Receiving the message, Ah Wu stared at the thin letter for a long time.
He had imagined many scenarios of what the little one would do once he sobered up, and this was one of them.
But actually seeing the little one giving up on him and their time together—it made his chest ache dully.
As the night deepened, the candles in the Emperor’s bedchamber burned brightly.
Ah Wu raised his hand and slowly burned the letter to ashes. After a long moment, he closed his eyes, standing like a cold, silent statue.
“Zai Zai…”
He murmured softly, his low voice thick with bitterness he couldn’t hide.
He really was about to lose his little one.
Ah Wu swallowed his pain in the palace, while on the other side, Ling Rui was still discussing with his older brother: “Do you think I should take Pingping and Anan with me when I go out to play? I think they really enjoy going out too.”
Children especially love playing outside, and keeping them cooped up in the mansion all the time would make them feel bored.
Ling Chen didn’t quite agree: “Who brings children to a banquet? Especially since Anan is still so young—it wouldn’t be convenient.”
Pingping could already walk, so it wouldn’t be as difficult to take him out, but Anan was too little, making it inconvenient.
Ling Rui thought about it for a moment and decided, “I’ll ask Pingping if he wants to go out and play.”
Perhaps it was because Ling Rui knew the ending for Pingping in his vision that he couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of affection when he looked at the child.
Seeing how much his younger brother adored children, Ling Chen was quietly pleased.
After all, Ling Chen was still hoping that one day his Little Seven might want a child of his own.
“Do as you wish. Go discuss it with your fourth sister-in-law at the manor.”
“Mm! I’ll go tomorrow!”
True to his word, the next morning Ling Rui headed straight for the manor.
The Fourth Wangfei, born from a humble background, had developed a resilient character.
This time, she had returned to the palace alone with the children, as Ling Hao was still busy outside.
With Qi Dynasty still dealing with external threats, manpower was stretched thin, and Ling Hao couldn’t afford to live the leisurely life of a carefree king just yet.
Ling Rui felt completely at ease visiting the manor. The Fourth Wangfei was always warm and kind to him.
“Little Seven, if you hadn’t come today, I was about to send someone to invite you over.”
When the Fourth Wangfei saw him, it was as if she had seen a savior: “Pingping’s been making a fuss these past two days, insisting on playing with you.”
Little Pingping, the little rascal, was not as soft-tempered as Anan. When he threw a tantrum, it was quite difficult to handle.
Ling Rui, thinking of his sweet little Pingping, couldn’t help but smile, his eyes curving like crescent moons.
“Fourth sister-in-law, that’s exactly what I came to talk about. I want to take Pingping out to play.”
Ling Rui explained about the banquet at the Duke’s residence, and the Fourth Wangfei immediately agreed.
“Of course! Take him with you. That’ll give me some peace and quiet.”
With her blessing, Ling Rui promptly whisked Pingping away.
He did so quietly, though. If Anan saw it, there’d be tears for sure.
“Pingping, this time Uncle’s taking you out to play. Next time, Uncle will take Anan.”
Ling Rui was doing his best to be fair between the two babies. He took Pingping out this time, and next time, he’d take Anan for an outing.
In any case, both of them were his precious little ones, and he doted on them equally.
“Su-su, kiss!”
Pingping, though a little troublemaker at times, could be incredibly sweet when in a good mood. He pouted his rosy lips and planted several kisses on his uncle’s handsome face.
Ling Rui laughed heartily as Pingping showered him with affection.
“Uncle will kiss you back too.”
In return, Ling Rui peppered the soft, fragrant baby with kisses, making him giggle with delight.
The Duke’s residence wasn’t far from the manor. Once they stepped outside, Pingping didn’t want to ride in the carriage, so Ling Rui decided to walk with him to the Duke’s.
There were stalls set up along the street, and Pingping’s little eyes were wide, trying to take everything in.
“Su-su, want!”
“You want a clay figurine? Alright, let’s buy one.”
Little Pingping was curious about everything, and Ling Rui selectively bought him a few toys.
He didn’t buy any snacks, though—he didn’t want to upset the baby’s stomach.
Halfway there, Ling Rui found himself unable to carry all the things they’d bought.
Pingping didn’t want to hand them over to the servants behind them, so Ling Rui simply set him down on the ground, holding his hand as they continued walking.
“Su-su, out, fun!”
“Yes, going out is fun. Uncle will try to take you and Anan out more often.”
The uncle and nephew strolled leisurely down the street when a passing sedan chair stopped beside them.
A soft, gentle voice from inside the sedan asked if they needed a ride.
Ling Rui refused without hesitation.
He didn’t know the lady in the sedan, and he worried that accepting the offer would spark rumors.
After turning down a couple more sedan chairs, Ling Rui and little Pingping finally arrived at the Duke’s residence.
The young master of the Duke’s household had been fond of clinging to Ling Rui since childhood. Though he wasn’t a little kid anymore, he still greeted Ling Rui affectionately.
“Little Seven Big Brother, my big brother isn’t back yet.”
“I know.”
Ling Rui patted the young master on the head, marveling at how much he had grown. “You’ve grown taller again. I bet you’ll be even taller than your brother one day.”
The young master beamed at this, lifting his chin proudly.
“My mother says the same thing—I’ll be very tall!”
