“How is it that you and Little Seven are so different?”
The emperor knew the size of his own child, and his Little Seven, a little Auspicious Beast, was much smaller than Huo Qinwu.
“We were never the same.”
Ah Wu didn’t elaborate too much. One was a fierce beast by nature, and the other an Auspicious Beast. The difference between them was significant.
If the emperor knew the full truth, his prejudice against Ah Wu would likely grow.
“It’s one thing that you’re different, but now you’re the emperor of Great Qing. As the ruler of a nation, do you know what you’ll have to face being with Little Seven?”
“I do.”
Ah Wu’s tone was calm, without a ripple of emotion. “I’ve thought through all the challenges we’ll face being together.”
“Other than Little Seven, there will be no empress for me. I will not allow anyone to bear my children.”
These promises from Ah Wu were the same ones Ling Rui had mentioned before.
The emperor wasn’t convinced. Even hearing it from Ah Wu himself, he remained skeptical.
Sitting in his chair, he let out a soft scoff. “It’s easy to say now, but a few years from now, when I’m gone, I won’t be able to stop you from appointing an empress or having children. By then, won’t my Little Seven just be at your mercy?”
Ah Wu: “…”
Ah Wu fell silent.
He had never had to prove himself to anyone before, but now that it was demanded of him, he found himself thinking it over.
The two of them stood in a heavy silence—one seated, the other standing.
After a long pause, under the emperor’s gaze, Ah Wu finally spoke.
In a perfectly normal tone, he said, “Isn’t Shui Shui in the palace? He can make me a potion.”
The emperor: “What kind of potion?”
Ah Wu: “A potion to ensure I have no descendants.”
The emperor: “???”
The emperor had never heard of such a thing, but the idea of a man willingly drinking something like that seemed absurd to him.
He stared blankly at Ah Wu.
A few seconds later, he frowned and speculated, “Are you betting that I won’t let you drink it?”
Ah Wu shook his head.
The emperor continued to watch him, his brows knitted, uncertain what to think.
After a moment, he finally called out, “Someone, summon Shui Shui!”
Shui Shui arrived quickly, looking slightly surprised to see Ah Wu in front of the emperor.
“Shui Shui, can you make a potion that would stop a man from having children?”
“I can.”
Shui Shui had no idea how the emperor and Ah Wu had met or why the emperor suddenly requested such a potion, but he nodded.
That kind of potion was actually quite easy to make.
“Good. Make some for me.”
“Here.”
Before the emperor even finished his sentence, Shui Shui handed him a small bottle he had on him. “One pill is enough.”
He happened to have some of that potion with him.
The emperor stared at the bottle, stunned for a moment, then took it.
Shui Shui had given it so quickly, it took a second for the emperor to process what had just happened.
Clearing his throat, the emperor looked back at Ah Wu.
“Huo Qinwu, I’ll give you one last chance.”
“If you separate from Little Seven now, I won’t force you to take this potion. But if you—”
Before the emperor could finish speaking, Ah Wu had already taken the bottle from his hand, poured out a pill, and swallowed it.
He did it without the slightest hesitation, not even blinking as he swallowed the pill.
The emperor: “…”
For a moment, the emperor was utterly frozen in place.
Shui Shui, however, was completely calm as he watched Ah Wu take the potion. He even took his own medicine bottle back, as it still had some pills left.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
Shui Shui felt that his role had been fulfilled. After glancing at the two of them, he turned to leave.
The emperor looked conflicted.
Shui Shui glanced back at them once more and then decisively left.
After walking some distance away, he turned to check again. Sure enough, the two inside the room still hadn’t come out.
He had originally planned to head to the Imperial Medical Bureau, but after standing still for a moment, he changed direction and went to find Ling Rui.
The emperor hadn’t ordered him to keep quiet, so Shui Shui didn’t feel the need to hold back.
When he found Ling Rui, he recounted everything he had seen and done.
Upon hearing that Ah Wu had taken the potion, Ling Rui was shocked. “Shui Shui, you really gave him the potion to stop him from having children?!”
“Yes.”
Shui Shui remained calm as he explained further, “The potion won’t affect his health, nor will it interfere with… bedroom matters.”
Ling Rui: “…”
His face flushed. “That’s not what I was worried about!”
He trusted Shui Shui’s medicine completely!
But while the potion didn’t harm the body, it did prevent children!
Realizing Ling Rui’s concern, Shui Shui found it even more puzzling. “Little Seven, you can’t get pregnant anyway.”
Even if Ah Wu hadn’t taken the potion, Little Seven wouldn’t be able to bear children.
Ling Rui was speechless.
After a moment of contemplation, Shui Shui suddenly said something astonishing: “If you really want to carry a child, I could think of a way.”
“No, I don’t!”
Ling Rui saw that Shui Shui was seriously thinking about it, and he quickly interrupted, “Stop researching that! I’m not discussing this with you anymore, I’m going to find Ah Wu right now!”
After speaking, Ling Rui was about to leave.
Shui Shui grabbed his wrist and handed him another pill. “The antidote.”
He always carried antidotes with him, just like his poisons. He also had the antidote for the infertility potion.
Ling Rui took the antidote and hurried off to find Ah Wu.
