“Daddy?”
Little Seven called out to his distracted father, his little round face close to his father’s, his big eyes staring up at him.
Emperor Ling hugged him and changed the subject.
“You’ve been reminding Father to prepare a gift for your brother. What have you prepared for him?”
Little Seven grinned mysteriously. “I’ll give it to him on his birthday!”
He had exchanged a special reward at Guan Shan Residence, which he planned to give to his big brother as a birthday gift.
After a while, Ling Fu came to find Little Seven to play, taking him away.
Whenever the two brothers met, no matter how long they had been apart, they never felt distant.
Ling Fu proudly showed off his weight to Little Seven.
“Look, haven’t I lost weight?”
“It seems so.”
Ling Fu had been forced to lose weight by Consort Ru since childhood. After so many years of effort, he had finally made some progress, though it wasn’t very noticeable unless you looked closely.
“Sixth Brother, you’re handsome whether you lose weight or not.”
The little one praised his Sixth Brother, and it wasn’t just empty flattery. In his eyes, even if his brother was a bit chubby, he was still an adorable, handsome little guy.
Ling Fu hummed in agreement, “We’re all good-looking.”
Among the imperial princes and princesses, there wasn’t a single unattractive one. Emperor Ling had a handsome appearance, which had undoubtedly won the hearts of many beauties. Not only was he good-looking, but the women he favored were all exceptional beauties too.
With such a combination of good genes, it was hard for their children to be anything but attractive.
“Fifth Sister has been visiting Second Sister a lot recently. Little Seven, do you want to go see her too?”
“Sure.”
The Second Princess’s marriage prospects had yet to be settled. After narrowly escaping being sent to Great Qing for a political marriage, she was eager to find a husband in the Qi Dynasty, but the more anxious she became, the more it seemed impossible.
In the past six months, even the matches proposed by Noble Consort Yi had fallen through for various reasons.
The little one followed Sixth Brother to visit Second Sister. When they arrived, both Second and Fifth Sisters were sitting together.
Seeing him, Ling Xuan waved him over and, when he approached, pulled him into a hug.
“What brings you here today?”
Ling Xuan held him for a moment before letting go, then handed him some drawings she had made for him.
There were also some clothes and other gifts.
Little Seven had helped her with a significant matter previously, and she hadn’t had the chance to properly thank him.
“I was playing with Sixth Brother, so I had some free time.”
The little one said as he sat beside Second Sister, looking up at her, “Second Sister, shall I tell your fortune?”
Ling Xuan raised an eyebrow. “You can tell fortunes?”
“I can.”
On the way over, The little one had already thought about it. He wanted to tell Second Sister’s fortune and see what kind of husband awaited her in the future.
Ling Xuan didn’t take his fortune-telling seriously, but to humor him, she extended her hand for him to read.
The little one took her hand and earnestly began to tell her fortune.
Soon, a vision of Second Sister’s future appeared in his mind.
The little one was stunned to see that in her future, there was a man he had met once before—Duan Wen.
Somehow, Duan Wen had managed to enter Second Sister’s life and showed her great care.
In the vision, Second Sister was initially indifferent to Duan Wen, but over time, she was moved by his persistence.
However, the final scene was Second Sister opening a door to find Duan Wen being intimate with another woman—his mother. Pregnant with his child, Second Sister was devastated and collapsed, clutching her belly in pain.
The little one’s face turned pale after seeing this vision. He didn’t immediately pull himself out of it, and in his shock, he accidentally called out to Ah Wu.
Ah Wu, who had been communicating with him, asked what was wrong.
“I… I want to change Second Sister’s future husband.”
The little one told Ah Wu, “I don’t want Second Sister to end up with a bad man.”
Ah Wu was always unconditionally supportive of the little one’s decisions.
As they talked, the little one suddenly remembered a lesson from one of his teachers. There had been a princess who, after establishing her own household, didn’t limit herself to a single husband. She kept many handsome men in her palace, all of whom were willing to serve her. Despite having many consorts, the princess wasn’t overly indulgent in pleasure. Instead, she and her consorts accomplished many things for the benefit of the people.
The teacher had emphasized the princess’s contributions to society in his lesson.
The little one blinked and decided to share this story with Second Sister.
“Ah Wu, I’ll be going back soon.”
The little one told Ah Wu, “Don’t miss me too much while I’m away.”
