some water?” the little one intervened just in time, drawing the doctor’s attention to himself.

With the little one present, at least this time, Emperor Ling didn’t get an eye roll.

Once the doctor left, the little one finally had a moment of peace.

He sat by the bed, burying his face in his father’s arms, eyes closed, as if resting.

Emperor Ling’s large hand stroked his soft hair, and after a while, he suddenly asked, “Little Seven, do the people here not like your father?”

The little one froze for a moment.

That was a question he found hard to answer.

It was obvious to anyone that his father wasn’t exactly popular around here. But telling his father that harsh truth might upset him.

While the little one was still struggling with how to respond, Emperor Ling already seemed to know the answer.

In a low voice, he murmured, “This place… is so strange. Little Seven, if I had known it was like this, I wouldn’t have sent you here to study.”

This place, with all its outlandishness, made him worry it might lead Little Seven astray.

“Daddy, going to school here is really good,” the little one reassured him.

He had attended school in Luocheng and in the capital, but his favorite place by far was Guan Shan Residence Academy.

The Big Boss and the teachers could be strict at times, and the lessons could be a bit difficult, but the little one loved it here nonetheless.

“I wonder when father will get better,” Emperor Ling muttered, “I really want to take you back right now.”

The little one nuzzled against him, “I want to go back too.”

The little one wanted to return because he missed his mother, his siblings, and the Murong family.

Father and son held each other, and for a moment, the atmosphere in the ward became warm and peaceful.

After a while, the little one, still resting in his father’s arms, almost drifted off to sleep.

He shook his head to wake himself up.

“Daddy, I have to go to class. I’ll come see you later.”

“Alright, go on.”

The little one had stayed with him for so long, and Emperor Ling felt content.

He watched his little one head off to school. Not feeling tired himself, Emperor Ling asked for some paper and a pen and began writing a letter.

He sent quite a few letters to the palace. During the time he was recuperating here alone, he missed the people in the palace all the more—especially Noble Consort Yi.

He wrote many letters, and he received many as well.

The letters he received assured him that everything was stable in the Qi Dynasty. These letters were piled on a cabinet by Emperor Ling’s bedside, and whenever he was idle, he would go through them.

While Emperor Ling was busy writing and reading letters, the little boy sat in class, diligently attending to his lessons.

The father and son were living quite well in Guan Shan Residence.

Meanwhile, in the Qi Dynasty Palace, the residences of the First and Fourth Princes were practically built next to each other, so they could easily discuss matters at any time.

They had little time to waste.

Although Little Seven promised them that he and his father wouldn’t return anytime soon, the two still felt the urgency to eliminate all their enemies and ensure everything was properly handled.

This required time, energy, and the courage to face life and death. During this period of vigorous political reforms, the assassination attempts they faced were several times more frequent than before.

“Big Brother,” the Fourth Prince brought over some injury medicine. He had also sustained some wounds but still managed to laugh, “Things are pretty exciting for the two of us now.”

“Among those who tried to assassinate you before, some might have even been from my maternal grandfather’s family. This time, they really haven’t made a move on you,” the Fourth Prince said candidly.

The Eldest Prince raised an eyebrow and replied, “Quit joking around. This is a critical time. Do you have enough secret guards by your side? If not, I can allocate two to you.”

“I have enough,” replied the Fourth Prince. “I’ll be more cautious and won’t give them any openings.”

“Good. Stay safe.”

The two princes reminded each other to be careful, and in that moment, they were both thankful for one thing—

Fortunately, Little Seven wasn’t in the palace.

If he were and someone used him to coerce them, it would have been a much more difficult situation.

“I hope Royal Father and Little Seven can stay at Guan Shan Residence for a while longer.”

“Murong Xu said there are no plans for a break at Guan Shan Residence anytime soon.”

Emperor Ling remained unaware of the political upheavals in the Qi Dynasty.

Not a single word about the changes in the court was mentioned in the letters he received.

A few days passed.

Emperor Ling’s condition had temporarily stabilized. He could continue staying in the hospital or move to another place to recover.

The doctor gave him two options, and without hesitation, he chose the latter.

The little one knew that his father had stayed in the hospital long enough, so he prepared to take him somewhere else.

He brought his father to the room he had earned as a reward, which was conveniently located next to their classroom and in a very nice environment.

Moreover, staying there meant they could directly eat meals from the school.

“Daddy, if you stay here, I can come over right after class.”

Since it was close to his classes, it would be easy for the boy to visit. Emperor Ling, listening to his son’s introduction, was somewhat satisfied with the arrangement.

“Can this room be expanded? Father will cover the costs.”

