“Forget it.”
After talking to Shui Shui for so long, Ling Rui felt more and more mentally drained. He rubbed his face, his small expression showing signs of weariness. “It was just one time. Maybe it was an accident.”
Next time, he’d be more careful and avoid thinking about Ah Wu.
Shui Shui looked at his expression and reached out to pat him in a comforting gesture.
“Oh, by the way.”
After finishing his own story, Ling Rui grew curious about Shui Shui. “Shui Shui, have you ever had this experience?”
Shui Shui: “…”
Shui Shui’s face remained mostly expressionless as he nodded.
When Shui Shui nodded, Ling Rui became even more curious. “What kind of dream did you have?”
Shui Shui: “I don’t really remember.”
Ling Rui didn’t believe him. “How could you not remember a dream like that!”
But Shui Shui stuck to his story, insisting he couldn’t remember.
The two stared at each other for a while. In the end, Ling Rui gave up. “Fine, if you won’t tell me, then don’t. Let’s go eat.”
Since returning, Ling Rui hadn’t had a single hot meal.
As they headed out for a meal, they naturally brought Lian Qing along.
Lian Qing had taken a bath and changed his clothes. When he came out, he looked fresh and clean.
Ling Rui led him to a place outside to eat.
The streets outside had returned to normal. Vendors lined the streets with their stalls again.
Seeing the lively scene, Ling Rui’s eyes filled with a smile.
“It’s great that everyone’s life can go back to normal.”
“You delivered the medicine just in time.”
Shui Shui, walking beside him, said, “Without your medicine, there wouldn’t be as many survivors.”
“I did send the medicine, but you were the one who made the antidote.”
The two of them praised each other, and Lian Qing couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth at the exchange.
They walked to a small inn, where Ling Rui, familiar with the place, found a seat by the window.
The inn wasn’t large, nor was it newly furnished, but it served particularly delicious local dishes.
Ling Rui would be leaving Yanzhou soon.
He wouldn’t have many more chances to enjoy the local cuisine.
“This one, and this one too, I’ll take both.”
Ling Rui ordered some dishes and, while waiting for the food to arrive, said to Lian Qing, “Uncle Lian Qing, the local dishes here are really good. You’ll see for yourself when you try them.”
“Sure, I’ll give them a proper taste.”
As they continued their conversation, a loud crying sound suddenly echoed from not far away, getting closer and closer.
Ling Rui turned his head towards the direction of the sound.
“Aunt Wang?”
After taking a closer look, he realized he recognized the woman causing the commotion.
When Shui Shui saw the woman, his brows immediately furrowed in apparent irritation. He said in a flat tone, “She’s here for you. She must have heard that you’ve returned.”
“What does she want with me?”
Ling Rui was puzzled. “I’m not even that familiar with her.”
Shui Shui succinctly explained, “Her son died. She was lucky and survived after being infected, managing to hold on long enough until I finished the antidote.”
Aunt Wang had narrowly escaped death, but she lost her son, and she had placed the blame for his death on the local government.
“Before you returned, she often came to cause trouble, demanding that we compensate her for her son’s life.”
After Shui Shui finished explaining, he added, “Her mind’s not right.”
Ling Rui listened and concluded that Aunt Wang might have gone mad from the shock of her son’s death.
While they were talking, Aunt Wang broke through the guards’ obstruction and came right in front of Ling Rui.
Her arms were twisted behind her by the guards. Once of average build, she now looked as if she’d been shriveled by time, her face gaunt, her voice harsh and raspy. “You killed my son! It’s your fault!”
“Your son died from the illness. What does his death have to do with me?”
Ling Rui had always taken good care of the people in Yanzhou. He had saved many lives, but he only saved those who wanted to live.
People like Aunt Wang and her son, who practically courted death, were beyond saving.
“It was you! You killed my son! You wouldn’t let us leave! You even maliciously sent people to watch us!”
After Aunt Wang returned home with her son, both her front and back doors had been sealed off, with the entire area cordoned off.
She had wanted to leave her house, but she couldn’t even step outside her own front door!
“What would have happened if you’d gone outside and infected others?”
Ling Rui’s face darkened, his tone stern. “You may not be afraid of death, willing to stay with your son, but others are!”
Ling Rui’s rebuke left no room for leniency.
With someone as stubborn as Aunt Wang, he had no patience for prolonged conversation.
