He did hear what he was saying, but Ling Chen didn’t understand: “What do you mean by ‘see what happens?”
Ling Rui’s foresight ability was something he couldn’t reveal to anyone except Ah Wu. So, he naturally couldn’t explain it to his big brother either.
He resorted to playing his childhood game of pretending to be a fortune-teller.
“I can calculate whether you’ll get married, Big Brother! And if you do, I can even tell you what your Empress will look like.”
Ling Chen: “…”
Ling Chen had a look on his face as if he was staring at a little fool
He patted his little brother’s head, advising him, “Fortune-telling is nonsense. Don’t believe in such things.”
“Big Brother, I’m very accurate!”
Ling Rui, feeling offended, shook his head, refusing to let his brother pat him. He grabbed Ling Chen’s hand, muttering, “Big Brother, I’m going to calculate it now.”
He had already warned his brother, so this couldn’t count as intruding on his privacy!
Seeing that his brother was determined to “calculate,” Ling Chen simply handed him his hand, making no attempt to pull it back.
“Fine, let’s see what you can calculate for me.”
Once Ling Chen finished speaking, Ling Rui closed his eyes and actually began to “calculate.”
Of course, it wasn’t fortune-telling—it was foresight.
With his eyes closed, Ling Rui quickly saw glimpses of his brother’s future.
The first thing that appeared was a very familiar face, one so familiar that Ling Rui frowned.
He saw his little uncle.
He knew his little uncle had a good relationship with his brother, but he hadn’t expected that their connection would extend so far into Ling Chen’s future.
As more scenes unfolded, Ling Rui saw even more.
He saw how, after years of not taking a wife, Ling Chen faced a rebellion of sorts from the ministers. Some officials even resorted to smashing their heads against pillars to pressure him into marrying an empress.
He witnessed his brother standing in court, finally agreeing to take an empress, but the one he chose—
Was Murong Xu.
When this image flashed before Ling Rui’s eyes, he was as stunned as the ministers in court.
It seemed some officials had already sensed something, and their violent reactions revealed that they knew of this matter. But they adamantly refused to allow it.
They angrily protested that the Qi Dynasty had never had a male empress.
A male empress couldn’t bear a crown prince, so making a man the empress was utterly preposterous!
Even though the candidate was Murong Xu, a war hero who had made great contributions to the dynasty, it was still out of the question.
As the foresight continued, Ling Rui was completely dumbfounded.
His mind was buzzing, like fireworks exploding.
He called out repeatedly, “Ah Wu! Ah Wu!”
Hearing his voice, Ah Wu quickly responded, “Zaizai, I’m here. What’s wrong?”
Ling Rui’s voice trembled, and he could barely speak.
After a long moment of stammering, he finally blurted out, “I—I know who my big brother’s empress is!!!”
Ah Wu: “?”
Ah Wu wasn’t particularly concerned about Ling Chen’s romantic life, but as the emperor of Qi, he had heard some talk about Ling Chen delaying the selection of an empress.
Now, hearing Ling Rui’s declaration, Ah Wu casually asked, “Who is your brother planning to make his empress?”
Ling Rui had the answer on the tip of his tongue but swallowed it back down. He had already been shocked once, so he decided to give Ah Wu a fair warning.
“You’d better prepare yourself mentally.”
Ling Rui took a deep breath and said, “What I’m about to tell you is a very frightening name.”
Ah Wu: “…”
Ah Wu: “Go ahead.”
Ling Rui steeled himself and then suddenly exclaimed, “It’s my uncle!”
His big brother had already chosen to marry their uncle as the empress!
It was terrifying!
Ling Rui solemnly announced the name, fully expecting Ah Wu to be as shocked as he was. But after a moment of silence, Ah Wu had no noticeable reaction.
In a calm voice, Ah Wu simply said, “So it’s your uncle.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui: “Aren’t you shocked?!”
Ah Wu seemed to think for a moment, likely trying to figure out how to appease his upset partner. After a pause, he responded, “Shocked.”
Ling Rui: “I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”
That “shocked” sounded way too perfunctory!
Ling Rui was still shaken by the idea of his uncle becoming empress, so much so that he didn’t even get a chance to see the rest of the foresight.
He cut off his connection with Ah Wu and opened his eyes.
The brothers made eye contact, but Ling Chen still didn’t believe that his younger brother could predict his future marriage.
As a result, Ling Chen remained calm.
Ling Rui looked at him, his face a complex mix of emotions.
“Big Brother.”
Thinking about how his brother disapproved of him and Ah Wu, Ling Rui said sadly, “You’re allowed to light fires, but we common folk can’t light lamps!”
Ling Chen ruffled his hair. “What nonsense are you spouting?”
Ling Rui grabbed his big brother’s large hand and, without any warning, declared, “You’re going to marry my little uncle and make him your empress.”
Ling Chen: “…”
Ling Chen’s hand froze in place.
Ling Rui looked at his brother with wide eyes and asked a soul-searching question, “Big Brother, do you like Uncle?”
Ling Chen’s throat tightened, clearly not expecting this situation at all.
After a few seconds of silence, instead of answering directly, Ling Chen decided to send his little brother away.
“You’ve been back in the palace for a while. It’s time to see Royal Father and your Royal Mother. Go on now; otherwise, they’ll worry about you.”
