Ling Chen’s steps faltered when he saw the cage.
The little one inside whimpered even more pitifully when he saw his elder brother.
Earlier, when he had been locked in the cage, he had even been beaten.
If the Empress hadn’t been called away in time, the little one was sure he wouldn’t have survived.
Thinking of this, his bottled-up grievances exploded.
His big, round eyes welled up with tears, and his whimpering tugged at Ling Chen’s heart.
“Chirp!”
Big brother.
The little one called out to his elder brother, though Ling Chen couldn’t understand what he was saying.
Inside the cage, the cub stretched out his little paw, trying to reach his brother.
Seeing how pitiful the cub looked, Ling Chen didn’t hesitate any longer and quickly approached.
“The key!”
The cage was locked, and Ling Chen turned around, red-eyed, demanding the key from the people behind him.
“We don’t have the key; the Empress has it.”
The Empress had taken the key, and it was impossible to ask her for it now.
Ling Chen’s eyes darkened. In the next moment, he reached out, and with a sudden burst of strength, he forcefully bent the iron bars of the cage.
His long, beautiful hands bulged with veins, and the blood vessels on the back of his hands stood out.
The little one whimpered as he squeezed his chubby body out of the cage.
As soon as he got out, he climbed onto Ling Chen, clutching him with his little paws, tears wetting Ling Chen’s neck.
The little one, having been wronged, didn’t know why his big brother had come to find him.
He wasn’t sure if his big brother recognized him either.
Right now, all he could do was instinctively hold onto his big brother, crying out all the fear and panic he’d just experienced.
“I’m sorry.”
Ling Chen held the trembling little body, his voice low with apology.
He had been keeping an eye on his mother, but he never imagined that, despite his vigilance, something like this could still happen.
If Noble Consort Yi hadn’t found him, he didn’t dare to think about what might have happened to the little one next.
“Your Highness, you can’t take him away! Please, Your Highness, if you take him, none of us will survive.”
The maid, seeing that Ling Chen was about to take the little one away, knelt on the ground and begged desperately. “The Empress said this creature is evil. Keeping him will bring you no benefit.”
“Your Highness, I beg you, don’t take him away.”
Ling Chen was completely unmoved by the maid’s pleas.
He kicked away the person trying to grab his leg, his voice cold. “Move!”
Even if his mother were here today, she wouldn’t be able to stop him from taking the little one.
The pleas and attempts to stop him had no effect.
In the end, Ling Chen held the little one tightly in his arms and left swiftly.
He went straight to Shui Shui’s courtyard.
When Shui Shui saw him bringing the little one, a flicker of emotion passed over his usually expressionless face.
He took the little one and skillfully began to check him over.
When he noticed that the cub had even had some fur pulled out, Shui Shui’s face tightened.
He silently performed the checkup and treated the wounds he found.
As for Ling Chen, standing nearby, Shui Shui had no intention of talking to him.
It wasn’t until Ling Chen asked, “Shui Shui, how is Little Seven?”
Only then did Shui Shui look up at Ling Chen, his gaze filled with a hint of puzzlement.
Ling Chen, still holding the cub’s little paw, spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, “I know he’s Little Seven.”
“How is he now?”
Ling Chen’s knowledge of Little Seven’s identity confused Shui Shui, but he didn’t question it.
He simply replied, “He’s fine. It can be treated, but Little Seven was frightened, and it won’t be easy to calm him down.”
“I’ll calm him.”
Ling Chen gently held the cub’s paw, and as he looked into the cub’s tear-filled eyes, he felt a deep sense of guilt.
His royal mother had targeted Little Seven because of him.
Despite all his efforts to guard against this, he hadn’t been able to prevent what happened today. He was so remorseful that he didn’t dare to meet the cub’s eyes.
Sensing his big brother’s emotions, the little one sniffled and rubbed his face against Ling Chen’s neck.
“Little Seven is comforting you.”
Without stopping his hands, Shui Shui translated the cub’s actions in real-time. “He doesn’t blame you. He still likes you very much.”