Inside the room, the once-tense atmosphere had completely eased by now.
When Ling Rui arrived, panting heavily, what he saw was the two of them calmly drinking tea.
They were sipping tea and chatting casually.
Ling Rui eavesdropped for a moment, and the conversation seemed perfectly normal.
“Dad.”
First, he cautiously poked his head in, checked that everything seemed safe, and then walked in. “You, you two—”
“Are you hungry, Zai Zai?”
Ah Wu put down his cup and looked over.
Ling Rui instinctively shook his head. He had been so scared by the meeting between his father and Ah Wu that he didn’t feel the slightest bit hungry.
“I’m not hungry. Ah Wu, are you hungry?”
“A little.”
Ah Wu wasn’t really hungry either, but he estimated that it was about time for Ling Rui to eat.
“Ahem, if you’re hungry, then let’s eat. Little Seven, you should eat something too.”
The emperor cleared his throat and ordered someone to prepare the meal.
At the dining table, Noble Consort Yi also joined them.
The group sat around the same table, making it feel very much like a formal family introduction.
Ling Rui swallowed nervously, sitting like a little quail, too afraid to speak much.
He shot frantic glances at Ah Wu, hoping he would explain what was happening.
Under the table, Ah Wu gently hooked Ling Rui’s hand, silently signaling for him to relax.
“Huo Qinwu, or should I continue calling you Ah Wu?”
Noble Consort Yi asked calmly, “Do you plan on taking our Little Seven to live in Great Qing?”
Noble Consort Yi didn’t mind who Little Seven was in a relationship with. As long as the person was sincere and trustworthy, she wouldn’t oppose it.
But just because she didn’t object to the relationship didn’t mean she wouldn’t be picky about other matters.
For example, the most important thing: where Little Seven would live in the future.
“Little Seven and I will alternate between different places.”
Ah Wu had clearly thought this through. He answered confidently, “We’ll live both in my palace and his estate.”
Noble Consort Yi nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.
During the meal, most of the conversation was between the emperor, Noble Consort Yi, and Ah Wu, while Ling Rui quietly focused on eating.
After dinner, Ling Rui still felt a bit dazed.
He took Ah Wu back to his own palace, and as soon as they were inside, he couldn’t help but rush toward Ah Wu.
“Quick, explain! What happened? How were you and my father drinking tea together?”
Based on his father’s previous attitude, Ling Rui had expected him to throw Ah Wu out immediately.
“Nothing much happened.”
Ah Wu calmly caught Ling Rui, supporting him so that Ling Rui could comfortably cling to him. “I just had a good talk with your father and made him understand that my feelings for you are sincere.”
Ling Rui: “…”
He still found it hard to believe.
Had he and Ah Wu just gotten his family’s approval?
“Ah Wu, hit me. I think I’m still in shock.”
Ling Rui actually requested to be hit.
Of course, Ah Wu wouldn’t hit him. Instead, to help Ling Rui snap out of it, he lowered his head and used a more affectionate method to help his beloved wake up.
“Mm, I’m fully awake now!”
In the end, Ling Rui regretted his request, but it was too late.
From that day on, Ah Wu temporarily stayed in the palace.
He didn’t hide his presence there, nor did he want to.
Anyone could see the closeness between him and Ling Rui.
Seeing this, Ling Chen couldn’t help but comment, “Aren’t you worried that being so open will spread rumors?”
“Haven’t the rumors already spread?”
Ah Wu answered indifferently, “The stories about me and Little Seven have already been circulating.”
Ling Chen: “…”
Ling Chen: “I thought you didn’t know.”
How could Ah Wu not know?
There wasn’t a single rumor about him and Little Seven that he didn’t know about.
The reason he hadn’t stopped the rumors was that he didn’t see the need to. Even if he didn’t make it public now, he planned to do so in the future anyway.
He wanted Little Seven to be his empress.
He wanted the entire world to know that Little Seven was his empress.
Ling Chen rubbed his temples, feeling exhausted. “Fine, do whatever you want.”
The voices of opposition from the outside world clearly meant nothing to him.
No matter how much criticism or backlash there was, Ah Wu truly didn’t care.
Great Qing’s territory had been expanded by him, and it would continue to expand under his rule.
With absolute power, no rumors could shake him.
Time slowly passed.
Everyone in the world soon knew that the relationship between the Qi Dynasty and Great Qing hadn’t faltered in the slightest.
Their young Wangye and emperor were truly together.
“Little Seven, those who were hiding can no longer conceal themselves.”
Those stirring up trouble behind the scenes had been driven into a corner.
Guan Shan Residence, Great Qing, and Qi Dynasty—any one of these forces was formidable on its own.
What’s more, these three had now joined hands.
Their alliance had pushed the troublemakers into a dead end.
Among them, Zhang Feng was the first to be captured by the Big Boss and Lian Qing.
The troublemakers were captured one by one.
Ling Rui didn’t pay much attention to all of this; he strolled around his estate, still playing with the little baby.
“Uncle,” said Pingping, holding his chubby little face as he asked Ling Rui, “When are you going to marry Uncle Ah Wu?”
His royal mother had told him that when his uncle got married, there would be delicious, sweet candies!
