The hall was in chaos, and some were still accusing the two princes: “Your Highnesses, are you satisfied now that you’ve angered the Emperor like this?!”
“If anything happens to the Emperor’s health, what crime will you bear?”
But these opportunistic accusations didn’t seem to cause the princes any alarm.
The Eldest Prince had already called for water to be brought.
“Move aside.”
“Everyone, move aside.”
Among the crowd of adults, a little one squeezed through with difficulty, pushing them as he tried to get through.
“Everyone, move back! Don’t crowd around!”
The little one finally made his way to his father and signaled for his older brother to disperse the ministers. He opened the now-warm medicine bottle he had been holding and fed the pill to his father.
As soon as he finished, Lu Guang brought over the water.
The little one carefully helped his father drink it.
After the Emperor took the medicine, his breathing and heart rate quickly returned to normal.
The little one stood by his father’s side, anxiously watching him. His small hands held his father’s large hand, and he didn’t blink as he stared at his father’s face, waiting for him to wake up.
The ministers still wanted to speak, but the child, facing away from them, paid them no attention.
“Little Seven, I’ll take Royal Father back first.”
Ling Chen was thorough in his thinking, fearing that even if the Emperor woke up, he might faint again from anger.
So he decided to take his father away, hoping that without the ministers around, he could have a proper conversation with him.
During the six months his father was away, many of his people had died, but the development of the Qi Dynasty had visibly improved.
Ling Chen wanted to have a calm discussion with his father about the future of the dynasty.
He carried Emperor Ling out.
The ministers watched them leave, reluctant to let them go.
But the little one stood defiantly, hands on his hips, preventing them from stopping the Emperor.
“My daddy has already fainted because of you, and you still won’t let him go? Do you want to anger him to death?”
With such an accusation, no one dared to argue.
The ministers fell to their knees, swearing their loyalty, claiming they had no intention of harming the Emperor.
They wanted to explain that it was clearly the two princes who had angered the Emperor.
But the little one didn’t care to listen.
Those with keen eyes had already noticed that the princes shared a strong bond and were immune to such provocations.
The ones who understood the situation had already silently chosen their side.
Even the Murong family, who had once only listened to Emperor Ling’s orders, now shared a close relationship with the two princes.
The political climate of the Qi Dynasty had already shifted.
Whether or not Emperor Ling was willing to accept it, the reality had already been set.
Back in the palace, Emperor Ling woke up shortly after.
When he opened his eyes, he seemed a bit dazed.
The little one, seeing that his father had awoken, held his face and asked with concern, “Daddy, are you feeling better now? Do you need more medicine?”
Emperor Ling: “…”
Emperor Ling instinctively shook his head.
The little one had more or less figured out what had happened after the carriage was stopped last night.
Some of the ministers were accusing his eldest and fourth brother. His brothers had killed the bad people his father liked, and now his father was furious and had fainted after being accused.
In this matter, the little one sided with his eldest and fourth brother.
Although he felt his brothers had done nothing wrong, he still soothed his father with comforting words.
His father was angry, and his health wasn’t good. If he didn’t try to calm him down, there might be no father left soon.
The little one didn’t have many pills left from Ah Wu.
If his father fainted a few more times, there wouldn’t be enough to go around!
Worried, the child began reciting the “Three Character Classic” on not getting angry before his father could speak.
Normally, the Emperor would find it amusing to hear the classic.
But this time, even after the child finished reciting, Emperor Ling couldn’t laugh.
He turned his gaze to the side.
The Eldest Prince and the fourth prince, sensing his gaze, knelt down.
Emperor Ling looked at his two kneeling sons and began struggling to breathe again.
Seeing the situation turning bad, the little one waved his small hands, urging his eldet and fourth brother to leave.
“Daddy needs to rest. You should go.”
The two princes hesitated, glanced at their father’s darkened face, then at their energetic younger brother, who was frantically waving them away. Pressing their lips together, they finally stood and left.
They wanted to seize power from their father, but they didn’t want to take his life.
If they stayed any longer, their father might truly not survive.
As soon as the two princes left, Emperor Ling, still furious, threw a cup.
It was only after smashing the cup that he remembered the little one was still in the room.
“Little Seven.”
The Emperor called out to the little one. Seeing the scared look on his face, the anger in his chest subsided a little. “Don’t be afraid. Daddy isn’t angry with you.”
The little one glanced at the shattered cup, his face still showing signs of fear.
The Emperor took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.
“Little Seven, your eldest and fourth brother have been incredibly bold, defying their father. I fainted out of anger because of them.”
Although his tone had steadied while mentioning his two sons, the Emperor’s residual anger lingered.
