Although the little one spoke with determination, his sixth brother glanced at him, chewing on a sugar melon, and asked, “You’re still young—what can you do?”
“I’m not small anymore.”
At nine years old, the little one had indeed grown a lot compared to before.
Ling Fu, seeing him claim he wasn’t small, simply reached out with his free hand and pinched the little one’s chubby cheeks.
His face was soft, likely because he had been well cared for and hadn’t yet fully grown, so his baby fat stubbornly remained.
Ling Fu squeezed his cheeks a few times and concluded, “You’re still small.”
“I’m not small!”
“You are.”
The two brothers argued back and forth over whether the little one was still small, and by the end, even Shui Shui, who was passing by, stopped to observe, wondering if they were about to fight.
But despite the argument, the two didn’t end up fighting.
“I just got a new book on weight loss. Want to check it out with me?”
Ling Fu, who had been trying to lose weight for years, was an expert in all sorts of weight loss methods.
Recently, he had found a new book on the subject and was determined to follow its advice closely.
“I want to see it.”
The little one obediently took his sixth brother’s hand, letting him lead the way.
Shui Shui watched the two brothers for a moment before turning and walking away.
The little one had only recently returned to the palace. Guan Shan Residence had granted them an extended vacation, allowing them to stay there if they wished, but no longer requiring them to remain for compulsory study.
In short, those who didn’t want to leave could continue living at Guan Shan Residence.
However, those who sought further education could now leave and pursue their studies elsewhere.
The little one had already discussed it with his father. He wouldn’t be returning to Guan Shan Residence.
“Little Seven, when are you going to start attending the palace school?” Ling Fu asked his younger brother as they walked to check out the weight loss book.
Nowadays, there are only a few people left in the Imperial Academy—just the Fifth Princess and the Sixth Prince are still attending.
With no other princes or princesses in the academy, it’s become quite difficult for Ling Fu to slack off during lessons.
The little one thought for a moment and replied slowly, “I’m not sure yet, Sixth Brother. I haven’t finished writing my schedule.”
Upon hearing this, Ling Fu shrugged. “Alright, let me know once you’ve completed it.”
The two of them walked together, and before long, they reached Ling Fu’s residence. The harem hadn’t changed much since Ling Chen ascended the throne. He hadn’t appointed an empress or taken any concubines.
The only notable change was that Emperor Ling had shifted residence slightly, and the area where the concubines lived had been sectioned off.
Other than that, there weren’t many alterations.
When they reached Ling Fu’s palace, the little one laid on the soft couch, reading a book alongside his sixth brother.
After reading for a while, the little one closed his book and said, “Sixth Brother, this book isn’t useful for you. It says you need to control your mouth and move your legs.”
Ling Fu: “…”
Ling Fu snapped the book shut and seriously commented, “This book is nonsense!”
The little one glanced at his still somewhat chubby sixth brother and hesitated before saying, “Sixth Brother, when I returned from Guan Shan Residence, I asked the tutor for a weight-loss menu.”
This menu was specifically requested for his sixth brother.
Ling Fu’s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing about a weight-loss menu. “Quick, quick! Give it to me! I want to lose twenty pounds!”
The little one hesitated before taking out the menu. “I’ve looked through it. The dishes aren’t tasty. Ah Wu made them for me, and I didn’t like them.”
“For the sake of losing weight, I can endure it!”
Ling Fu had been very motivated to lose weight recently. During his last trip out of the palace, he had met a particularly beautiful young girl, and he’d already found out that this lovely girl was the youngest daughter of the Minister of Works.
He wanted to slim down a bit before seeking her out again.
“Here, take a look.”
The little one handed over the weight-loss menu he’d prepared long ago but had hesitated to give to his brother.
Ling Fu took the menu and looked at it for a long time before solemnly declaring, “These dishes do look awful.”
As a seasoned foodie, Ling Fu could tell that these recipes would undoubtedly taste terrible.
But when he thought of the cute, round-faced girl with her hair tied in a bun, Ling Fu grimly accepted the menu. Clutching it, he asked, “Little Seven, should I eat this menu before or after meals?”
The little one: “???”
The little one blinked in confusion.
Dumbfounded, he replied, “This is the meal.”
Ling Fu was even more shocked. “What did you say? This stuff is supposed to replace my main meals?!”
The little one nodded.
He was quite certain that the menu wasn’t something to be eaten before or after meals—it was the meal.
Ling Fu remained in disbelief.