“No, it can’t,” the little boy quickly shut down the idea. The rooms assigned by the school couldn’t be expanded, even if you had money. Guan Shan Residence wasn’t a place to flaunt wealth!

Seeing his son’s firm response, Emperor Ling felt a bit disappointed.

“Daddy, we don’t have servants, so we don’t need a large room.”

The father and son were staying at Guan Shan Residence without anyone to serve them. They lived alone and didn’t need a big space.

“Daddy, let me show you the room layout!”

The boy pulled his father along, trying to distract him from unrealistic ideas by chattering nonstop to keep him occupied.

After settling his father in, the boy sighed with relief.

“Daddy.”

On the first day after moving in, the boy felt nervous before leaving for class. He warned his father, “There are lots of books in the room. Outside the door, some uncles and grandpas play chess and cards. If you’re bored, you can join them.”

“If you want to go out shopping, wait for me to come back!”

The boy was worried that if his father went out alone, he might get into a conflict with someone in the street.

Emperor Ling, unaware of his son’s concerns, raised his chin and gestured for him to go to class without worrying.

As his father watched him leave, the boy reluctantly turned back every few steps.

Although he had warned his father not to go out, he never expected that while playing cards, his father would still manage to get into a quarrel with someone.

While his father caused trouble upfront, the boy would later bring gifts to apologize.

Their lives, because of one unruly father, were somewhat chaotic.

“Sigh.”

The boy, burdened by taking care of his father, sat in class, poking his chubby face with worry.

Dun Dun, hearing his sigh, didn’t need to ask to know the reason. “Little Seven, did your father get into trouble again?”

The little one frowned at Dun Dun’s comment.

“Your father really is a handful.”

Jiujiu, sitting to the boy’s right, snorted, “If he were my father, I would’ve stopped caring about him long ago.”

“You can’t stop caring,” the little one shook his head and said, “Daddy loves me very much.”

When he was sick and wouldn’t sleep in bed, his father had held him and rocked him all night long.

When he fell ill, both his father and mother had cared for him tirelessly.

Now that his father was sick, it was his turn to be filial.

“Your father is pretty good to you,” Qingqing, sitting behind the boy, commented objectively.

They all surrounded the boy, talking one after another, until Dun Dun suggested, “Little Seven, your father is our father now. We’ll help you keep an eye on him from now on.”

A group of children took turns accompanying Little Seven’s father, hoping to ease Little Seven’s mind a bit.

“Really? That’s too much trouble for you all.”

“It’s no trouble at all. We’re happy to help.”

These kids were quick to take action, and they even informed the neighboring class about it. As a result, Emperor Ling found himself surrounded by kids every day to the point where it gave him a headache.

These children were naturally outgoing and didn’t feel shy or awkward around him. They came to chat with him, talking about all sorts of topics, not caring about privacy at all.

At first, Emperor Ling felt overwhelmed by all the attention, but after they visited him repeatedly, he got used to it.

The children, feeling comfortable, even shared details about their family affairs, which inevitably involved palace politics. Emperor Ling found himself unintentionally overhearing a variety of court intrigues.

Among these stories, the one from Qingqing particularly caught his attention. Qingqing mentioned that there was a malicious concubine in his palace, who outwardly seemed devoted to Buddhism, always copying scriptures and putting on a virtuous facade, but secretly committed all kinds of evil acts.

Qingqing described the wicked deeds of this concubine: beating and killing palace servants, poisoning people, causing miscarriages, and drowning others. Each account sent a chill down Emperor Ling’s spine.

“How can someone so cruel not be dealt with?”

“She’s very good at pretending. In front of my father, she acts like a saint. He has no idea how vile she is. I’ve tried telling him, but no one believes me,” Qingqing explained.

Qingqing knew about this concubine’s misdeeds, but when he spoke up, instead of her being punished, he nearly lost his own life.

After being immersed in these palace intrigue stories for days, Emperor Ling found himself physically in Guan Shan Residence but mentally already back in the palace of Qi Dynasty, eager to see if similar things were happening in his own court.

However, no matter how much he wanted to return, it wasn’t possible just yet. Shui Shui had already made the judgment long ago — the poison in his body couldn’t be completely cured.

Though Guan Shan Residence could extend his life for a while, it wasn’t a magical place. It wasn’t capable of repeatedly granting him extra time. They had made it clear to Little Seven that they would do their best but couldn’t guarantee the final outcome.

At first, Little Seven had been frightened by these warnings, but after seeing that his father was alright, he gradually became accustomed to the situation.

“Daddy, you have to live a long life and watch me grow up.”

Little Seven snuggled in his father’s arms, softly commanding him to live.

Emperor Ling kissed his little head and smiled, “Daddy also wants to live to see you grow up. Daddy even wants to see you marry a princess one day.”

