“No reconsidering.”
Although Ling Rui’s face didn’t look very happy, he still shook his head firmly in response to his older brother’s advice.
Ling Chen grabbed his face, stopping him from shaking his head.
“Big brother, the person I like is Ah Wu!”
Ling Rui couldn’t shake his head anymore, but he could still speak, so he loudly declared to Ling Chen that he liked Ah Wu.
Ling Chen: “…”
Ling Chen: “I didn’t hear that.”
Hearing this, Ling Rui mustered his strength and repeated, “I like Ah Wu!”
Ling Chen continued pretending, “I can’t hear you. Enough, stop saying it.”
“I like Ah Wu, I like Ah Wu! Big brother, you can hear me!”
Ling Rui’s beautiful eyes stared unblinkingly at his big brother, determined not to stop until he admitted he heard him.
The brothers were at a standoff.
Fortunately, Pingping and Anan distracted them just in time. One baby, upset at being ignored by the adults, threw away their toy, while the other opened their mouth and began biting Ling Chen’s hand with their two little baby teeth.
“No biting.”
Seeing Anan chewing on Ling Chen’s hand, Ling Rui moved Anan’s face away and offered his finger to test it out.
“Our Anan must be hungry.”
Anan opened her mouth for Ling Rui’s finger, confirming her hunger.
Ling Rui handed Anan to the nanny, asking her to feed the baby.
Pingping, who loved to compete, opened his mouth for food too as soon as he saw Anan eating.
With both babies eating, Ling Rui wanted to continue talking with his brother, but before he could, Ling Chen stood up, using unfinished official business as an excuse to leave.
“Big brother, I’ll come find you later to talk!” Ling Rui called after him.
Ling Rui had told his big brother first about his feelings for Ah Wu. Now that there were issues between him and Ah Wu, naturally, he needed to discuss it with his big brother.
Ling Chen hurried his steps, not only ignoring his brother but not even turning around to look back.
The little one raised so carefully in the palace—there was no way Ling Chen would let him leave.
Ling Chen quickly walked out of the garden, while Ling Rui, resting his chin in his hands, watched his big brother’s retreating figure. He had already made up his mind that tonight he would bring Pingping and Anan to sleep with him and his big brother.
Taking care of little kids could be both simple and complicated.
Ling Rui didn’t even notice how quickly time passed. After taking the two sleepy babies to visit Consort De, he then joined the emperor and Noble Consort Yi for dinner before heading to Ling Chen’s palace.
“Big brother, have you eaten yet?”
As soon as he arrived, Ling Rui worriedly asked his brother.
In the past, when his big brother was too busy, he would often neglect his meals. It wasn’t until Shui Shui checked his health and pointed it out that Ling Rui even realized.
Ever since Shui Shui mentioned it, everyone in the palace had been paying extra attention to Ling Chen’s diet.
With all the coaxing and reminders, Ling Chen finally started eating properly.
He pushed a bowl of fruit toward Ling Rui. “I just ate. Now I’m having some fruit. Do you want to try some? It’s pretty sweet.”
Ling Rui looked at the fruit and was surprised to see a red hawthorn fruit. “Big brother, isn’t this one of the special supply fruits? I’ve only had it at our uncle’s place. It’s pretty rare.”
The red hawthorn grew in the borderlands and was very rare and hard to come by.
Ling Chen raised an eyebrow but didn’t explain how he got it. Instead, he fed the small fruit to his younger brother. “If you like it, eat more. I have plenty.”
The hawthorn was very sweet. After eating one, Ling Rui took another and fed it to Pingping and Anan, who were already drooling.
“You two little greedy ones.”
Ling Rui fed Pingping two, but only let Anan taste a little since she was too young to eat as much as her brother.
Before long, the brothers were each holding a baby.
With Ling Rui and the babies around, Ling Chen had no chance to get any work done.
After washing up, they sat on the imperial bed. Pingping was fascinated by the dragon embroidered on Ling Chen’s robe. He grabbed the golden dragon stitching with his little hands, babbling about how pretty it was.
Ling Chen pinched his little face, smiling. “You like the dragon on my robe so much? Tomorrow, uncle will have one made for you too. How about that?”
Pingping tried to understand his uncle’s words and eventually opened his mouth and pointed to the majestic dragon, saying, “Want!”
He wanted a dragon!
Ling Chen smiled and agreed.
Hearing their conversation, Ling Rui couldn’t avoid thinking about his vision, where Pingping received the crown prince’s title.
In the vision, Pingping was already a teenager by then—handsome, tall, and brimming with the strength befitting a crown prince.
Yet, despite his brilliance, that young crown prince met an untimely death, far from home.
Ling Rui couldn’t shake his concern. His cheerful expression disappeared as he hugged Pingping tightly, feeling the warmth of the little boy’s body. It was the only thing that eased his mind. Pingping was still small, and Ling Rui still had time to change his fate.
“Big brother,” Ling Rui asked, unable to hold back, “why don’t you have a crown prince?”
Ling Chen: “?”
Ling Chen was taken aback. “What?”
