Just as Pingping was talking about how grown-up he was in front of his sister, he spotted his little uncle, whom he hadn’t seen for over half a year. His chubby face froze for a moment.
The next second, his lips quivered, and with teary eyes, he rushed over.
“Susu!”
“Baby!”
Two voices rang out simultaneously, and in the next moment, a big and small figure embraced.
Ling Rui hadn’t held his soft little Pingping in so long that he scooped him up and kissed him several times.
Pingping giggled from all the kisses.
After kissing Pingping, Ling Rui brought Anan into his arms as well.
One-year-old Anan had chubby cheeks.
“Babies, Uncle missed you so much!”
Ling Rui played affectionately with the two little ones for quite some time before calming down.
The guards who had come to pick him up didn’t rush them, waiting patiently until they had finished their cuddles before inviting them onto the carriage.
Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi were still in the palace, waiting for them.
The two little ones clung to their uncle, determined to follow him into the palace.
On the way, Ling Rui handed them the little gifts he had brought back.
“These are toys that are very popular outside. See if you like them.”
“We like them!”
Pingping was very excited about the gifts from his uncle.
As they approached the palace, they had to pass by Ling Fu’s residence.
Ling Rui paused briefly at the gate.
Ling Fu and Yuan Yuan had also had babies, a pair of twins who were not even six months old.
Ling Rui had yet to meet them.
“Little brother and sister are lazy,” Pingping, who had already met the twins, commented. He declared that both the little ones were lazy.
“They always sleep, and when I visit, they don’t pay attention to me.”
“Your little brother and sister are still very small. They love to sleep because they are growing,” Ling Rui explained.
He peeked in and saw that the two little ones were indeed fast asleep in their cradle, just as Pingping had said.
Ling Fu, overjoyed with his twins, was beaming.
“Little Seven, aren’t my babies adorable? Look at their little noses and mouths, so cute.”
Though Ling Fu occasionally let himself go and gained weight, he still had good features.
Both he and Yuan Yuan were good-looking, so naturally, their babies were, too.
Three-year-old Pingping reached out to touch his baby siblings’ cheeks and declared seriously, “So cute!”
Although they were lazy, they were definitely adorable!
After lingering at Ling Fu’s place for a while, Ling Rui took the two little ones into the palace.
Inside the palace, Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi had just sent off County Princess Chongning. As they sat across from each other, their expressions were somewhat complicated.
“Chongning still hasn’t given up. Little Seven will have a headache if he runs into her again,” the emperor sighed as he thought about his son’s situation.
“Yi Er, tell me, what kind of person does Little Seven like? It’s been so long, and he still hasn’t brought anyone back for us to meet.”
The emperor’s sigh fell on Noble Consort Yi’s ears, causing her to frown slightly.
Clutching the handkerchief in her hand, she hesitated for a long moment before finally asking, “If the person Little Seven likes is someone we can’t accept, what will you do then?”
Her question puzzled the emperor even more.
“As long as Little Seven loves them, I’ll accept them,” he replied.
Among his sons, aside from Old Three, who had poor health and wasn’t suited for marriage, the emperor’s biggest headache was Little Seven and the eldest.
The eldest was fully focused on politics and firmly believed that beauty would be his downfall, refusing to let himself get distracted.
Little Seven, on the other hand, had someone he liked, but despite all this time, he still hadn’t brought them to the palace.
The emperor found it more and more troubling.
“At Little Seven’s age, Ling Fu had already taken a wife.”
The emperor sighed again, thinking of his two sons who already had children. “I wonder how long Little Seven will delay getting married.”
“Let the children handle their own affairs,” Noble Consort Yi consoled him. “We don’t need to interfere.”
While the two of them talked in the palace, Ling Rui, who had just entered, ran into County Princess Chongning on a side path.
The moment Chongning saw him, her face lit up with a smile.
“Seventh Brother!”
In terms of family ties, Chongning should indeed call Ling Rui “Older Brother.”
But Ling Rui always felt the urge to run whenever he heard her call him “Seventh Brother.”
“Seventh Brother, are you leaving again after this visit?”
Chongning smiled sweetly. “I recently got a rare fish, and it tastes amazing when cooked. I’ve saved some just for you. When will you come to try it?”
Chongning continued speaking one sentence after another, and Ling Rui patiently listened until she finished before politely declining, “I’ll only be here for a short while and will leave soon. Since that fish is so rare, you should share it with someone who can appreciate it. I’m not good at that, so I won’t eat it.”
“What do you mean you can’t appreciate it? I only want to give it to you.”
Seeing that Chongning was becoming more direct, Ling Rui reminded her again, “Chongning, I already have someone I care about. So, I really can’t eat your fish, or else that person will get jealous.”
“Someone you care about?”
Chongning had heard this before, but she wasn’t bothered by it. “The person you care about is not in this capital, right?”
She had investigated all the women in the capital and found no one connected to Ling Rui. She had also looked into families of good standing beyond the capital.
“Seventh Brother, could the person you like be an ordinary woman with no status? If that’s the case, I don’t mind. I can allow you to take her as a concubine. For an ordinary woman to marry into royalty as a concubine would be quite respectable.”
“Chongning.”
When Ling Rui heard the word “concubine,” his face darkened. He had always been tolerant of Chongning and had been clear in his past rejections, but had never spoken harshly.
At this moment, he no longer cared about saving face. With a cold expression, he said slowly, “The person I love is someone I want to be my partner for life. Other than them, I will never allow anyone else by my side. If you don’t respect that, don’t blame me for turning my back on you.”
“And one more thing: I don’t like you. I don’t like talking to you or meeting you. From now on, if we run into each other, let’s just pretend we don’t know each other.”
