Did The Young Prince’s Kingdom Get Destroyed Today? Chapter 164

“Little Seven, tearing this down won’t help, right?”

Ling Fu watched his younger brother tear down the notice and reminded him, “That poster is up across the street too.”

There were identical posters everywhere. Even if they tore one down, there would still be another, and another.

The little one tiptoed and ripped off the poster in front of him.

“We’ll take one back for now.”

With that, he handed the poster to Jiang Yan, who placed it in his bag.

They didn’t linger on the street for long. While there were plenty of stalls, the poor condition of the road stirred up dust easily, making both the street and the vendors look gray and dull.

The first thing they did when they got back home was wash their faces and take a bath, scrubbing themselves clean.

“Sixth Brother, you seem to have lost some weight.”

The little one observed his freshly bathed brother, sizing him up before reaching that conclusion.

Ling Fu, hearing this, went over to the mirror, checking himself from every angle before smiling widely. “Little Seven, I think you’re right—I have slimmed down a bit!”

The fatigue from their journey and lack of proper rest after arriving had finally brought some success to the little chubby one’s previously failed attempts at weight loss.

The little one patted his brother’s round waist encouragingly, “If you keep moving around more, when we go back and Consort Ru sees you, she’ll definitely be pleasantly surprised!”

“Mm! Sure!”

The little chubby one let his younger brother pinch his waist, even giving it a squeeze himself.

After they were cleaned up, the brothers headed to the front hall.

The meal was ready. Sitting at the table, they ate while the little one handed over the poster.

“Look into this.”

“Yes.”

The poster was taken away, with someone specifically assigned to investigate it.

The children gathered around the table, and after the meal, they started on their homework assigned by the teacher.

The little one had already done plenty of homework in his life, so today’s assignments were not difficult at all.

After finishing the homework, they sat together, munching on fruits and chatting.

Ling Fu asked his younger brother, “Little Seven, when will you go see the Lord Provincial Governor? Does the Lord Provincial Governor even know we’re here?”

“I’ll go see him later.”

The little one took a bite of fruit and calmly replied, “Before we meet the Lord Provincial Governor, we can visit some others first.”

The Lord Provincial Governor was the head of the whole region, but beneath him, there were officials in charge of various counties.

For instance, they were currently staying in Ping County, which was directly under Yanzhou’s jurisdiction. The wanted notice they had torn down earlier appeared to have been issued by Ping County.

The little one wasn’t in a rush to meet anyone just yet.

Over the next two weeks, he patiently walked around and conducted his own investigation of the area.

During that time, Ling Fu, who had been running around with the little one every day, began to lose more of his stubborn baby fat, making the results of his weight loss even more apparent.

A few more days passed.

Ling Fu had Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou accompany Little Seven while he stayed behind to write letters to the palace, proudly reporting his weight loss progress to Consort Ru!

In the sweltering heat of July and August in Yanzhou, the little one ventured out into the sun, his once rosy cheeks now flushed from the heat. He would constantly wipe the sweat off his face with his small hands.

Worried that the little one might suffer from heatstroke, Chen Zhou had already tried to convince him several times, “Little Seven, you should go back and rest. Jiang Yan and I can continue scouting for you.”

The little one shook his head and insisted on seeing everything with his own eyes.

They walked for quite some time.

As they went on, the once blazing sun suddenly gave way to a downpour of rain, even though the sun was still shining.

Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou were both taken aback. “What strange weather this is.”

The little one opened his small hands to catch some of the rain. 

He knew this was what people called a “sun shower,” a rare but natural weather phenomenon.

Even though sun showers usually didn’t last long, they couldn’t just stand there getting soaked.

Jiang Yan scanned their surroundings and spotted a small forest not far away. He pulled the little one along and hurried into the woods to take shelter.

The forest was full of graves, some new and some old, standing side by side. Seeing the sight, Jiang Yan instinctively wanted to lead the little one back out.

“Wait a moment.”

The little one, still held by the wrist, had his gaze fixed on a freshly dug grave. After staring at it for a few seconds, he walked straight toward it.

The soil of the new grave was slightly loose.

The little one knelt down and touched the mud, now mixed with rainwater. He noticed something else in the mud—fresh blood.

Moreover, he, Jiang Yan, and Chen Zhou all heard a faint knocking sound coming from inside the grave.

In broad daylight, Jiang Yan’s back broke out in a cold sweat.

“A-Are we dealing with a zombie here?!”

Chilled to the bone, Jiang Yan took a few steps back.

The little one turned his head and called out loudly, “Bodyguard Big Brother, come here!”

On command, the bodyguards immediately appeared.

The little one looked at them and pointed to the fresh grave, “Dig it up!”

The guards: “…”

Without hesitation, the guards began digging with their swords.

Jiang Yan, seeing the little one digging up a grave, exclaimed in shock, “Little Seven, what are you doing?”

Digging up someone’s grave was a serious crime under the law.

The little one squatted on the ground, helping to dig as well. It wasn’t long before his small hands and face were covered in dirt.

One of the guards, unable to watch any longer, picked him up and set him aside, stopping him from helping.

“Young master, you just wait over there. We’ll have this grave dug up in no time.”