Ling Rui looked at his older brother, who, despite talking about focusing on his career, hadn’t had a crown prince all his life. He seriously suspected that his big brother might make Pingping the crown prince simply because he had no wife or children of his own.
Elder brother’s health was impeccable—Shui Shui had confirmed that everything was completely normal.
Since his health was normal, there was no way he wouldn’t have children once he got married.
“Big brother, do you not plan on getting married? Or is it that the person you like…”
Ling Rui wanted to ask if his elder brother liked someone who couldn’t have children, but such a question felt too inappropriate to ask.
For a moment, his face scrunched up in conflict.
While Ling Rui was still conflicted, Ling Chen realized what he had just said.
The air suddenly grew quiet.
Ling Chen didn’t speak. His silence meant he couldn’t refute it. Indeed, he would never be able to have a crown prince in this life.
After a brief silence, Ling Chen cleared his throat and spoke.
“Even if I don’t have children, with Pingping around, and Ling Fu’s children as well, among them, there will surely be some exceptional ones. When the time comes, I can hand Qi Dynasty over to them.”
They all carried royal blood, and Ling Chen didn’t mind stepping aside when the time came.
Upon hearing that his older brother truly had such a plan, Ling Rui narrowed his eyes. “Big brother, why do I feel like there’s something wrong with the person you like?”
Ling Chen smiled but still refused to say much to his younger brother.
“Alright, it’s getting late. Pingping and Anan shouldn’t stay up late. Let’s get some sleep.”
“Big brother, don’t keep all your worries to yourself. You can talk to me about anything.”
Ling Rui, holding Pingping and Anan, obediently laid on the dragon bed and said to his older brother, “I’ll help share your burdens.”
“Mm, big brother knows.”
Ling Chen gently patted his head, speaking in his usual soft tone, “But big brother doesn’t need you to worry about anything. I just want you to be happy.”
“I can only be happy if you’re doing well, big brother.”
“And the same for me.”
Ling Chen’s low, gentle voice expressed his care for his younger brother: “As long as you’re well, big brother will be happy too.”
The brothers spoke softly, but the two babies pricked up their little ears, listening intently.
They might not understand what their uncles were talking about, but they could surely feel the warmth between them.
Babies love listening to adult conversations.
Even though they were small, they were still interested in gossip.
Ling Rui had long since noticed this, so he lowered his voice and chatted casually with his older brother.
Their topics jumped from one to another.
As they listened, the two babies with their wide, round eyes gradually started yawning.
After a while, Ling Rui whispered, “Big brother, sleep now.”
Both babies had fallen asleep.
Since Ling Chen had to attend court in the morning, he didn’t continue chatting with Ling Rui once the babies were asleep.
The two brothers, along with the two chubby babies, slept peacefully and harmoniously on the dragon bed.
These warm days of caring for the babies didn’t last long before the Fourth Wangfei returned.
The Fourth Wangfei came to the palace to pick up the babies. Seeing their mother, the two little ones happily stretched out their arms for a hug.
But after sticking to their mother for a while, when they realized she was taking them away but their uncle wasn’t coming with them, they were stunned.
“Su-su, home! Home!”
Pingping pointed at Ling Rui, wanting him to go home with them.
The Fourth Wangfei held his little hand, coaxing him, “Be good, Pingping. Your uncle’s home is here. If you miss him, he can come visit you in a few days, alright?”
“No!”
Pingping’s little face stiffened—he insisted that his uncle come home with him.
At first, the Fourth Wangfei patiently tried to soothe him, but when it didn’t work, she could only let the two babies cry.
Despite their heart-wrenching tears, they couldn’t bring their uncle home with them.
Ling Rui watched the babies’ tear-streaked faces from behind, feeling incredibly sad.
But as much as it hurt, he couldn’t stay at his sister-in-law’s residence.
After the babies left, Ling Rui felt deflated.
Without the little ones by his side, his thoughts involuntarily drifted back to his last conversation with Ah Wu.
Since that conversation, he hadn’t sought out Ah Wu again.
He had written letters to Ah Wu, but not a single one had been sent.
Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi, seeing their child looking so dejected day after day, were puzzled.
“Isn’t there a banquet at the Duke’s residence? I heard it’s for young people. Why not let Little Seven go and have some fun? It seems he’s grown tired of staying in the palace.”
“That’s a good idea. Young people should get out and enjoy themselves.”
News of Ling Rui attending the banquet quickly spread, and the daughters of noble families began preparing meticulously.
Everyone knew that the Seventh Prince was unparalleled in appearance and exceptional in both character and ability. The most valuable thing was that he wasn’t yet engaged, nor did he have any concubines.
For young women ready to marry, how could they not feel a bit of anticipation for such a prince?
What was supposed to be a simple banquet now quietly took on a hint of matchmaking.
Ling Rui was completely unaware of this, his mind occupied with how to break the deadlock between himself and Ah Wu.
While he remained unaware, secret agents in the city’s taverns reported everything to their master—the Emperor of Great Qing, Huo Qinwu.
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