Pingping only knew that a wedding meant candy, but he didn’t realize that after the wedding, he might not see his uncle as often.
Ling Rui pinched his chubby face, which still had baby fat and felt great to squeeze. As he kept pinching, he couldn’t help but give Pingping a kiss.
“When the time comes, Uncle will save the sweetest candy for our little Pingping.”
While they were playing around, Ling Rui was like a kindergarten teacher with a group of children. Besides Pingping and Anan, Ling Fu’s children also loved to hang around him.
The royal family of the Ling clan certainly had no shortage of good-looking descendants.
Seeing the children gathered together was a delight for the eyes.
“Uncle, can we go out and play tomorrow?”
Pingping, resting on Ling Rui, was munching on a pastry and raised his chubby face to ask.
Ling Rui thought for a moment. “Sure, I’ll take you all out for a little trip.”
Recently, he didn’t have much to do, so he had some free time to take the kids out.
With Ling Rui’s promise, Pingping cheered and became even more excited.
That night, when Ling Rui was about to leave, Pingping and Anan were reluctant to see him go.
“Uncle, you have to come and get us tomorrow!”
Pingping held onto his clothes, reminding him not to forget.
Ling Rui smiled, patted his head, and promised, “Don’t worry, Uncle won’t forget.”
“Pinky promise!”
“Alright, pinky promise.”
Ling Rui crouched down to make a pinky promise with Pingping, who didn’t want to let him leave, and only then did he finally go.
As he returned, he happened to run into his older brother.
His older brother was yawning, having just left the Imperial Study.
“Big Brother!”
Ling Rui quickly ran over and walked alongside him.
Seeing him, Ling Chen’s tired expression softened, and they walked side by side, discussing state affairs.
“There’s been another drought in the northern region. They’ve sent a letter saying they wish to pledge allegiance to our Qi Dynasty.”
Ling Chen mentioned this without much joy.
Now that Great Qing and Qi Dynasty had joined forces, they were on the verge of unifying the entire territory. But under such circumstances, Ling Chen didn’t feel excitement.
On the contrary, he felt deeply worried.
“Little Seven, they’re submitting to Qi Dynasty, but—”
“Big Brother, you don’t need to worry about me.”
Ling Rui knew what his brother was concerned about, so he patted his chest, flashing a sweet smile with two adorable dimples. “I’m fine. They can’t affect me.”
Ling Rui had a protective power over Qi Dynasty.
But with the current situation, even he wasn’t sure if he could protect the newly submitted lands.
While he felt uncertain inside, he didn’t show it on the outside.
He knew that the submission of multiple nations was a scenario every emperor dreamed of. Moreover, it could change Qi Dynasty’s future, protecting it from being surrounded and attacked.
“Little Seven, you must remember, to me, nothing in this world is more important than you.”
Ling Chen still felt uneasy, turning to him with a serious tone.
Ling Rui obediently nodded, indicating that he understood.
The two brothers could talk about anything, from national affairs to trivial personal concerns.
Ling Rui, however, was more worried about the challenges his brother faced.
“Big Brother, how are the disaster situations in other nations?”
“Not great.”
Even though Qi Dynasty and Great Qing were working together on disaster relief, no matter how powerful they were, they couldn’t provide enough aid to cover all the disaster-stricken areas.
Thinking about the reports, Ling Chen found it hard to rest.
“Big Brother, I’m not busy lately. Let me help with the disaster relief.”
Ling Rui had done some things in the capital, but most of those tasks were easy for him.
After all, the officials in the capital wouldn’t dare to give him any trouble.
“Others are handling the disaster relief.”
Ling Chen declined his offer. “You stay in the capital. If you’re too bored, you can fill a vacancy at the Ministry of Revenue.”
There was an open position in the Ministry due to an official’s misconduct.
Ling Rui shook his head, uninterested.
The two brothers exchanged glances, but it was clear their opinions didn’t align for now.
“Big Brother, I really want to go!”
Ling Rui insisted, “I can help you.”
Ling Chen frowned, still thinking about rejecting him.
Before he could say anything, Ling Rui reached out and covered his mouth, forcing him to stay quiet.
The two brothers stared at each other, but they were finally interrupted when a servant from Noble Consort Yi’s palace came to summon Ling Rui.
“Big Brother, don’t forget to approve my request!”
As Ling Rui left with the servant, he waved without looking back.
Ling Chen was so frustrated that his face turned dark.
Soon, Ling Rui arrived at Noble Consort Yi’s palace.
As soon as he entered, all he saw was red.
“Little Seven, come try this on.”
Noble Consort Yi clapped her hands, holding a set of clothes and motioning for Ling Rui to try them.
The bright red outfit was a wedding robe that Noble Consort Yi had prepared for Ling Rui.
It was designed for men, but with some unique adjustments to make it look stunning without appearing too feminine.
“Mother, I’ve tried it so many times already, why do I have to try it again?”
“The seamstress tightened the collar a bit and added some new embroidery. It wasn’t like this the last time you tried it.”
“It’s just a piece of clothing, no need to keep changing it.”
“Marriage is a big deal, it only happens once in a lifetime. You’ll only wear this wedding robe once, so we can’t be careless.”