“Take her away.”
Out of patience, Ling Rui ordered the guards, “Send her back home directly, but be careful when you do.”
Given Aunt Wang’s unstable state of mind, Ling Rui worried she might harm someone else.
“Seventh Prince, do you think this is the end of it?!”
As she was dragged away, Aunt Wang’s expression grew crazed. She twisted her head desperately to shout at Ling Rui, “This isn’t over! You will die! Yanzhou will fall! Qi Dynasty will fall!”
Her words made Ling Rui’s face turn even darker.
“Don’t bother sending her home. Take her to the authorities instead.”
Aunt Wang’s outburst had crossed the line of the law.
Just as well—Ling Rui didn’t want her going back and causing more trouble.
“Lock her up for now.”
Ling Rui’s voice was cold. “I’ll deal with it when I have time.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The guards took her away, and none of the onlookers tried to stop them.
The onlookers breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the government had taken action.
Aunt Wang, with her erratic behavior, had scared them whenever they encountered her.
Now that Aunt Wang was no longer causing a disturbance, Ling Rui resumed eating his local specialty dish.
Lian Qing took a bite and found the food a bit too spicy.
“Little Seven.”
While eating, Lian Qing spoke to him, “You certainly have the demeanor of an official now.”
It was the first time Lian Qing had seen Little Seven acting in his official capacity—serious, yet oddly likable.
“I’ve been an official here for quite some time.”
Ling Rui chewed on a spicy chicken leg as he responded, “My older brother says I’m doing a great job as an official.”
Yanzhou’s development in recent years was worlds apart from the past.
The once poor and backward Yanzhou now had prosperous, content citizens, and their spirits were high.
The region’s open-minded culture made life comfortable, and gender equality allowed many women to carve out their own spaces.
Out of the eighteen counties in Yanzhou, two were governed by female magistrates.
Ling Rui’s reforms had silenced those who had once criticized him, leaving them unable to deny the changes Yanzhou had undergone.
“Your brother is right. You’re doing an excellent job as an official.”
On his way here, Lian Qing had seen academies, women’s shelters, and many other initiatives…
The things Little Seven had learned in Guan Shan Residence were truly being put into practice in the outside world.
Among the students from Guan Shan Residence, Lian Qing felt most proud of Little Seven.
“Uncle Lian Qing, do you think Big Boss will praise me when he arrives?”
“He will.”
Lian Qing smiled. “When he arrives, he’ll definitely shower you with praise.”
Ling Rui had never heard his Big Boss praise anyone lavishly before. His eyes curved in anticipation, eagerly awaiting the compliments from his Big Boss.
After finishing their meal, they didn’t rush back.
“There’s a night market tonight. We could take a walk around.”
“Sure.”
It was Lian Qing’s first time in Yanzhou, and he wanted to explore more of the place Little Seven had built with his own hands.
From dusk until the evening lights lit up the streets, they strolled for a long time.
While wandering, they encountered the local Cai Fang Festival.
The Cai Fang Festival was an annual event for young men and women. On this night, men or women would walk the streets, seeking their sweetheart.
They carried flowers they had picked themselves, and if they found someone they fancied, they would offer the flower as a token of affection.
Both men and women had the right to accept or decline the flower.
Once rejected, the person cannot continue to harass. If the harassment persists, the patrolling officers will arrest them and they will face punishment.
As Ling Rui strolled through the streets, he hadn’t expected it to be this particular festival.
Along the way, many people offered him flowers.
The givers were both men and women, each appearing shy and sincere.
Lian Qing watched as Ling Rui received flower after flower, grinning so broadly he could barely contain his laughter.
“Our Little Seven has really grown up.”
Lian Qing remarked, “Just as I thought, he’s quite popular now that he’s older.”
Ling Rui, flustered from all the attention, had a flushed face.
“Uncle Lian Qing, please stop.”
Unable to continue walking due to embarrassment, Ling Rui clutched the items he had just bought from a street vendor, ready to leave. “I don’t want to stroll around anymore. You and Shui Shui go on without me.”
“Don’t leave! Shui Shui doesn’t talk much. If you go, I’ll have no one to talk to.”
“Then let’s all go back together, and I’ll come with you again tomorrow.”
“No way, we’re going to keep walking now.”
Without giving Ling Rui a chance to protest, Lian Qing threw his arm around his shoulders and led him forward.