If he could live that long, he would personally select the best princess for Little Seven.

“I don’t want a princess,” Little Seven said, holding his father tightly. “I just want Daddy.”

He had no interest in marrying a princess. What he wanted most was for his beloved family, friends, and Ah Wu to stay by his side forever.

“What nonsense are you saying?” Emperor Ling chuckled. “Everyone marries. Our Little Seven is so handsome and smart, there will definitely be a wonderful princess for you in the future.”

Not only a princess, but Emperor Ling also wanted to grant Little Seven two excellent concubines. He envisioned a bustling household for his son in the future.

While Emperor Ling’s plans sounded nice, Little Seven had no intention of following them.

Time passed slowly as Emperor Ling continued his rest and treatment.

The little one spent most of his time accompanying his father, only occasionally returning to stay with Ah Wu and the Chief Examiner.

Ah Wu was like a charger for Little Seven. Whenever Little Seven was exhausted, he would return to hug Ah Wu or transform into a small ball and play. Simply playing with Ah Wu would replenish his energy.

In his small ball form, he would also play with Big Boss.

The tiny ball of fur that used to fit in the palm of a hand had unknowingly grown a lot.

The Chief Examiner would tease the small ball with a feather-tied stick, while using his other hand to write notes, which he passed to Lian Qing.

“Doesn’t he look like a kitten?”

“Even cuter than a kitten.”

“Want to pet him? His belly is very soft.”

“I do.”

The two adults were shamelessly passing notes in front of the little ball, and while they did, the small ball got unexpectedly toppled over while trying to catch the feather.

Lian Qing rubbed the soft little belly, contentedly exclaiming, “So soft!”

The little dumpling: “…”

The little dumpling kicked its paws in protest.

After playing with the little dumpling until it was upset, the two adults soothed it by making noodles.

“Uncle Lian Qing.”

As the Chief Examiner went to cook noodles, the little dumpling transformed back.

With his chubby face upturned, he reminded Lian Qing about something he had forgotten for days: “I can tell fortunes. Last time, I predicted that you wouldn’t want Big Boss anymore and would leave. Big Boss’s eyes were red.”

“Please don’t leave,” The little one pleaded. Remembering Big Boss’s sad red eyes, he thought it was pitiful.

He hugged Lian Qing and suggested, “If you must go, take Big Boss with you!”

Lian Qing: “…”

A dark line appeared on Lian Qing’s forehead. “What are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere.”

Since he had come here, how could he leave?

Little Seven’s fortune-telling didn’t faze Lian Qing, who didn’t take it seriously.

Life at Guan Shan Residence continued.

Remarkably, there hadn’t been a break at Guan Shan Residence for half a year. Little Seven hadn’t returned to the palace, and neither had Emperor Ling.

During these six months, Shui Shui left early. He had received word from the palace that the Third Prince’s health had deteriorated again. As soon as he got the message, he departed that very day.

Before he left, the doctors studying medicine with Shui Shui at Guan Shan Residence were reluctant to see him go. They wanted to keep him there, but Shui Shui shook his head, packed his bags, and left that same day. The doctors were full of regret.

They couldn’t keep Shui Shui, and when it came to Emperor Ling, they couldn’t get him to leave.

Watching the way these people treated him and Shui Shui, Emperor Ling tightened his expression, feeling somewhat disrespected.

After Shui Shui returned, he never came back again. 

It didn’t matter much to Emperor Ling’s treatment since the doctors at Guan Shan Residence were already handling his care. Whether Shui Shui came or not was of little consequence.

Half a year passed, and soon another half month.

Finally, the little one, after diligently studying, earned his reward—a holiday! He was allowed to return home to visit his family.

At first, he planned to go back alone, see his family, and then return, but when Emperor Ling found out, he insisted on going with him.

“I’ll accompany you home for two days, and then we’ll return together,” Emperor Ling said.

“Daddy, you should stay here and rest. I’ll be back very soon,” the little one replied.

Emperor Ling’s health had taken a sharp downturn not long ago, and his condition remained unstable. It was said that he could recover and live a few more years, but there was also a chance he could pass away at any moment. Given how precarious his condition was, the child didn’t dare take him back.

“Little Seven, I have to go back. I’ve been away from the court for too long; who knows what mess things have become.”

Emperor Ling stroked his son’s head with a firm tone.

The little one couldn’t persuade him otherwise, so he reluctantly agreed.

Father and son boarded the carriage back home for their break. On the road, the little one leaned against his father’s chest, holding a small pouch. Inside the pouch was a bottle of medicine. Ah Wu had said that if father became agitated upon their return, he should give him a dose of the medicine.

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