Ah Wu hummed in response.
Hearing his reply, the little one suddenly changed his mind, “Actually, never mind, you should miss me.”
After all, he missed Ah Wu every day while he was in the palace.
After chatting for a while, the little one ended their conversation and opened his eyes, looking at the Second Princess.
With his little face all serious, he clasped her hands in his tiny ones and said in a firm voice, “Second Sister, you’re a princess; you have many choices!”
Among all the choices available, there was no need to pick the worst husband!
The Second Princess: “…”
She sighed, gently pinching the little one’s chubby cheek, her tone tinged with sadness. “Even though I am a princess, there aren’t many good options.”
The list of candidates provided by Noble Consort Yi didn’t include a single suitable match.
However, at a banquet not long ago, she had caught the eye of a young man in a blue robe from across the room. He had seemed polite and cultured, known to be a person of great filial piety.
“Second Sister.”
The little one rested his chubby arms on her lap, lying down as he asked, “Do you want to hear a story from my teacher? He told us about a princess once.”
The Second Princess was intrigued and asked, “Which princess did your teacher talk about?”
The little one mentioned the name, then repeated the entire story his teacher had told, detail by detail.
The story was long, and the little one even had to pause twice for water.
Both the Second Princess and the Fifth Princess listened intently, completely engrossed in the tale.
When the little one finished, the Second Princess couldn’t help but ask, “Is this really true? Did a princess actually live like that?”
“The teacher wouldn’t lie. If he said it’s true, then it must be true!”
The little one had great trust in his teacher, and his confidence in the story influenced the Second Princess as well.
The Second Princess indeed found herself admiring the princess from the story.
“Second Sister, I want to be like that in the future too,” said the usually shy Fifth Princess, speaking up for once.
The Second Princess was caught off guard by her words, quite surprised.
After the little one finished telling the story, he asked, “By the way, Second Sister, do you have anyone in mind as a husband?”
The Second Princess hesitated before saying, “Well, there is someone. I’ve heard about him—he’s said to be a very filial person. Having such a man as my husband could be beneficial. At the very least, he has good character and wouldn’t do anything scandalous to upset me.”
“Second Sister, what’s his name?”
“Duan Wen. He recently earned his official title, but he hasn’t achieved much yet.”
The little one: “…”
The little one hadn’t expected that Second Sister had already noticed Duan Wen.
But luckily, it was only just that—she had merely noticed him.
Second Sister didn’t have any feelings for him; choosing him as her husband was purely a matter of consideration.
“Second Sister, I’ve met him before,” The little one puffed out his cheeks and pointed to Sixth Brother beside him. “Sixth Brother has seen him too.”
The Second Princess was a bit surprised. “You two have met him? What do you think of him?”
The little one shook his head, his round face filled with dislike.
“He’s not as good as Zai Zai.”
“What?”
The Second Princess didn’t understand what the little one meant.
The little one repeated, “He’s not as good as Zai Zai. Zai Zai is six years old and can sleep alone. He’s much older but still sleeps with his mother—shameful.”
Although the little one could sleep on his own, sometimes he still liked to cuddle with Noble Consort Yi.
Whenever he did that, his father would teasingly say it was shameful.
Hearing this, the Second Princess’s heart skipped a beat. She had only heard that Duan Wen was extremely filial to his mother, but she had never heard that he still shared a room with her at his age.
“Little Seven, how did you know this?”
“I heard it.”
The little one had actually seen it in his vision of the future, but he couldn’t explain it to Second Sister like that, so he simply said he overheard it.
The Second Princess would never doubt her little brother. She tightened her grip on her handkerchief, a flicker of disgust passing through her eyes.
The more she learned about men, the less she wanted to marry.
“Little Seven, thank you for telling Second Sister this.”
Although the Second Princess felt disgusted by many men, she had no such feelings toward her chubby little brother, who only cared about eating, and her beloved younger brother, who had been willing to marry into Great Qing in her place. These two she held dear in her heart.
“I’ll remember what you told me,” the Second Princess said as she reached for the fruit plate, handing each of her brothers a piece of fruit.
She didn’t talk much more about marriage with her brothers.
“Come over here, no more of that. Let Second Sister draw a picture for you.”
The Second Princess led them to the side and started drawing their portraits.
