Emperor Ling’s murmured question left Ling Chen stumped. After a moment’s thought, he finally said, “I’ll send someone to Great Qing to find out.”
Without sending someone to investigate, it would be nearly impossible to know what was really happening in Great Qing’s palace.
“Very well,” Emperor Ling agreed and added, “By the way, it’s about time for Little Seven to come back from his travels.”
“Yes, just in time for the Qunqing Banquet,” Ling Chen replied.
The Qunqing Banquet was a grand and lively event. Many of the attendees were young men and women around Ling Rui’s age. Emperor Ling and Ling Chen had arranged for Ling Rui to attend the banquet to give him a chance to interact with others.
Maybe, by meeting people, Ling Rui might take a liking to one of the young ladies.
Ling Chen had no plans to rush his brother, as his own harem remained empty. The banquet was simply an opportunity for Ling Rui to make connections.
After discussing official matters for a while longer, the two talked about Little Seven before falling into silence once again. Eventually, father and son parted ways, each returning to their own palace, each with their own tasks—one focused on retirement, the other on handling state affairs.
Time passed day by day.
For Ling Rui, a month in Great Qing’s palace wasn’t long. As he counted the days, he almost couldn’t bear to finish counting. He didn’t want to leave, so he hesitated to mark the final days.
“Little one, you can stay here as long as you like,” Ah Wu said, noticing Ling Rui’s reluctance to leave. “You can stay in Great Qing’s palace for as long as you want.”
“No, I need to go home,” Ling Rui said with reluctance in his eyes. He shook his head and sighed, “I promised my father I’d return soon.”
If he didn’t go back, his parents and siblings would surely worry.
“I can issue an order,” Ah Wu said, his deep gaze fixed on the young man before him. His tone was casual, but his words were serious. “I can command the Qi Dynasty to send you here, so you can stay with me forever.”
Without a second thought, Ling Rui refused. “That’s not possible.”
After a brief pause, he added, “My father isn’t in good health. I need to spend more time with him.”
Ling Rui wanted to live with Ah Wu, but he also wanted to be with his parents.
Hearing this, Ah Wu responded with a simple “Mm.”
“You can do whatever you wish,” he said. Whether it was staying with his parents or returning to accompany him, Ah Wu would not interfere with Ling Rui’s choices.
“Let’s not talk about this anymore,” Ling Rui said, sensing that the conversation was dampening the mood. He shook his head lightly, steering the topic away.
There wasn’t much to do in the palace, and Ling Rui often accompanied Ah Wu on his duties. Once they finished, the two would go outside the palace to have fun.
They hid their identities and wandered outside the palace, shopping, playing polo, cockfighting—engaging in all sorts of activities.
Their activities were indeed diverse, but during these times, while one was clearly showing affection and pursuing the other, the other remained completely oblivious.
After nearly a month of pursuing, Ling Rui became so frustrated he practically shut himself off.
“Blockhead Ah Wu!”
Ling Rui locked himself alone in his room, sprawled out on the bed in frustration, saying angrily, “I bring you water, feed you, and even stick close to you, and all you do is praise me for being obedient!”
He was furious. All his efforts recently had only led Ah Wu to think that…
He had become more obedient.
While Ling Rui was sulking in his room, Ah Wu, in the neighboring room, was still busy with his duties whenever he could spare a moment.
Being an emperor was no easy task.
To be a qualified emperor, one’s day was extremely tiring.
He had to wake up at around 3 a.m. to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, attend court, and then hold discussions with officials, not finishing until midday.
After lunch, there was still a mountain of work to deal with in the afternoon.
From before dawn until late at night, the workload of an emperor was heavier than anyone else’s.
After ascending the throne, Ah Wu naturally didn’t make it a habit to overwork himself.
He streamlined many of the daily tasks expected of an emperor.
He eliminated paying respects, shortened court meetings, and anyone who dared speak irrelevant nonsense during court only risked angering him.
He didn’t hold discussions with officials frequently either.
If there was something to talk about, they would. If not, silence.
Many unnecessary ceremonial tasks were completely cut out by Ah Wu.
Not only did he simplify his daily schedule, but he also delegated tasks he didn’t need to handle personally.
He was incredibly intelligent and highly capable.
Now, the amount of work he had as emperor was decreasing, yet his governance was improving.
Recently, he had been busy because he wanted to completely finish delegating tasks so he could free up some time to spend with his little one.
Two people in adjoining rooms—one wanting to pursue love, and the other still oblivious to their little one’s intentions.
By the evening, Ah Wu walked over and opened Ling Rui’s door.
“Zai Zai, aren’t you hungry yet?”
At this time, Ling Rui would usually have called him to eat.
Still sprawled out on the bed, Ling Rui heard Ah Wu’s voice but didn’t lift his head, murmuring, “I’m not very hungry right now. You can eat by yourself.”