Although Shui Shui couldn’t understand the cub’s chirps, he could usually guess the meaning pretty accurately.
“The one doing wrong is the Empress, not you.”
Shui Shui continued, “You don’t need to feel so guilty.”
He conveyed the cub’s message and added his own words.
“You don’t have to carry too much psychological pressure. Everyone is an individual. You’re not responsible for others’ actions. What the Empress did has nothing to do with you or the Third Prince.”
Shui Shui worked quickly, and in no time, he had finished treating and bandaging the cub.
“All done.”
He handed the bandaged cub back to Ling Chen, then watched as the two pressed their heads together, talking.
The little one kept chirping non-stop, and although Ling Chen didn’t want to keep bothering Shui Shui for translations, he tried to guess what the cub meant and responded accordingly.
Shui Shui stood by, observing. He felt that the conversation between the two was completely mismatched.
But he didn’t interrupt. After all, the pair looked harmonious overall.
Though the little one couldn’t communicate directly with his big brother, he used gestures.
He complained to his big brother, then buried his face in Ling Chen’s neck, full of grievances.
As Ling Chen held the cub in his arms, he didn’t feel the slightest bit of rejection towards him.
Noble Consort Yi hadn’t gambled wrong.
Ling Chen easily accepted the cub in this form.
Whether he was a little dumpling or a little one, as long as he was his Little Seven, Ling Chen liked him.
While the little one was complaining here, over in Chengming Hall, an old woman was also making complaints to Emperor Ling.
She told him everything about the Empress’s wrongdoings.
At first, when Emperor Ling heard it, he found it hard to believe.
“The Empress couldn’t possibly want to poison me.”
He was the Emperor, after all. Even if the Empress no longer had feelings for him, even if she had the malicious heart described in Qing Qing’s stories, she couldn’t be bold enough to poison the Emperor!
As Emperor Ling listened to the old woman before the Empress arrived, he found it difficult to accept.
It was hard for him to process, but the truth was laid out before him.
The old woman produced evidence of the Empress’s dealings with her palace servants, explaining every detail clearly.
Emperor Ling sat in his chair, stunned, unable to recover for a long time.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Guang came in with a message, saying that the Empress had arrived.
Emperor Ling’s face was grim as he unclenched his tightly gritted teeth and said in a low voice, “Let her in.”
The Empress walked into the hall with a calm expression.
When she saw the old woman kneeling on the ground, her eyelid twitched.
The Empress’s arrival caused the old woman to shudder instinctively.
This old woman was also quite fearful of the Empress.
An Empress who dared to poison the Emperor was feared by almost everyone.
Even though she was afraid, the old woman had to suppress her terror and keep accusing the Empress.
If she didn’t succeed in implicating the Empress, she herself would be the one to die!
“Your Majesty, everything she’s saying is complete nonsense.”
Even though the old woman had presented evidence, the Empress firmly denied everything.
She argued that the evidence could have been fabricated. Both witnesses and physical proof could be falsified.
Emperor Ling’s expression was unreadable as he looked at her. It was unclear if he believed her defense or not.
“Empress.”
Emperor Ling sat in his chair, looking down at the Empress, who was also kneeling. His suspicious nature made it impossible for him to dismiss his doubts just because of her words.
Even before the old woman’s accusations and the evidence came to light, he had already been harboring suspicions about the Empress.
“You mean to tell me I shouldn’t believe the evidence or the witnesses, only you?”
Emperor Ling clenched his fists tightly, struggling to suppress the emotions surging within him.
If it weren’t for being poisoned, how could his body have deteriorated like this?
Not only had he been poisoned, but his Little Seven had also been caught up in it.
Last time, they couldn’t find the cause of Little Seven’s poisoning, but now it was clear—it was all because of him.
Both he and Little Seven had almost died at the Empress’s hands.
“Your Majesty, I have never done such things.”
Even at this point, the Empress continued to deny everything.
But Emperor Ling no longer believed her.
“Guards.”