The two brothers stared at each other for a while before the little one hesitantly asked, “Sixth Brother, do you still want the menu?”
Ling Fu’s chubby face struggled.
Weighing the pain of dieting against the thought of the adorable little girl, he finally made up his mind and resolutely chose the latter. “Yes! I must lose weight!”
His mother had told him that once he slimmed down, he would be even more handsome!
He wanted to appear dashing in front of the girl!
The little one was a bit surprised by his brother’s choice. He patted Ling Fu’s shoulder, encouraging him, “Sixth Brother, good luck!”
Ling Fu, determined to slim down for the cute girl, spent the afternoon playing with the little one before he went off to dine with his eldest brother at dinnertime.
Emperor Ling had only recently returned to the palace, spending his time with Noble Consort Yi, so whether or not the little one joined him for dinner didn’t make much of a difference.
“Eldest Brother.”
The little one went alone to find his eldest brother, arriving at his palace and seeing his brother still hard at work. He ran over quickly and hugged his brother. “Stop working! It’s time to eat!”
Since ascending the throne, Ling Chen had thrown himself wholeheartedly into state affairs.
The little one felt heartache every time he saw his brother.
Ling Chen, upon seeing him, put down the memorials in his hand. “Little Seven, you’re here. Alright, let’s have dinner.”
Ling Chen could go without eating, but he couldn’t bear to let his little brother go hungry.
Soon, the dishes were laid out, and the chief eunuch serving couldn’t help but feel grateful toward the little prince.
They had been urging the new emperor to have his evening meal, but the young emperor simply wouldn’t listen.
The table was filled with dishes.
The little one sat across from his eldest brother. They weren’t bound by the formalities of ruler and subject, remaining as close as ever as brothers.
At the dinner table, there were no rigid rules about staying silent while eating or sleeping.
As the little one munched on the meat his brother occasionally gave him, he brought up a topic that others had asked him to mention: “Eldest Brother, when will you marry?”
“Was it Royal Father who asked you to bring this up, or some minister?”
“Everyone’s asking.”
The little one honestly confessed, “They want you to choose a consort.”
“The state is unstable; why would I choose a consort now?”
Ling Chen had no interest in building a harem, especially since his father, Emperor Ling, was such a clear example.
Emperor Ling had taken countless beauties as consorts, along with empresses and noble consorts. He lacked nothing.
But in the end, the empire was left in a precarious state. Their kingdom had become a target for other nations, all of whom wanted a piece of it.
Ling Chen didn’t believe that beauties could stabilize a nation.
“Little Seven, though I am the emperor, what I want—”
“—is a kindred companion.”
Ling Chen leaned in close to the little one, lowering his voice to say this.
There were still servants in the hall, and Ling Chen didn’t want them overhearing.
The little one blinked, taking in his brother’s heartfelt statement.
He thought differently from his older brother.
“I don’t want a wife,” the little one said with childlike certainty in his voice. “I want to stay single forever!”
Getting married meant you had to love, take care of, and dote on your wife. The little one didn’t think he’d be able to properly care for his future wife.
“You, oh you…” Ling Chen chuckled. He wasn’t surprised by this no-marriage declaration, as it wasn’t the first time he had heard it from the little one. “Fine, let’s wait and see.”
He figured that when this little one grew up and met someone he truly loved, he’d be eager to marry her.
After they finished discussing Ling Chen’s potential future in the imperial harem, he shifted the conversation toward the little one.
“Little Seven, your fourth brother has already been given the title of a king. Do you and Little Six want to be granted titles, or would you prefer to stay in the palace?”
Once given a title, a prince would need to have a mansion built for him. Ling Chen was a bit reluctant to see his chubby younger brother and this cute little one leave the palace.
“Stay in the palace!” The little one replied without hesitation. “I want to be a little prince.”
He wasn’t ready to become a young king just yet.
Ling Chen rubbed his head. Though he agreed to let him stay in the palace, he had already started planning in his mind how to build mansions for his brothers, whether it was for his chubby younger brother or his adorable little one. He wanted to make sure they both had a proper place.
Time passed slowly.
After dinner, the little one lingered, unwilling to leave. He clung to his older brother, dawdling around without saying what he wanted, just trailing after him like a small shadow.
Ling Chen, noticing the little one had been hanging around for quite some time, sighed helplessly and asked, “Little Seven, tell me, what is it that you want to do?”
The little one tugged at his brother’s sleeve but remained silent.