Ling Rui couldn’t win against Noble Consort Yi, so he obediently continued trying on the clothes.
While he tried on the wedding robe, Noble Consort Yi carefully examined him. “So handsome. Our Little Seven is truly handsome.”
“You look even better than your father.”
Emperor Ling had been one of the most handsome men in his youth, and many noblewomen had voluntarily requested to enter his harem. But even his youthful good looks couldn’t compare to Ling Rui’s.
“Father is very handsome too,” Ling Rui said, his view of his father clouded by admiration. He blinked and added a compliment to Noble Consort Yi, “Mother, you’re the most beautiful of all!”
Ling Rui’s sweet words soon had Noble Consort Yi smiling brightly.
“Alright, alright. I won’t pester you anymore. Go off and play.”
She shooed him away, then continued planning for his upcoming wedding.
Time passed steadily.
Ling Rui had written several earnest memorials to the emperor. Ling Chen had initially opposed them, and not just him—both Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi were also unwilling to let Ling Rui leave.
But Ling Rui was persistent, and in the end, Noble Consort Yi relented.
“If he’s so eager to go out, let him go for a while,” she said, but added, “If he’s going, make sure to send plenty of people to accompany him.”
Although she had allowed him to leave, Noble Consort Yi wasn’t fully at ease. She privately reminded Ling Rui, “Check if Ah Wu is busy. If he’s free, take him with you.”
Ling Rui nodded obediently.
Although the neighboring countries had pledged allegiance to Qi Dynasty, many were still plagued by natural disasters and civil strife. It was unclear when these troubles would end.
Great Qing and Qi Dynasty were the only two relatively stable regions.
With Noble Consort Yi’s approval, Ling Rui was soon ready to depart.
When he was about to leave, Jiang Yan wanted to accompany him, but Ling Rui refused. Jiang Yan had recently sustained an injury and was still recovering at the Duke’s manor. The Duchess was even busy arranging a marriage for him, and Ling Rui didn’t want to disrupt these plans.
As soon as Ling Rui left, Pingping, Anan, and the children from the Ling Fu household, missing their uncle, packed their little bags and nearly snuck out without the adults knowing.
When Ling Rui heard about this, he was both amused and annoyed.
He didn’t have to guess to know that Pingping was definitely the ringleader of the escape plan.
“That Pingping really needs a spanking this time,” Ling Rui muttered as he packed away the letter and continued on his journey.
His destination was the country of Teng Liang, which had been at competition with Qi Dynasty.
Before his arrival, Teng Liang had written to him requesting aid, and Ling Rui had brought disaster relief supplies with him. Some of these were from his own stock, while others were meant for Teng Liang.
Although Qi Dynasty had no disasters, its economy had been affected.
In the past, Qi Dynasty had prospered through trade with other nations, but now, with famine and turmoil outside, it couldn’t avoid being impacted.
After several days of travel, Ling Rui arrived at his destination.
The local official was surprised by his arrival.
“Wangye, I didn’t know you were coming. My deepest apologies for not welcoming you properly.”
After apologizing, the official arranged a lavish welcome feast for Ling Rui, complete with fine wine, food, beautiful women, and a luxurious residence.
Looking at all of this, Ling Rui’s pretty eyes darkened slightly.
He had come to provide disaster relief, yet the official’s fawning behavior made him suspect that much of the so-called “disaster” might be due to corruption.
Though Ling Rui had an innocent, handsome face, his actions were anything but soft.
On the first day of his arrival, Ling Rui distributed the disaster relief supplies.
By the third day, he had uncovered the official’s corruption and imprisoned him.
By the fifth day, he had received numerous complaints from the people.
Ling Rui was busy handling all of this, but still, there was no sign of Teng Liang.
Just as he was about to search for him, Teng Liang appeared.
Covered in blood.
Before Teng Liang could say a word, he collapsed in front of Ling Rui.
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui hurried to pick him up and immediately called for a doctor.
When Teng Liang finally woke, Ling Rui was sitting at his bedside, watching him.
Their eyes met, and Teng Liang’s lips moved slightly.
Ling Rui didn’t let him speak, instead giving him water first.
After drinking, Teng Liang’s throat felt much better.
“Teng Liang, what happened? Why didn’t you come these past few days?”
“There was trouble on my side,” Teng Liang replied, his voice still hoarse.
His gaze fixed on Ling Rui, as if he were his last hope.
“Little Seven, the grain I asked for…”
“I brought it for you,” Ling Rui interrupted.
Hearing this, Teng Liang’s tense expression finally eased.
He grasped Ling Rui’s hand, wanting to say more but stopping himself.
“Rest well. Once you’re feeling better, I’ll accompany you back. Everything here is taken care of now.”
Ling Rui reassured him, encouraging him to rest.
Teng Liang initially resisted, eager to leave right away, but his body couldn’t support his will.
After resting for a night, he was much better the next day.
Ling Rui had brought excellent medicine from Shui Shui, and the results were evident.
“Little Seven, why didn’t Ah Wu come with you this time?”
On the way back with Teng Liang, Ling Rui was caught off guard by his question.
“Ah Wu is busy. I told him to come once he’s finished.”