He didn’t execute her on the spot. After all, she was the mother of the nation, and everything she had done needed to be laid out in detail before punishment could be decided.
Emperor Ling was so enraged that his teeth were practically grinding to dust. He restrained his overwhelming fury and ordered the Empress to be imprisoned.
He immediately deposed her as Empress.
As he deposed her, thoughts of the Eldest Prince—his eldest son, whom he had been about to name as heir—also crossed his mind, and he felt that the Eldest Prince should be implicated too.
But Noble Consort Yi quickly stepped in to stop him.
“Your Majesty, the Eldest Prince may not have known anything about what the Empress has done.”
“Whether as your son, as Little Seven’s brother, or as a prince of the Qi Dynasty, the Eldest Prince has never neglected his duties.”
“The Empress sought the throne for him, but the Eldest Prince never cared for it. I believe you are aware of this.”
“He never accepted the Empress’s favors, so he shouldn’t be implicated in the disaster she has caused.”
Noble Consort Yi’s desperate plea wasn’t just because she was magnanimous, nor was it solely because of the Eldest Prince’s kindness toward Little Seven.
She knew very well that the future of the Qi Dynasty rested on the Eldest Prince’s shoulders.
If the Eldest Prince were to fall, the Qi Dynasty wouldn’t recover!
For the future of the dynasty, Noble Consort Yi couldn’t allow the Eldest Prince to be implicated.
Emperor Ling could deal with the Empress, her family, and many others involved, but—
He could not implicate the Eldest Prince.
Noble Consort Yi continued to persuade Emperor Ling, who was still in a towering rage. He ordered the Empress’s palace to be searched, and everyone close to her was thrown into the dungeons and subjected to severe interrogation.
He wanted to uncover what else the Empress had done, beyond poisoning him.
Word of Emperor Ling’s actions quickly spread throughout the palace.
Upon hearing the news, Ling Chen rushed out of Shui Shui’s courtyard, leaving behind Little Seven, who was still in Shui Shui’s care.
Before he had gone far, the Third Prince also followed him out.
“Big Brother.”
The Third Prince had been in deep conflict with the Empress ever since he tried to break free from her control.
His closeness to Shui Shui had only deepened the Empress’s dissatisfaction.
Looking back, it had been a long time since he and the Empress had spoken peacefully to each other.
Now that the Empress had suddenly been imprisoned, the two brothers naturally needed to check on the situation.
Unlike Ling Yi, Ling Chen had already begun to suspect that their mother wasn’t as merciful as she appeared.
He once used his own life to threaten his mother, begging her not to harm Little Seven.
But this time, something still happened to Little Seven.
As Ling Chen thought about it, it felt like a heavy stone was weighing down his heart. His mother was even more ruthless than he had imagined.
“Big brother, what do you think happened to Royal mother? What exactly has been going on? Why would Royal Father suddenly depose her?”
“I don’t know.”
Countless speculations filled Ling Chen’s mind, but he wasn’t sure which, if any, were true.
He patted Ling Yi’s shoulder, offering a warning.
“No matter what Royal Mother did, you must stay calm. Don’t panic, and don’t be afraid. Big brother is here for you.”
He had already made up his mind—if their mother had truly committed an unforgivable crime, he would use his status as a prince to protect Ling Yi’s safety.
In the punishments given to the imperial family, the most severe could lead to being demoted to a commoner.
With Ling Yi’s poor health, Ling Chen had begun making plans for him in his heart.
Time passed slowly.
The two princes sought an audience with Emperor Ling but were unable to meet him.
After many inquiries, they finally heard some rumors.
Ling Yi’s face was full of disbelief. “That’s impossible. How could Royal Mother have done such a thing?”
Throughout history, there had been very few empresses or concubines bold enough to attempt to poison an emperor.
Ling Yi was still in shock, while Ling Chen clenched his fist and went to beg Noble Consort Yi.
He pleaded with Noble Consort Yi for a chance to see their mother one last time.
Noble Consort Yi glanced at him and arranged for the meeting.