After spending a good amount of time with Second Sister, the little one and Sixth Brother finally left, taking Fifth Sister with them.
Since Fifth Princess had changed mothers, she had become more beautiful with each passing day. There was now more light and joy in her expression.
“Little Seven,” as they walked out, Fifth Princess took his hand and sighed, “You know so much.”
She felt that although Little Seven was younger than her, he seemed to know far more than she did.
“Going to school and reading books will teach you a lot,” The little one said, swinging her hand. “Fifth Sister, next time I’ll bring you some books to read.”
There was no shortage of books at Guan Shan Residence. In addition to his lessons, their teacher always encouraged them to read more.
The teacher had said that both traveling far and reading many books would broaden their horizons.
“Alright, thank you, Little Seven.”
After the three children left the Second Princess’s palace, they played outside for a while before returning to their respective quarters.
“Mother, look!”
The little one returned to his palace and showed Noble Consort Yi the drawing the Second Princess had made for him.
The Second Princess was very skilled at drawing, and the little figure she had drawn was incredibly lifelike.
Noble Consort Yi was very fond of her artwork.
Thanks to the Second Princess, all of the little one’s childhood moments had been captured in her drawings.
These drawings, which recorded the little one’s growth, were hung all over Fenghua Palace. When the little one wasn’t around, Noble Consort Yi would often look at them.
“Your Second Sister’s drawings are as beautiful as ever.”
After admiring the drawing with him, Noble Consort Yi asked Ji Yan to hang the new piece on the wall.
Having run around outside, the little one had worked up a sweat. Noble Consort Yi had him take a bath and change into fresh clothes to cool down.
“Mother, look, I’ve got new teeth!”
The little one opened his mouth wide to show Noble Consort Yi the new teeth that had grown in.
He had been a bit slow in growing his teeth, but the new little white ones were nice and strong.
Noble Consort Yi inspected his teeth and reminded him, “You have to take good care of your new teeth. Don’t eat too much sugar, and don’t eat too many cold things—it’s not good for your teeth.”
“Mm! Zai Zai knows.”
The little one cherished his time in the palace.
That night, he stayed with Noble Consort Yi. At first, since his father wasn’t there, he wanted to sleep with her.
But even though he had already fallen asleep, when his father arrived, he still picked the little one up and carried him away.
As he held his son, sleeping soundly with his little face relaxed, Emperor Ling chuckled, “Still looking to be shamed, I see.”
Noble Consort Yi: “…”
Noble Consort Yi shot him an annoyed look. “He’s made a lot of progress—stop teasing him.”
The adults took the little one away, then returned to their bedroom to lie down. Emperor Ling embraced Noble Consort Yi, and since it was quite late, they didn’t talk much.
Noble Consort Yi only asked, “You’ve been away for so long, and now that you’re back in the palace, aren’t you going to see the Empress?”
“I’ll wait until Ling Chen’s birthday,” Emperor Ling replied, hesitating before asking her, “Yi Er, what do you think of the Empress?”
“What kind of person she is—don’t you already know, Your Majesty?”
Emperor Ling: “…”
Emperor Ling paused. “I’m not sure if I know or not.”
Although he spoke in a roundabout way, Noble Consort Yi understood his meaning.
“Your Majesty, I don’t have any solid evidence, so I can’t say much. But in this palace, there aren’t many truly good-hearted people. Genuinely kind people don’t survive well here.”
Emperor Ling wasn’t upset by her bold statement. During his time at Guan Shan Residence, he had heard plenty about the palace’s intrigue from Qingqing and the other children.
Having listened to all that, he was already mentally prepared for what was happening in his harem.
“And what about you, Yi Er?”
Since he had no solid evidence against the Empress, Emperor Ling decided to set aside his doubts for now. He looked down at Noble Consort Yi and smiled. “You’re not a good person either?”
Noble Consort Yi gave him a sidelong glance, her face openly proud. “When have I ever been kind, Your Majesty? If someone dares offend me, I won’t let it slide easily. I’m not one to show mercy.”
Her words made Emperor Ling smile even more.
“Yi Er, you truly don’t have a gentle nature, but that’s exactly what I like about you.”
After exchanging a few more words, the two eventually laid down and went to sleep together.
The next morning.
When the little one woke up, he looked around and felt as though he had been haunted by a ghost.
“Cui Cui,” the little one sat up, dazed. “Where did I sleep last night?”