As they walked side by side, Lian Qing lowered his voice, whispering in Ling Rui’s ear, “Little Seven, some of the people who gave you flowers are quite good-looking. Are you really not interested in getting to know any of them?”
“No, I’m not.”
Ling Rui responded instinctively, “None of them are as good-looking as Ah Wu.”
Lian Qing: “…”
Lian Qing: “You’ve got a point.”
After agreeing with Ling Rui, Lian Qing walked a few more steps.
“Wait a minute.”
Lian Qing suddenly realized something. “How can you compare these people to Ah Wu? These are people who are showing you affection.”
“If you want to pick someone based on Ah Wu’s standards, there aren’t many in the world who could match up.”
Though Ah Wu had a difficult temper, even Lian Qing had to admit that his face was quite extraordinary.
“Uncle Lian Qing, I’m not ready to find a princess yet.”
Ling Rui covered his ears, refusing to discuss romantic matters any further.
He hadn’t even turned sixteen yet—he was still young!
“Why are you covering your ears? Tell your Uncle Lian Qing, what kind of person are you looking for?”
“I’m not saying!”
Although Ling Rui refused to answer, Ah Wu’s face still involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
He shook his head, trying hard to chase Ah Wu’s image away.
Ah Wu treated him like a child, and he absolutely could not be a bad child.
As the two of them bickered along the way, Shui Shui, who accompanied them, silently observed without saying a word.
They wandered through the night, and even though the streets remained lively, Lian Qing eventually grew tired.
Seeing that Lian Qing couldn’t walk anymore, Ling Rui let out a sigh of relief himself.
When they finally returned home, Ling Rui washed up and laid down on his bed, feeling the ache in his legs.
He looked down at his legs, and the next second, with a pop, he transformed back into a small ball of fur.
As a little ball of fur, his legs were shorter, and lying on the bed with his soft round body pressed against his paws was much more comfortable.
Outside the window, it was quiet.
The small ball of fur stared at the window, thinking again of Ah Wu.
Perhaps the stillness of the night made him reflect more deeply. Staring at the moon outside the window for a long while, the small ball softly murmured to himself—
“I’ll definitely fix myself.”
It was just a brief, foolish thought. After a little more time passed and he forgot about it completely, he could go back to being a good little one.
The small ball of fur continued to gaze at the moon, convincing himself. Meanwhile, in the distant Great Qing Palace, Ah Wu received the news of the emperor’s death, but even then, his thoughts wandered to his little one.
Something seemed off when the little one had left.
The little one had secrets.
Ah Wu wanted to find out what was troubling him, but palace matters kept him from leaving for now.
Thinking of the irritating old emperor, Ah Wu furrowed his brow.
“He couldn’t die earlier or later—he had to die now.”
Ah Wu muttered to himself, then made his way to the emperor’s bedchamber.
Before his death, the old emperor made sure to leave one last annoyance for him.
The old emperor’s trusted eunuch, who had served him until his final moments, presented the emperor’s will. The will contained an order to depose the crown prince.
The emperor had left this will behind, and now the distant King Xian was on his way to forcefully take over the palace.
Ah Wu knew that King Xian was coming to seize the throne. In fact, King Xian’s swift arrival was thanks to Ah Wu secretly helping him along.
With King Xian’s arrival, Ah Wu planned to use him to eliminate many of the people who had been a thorn in his side.
Tonight, King Xian would die, and so would those who conspired with him.
There would be no sleep in the palace tonight.
While bloodshed brewed in Ah Wu’s palace, the small white ball in Yanzhou was fast asleep.
The little white ball basked in the moonlight streaming through the window, his fluffy, soft body looking irresistibly touchable.
As night slowly gave way to dawn, the small white ball slept soundly until he woke up naturally. He rubbed his face with his paws, satisfied with the quality of his sleep.
He hadn’t dreamt of Ah Wu again!
He was back to being a good little one!
Feeling refreshed, the small ball rolled around on the bed a few times before sitting up.
“Little Seven, there’s a letter from the capital.”
There was a knock on the door. Shui Shui, who had come to deliver the letter, stood at the doorway. He had intended to knock, but after a few taps, he accidentally pushed the slightly ajar door open.
Seeing the small white ball on the bed, Shui Shui’s eyes lit up for a brief moment.