The little child was sent back to Fenghua Palace by Shui Shui. Noble Consort Yi embraced the child and allowed him to meet with his mother.
It must be said, though the Empress had been devoted to Buddhism for many years, while she didn’t possess a merciful heart, her mindset had become as steady as a bell over time due to her daily rituals.
Even while imprisoned, awaiting punishment, she didn’t show the slightest bit of hysteria.
She merely waited calmly for Emperor Ling’s judgment.
No matter what her fate would be, at the very least, the little dumpling in the palace would share it.
If she had to die, they would die together.
If she died, no one else would find peace either.
The surroundings were so silent that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard clearly.
In this quiet, the Empress saw her son approaching from behind.
It was only Ling Chen who had come.
As Ling Chen walked step by step toward her, his eyes slowly reddened.
“Mother.”
He didn’t address her as “Royal Mother” but instead called her “Mother.” “Why?”
He asked, “Why did you try to kill Royal Father?”
“That useless man, living is just a waste of time,” came the casual reply from the deposed Empress. “If he doesn’t die, you’ll never become Emperor.”
“Mother, I’ve told you before, I don’t have to be Emperor—”
“You are my son, so you should be Emperor,” the Empress interrupted him, her tone laced with disdain. “You’re really not like my son at all.”
This son had not been raised by her side when he was young.
The mother-son bond had been broken early on, and it was hard to repair.
She didn’t feel much regret about this lack of affection; she only felt that she had made a misstep in her plans long ago.
Ling Chen had been the wrong move from the start.
“I have nothing more to say to you.”
The Empress said indifferently, “You may leave.”
Even as she dismissed him, Ling Chen showed no intention of leaving.
He stood there and, with a hoarse voice, said, “I took Little Seven out; he’s fine now, nothing happened to him.”
“And also, the candidate for Crown Prince in Father’s decree is me.”
“He was originally planning to name me Crown Prince on my birthday.”
Ling Chen’s words were like knives, cutting deeply into the Empress’s heart.
The pain of betrayal ran just as deep as the blade.
Moments ago, the Empress had been calm, but after hearing these two pieces of news, that calmness completely vanished.
She finally lost control and screamed, “You lied to me!”
She had believed there was no hope left, so she had been willing to go to any lengths to have that little child killed.
But now, her own son was telling her that it had all been a deception!
The Empress stood up, looking at her son with eyes full of hatred, as if she were staring at an enemy. “You lied to me! Ling Chen, I am your mother!”
Ling Chen remained silent.
The Empress glared at him, spitting the most venomous words at her own son.
But Ling Chen said nothing, quietly enduring his mother’s fury.
Emperor Ling didn’t take long to conclude the investigation and punishment of the Empress.
Within three days, he made his decision.
The Empress’s crimes were many, leaving her no chance of survival.
The Empress was sentenced to death, and her family was stripped of their status.
Ling Chen requested to be demoted to a commoner, but Emperor Ling refused.
On the day the little child was returned, Emperor Ling, holding the long-lost child in his arms, told Ling Chen, “You and the Fourth Prince will continue to manage state affairs.”
After the final blow of events in the palace, Emperor Ling’s health completely collapsed.
He had already delayed his return to Guan Shan Residence for many days.
If he didn’t leave soon, he felt as though he might die in the palace.
Using his last bit of strength, Emperor Ling organized affairs in the palace, then quickly departed with the little child for Guan Shan Residence.
Though he had longed to return to the palace, now that he was back, he couldn’t wait to leave for Guan Shan again.
On the road, the little child leaned against his father, his face full of melancholy.
His older brother was in a terrible mood, and they had left so quickly that he hadn’t even had a chance to say a proper goodbye.
His small face was filled with sadness, and Emperor Ling, seeing this, felt a stirring in his heart.
Before the Empress took her poison, they had one final meeting.
She had said something to him.
“Little Seven.”
Emperor Ling looked down at the little child lying on his lap and rubbed his head. “Did you see a white furball in the palace?”