The guard worked quickly, and soon the fresh grave was fully unearthed. From within the cracked coffin, the sound of knocking became clearer.

The guard big brother, showing no fear, used his sword to pry the coffin open.

Once the coffin was opened, inside was a bloodied man, struggling to crawl out.

The little one was startled. Though he had been mentally prepared, seeing a living person inside the grave still gave him a shock.

Jiang Yan, on the other hand, was terrified. He had already shut his eyes tightly, clinging to Chen Zhou for dear life.

“Young master, it’s a living person.”

The guard checked the pulse of the bloodied man and confirmed.

The man’s voice was hoarse, and he couldn’t make a sound.

The little one, seeing his condition, instructed the guards to lift him out of the coffin.

As soon as the man was brought out, the sun shower that had been falling suddenly stopped.

“Take him back,” the little one ordered the guards.

After this unexpected incident, the group didn’t linger outside any longer and returned home.

On the way back, the little one kept glancing at the man being carried by the guard, worried he might die on the way.

Fortunately, the man was resilient.

At the residence, the traveling imperial doctor took one look at the man and immediately began treating him.

Thanks to the doctor’s efforts, the man’s life was quickly stabilized.

A maid washed him clean and changed his clothes. While doing so, she found a plaque in his garments. She examined it and decided to bring it to the little one.

“Young master, we found this on the man.”

The little one took the plaque and read the inscription.

“He’s the county magistrate of Bo County.”

Surprised, the little one asked, “Why was a county magistrate in a coffin?”

The magistrate of Bo County, who had just been saved, was unconscious after taking his medicine and couldn’t answer the boy’s question.

The little one turned to his personal guard.

“Young master, we’ve also found out the information you asked for.”

There were quite a few guards accompanying them. Some stayed close to the boy, some protected him from the shadows, and others went out to handle tasks on his behalf.

With so many hands on deck, it wasn’t difficult for the boy to learn whatever he wanted.

“The county magistrate of Ping County, who issued the warrant for Zhu Yi, is colluding with the bandits who attacked us before.”

“The leader of the bandits last time was his nephew.”

“The magistrate of Ping County is also on good terms with the local Lord Provincial Governor. The Lord Provincial Governor’s tenth concubine is the magistrate’s sister.”

The guard first relayed the findings from the previous investigation before moving on to the magistrate of Bo County.

“Magistrate Wan Ming of Bo County was appointed just under two years ago.”

“He is known for his integrity, but he has not achieved much during his tenure.”

“Two days ago, his servants reported that he had been kidnapped by bandits. The Lord Provincial Governor gathered troops to both suppress the bandits and select a new magistrate to take his place.”

This area was far from the capital, and the Lord Provincial Governor held considerable power here. 

Until the capital sent its own officials, the Lord Provincial Governor had the authority to appoint county magistrates.

The little one furrowed his brow, mentally noting each person involved.

“There sure are a lot of bad people.”

The magistrate of Ping County, who issued the warrant for his guard, the Lord Provincial Governor with his tenth concubine, and the various incompetent officials he’d encountered during his investigations…

“With so many parasites, no wonder this place is so poor.”

The little one rubbed his face and, after muttering to himself, asked seriously, “Do we have enough people with us?”

“Young master, when we set out, His Majesty instructed that if the need arises, we can call on troops from neighboring Nan Province.”

“The son of the Lord Provincial Governor of Nan Province is a close friend of Fifth Young Master Murong.”

The guard’s words eased the boy’s mind.

He nodded, “When Wan Ming wakes up, I’ll talk to him.”

It seemed like Wan Ming’s situation might be tied to the Lord Provincial Governor of Yanzhou.

Wan Ming laid in the boy’s courtyard for three days before finally waking up.

Upon waking, he wanted to leave immediately.

But the little one stopped him.

The two of them stood at an impasse, Wan Ming’s face anxious as he struggled to remain calm. He thanked the boy with as much warmth as he could muster.

“Young master, I cannot thank you enough for saving my life. But I have urgent matters to attend to and cannot afford to delay.”

“Are your urgent matters related to seeking out the Lord Provincial Governor?” the little one asked bluntly.

Wan Ming was stunned by the question.

He pressed his lips together, looking at the beautiful young boy before him, unsure of how to respond.

“Why were you in a coffin? Who did this to you?”

“What’s going on between you and the Lord Provincial Governor?”

The little one’s questions came one after another. After finishing, he even gave Wan Ming a reassuring smile and promised, “You can speak freely. I’ll make sure justice is done for you.”

A county magistrate is an imperial officer, and this one was appointed personally by his older brother. Yet here he was, being stuffed into a coffin.

This was not only a challenge to the empire, but a direct affront to his brother!

The little one wasn’t going to let this matter slide.

“Who… who are you?” Wan Ming asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

The only person who could truly seek justice for him now was one person—the current emperor.

But the emperor wouldn’t be here, and Wan Ming wasn’t expecting his luck to last much longer. He only hoped to drag a few more villains down with him before he died.

“My name is Ling Rui.”

During the few days Wan Ming had been unconscious, the little one had already investigated everything about him, so he felt reassured.