While Ling Rui was chatting with the young master, Pingping started to grumble, shaking Ling Rui’s hand, demanding attention.
“Pingping, say hello.”
“No!”
“You mustn’t be rude.”
Though Ling Rui spoiled little Pingping, there were still boundaries.
After a bit of on-the-spot guidance from Ling Rui, Pingping pouted but extended his chubby hand to greet the young master.
The young master, being generous, didn’t mind the little one’s temper.
“Little Seven Big Brother, my mother says many of the young ladies came here today because of you.”
Ling Rui: “?”
Ling Rui was puzzled. “What do you mean, because of me?”
The young master hummed, then honestly revealed what he had overheard.
“Some of the young ladies only came because they heard you’d be here.”
“And County Princess Chongning came too. She rarely leaves her house.”
Ling Rui was becoming more and more confused as he listened. Why would these young ladies be interested in him?
But soon enough, he finally started to piece things together.
Dazed, he muttered, “No way.”
Could it be that these young ladies were here to check him out as a potential match?!
Realizing this, Ling Rui, who was holding Pingping, almost wanted to turn around and leave. But since he was already here, and this was the duchess’s banquet, it would be impossible for him to leave now.
“Little Seven Big Brother, come on, I’ll take you to the back!”
“Hey, wait a minute.”
Ling Rui wanted to get away, but the enthusiastic little young master pulled him straight towards the back.
The young master was walking too fast, and Pingping couldn’t keep up, stumbling and almost falling. Ling Rui had no choice but to pick Pingping up.
Children have so much energy, especially boys around the young master’s age, who was full of it. As they walked, he chatted away.
“Little Seven Big Brother, are you staying in the capital for long this time?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
Ling Rui was currently idle at the palace, but he didn’t want to stay idle forever. His older brothers were all busy with their responsibilities, and he didn’t want to be a salted fish.
After spending a few more days with his parents, he planned to find something to do.
“Little Seven Big Brother, it’d be great if you stayed in the capital for a long time. Then we could play together often.”
“Even if I’m not in the capital, I’ll still send you letters and gifts. By the way, how’s your schooling going?”
“It’s okay, I guess.”
Mentioning studies made even the most energetic child settle down a little.
The young master wasn’t particularly eager to discuss his academic progress, and Ling Rui found his reaction rather amusing.
Soon, they reached the back of the estate.
Apart from the young ladies at the banquet, there were also some young gentlemen.
Ling Rui kept his gaze straight ahead, avoiding any eye contact with the young ladies. He only wanted to have fun with Pingping and had no interest in being part of any matchmaking.
His heart was steadfast; he only had eyes for Ah Wu.
No matter how Ah Wu felt about him, Ling Rui had made up his mind that Ah Wu was the one!
While Ling Rui was lost in thoughts about Ah Wu, his face was full of determination, even under the gaze of many young ladies.
This banquet was merely an excuse for Ling Rui to play with the child, but for Ah Wu, who wasn’t there, it was enough to make his imagination run wild with jealousy.
Ah Wu felt a sharp pang of envy, almost enough to make him want to rush over there. But after a moment’s reflection, he realized he had no right to interfere.
His little one was all grown up. If Ling Rui genuinely wanted to find someone else to be his partner, there was nothing Ah Wu could do to stop him.
Ah Wu sulked, his face darkening. The palace staff, sensing his mood, didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.
While Ah Wu was sulking and frustrated, Ling Rui was happily ignoring all the young ladies, playing ball with Pingping on the grass.
After the banquet, Ling Rui didn’t give the event much thought. He was more focused on asking his older brother to assign him a new post.
Ling Chen had faith in Ling Rui’s abilities, but deciding on the right position for him required careful consideration.
As Ling Chen was contemplating, the news of County Princess Chongning’s bold declaration of love for Ling Rui spread throughout the capital.
County Princess Chongning was known for being very particular about looks, and her interest in Ling Rui was no secret. The moment she heard about the banquet, she assumed Ling Rui was considering marriage and wasn’t going to miss her chance.
With her status as a county princess, it wasn’t difficult for her to arrange meetings with Ling Rui. After being ambushed by Chongning several times, Ling Rui finally couldn’t handle it anymore.
It just so happened that Qi Dynasty was preparing for diplomatic talks with Great Qing, and Ling Rui applied immediately to join the delegation.
Ling Chen eyed him suspiciously. “You’re not just trying to escape Chongning, are you? Don’t tell me this is all just an excuse to see Ah Wu?”
Ling Rui: “…”
Frustrated, Ling Rui sighed. “Chongning gave me another handkerchief today. She said she embroidered mandarin ducks, but I swear, they looked like ducks. No, wait, the point isn’t the ducks. I don’t want her handkerchief, but she keeps forcing it on me!”
“Big brother, please let me leave for a while. If Chongning can’t see me, she’ll probably give up.”
Seeing how pitiful Ling Rui looked, Ling Chen thought for a moment and agreed to let him go.
“You can leave, but don’t you dare stay in Great Qing and never come back.”
Ling Chen reminded him seriously, “Remember, Pingping and Anan are waiting for you to come back.”
“Got it, big brother.”
Ling Rui nodded, showing that he had taken his brother’s words to heart.
After packing his things, he eagerly left with the delegation.
Meanwhile, back in the palace, Ah Wu sat with a cold expression, burning yet another report from Qi Dynasty.