“I’m not hungry either.”
Ah Wu didn’t go eat alone. Instead, he sat beside Ling Rui.
“Zai Zai, are you feeling unwell?”
“No.”
Ling Rui, lying face down with his face buried in the pillow, seemed determined to suffocate himself. “I’m not unwell. I just didn’t sleep well.”
He hadn’t managed to nap, so he was indeed feeling a bit off.
“Let me check.”
Ah Wu didn’t believe him. “Let me check your temperature.”
As he spoke, Ah Wu reached out, intending to pull him up from the bed.
Ling Rui wasn’t having it.
After two attempts to pull him up, Ling Rui, irritated from lack of sleep, abruptly sat up.
In the process, he pushed Ah Wu’s hand away.
“You want to check my temperature, right? Go ahead and touch.”
Ling Rui leaned his face in closer, offering it to Ah Wu.
Ah Wu was momentarily stunned but instinctively reached out his hand.
In the next second—
Ling Rui moved, but not fast enough.
At the moment he dodged, Ling Rui’s warm lips brushed against the palm of Ah Wu’s hand.
The movement was purely accidental.
Ling Rui froze for a moment himself.
His lips moved as if to say something, but in the end, his ears only turned red, and no words came out.
Ah Wu, who had always thought of his little one as simply growing more obedient, felt something indescribable surge through his chest at that moment—like an electric current, tingling and beyond words.
“Check again.”
Ling Rui wasn’t aware his ears had turned red. Finally finding his voice, he moved his face closer again, this time allowing Ah Wu to touch his face.
His face was a bit warm.
Ling Rui then leaned his neck forward. The temperature there was normal.
“If you’re still worried, you can keep checking.”
Ling Rui stared at Ah Wu without blinking. Despite his red ears, his courage was undeniable.
“No need to check more, your temperature is fine.”
Ah Wu stopped checking, lowering his gaze as his thick lashes obscured the emotions in his eyes.
“Even if you’re fine, it’s time to eat now.”
Ah Wu coaxed him out of bed and led him to eat.
Neither of them mentioned the brief moment earlier when lips had touched palm, like a kiss.
While they were eating, Ah Wu received a letter.
It was from Murong Xu.
He often received letters from Murong Xu, so he wasn’t in a rush to open it right away.
He pocketed the letter and took Ling Rui to a new dining spot.
Ah Wu wasn’t particular about food, but Ling Rui certainly was.
He loved eating all sorts of delicious food!
Ah Wu knew of his love for food, so he often took him out to try different delicacies.
“Ah Wu, here, try this.”
The two had rented a decorated boat, enjoying the view of the river while eating.
The scenery was beautiful, but the person was even more so.
Ling Rui expertly tore off a drumstick from the roasted chicken and handed it to Ah Wu.
He wasn’t possessive over food at all. He was happy to share the things he loved with others.
They enjoyed their meal, accompanied by a gentle breeze.
Ling Rui squinted his eyes contentedly and, in this moment of comfort, opened the letter his uncle had sent him.
After reading it, Ling Rui’s expression changed. His good mood vanished, and he no longer felt at ease.
“I need to go find my little uncle.”
Holding the freshly read letter, Ling Rui stood up immediately.
His reaction to the letter was a bit extreme, and Ah Wu frowned, taking the letter from his hand.
Ah Wu quickly scanned it and immediately understood why Zai Zai was upset.
Ever since Ling Chen became emperor of the Qi Dynasty, the once declining empire had slowly begun to recover.
Ling Rui, being a diligent student from Guan Shan Residence, had even made significant contributions to the economic growth of Qi.
The government had been reformed, the economy had improved.
Everything seemed to be going well, except for one thing that couldn’t be fixed overnight—
The military, the soldiers.
Qi Dynasty was desperately lacking in capable soldiers and fearless troops.
Now, skilled soldiers were becoming even rarer.
Ling Rui’s uncle, a rare and talented young general, had encountered a significant problem.
At Jia Shen Pass, where he was stationed, they had been facing repeated troubles in battle.
“Ah Wu, I need to go to my little uncle.”
Ling Rui had lost his appetite; his concern for his uncle was overwhelming.
Ah Wu understood his worry, so he didn’t try to stop him.
“I’ll have the boat dock.”
As he spoke, Ah Wu handed the chicken leg in his hand to Ling Rui.
“It will take some time for the boat to dock, so eat first. It’ll make the journey to your uncle easier.”
“Okay!”
Ling Rui, now preoccupied with thoughts of his uncle, took the chicken leg and quickly devoured it.
By the time he was full, the boat had docked.
Ling Rui jumped off the boat, his feet landing firmly on the shore.
He waved to Ah Wu, “Ah Wu, I’ll follow the map! No need to see me off!”
