Without hesitation, Ah Wu stood up to follow.
But Ling Rui, glancing at their unfinished food, hesitated.
“Wait.”
He looked out the window and saw a beggar child dressed in tattered clothes, thin and malnourished.
“Waiter, could you send this food to them?” Ling Rui pointed at the child outside, asking the waiter to give the leftover food to them.
Since he and Ah Wu hadn’t mixed the dishes while eating, the food still looked clean and presentable.
The waiter, being attentive, quickly followed his instructions.
Soon, the beggar child on the roadside received the food and devoured it hungrily. Ling Rui’s face darkened slightly as he watched.
Compared to the Qi Dynasty, the difference here was striking.
“Are we leaving, Zai Zai?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
Ling Rui withdrew his gaze and reached out to hold Ah Wu’s hand.
Once outside, he found a secluded spot and reverted to his original form.
Ah Wu didn’t change—his original form was too large.
“Ah Wu, wait here for me,” Ling Rui said as he transformed into a small white ball, rubbing against Ah Wu’s leg. “If you get bored, you can wander around and help me buy some candy.”
“Alright.”
Ah Wu accepted the candy-buying task, bent down to pat him, and then walked away.
The small ball watched him leave, then hopped up onto the courtyard wall.
The two men who were gossiping earlier had gone into the courtyard.
The small ball didn’t have to wander long before he found them, sitting in a pavilion with wine and some snacks on the table.
They had just sat down, and their wine cups were still mostly full.
Behind the pavilion, there was a natural screen of plants.
The small ball hid behind the foliage and laid down, his round eyes fixated on the two men in the pavilion.
After some idle chatter, they returned to their earlier topic of gossip.
“Ah, the Qi Dynasty used to be like us, just a small and weak country. But look at us now—we’re worlds apart.”
“Well, it’s no surprise. The Qi Dynasty has divine protection.”
They sighed, clinked their wine cups together, and continued talking.
“Brother Zhao, what I’m about to tell you is confidential. Don’t spread it around.”
“Don’t worry, I’m good at keeping secrets. Just say it.”
“Brother Zhao, I recently heard that the Qi Dynasty’s auspicious sign not only protects the dynasty but also extends its blessing to those who submit to them… and their nations.”
“I have a connection with Shun Gonggong from the palace, and he told me that Third Wangye had a big argument with the emperor this morning in court.”
“He wants the emperor to submit to the Qi Dynasty, to save our people.”
The desperate situation in their country was obvious to anyone who wasn’t blind.
The people had no hope, and life was getting harder day by day.
If things continued like this, their nation was doomed.
Third Wangye’s proposal was a chance to save countless citizens.
Surrendering to the Qi Dynasty might be humiliating for the emperor, but for the people, it could mean survival.
After all, didn’t the Qi Dynasty itself once rely on the Great Qing Empire when it was weak?
If the Qi Dynasty could do it, why couldn’t they?
As the two men grew more impassioned, they voiced a common question.
“What exactly is this ‘auspicious sign’ of the Qi Dynasty?”
“I don’t know.”
The other man, holding his wine cup, looked puzzled. “Could it be a phoenix? Or perhaps some kind of artifact?”
They speculated but couldn’t figure out what it was.
Ling Rui, who had been listening, yawned.
These two were talking too much nonsense. By now, their conversation wasn’t even worth listening to.
Not wanting to stay any longer, the little ball shook his fur and stood up.
As he did, he accidentally rustled some leaves. The two men, hearing the noise, glanced over, but seeing only a small white ball, they assumed it was a cat and paid it no further attention.
The little white ball dashed away in a flash, giving them no chance to get a clear look.
After jumping down from the courtyard wall, the small white ball stayed close to the walls as he went off to find Ah Wu.
Ah Wu had not only bought candy but also some pastries and other snacks.
When the small white ball spotted him, he leapt straight into Ah Wu’s arms, letting him carry him as they strolled around the city.
The candy that Ah Wu bought was shared with many children. The candy was sweet and full of energy, and the children’s eyes sparkled as they ate.
After wandering around the city for half a day, the small white ball grew tired.
“Ah Wu, let’s go back to the inn.”
“Alright.”
They headed back together, and once there, Ling Rui didn’t rest.
He gathered a large pile of old books. Besides the old books, he also wrote letters to Lian Qing and Big Boss, asking them to send him more books.
He wanted to see if he could learn from these books whether he could protect the nations that submitted to the Qi Dynasty.
“Zai Zai, you can’t perform blessings anymore.”
Ah Wu, sitting beside Ling Rui and keeping him company while he read, became alert when he noticed Ling Rui staring blankly, deep in thought, with his book left untouched.
Ling Rui was indeed contemplating a third blessing.
But if he completed the third blessing, what would happen to his sick father?
Ling Rui hadn’t voiced this yet, but he had already made up his mind—if his father’s health deteriorated further, he would still pray for him.
Faced with the choice between saving all the people and saving his father, Ling Rui couldn’t make a saintly decision and choose the former without hesitation.
He had compassion for the people, but for his father, he felt an even deeper love.
“Zai Zai, did you hear me?”