The little one didn’t defend his brothers at this moment. He buried his face into his father’s chest and sniffled, “The doctor said you can’t get angry.”
“Daddy, please don’t be angry anymore, okay?”
“Little Seven just wants you to get better soon.”
The little one’s words melted most of the Emperor’s remaining anger.
“Daddy, have some water.”
He handed his father some water. With him by his side, the Emperor gradually regained his composure.
Outside the palace.
The two princes who had already left still felt uneasy.
They exchanged glances, and Ling Chen was the first to speak. “If Royal Father’s temper flares up, no one can stop him. Do you think Little Seven will get caught in the crossfire?”
Ling Hao felt uncertain as well.
They looked at each other again, and in the end, they decided to return and face their father’s wrath themselves.
Their father had been angered by them; Little Seven shouldn’t have to clean up their mess.
As they reached the gate of the palace, Lu Guang stopped them. “Your Highnesses, the little prince has already soothed His Majesty’s temper. There’s no need to worry.”
Ling Chen frowned slightly. “Royal Father’s no longer angry?”
Lu Guang smiled. “Whether there’s still anger in His Majesty’s heart, I do not know. I only know that right now, His Majesty is playing with the little prince.”
With these words, the two princes finally felt at ease and left.
They had killed so many of their father’s people, and now, they would have to pacify him well.
After all, the people were already dead. Pursuing the matter further wouldn’t change anything.
That day, whether it was for the sake of his health or because the little one was clinging to him, the Emperor didn’t summon the two princes right away.
Although he didn’t call for them, both princes wrote him letters.
In the letters, they explained that they didn’t want to further agitate their father and endanger his health, so they opted to express themselves through writing.
They submitted the evidence they had collected, along with deeply emotional personal statements, all of which were placed before the Emperor.
At first, the Emperor didn’t want to look at the letters.
But the little one opened them.
As he read through the evidence of crimes, the little one was so frightened that he burst into tears.
These ministers, once favored by the Emperor, were not only talentless but also outright malicious. Even if they had been merely incompetent, it would’ve been tolerable, but they were absolute villains.
The gathered evidence detailed their wrongdoings, each one substantiated.
Ling Chen had not wronged them in any way.
Their crimes were so horrific that even the little one, upon reading them, couldn’t stop crying.
With such strong empathy, the little one was overwhelmed by the evidence. Some of the crimes were so grave that even adults were angered and heartbroken when they were first exposed.
If adults found it unbearable, it was no surprise the little one reacted as he did…
The Emperor, seeing his little one in tears, both comforted him and reached for the letters.
“Little Seven, be good, don’t cry.”
The Emperor held him with one arm and read the letters with the other, curious as to what could have frightened his son so much.
After reading, the Emperor’s first reaction was disbelief. How could such atrocities have occurred?!
Yet, despite his disbelief, he had no choice but to accept it. The evidence was irrefutable.
“Bad people,” the little one sobbed. “They’re so bad!”
The Emperor: “…”
Ling Rui looked at his teary-eyed son and agreed softly, “Yes, they’re bad people.”
“Bad people should die!”
“They’re already dead. Your eldest and fourth brother have taken care of them.”
The Emperor patted the little one’s back, not entirely sure how, in such a short time, his own fury had completely dissipated.
The little one, who had started crying out of fear, was now crying out of anger.
The more he thought about what those bad people had done, the angrier he became, to the point where he couldn’t stop crying.
The Emperor continued to soothe him, and after a long while, the little one’s sobs began to quiet down.
Once the little one was finally calmed, the Emperor decided to meet with his two sons.
When the three of them finally met, the atmosphere felt less like a father and his sons and more like an emperor and his ministers.
“I’ve looked into everything you’ve done. You were not wrong.”
At this moment, the Emperor finally admitted that his two sons had acted appropriately.
Sitting in his chair, fatigue showed clearly on his face.
“Before I met with you, I spent a long time with Little Seven. He cried after reading the evidence you presented.”
Upon hearing this, both princes’ expressions changed.
“How is Little Seven now?”
“I’ve calmed him down. He’s resting in Fenghua Palace.”
The Emperor thought of his little one, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion after crying.
As he watched the child sleep, the Emperor had spent a long time in quiet contemplation.
He had thought about many things—things about the future.
Although he had been receiving treatment at Guan Shan Residence, the physicians there had made it clear: they couldn’t guarantee how much longer he would live.
During their time together at Guan Shan Residence, despite the chaos, those days with his little one were among the Emperor’s most cherished memories.
If it weren’t for Little Seven bringing him to Guan Shan Residence, he might not have had these past six months.
Now, as he contemplated the future, his thoughts have become clearer.
