As soon as Ling Rui said this, both the big boss and Lian Qing sensed something off.
They exchanged a glance and their eyes fell back on Ling Rui.
Lian Qing hesitated and asked, “You and Ah Wu…?”
“I’m with Ah Wu now!”
Ling Rui announced with pride, as if he had been waiting for someone to ask. If it weren’t for the fact that many people couldn’t handle such shocking news, he would have made it public long ago.
Aside from his older brother, Lian Qing and the big boss were the second to know.
Ling Rui looked up at them, expecting a big reaction.
But their expressions barely changed, showing no particular surprise.
The big boss glanced at him indifferently and said in a casual tone, “Oh, now you can cling to him even more justifiably.”
Everyone in Guan Shan Residence knew that Ling Rui was a clingy little guy, especially when it came to Ah Wu.
Now that the two were together, they were bound to get even closer.
“You two being together is nice,” Lian Qing finally said, though without much surprise, but his words were what Ling Rui wanted to hear. “Ah Wu has looked after you since you were little. He’ll treat you well.”
Lian Qing thought for a moment—someone like Ah Wu, who had been cold since childhood, had no one else but Little Seven who could get close to him. They did seem like a fitting pair.
“I’ll treat Ah Wu well too.”
Ling Rui continued, “Big boss, Uncle Lian Qing, when we get married, you both have to come to the wedding!”
Big boss: “…”
The big boss scoffed lightly. “It’s easy for you two to be together, but marriage might not be so simple.”
Marriage was a big deal.
If Ling Rui really wanted to get married, the palace would likely be strongly opposed.
Ling Rui thought about his older brother in the premonitions he had seen and shook his head, completely unbothered.
“I’ll find a way to get married no matter what.”
He slowly changed the topic back. “So, big boss, you can’t let me die. I don’t want to die before I get married.”
Big boss: “…”
The big boss didn’t bother responding to him anymore.
The little guy had just come of age, yet he was already so obsessed with marriage, while he and Lian Qing had been together for so long without rushing into it.
Despite the heavy topics, the meal was an enjoyable one.
They ate and chatted, not bothering with formalities.
Even though some of what Ling Rui had foretold seemed troubling, it wasn’t enough to leave the big boss or Lian Qing feeling helpless.
After the meal, Ling Rui glanced at them and asked hesitantly, “Would you both like to come back to my Royal Residence with me? It’s really beautiful there.”
Ling Rui had a place in the palace, so he rarely stayed in his own Royal residence.
Compared to the inn, the Royal Residence was certainly much nicer.
The big boss immediately got up, gathered his things, and took Lian Qing to the Royal Residence.
As soon as they arrived, a sedan chair pulled up at the gate.
Inside the residence was Pingping, face streaked with tears.
The nanny who had brought him explained, “Little Wangye, when you passed by our residence earlier…”
“The young master heard you had returned and no matter how we tried, we couldn’t calm him down—he insisted on coming over.”
Anan, being younger, had already gone to bed early and missed this visit.
But Pingping, the little troublemaker, was at the age where he was full of energy. The people at the residence couldn’t settle him down, so they went to find the Wangfei.
The Wangfei, upon hearing this, simply waved her hand and had the little troublemaker sent over.
At this moment, the little troublemaker was sitting in the nanny’s arms, stretching his small body as much as he could, tearfully reaching out with his chubby hands to grab Ling Rui.
Seeing this pitiful little baby, Ling Rui quickly took him into his arms.
“Alright, alright, don’t cry.”
Ling Rui wiped away his tears and gave him a kiss on his soft little cheek.
Pingping, still with tears in his eyes, looked sad but also a bit stubborn, “Susu is bad! Don’t want baby.”
This little one definitely had a bit of a temper.
Ling Rui kissed the baby again, patiently explaining, “Uncle didn’t abandon you. Uncle was just busy.”
He figured Pingping must have been looking for him while he was away and couldn’t find him. Ling Rui felt a pang of guilt at the thought of Pingping being upset because of that.
The big boss and Lian Qing, watching from the side, found it a bit amusing to see him comforting the little one.
After a while, Ling Rui suddenly remembered to introduce the baby to the big boss.
“Big boss, look, this is my fourth brother’s baby, his name is Pingping.”
“My fourth brother has another baby named Anan. She’s too young, so she didn’t come.”
After introducing the baby’s name and identity, Ling Rui couldn’t resist looking at the soft little face and proudly asked, “Isn’t our baby just adorable?”
The babies in the Ling family were all even more beautiful than those in the traditional New Year paintings.
The big boss looked at Pingping in Ling Rui’s arms and casually remarked, “Not bad.”
This little one’s features were flawless, far above the average baby. But the big boss still remembered when Ling Rui first came to Guan Shan Residence, dragging his luggage along. His baby fat still hadn’t completely gone away, and yet he was already serious about starting his studies.
Compared to his uncle Ling Rui at that age, Pingping still had a bit of growing to do.
While Ling Rui was talking, Pingping was observing.
After a few seconds, Pingping furrowed his little brow and hugged Ling Rui’s neck tightly, refusing to let him talk to anyone else.
This small action didn’t escape the big boss’s notice.
Raising an eyebrow, the big boss commented, “Another possessive one.”