As he spoke, Ling Chen pushed his little brother out the door.
“Big Brother, we’re not finished talking!”
Ling Rui, who had just been kicked out, stared at the closed door of the study, still wanting to go back inside.
But the young eunuch standing by the door stopped him in time.
“Young Wangye, you should come back later.”
The eunuch wasn’t afraid to block Ling Rui’s path, knowing he was a kind and gentle person.
Ling Rui huffed a couple of times, glanced at the closed door, and finally turned around and left.
Today, he had only seen who the empress was in his brother’s foresight. As for the rest of his brother’s future, he hadn’t had time to see it yet.
“Oh well, I’ll check again next time.”
Ling Rui muttered as he headed to visit his father and mother.
Every time the emperor and Noble Consort Yi saw him, they were overjoyed.
The three of them had a warm meal together and chatted for a while. Once the emperor went to rest, Ling Rui finally headed out.
Now that he was older, he could no longer cling to his parents at bedtime as he used to.
After his father and mother went to rest, he left the palace.
His big brother had mentioned that his Big Boss and Uncle Lian Qing had arrived.
Excited at the thought of seeing his Big Boss, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, Ling Rui could hardly contain himself.
When Uncle Lian Qing wasn’t around, his Big Boss had always been in a bad mood. Seeing him like that made Ling Rui feel sad for him.
But now that his Big Boss and Uncle Lian Qing had reunited, Ling Rui was thrilled to see his Big Boss happy again!
He rushed along the way, practically running, and soon arrived at the inn where Uncle Lian Qing was staying.
As he neared the place, he chose a hidden corner and—poof—transformed into a small, fluffy white ball of fur.
The little fluff ball moved faster on its paws.
Uncle Lian Qing was staying in one of the best rooms at the inn, and the environment was excellent.
Ling Rui, already familiar with the place, skillfully leaped through the window. When he jumped inside, his Big Boss and Uncle Lian Qing were sitting shoulder to shoulder, facing away from him, quietly talking about something.
The little furball landed softly on the ground, making no noise. Carefully, it approached, and in the next second, pounced onto his Big Boss’s back with a squeak.
“Chirp, chirp!”
The little furball’s voice rang in his Big Boss’s ears. His Big Boss’s face darkened as he coldly said, “Let go! You’ve torn my robe!”
The furball, too excited to control its claws, felt guilty for a moment. Then, in an attempt to make amends, it snuggled against Big Boss’s shoulder, rubbing its fur against him as if to apologize.
After being rubbed by the soft fur, his Big Boss’s expression became even more disgusted. He picked up the furball and gave it a little shake.
One looked disdainful, while the other was sheepishly trying to be cute, a sight that made Lian Qing laugh out loud.
“Come here, Little Seven, let me hug you.”
Lian Qing loved cuddling the little fluffball, even though the fluffball had grown into a half-big sized one, he still adored it just as much.
Hearing Lian Qing’s call, Ling Rui quickly turned his little body around and rushed towards him.
But the big boss held down the back of his neck, preventing him from moving forward.
“Chirp!”
The little fluffball, held in place, let out a dissatisfied sound.
After causing a ruckus in the room for a while, the fluffy white ball got tired and flopped onto the floor, lying on its back with all four paws in the air.
Just then, the waiter arrived at the door with the meal delivery.
The big boss went to open the door, while Lian Qing took the chance to pet the fluffball a few more times.
Once the meal was laid out, Ling Rui, who had already eaten earlier, turned back to accompany them for a second round.
“Big boss, I want noodles.”
Ling Rui had only eaten a few bites before feeling full. He stared longingly at the big boss, hoping for some noodles.
The big boss tapped his head, “Always thinking about junk food.”
Though he called it junk food, the big boss still got up to grab a pack of noodles.
“You can eat these dry for now. If you get hungry later at night, I’ll cook you some noodles.”
He handed the noodles to Ling Rui, and seeing the sparkle in his eyes, even the big boss’s expression softened with a hint of amusement.
The three of them ate together, and it felt like time had returned to when they were staying at Guan Shan Residence.
“Big boss, Uncle Lian Qing, I won’t live for much longer, and a lot will happen in Qi Dynasty afterwards.”
Ling Rui revealed what he foresaw to the two of them. He didn’t explain how he knew these things; he simply told them what he knew.
Neither the big boss nor Lian Qing had any doubts about what he said.
“Ah Wu is already investigating the cause, but we don’t know yet if it will be found.”
Ling Rui looked at the men in front of him, his gaze full of trust.
He was seeking help from these two people, and they would not betray his trust.
“Don’t worry, you won’t have a short life.”
The big boss put down his chopsticks, squeezed Ling Rui’s cheek, and though his tone was still indifferent, his words were enough to reassure Ling Rui.
“Mm! I know neither you nor Uncle Lian Qing would let me die.”
Ling Rui smiled with his eyes, letting the big boss pinch his soft cheeks.
After a couple of squeezes, the big boss let go.
Seeing the slight redness on his cheeks, Lian Qing frowned and scolded, “Don’t you know how to control your strength? His face is red from your pinching.”
The big boss raised an eyebrow. “It’s not that I’m heavy-handed, his skin is just soft.”
Ling Rui touched his cheek and nonchalantly said, “It’s okay, Ah Wu pinches my face red all the time. I’m used to it.”