“My body is failing.”
Everyone in the palace knew that Emperor Ling’s health was deteriorating, but apart from Shui Shui and Little Seven, no one knew he was poisoned. Even fewer knew that his life could end at any moment.
Now, facing his two sons, he candidly revealed the truth about his condition.
“Guan Shan Residence sent a letter; Little Seven and I will be returning there soon.”
When he came back to the palace, he already knew he wouldn’t be able to stay long. Originally, he was worried about the state of governance, but now, without him, it was actually running better than before.
He pressed his temples, unwilling to admit his own neglect, and simply said, “Before I leave, I will appoint the Crown Prince.”
The position of Crown Prince had been vacant, and he had considered giving it to Little Seven. But Little Seven didn’t want it.
He didn’t want to force Little Seven either. Letting Little Seven remain a prince under the protection of his older brothers wouldn’t be a bad outcome.
“Ling Chen, you are the eldest legitimate son, and the Crown Prince position suits you best.”
After mentioning his health, Emperor Ling swiftly moved on to announcing the Crown Prince title for Ling Chen.
Ling Chen was still somewhat stunned and didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he asked, “Royal Father, how… how did you get poisoned?”
“I haven’t found out yet.”
Emperor Ling wanted to know the culprit too, but after a long investigation, he still had no leads.
Ling Chen thought about the timeline of his father’s poisoning and felt his head buzzing. The poisoning was discovered when Little Seven was poisoned.
“Royal Father, regarding the Crown Prince title—”
Ling Chen hesitated, as if wanting to decline, but Emperor Ling had already written the edict. It hadn’t been issued yet.
Emperor Ling was reminded by Little Seven that Ling Chen’s birthday was in two days. He didn’t have much of a fatherly heart, but after Little Seven’s reminder, he agreed to give Ling Chen a birthday gift.
He raised an eyebrow and dismissed Ling Chen and Ling Hao. He planned to announce the edict on Ling Chen’s birthday.
After leaving the imperial study, Ling Chen heard Ling Hao sincerely say, “Brother, you truly deserve the position of Crown Prince.”
During the past six months of working together, Ling Hao had developed deep respect for his brother’s intelligence and strategies.
He knew he couldn’t measure up to Ling Chen in that regard, and his ambitions weren’t in the court. He wanted to be like Mu Rongxue and defend the borders.
He wanted to reclaim all the land they had lost. One Mu Rongxue wasn’t enough for their dynasty.
Ling Chen, however, seemed to pay no mind to Ling Hao’s words and went straight to the Empress’s palace.
When the Empress saw him, a flicker of emotion crossed her eyes. “I thought you had forgotten I was still your royal mother.”
The Empress had been targeted by her own son, and no amount of prayer beads could calm her inner anger.
Ling Chen was here to question her. “Royal Mother, besides Little Seven, has anyone else in the palace been poisoned?”
The Empress looked at him coldly and didn’t answer.
Ling Chen didn’t want to believe ill of his own mother, so he asked softly, “What have you done in the palace?”
“Ling Chen, what right do you have to question me?”
“Royal Mother, Royal Father is going to appoint the Crown Prince, and it’s not me.”
The Empress: “?!”
The Empress’s face turned green. “Then who?!”
Ling Chen was bluffing his mother, while on the other side, Emperor Ling was holding Little Seven, discussing Ling Chen’s birthday banquet.
“The Empress will be in charge of the birthday banquet.”
Thinking of the Empress, Emperor Ling suddenly remembered Qing Qing.
He frowned and asked, “Little Seven, do you remember Qing Qing mentioning someone in his palace who was also devoted to Buddhism?”
“Huh?” Little Seven nodded. Qing Qing liked to talk, especially once he got comfortable with someone—he could talk endlessly.
While accompanying the Emperor, Qing Qing had shared all the gossip from his palace.
Not only did he tell the Emperor, but the other children had heard it all too.
Qing Qing’s stories were surprisingly captivating.
Although the Emperor had always acted disdainful, he never interrupted Qing Qing’s gossip sessions.
He clearly remembered Qing Qing often talking about a certain consort in his palace.
This consort was deeply devoted to Buddhism, and everyone thought she had a kind heart. But in reality, she had done many bad things behind the scenes.
As Emperor Ling recalled this, he and Little Seven exchanged looks.
Little Seven, despite not liking the Empress, hesitated and said, “But Empress Niang Niang isn’t that consort.”
After all, there must be some Buddhists in the world who aren’t bad.
Emperor Ling: “…”
For the first time, Emperor Ling started to harbor suspicions about the Empress, who had always been devoted to her religious practices.
For once, his rotten paranoid brain is working properly.
Thank you for the update