“Our Pingping isn’t that possessive! He’s actually quite well-behaved—”
Before Ling Rui could finish his sentence, Pingping already used his little hands to forcefully turn Ling Rui’s face towards him.
Ling Rui: “…”
Looking at Pingping’s furrowed brow as he stared back at him, Ling Rui found himself at a loss for words.
The residence was fully equipped with everything.
Even though Ling Rui didn’t stay there often, it was always kept in perfect condition.
Ling Rui took Pingping to sleep in his own room, while the big boss and Lian Qing stayed in a room not far from his.
“Big boss, if you need anything, just let me know.”
Ling Rui personally escorted them to their room before heading back.
The two of them acknowledged him and bid him goodnight.
The moon was already low in the sky—it was quite late by then.
When Ling Rui took Pingping back, he noticed that the little one had already passed the point of being sleepy.
Once a child misses their sleep window, they become full of energy and won’t sleep at all.
Ling Rui played with him for a while, yawning non-stop.
“Pingping, aren’t you tired yet? Uncle is going to fall asleep.”
“No, no sleep!”
Pingping sat on the floor, dragging his toy carriage around and making noise as it scraped across the floor.
Ling Rui tolerated it for a while longer.
Finally, seeing the little troublemaker ready to run off and play again, he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Come here, time for bed.”
Ling Rui forcefully scooped up the restless baby and laid down on the bed with him, holding him tightly. He tried to scare him a bit, “If you don’t close your eyes and go to sleep, uncle is going to leave tomorrow.”
“Uncle will leave, and he won’t take baby with him.”
Pingping: “…”
Holding onto his little toy, Pingping pouted and finally settled down.
And just like that, the two of them fell asleep.
The next morning, after getting Pingping ready, Ling Rui carried him and went to find the big boss.
He had hoped that the big boss and Lian Qing would stay for a few more days, but after only half a day, they were already preparing to leave.
“About what you mentioned yesterday, Lian Qing and I thought about it last night and have some ideas.”
“We’re going to meet with Ah Wu. You stay in the capital and don’t worry.”
The big boss and Lian Qing were going to meet Ah Wu, and Ling Rui wanted to go too. But since he had just returned from seeing Ah Wu, going too frequently didn’t seem appropriate.
“Alright then, you two go ahead.”
Ling Rui held Pingping’s little hand and waved at them, “Make sure you come back. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Mm, we will.”
The big boss and Lian Qing left without hesitation, quick and decisive.
After they left, Ling Rui felt a bit down.
But his mood didn’t last long—Pingping soon distracted him with his endless curiosity.
Pingping’s need to explore was relentless. One moment he was poking around here, the next moment he was crawling into something over there.
Following Pingping around was exhausting, giving Ling Rui a headache.
After a few days of taking care of the baby, Ling Rui was overwhelmed and sent Pingping back to his fourth brother’s residence.
When the fourth Wangfei saw his tired face, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Pingping really wore you out, didn’t he? When your fourth brother returns, I’ll make sure he makes it up to you.”
“Sigh, my mother said that when I was little, I was the same—never able to sit still.”
After looking after Pingping, Ling Rui truly understood how difficult it must have been for his parents to raise him when he was younger.
“These past few days, whenever Pingping wears me out, I go to the study to write letters of gratitude to Father and Mother.”
In the palace, Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi received his letters, and they both read them with great interest.
After a short discussion about Pingping, the topic shifted to Ling Rui’s fourth brother.
The relationship between his fourth brother and his wife was close, and they never hid anything from each other, so the fourth sister-in-law knew all about his affairs, including the battles he was involved in.
“Your fourth brother is in the northern region, and there is much work to be done. He won’t be finished anytime soon.”
The Fourth Wangfei, knowing how much her husband cared for his younger brother, had always treated Ling Rui with kindness and affection.
As they talked, she spoke frankly, treating Ling Rui as someone she could be open with.
“I’ve been following the battles your fourth brother is involved in, as well as those in the areas where your maternal uncle and his forces are stationed.”
“Little Seven, I’ve noticed something. I’m not sure if I’m overthinking it or if something truly unusual is happening.”
“What is it, Fourth Sister-in-law?”
“Well, I’ll just say it directly.”
The Fourth Wangfei stood up and led Ling Rui to a side room, where she showed him a sand table map. She had marked all the areas currently experiencing conflict.
“Little Seven, in recent years, wars have broken out frequently. Large countries like Qi want to annex us, while smaller nations like Yan and Fei have repeatedly united to stir up trouble. Since you’re close to your eldest brother, you probably know the reasons for their unrest.”
“Yes, natural disasters and man-made crises have plagued their countries.”
“Qi Dynasty is wealthy, so they see us as a fat piece of meat.”
What the Fourth Wangfei said was something Ling Rui already knew.
But what she said next was news to him.
“Little Seven, do you know there’s a rumor spreading in secret among those nations?”
“A rumor?” Ling Rui truly had no idea.
The Fourth Wangfei looked at the sand table with a serious expression. “They say that heaven will destroy all other nations, and only Qi Dynasty, blessed with divine protection, will survive.”
“They believe this rumor, so now they want to come and take our divine blessings.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui was momentarily stunned.
It wasn’t that he was full of himself, but it seemed like he might be the so-called divine beast protecting Qi Dynasty.
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