Ah Wu pinched Ling Rui’s cheek, pulling him out of his thoughts.
“Mm, I understand,” Ling Rui replied, though his gaze was still a bit distant.
Ling Rui had promised Dun Dun he would give him a clear answer, but now, without having done so, word of Dun Dun’s conversation with the emperor had already spread.
Ling Rui had been the first to know the conversation was spreading, and instead of stopping it, he had even fanned the flames a little.
In the future, many nations would unite to attack the Qi Dynasty.
For now, every additional nation that submitted to the Qi Dynasty would slightly reduce the future crisis it faced.
Ling Rui’s actions were effective.
After another natural disaster, Dun Dun’s attempt to persuade the emperor failed, and their relationship reached a breaking point.
The emperor’s tolerance for Dun Dun had also reached its limit.
With tensions rising, the emperor targeted Dun Dun’s fiancée, knowing how much Dun Dun cared for her. The emperor wanted to make Dun Dun suffer and to remind him that his imperial power was untouchable.
But Dun Dun wasn’t one to back down easily. In fact, those who came out of Guan Shan Residence were never soft.
Dun Dun’s retaliation was far harsher than the emperor had anticipated.
He seized the throne.
After taking the throne, Dun Dun vigorously pushed forward new policies and also sent a letter of submission to the Qi Dynasty.
Dun Dun’s small nation was the first to pledge allegiance to the Qi Dynasty.
Ling Rui stayed with Dun Dun for quite a while, offering numerous suggestions to improve the lives of the people.
Before leaving, Ling Rui even gave Dun Dun a booklet he had written himself.
Dun Dun, clutching the booklet, was deeply moved.
After his time with Dun Dun, Ling Rui moved on to his next destination.
He reunited with old friends like Jiujiu, Teng Liang, and Zhai Bai, one by one.
Ling Rui was overjoyed to see his old friends again.
Ah Wu accompanied him most of the time, though occasionally he would leave.
Ling Rui wasn’t too sad when Ah Wu left. “Go on, I’ll be fine on my own.”
Since he often met up with his friends now, he didn’t feel lonely.
When Ah Wu was around, they often stayed up late, which Ling Rui, feeling young, believed wasn’t good for his health.
So, to take care of himself, he thought it was necessary to have some time apart from Ah Wu.
Ah Wu raised an eyebrow slightly and asked the little one who was waving him off, “Zai Zai, will you miss me when I’m gone?”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui: “Probably.”
Once he got used to being alone and didn’t feel uncomfortable anymore, he figured he might start to miss Ah Wu.
But for now, he didn’t really miss him that much.
There wasn’t much sorrow in their parting.
Ah Wu pinched his soft cheek again, offering a low reminder, “Be careful out there. If you run into danger, hide immediately. Wait for me to come back.”
“Okay!”
Ling Rui agreed sweetly, though who knows if he would still be so obedient after Ah Wu left.
Ah Wu repeated his reminders several times, and Ling Rui answered them all obediently.
When it was finally time, Ling Rui tilted his head up and gave Ah Wu’s handsome face several pecks before sending him off.
“Ah Wu, goodbye!”
After saying goodbye, Ling Rui waved and watched as Ah Wu disappeared from sight.
As soon as Ah Wu was gone, Ling Rui quickly left as well.
The rumors about the Qi Dynasty’s auspicious sign granting protection to those who submitted were spreading wider and wider. Some believed it, while others didn’t.
Some people were even digging deeper, trying to uncover the true nature of the Qi Dynasty’s auspicious sign.
Ling Rui continued discussing these rumors with his friends. Though not many of his friends had become emperors, they all had a sense of compassion for the people.
“Little Seven, right now the Qi Dynasty and Great Qing have the largest and most rapidly expanding territories.”
“You must be careful.”
Some small nations were willingly submitting to the Qi Dynasty in hopes of gaining the protection of the auspicious sign.
But others, unwilling to give in, tried to scheme against the Qi Dynasty, leading Great Qing to send troops several times. All those who attempted to crush the Qi Dynasty through force were eventually crushed by Great Qing’s armies instead.
The nations crushed by Great Qing naturally became part of its territory.
For a time, it seemed like the entire world was being redrawn.
Ling Rui was busy with his affairs, so much so that his feet barely touched the ground.
While he was out, the elders in the Qi Dynasty’s palace were still thinking of him.
After finishing another journey, Ling Rui made time to return to the capital of Qi Dynasty.
He had been away too long this time and missed his family.
When word got out that he was returning, someone was sent to greet him at the city gate.
The steward sent by the Fourth Wangfei arrived in a carriage, bringing along two little ones, waiting anxiously at the gate of the capital.
The two babies had grown quite a bit during this time. Anan was now babbling and could say even more words.
Pingping, dressed in brightly colored clothes, had a round little face with equally round eyes.
Holding a toy, he stood next to his sister, speaking in a childishly deep voice, “Anan, when Susu comes back, we have to be good.”
Their mother had told him that he was no longer a two-year-old baby but a three-year-old now.
He had grown up and matured; he had to be serious in front of his uncle!