“Right here,” Cui Xi answered, smiling at the little prince’s confused expression. “His Majesty was here last night too. When you get up, you’ll see him.”
Hearing that his father had been there, the little one’s eyes widened in surprise.
“It was Daddy who carried me away!”
The little guy, huffing angrily, got out of bed, determined to confront his father.
Soon after, the little one, who had gone to confront his father, was instead caught and tickled until he was running around the room laughing.
The palace was filled with laughter and warmth as Noble Consort Yi got ready nearby, not joining in their playful antics.
The lively atmosphere in Fenghua Palace was warm and joyful, but in the Empress’s palace, she had not slept a wink by the time morning came.
Ling Chen had already left her palace, but even after he had gone, she couldn’t fall asleep, lying awake until dawn.
“Your Majesty, staying up all night is bad for your health,” one of her attendants gently advised. “No matter what happens, you must take care of yourself. You are the Empress, the mother of the nation. Your well-being is of utmost importance.”
But the Empress didn’t seem to hear her words.
It wasn’t until the attendant said, “Your Majesty, as long as you remain in good health, no one else in the palace can surpass you.”
The Empress coldly replied, “Surpass me? Noble Consort Yi already has control over the six palaces.”
Noble Consort Yi had raised a good son, winning the Emperor’s favor. Meanwhile, the Empress’s sons were either at odds with her or physically too weak to take on major responsibilities.
She had been the obvious winner, yet now, as the endgame approached, she was facing total defeat.
“Everyone protects that little b*stard,” she said coldly.
The Empress rarely spoke ill of others, but now, with no change in her expression, she spat out the words “little b*stard” with venom, showing how deep her hatred ran.
“If everyone insists on protecting him, then don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Previously, she had spared that little b*stard’s life because of her fear of Ling Chen’s threat.
But now, Ling Chen was becoming more and more audacious.
She was the Empress, and soon to be the Empress Dowager.
No one, not even her own son, could threaten her position.
“Your Majesty, what are you planning to do?”
“Prepare the carriage. I’m going to Guanghua Temple.”
At Guanghua Temple, there were remnants left behind by Master Shikong.
Though Shikong had ultimately proved useless, spending years trying to achieve nothing, he had left behind something valuable in the end.
He had discovered a way to expose the little b*stard as a demon.
The Empress had been reluctant to use this method, but now, with the imperial decree about to be issued, she had no other choice.
Before that decree was announced, she would make sure everyone knew that the beloved seventh prince was nothing more than a demon capable of bewitching hearts.
And a demon like that was meant to be tied to a stake and burned alive—not given an imperial edict to inherit the throne.
As the Empress left the palace, Emperor Ling and Ling Chen received word soon after.
“What is the Empress doing at Guanghua Temple?” Emperor Ling asked.
A servant replied, “The Empress said she’s going to personally pray for the Eldest Prince’s upcoming birthday.”
“She also mentioned she would pray for Your Majesty’s well-being.”
Emperor Ling: “…”
He felt something was off.
During his time at Guan Shan Residence, he had constantly been criticized, and now that he was back, he couldn’t help but feel a little insecure about his own charm.
If another consort had wanted to please him by praying for his health, he wouldn’t have thought much of it.
But the Empress had no need to curry favor with him anymore.
After all, once Ling Chen was named Crown Prince, no one could challenge the Empress’s position.
If she wasn’t trying to win his favor, did she genuinely care for him?
But that didn’t seem likely either…
“Little Seven.”
Emperor Ling furrowed his brow and called over the little boy who was playing nearby.
He asked, “Do you think your daddy still has any appeal?”
The little one: “?”
The little boy looked utterly confused.
Emperor Ling looked at him seriously, then pointed at his own face, asking, “Do you think your daddy’s face is still attractive to others?”
The little one: “…”
The little one puffed up his cheeks, staring at his father, and reminded him, “Zai Zai is still young. I don’t know about that.”
How could a child understand the love between adults?
Hearing this, Emperor Ling changed to a more straightforward question, “Do you think the Empress admires me?”
The little one shook his head earnestly and covered his ears, not wanting to deal with his father’s romantic issues.
This shake of the head made Emperor Ling feel like his suspicions were confirmed.
“If the Empress doesn’t admire me, then why is she going out of her way to pray for my well-being?”
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