Ling Chen cupped the little one’s face in his hands and coaxed him gently, “Whatever you want, just tell me. Big Brother will make it happen.”
This little brother of his—Ling Chen and his royal father had discussed him before. Both were aware of the little one’s true nature. The emperor, had shared with Ling Chen everything he knew.
Little Seven was an auspicious beast, and if that fact ever came to light, their father hoped Ling Chen would understand. He didn’t want his little auspicious beast to be mistaken for some kind of demon.
“Big Brother, Zai Zai wants to go on a long journey,” the little one said softly.
“What?”
The little one, who hadn’t referred to himself as “Zai Zai” in a long time, used that term now as he softened his voice while speaking to his brother. Though he hadn’t yet written out a detailed plan, he had everything mapped out in his head.
In Ling Chen’s palace was a large map of their dynasty. The little one walked over and pointed at a specific spot.
“This place is important.”
Pointing to the map, he declared, “I want to go study there and change that place.”
Ling Chen knew the significance of that location, but it was also notoriously poor.
“Little Seven, don’t joke around.”
Ling Chen frowned, taking his little brother’s hand gently. “If you don’t want to study in the palace school anymore, I can arrange for you to study elsewhere.”
Ling Chen tried to dissuade him from leaving the palace, but the little one was unusually stubborn this time.
For days, he kept pestering his older brother, and when Ling Chen couldn’t take it anymore, he went to see their royal father.
After hearing Ling Chen’s explanation, the emperor summoned the little one.
“Daddy, you wanted to see me?” the little one asked as he came bearing wild berries for his father.
He fed the berries to his father and then sat quietly beside him.
The emperor had initially intended to have a serious conversation, but the little one’s antics made it hard to stay serious.
“Ahem.”
Clearing his throat, the emperor swallowed the berries and got to the point.
“Little Seven, I heard from your older brother that you want to go study outside the palace?”
“Yes!”
“And you also want to do something important?”
“Exactly!”
The little one admitted to everything he had planned.
The emperor found it impossible to stay stern with him. The two of them just looked at each other until the emperor finally softened his tone.
“Little Seven, I think you should listen to your older brother on this matter.”
“I’m not listening to him.”
The little one shook his head firmly, clinging to his father’s arm. “Daddy, I have to go.”
“I have to do a lot of things, and only then will I be able to bring Uncle Lian Qing back.”
When the little one mentioned Lian Qing, the emperor, who had prepared a series of rebuttals, was suddenly at a loss for words.
The emperor knew all too well how the Big Boss of Guan Shan Residence had been devastated by Lian Qing’s absence. The emperor had seen firsthand how the Big Boss seemed like a soulless man, kept going only by revenge and the hope of Lian Qing’s return.
“Little Seven, can you really bring Lian Qing back?”
“I’m an auspicious beast, I can do it,” the little one said, puffing out his chest in confidence. “I’ll make the world a better place.”
“And when I do, I’ll bring Uncle Lian Qing back.”
Guan Shan Residence was extremely important to both the emperor and the little one. Now, the little one wanted to take on the task of finding Lian Qing for the Big Boss.
The emperor didn’t know how to stop him.
Unable to find the right words himself, the emperor called for Noble Consort Yi.
But she didn’t stop the little one either.
“You can go, but make sure you take enough people with you,” she said, giving her son instructions. Then, resting her forehead gently against his, she asked softly, “Are you going to do what you once told me about?”
The little one had talked to his mother before about the lessons he learned at Guan Shan Residence, and he had shared a lot with her.
Noble Consort Yi still remembered everything he had mentioned up until now.
The little one hugged Noble Consort Yi’s neck, rubbing his face affectionately against hers.
“Mother, it’s time for me to go and do it!”
“If you can really accomplish these things, Mother will be very proud of you. But even if you can’t, Mother won’t be disappointed.”
“As long as you’re safe and sound, that’s all I need.”
Even with both Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi stepping in, they couldn’t stop the little one.
Ling Chen pressed his temples, at his wit’s end.
He sat in his study and let out a long sigh.
“Someone, come here.”
Ling Chen called for someone and got up himself to start preparing for his precious little brother’s journey.
Although the little one was officially going off to study, among the items Ling Chen prepared for him was a sword that could cut down corrupt officials.
And it wasn’t just Ling Chen getting things ready—everyone else also prepared plenty of items for the little one’s departure.
When Ling Fu came over empty-handed to see him off, the little one was surprised.
“Little Seven, Sixth Brother is coming with you.”
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