“You were sent here by my big brother. From now on, I’ll have your back.”

The little one said this while trying to stand on his tiptoes to pat Wan Ming on the shoulder. But Wan Ming was too tall, and even on tiptoe, the little one could only pat his waist.

Wan Ming: “…”

Wan Ming was still in shock. He rubbed his ears as if questioning whether he had heard something too unbelievable.

“Young Master, w-what did you say your name was?”

“My name is Ling Rui, but others call me Little Seven, or Little Highness.”

The little one had a consistently good temperament. Since Wan Ming didn’t hear him clearly the first time, he patiently repeated himself.

After hearing it a second time, Wan Ming finally understood completely.

But he still couldn’t believe it. “The Seventh Prince? Impossible! How could the Seventh Prince possibly come here?”

Everyone under the heavens knew how cherished the Seventh Prince was.

The emperor would never allow him to come to a place like this!

Wan Ming was so shocked that he was babbling incoherently. Seeing his disbelief, the little one simply pulled out the stack of tokens he had brought with him.

There were tokens representing his royal identity, ones showing the emperor’s personal authority, and even ones to mobilize the military…

It had to be said that the little one had indeed brought plenty of proof.

After the little one finished proving his identity, Wan Ming fell to his knees with a thud.

“Your humble servant Wan Ming pays respects to the Seventh Highness.”

Wan Ming bowed deeply and fully to the little one.

The little one helped him up and told him not to be so formal.

“You’re not fully recovered yet, so from now on, you don’t need to bow to me every time.”

After letting Wan Ming sit down, the little one revealed the purpose of his visit.

He explained that he was here on behalf of his elder brother to implement reforms.

“Your Highness,” Wan Ming began.

Even though the little prince was young, the tokens he had just displayed proved that he was not to be underestimated.

Wan Ming’s eyes turned red as he knelt again, wanting to express his frustration. “The County Magistrate of Ping County has colluded with bandits, leading to the deaths of dozens of our people in Bai County and the theft of our county’s wealth and supplies. The relief funds for Bai County have not arrived either!”

“The Magistrate of Ping County has been emboldened by the influence of the Commissioner, which is why he’s acting so recklessly. I gathered evidence of his crimes and was preparing to submit it, but as soon as I finished writing my report, the criminals came for me.”

“If I hadn’t faked my death, my body would be rotting in that coffin by now!”

After Wan Ming finished his complaint, he didn’t expect the little prince to do much. He only hoped that the prince would help send his report to the emperor.

“Rewrite your report, and I’ll send it to my big brother.”

The little one had him rewrite the report and sent it out for him.

“I’ll help you send the report, and I’ll also deal with the corrupt officials. But you’ll need to help me with one thing.”

“Your Highness, anything you ask, I will do without hesitation.”

“You don’t have to die, just cooperate with me.”

The little one raised his chin slightly, looking as if he was negotiating fairly. “I want to implement reforms, starting with your Bai County.”

“Agreed.”

Wan Ming didn’t hesitate for a second before nodding.

The little one was quite satisfied with Wan Ming’s understanding.

As the two of them continued their conversation, back at the house of the County Magistrate of Ping County, his son, Jiao Cang, had just returned from school and was throwing a tantrum.

“How dare that outsider act so arrogant!”

“I was doing him a favor by asking him to serve me, and he dared to punch me!”

Still fuming from the beating he received from the little one earlier, Jiao Cang furiously smashed things around the house. His eyes burned with anger. “How dare he offend me! I’ll make him pay!”

“Young Master, please calm down. If he dares disrespect you, we’ll have the servants tie him up and bring him to you for whatever punishment you see fit. Don’t get yourself too worked up.”

“Yes, Young Master, be careful not to hurt your hand.”

The crowd of servants surrounding Jiao Cang fussed over him, cursing the child who had dared offend their young master. They swore that by tomorrow, they would have that brat delivered to him.

After a long session of shouting, they finally quieted down.

The next day, just as the Jiao family was making plans to capture the little one, he appeared at their gates, accompanied by his sixth brother, Jiang Yan, and Chen Zhou.

“The little brat came right to us.”

Hearing that the little one had arrived, the Magistrate’s wife’s eyes flashed with surprise. Her doting on Jiao Cang was well known throughout the household.

Anyone who dared to offend Jiao Cang usually faced worse consequences than offending the emperor.

The emperor was far away in the capital, and offending him didn’t necessarily mean he’d find out.

But offending Jiao Cang was different. In Ping County, Jiao Cang was like a Crown Prince.

“Bring him to the back courtyard. I want to see him personally.”

The Magistrate’s wife asked her husband, Jiao Da, if he wanted to come as well.

Jiao Da wasn’t interested in meeting a child. He dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. “If you want to go, go ahead. Don’t bother me.”

He had no desire to lower himself to deal with some random child.

But the little child, standing in the back courtyard, gave a stern order: “Tell Jiao Da to come see me.”

He stood in Jiao Da’s courtyard, giving orders to Jiao Da’s servants.

From behind the large tree that cast shadows over the courtyard wall, a massive red-and-white figure was quietly observing the scene.