Ling Rui had always appeared as the most polite, well-behaved, and charming young prince in the eyes of others. The words he now spoke left Chongning completely stunned.
“Seventh Brother, you—you—”
Chongning stared at Ling Rui in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock. She was so taken aback that she couldn’t form a proper response.
Ling Rui didn’t bother looking at her again. He simply picked up Anan, held Pingping’s hand, and continued walking.
Ling Rui’s outburst left the two babies dazed.
“Susu, here.”
Pingping reached into his pocket and pulled out a candy, offering it to Ling Rui. “It’s sweet.”
Ling Rui unwrapped the candy and put it in Pingping’s mouth.
“Pingping, don’t worry. Uncle’s not mad anymore.”
Ling Rui crouched down, smiled at the two little ones, and his dimples reappeared as he grinned. Pingping, with the candy in his mouth, reached out and poked at one of his uncle’s dimples.
“Uncle’s not angry.”
Pingping’s round little face relaxed as he smiled, his eyes squinting with happiness.
The uncle and nephews smiled at each other, both looking content.
Not far away, Chongning watched this scene, biting her lip, her hands clenched into fists.
“Alright, let’s go have a meal. I’m sure there’s lots of good food waiting for us.”
“Yeah!”
Ling Rui, with the two little ones in tow, walked forward without looking back.
Before long, they arrived at the palace where Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi were waiting.
As expected, the palace had already prepared all of Ling Rui’s favorite dishes.
Both the emperor and Noble Consort Yi hadn’t seen him in a long time, so when they did, they carefully examined him from head to toe.
“You’ve lost weight.”
The emperor and Noble Consort Yi said in unison.
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui pinched the soft flesh on his cheeks and asked, exasperated, “Dad, do you really think this is what being skinny looks like?”
Even though he had been away for a long time, traveling through different nations, he hadn’t suffered at all.
His former companions had all been kind to him.
And there was Ah Wu, who often kept him company.
Big Boss and Lian Qing had also spent plenty of time with him.
Ling Rui had discussed many ideas about future events with Ah Wu and the Big Boss. Although he didn’t explicitly state that those ideas came from his foresight, with the intelligence of Big Boss and Lian Qing, it wasn’t hard for them to figure it out.
Their current goals were clear.
First, unify the various nations ahead of time.
Second, catch the person or organization secretly stirring up trouble.
The Qi Dynasty and the auspicious signs had attracted disaster. They discovered that this disaster had been deliberately orchestrated by someone.
One of the masterminds was Zhang Feng, who had once injured Lian Qing and caused him and Big Boss to be separated for years.
This person was good at hiding, knowing that being caught would lead to severe consequences, so he was very careful in his escape.
Though he remained hidden, Big Boss had already found some clues.
In time, he would surely be caught.
Ling Rui didn’t discuss too many of these matters with his parents. Now that he was back in the palace, he only chatted with them about family matters.
Pingping and Anan sat on their little stools, with Anan’s stool being just the right size to hold her small body.
Both babies clutched snacks in their hands, occasionally chiming in like little adults as they joined in the family conversation.
After a while, Shui Shui came to find Ling Rui.
“Here’s what you asked for.”
Shui Shui handed him a small jade bottle.
Ling Rui blinked.
Shui Shui continued, “If your father gets too worked up and faints, give him this. It’ll revive him.”
Ling Rui: “!”
Ling Rui hugged Shui Shui and cheered, “Shui Shui, you’re amazing!”
Listening to his flattery, Shui Shui handed him a few more small jade bottles.
“These are for… well, let’s say they’ll add some excitement. You and Ah Wu can use them.”
Ling Rui: “!”
Ling Rui’s face turned slightly red.
He stammered, “We… we don’t really need those.”
He and Ah Wu didn’t need any extra help; they slept just fine.
“This is good for your health.”
Shui Shui explained the benefits in more detail, causing Ling Rui’s face to flush as he shyly accepted the items.
“Shui Shui, thank you.”
Since Shui Shui had given him so many things, Ling Rui naturally expressed his gratitude.
Shui Shui didn’t need his thanks and, after giving him a quick hug, turned to leave.
Ling Rui knew Shui Shui was busy, so he waved his hand and called out from behind, “Shui Shui, I’ll come find you tonight!”
He had a close relationship with Shui Shui, often visiting him at night.
After Shui Shui left, Ling Rui returned and happened to overhear his father and mother discussing Chongning.
“Father, Mother, it’s impossible between Chongning and me. You both know I’m already in a relationship.”
“Who is this person you’re with?” Emperor Ling asked, while teasing him, “If you don’t bring them back soon, I’ll arrange a marriage for you.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui glanced at his father and, feeling rebellious, retorted, “If you arrange a marriage for me, I’ll throw a tantrum.”
Emperor Ling, even more rebellious than his son, replied, “If you don’t bring them home, I’ll throw an even bigger tantrum.”
As father and son bickered, Ling Rui absentmindedly touched the small jade bottle in his pocket, wondering when he might need to give it to his father.
Before their argument could go any further, Noble Consort Yi intervened.
“Enough, enough. Stop squabbling and eat your meal properly. Look at Pingping and Anan—see how well-behaved they are.”
With Noble Consort Yi mediating, the atmosphere finally returned to warmth.
After dinner, Pingping and Anan became drowsy. They were still young, and after eating and playing for a while, they needed sleep.
After putting the two children to bed, Ling Rui was about to go see Shui Shui when Noble Consort Yi called him over.
This time, Noble Consort Yi was alone—Emperor Ling was nowhere in sight.
She sat on a chair, gazing at her son, who had now grown into a young man. Her face appeared calm, but there was a storm brewing in her eyes.
“Little Seven, the person you said you’re going to marry—is it Ah Wu?”
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