Chapter 23
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They continued on like this, with the girl, who introduced herself as Liu Fener, explaining that her mother drowned two years ago, and her father’s health declined afterward.
Liu Fener had a delicate and pretty face, but whether due to hardship or something else, her demeanor didn’t seem fragile.
She held Ling Rui’s hand and, noticing his silence, asked softly, “Are you tired? I can’t carry you right now.”
Injured herself, she lacked the strength to carry the young boy.
“I’m… I’m okay,” Ling Rui replied, shaking her hand off gently to indicate he didn’t need to be carried.
The two walked very slowly. After about an hour, Liu Fener stopped: “We’ve arrived. There’s not much at my house to entertain you with, but I’ll cook you a meal.”
“After we eat, you can rest at my house for the night. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the county to find your family.”
Liu Fener thought this child, who didn’t have any adults with him, was lost.
After saying this, she took Ling Rui’s small hand and led him home. When they passed by a large tree not far from her house, she saw two extraordinary-looking young men.
Although the young men were not dressed ostentatiously, they exuded an unusual aura. One was steady with a noble air, and the other was full of youthful spirit, each brilliant in their own way.
“Older Sister.”
When Ling Rui saw these two standing side by side, he immediately stopped. He raised his little face and asked, “Is the one who bullied you him?”
He pointed at his own little uncle.
Liu Fener’s pretty face turned red, and she quickly shook her head. In a low voice, she said, “No, don’t guess wildly. This young master looks like he’s from a good family.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui’s worried little heart finally relaxed.
With a look of relief on his small face, he let go of Liu Fener’s hand and ran towards the people under the tree with his short legs.
“Little Uncle!”
Ling Rui ran over and hugged Murong Xu’s leg, looking up and saying, “This sister said you bullied her.”
“I didn’t!”
Liu Fener blushed instantly at the child’s accusation and hurriedly defended herself, “I never spoke ill of you. I don’t even know you.”
Ling Rui shook his head, still insisting, “You did.”
Liu Fener became even more anxious at his words.
Murong Xu looked at the flustered Liu Fener and then at the child hugging his leg. He quickly understood what was going on.
He picked up the child and said to Liu Fener, “If I’m not mistaken, miss, did you mention the General’s Mansion in front of my family’s child?”
Liu Fener was stunned, not expecting him to mention the General’s Mansion.
“I-I mentioned the Fifth Young Master of the General’s Mansion. He’s no good… he wanted to harm me. If it weren’t for this little child saving me, I would be dead by now.”
Facing the unfamiliar young man in front of her, Liu Fener was utterly confused.
She swore she had never seen this person before, let alone spoken ill of him.
Murong Xu, after being called “no good” again, fell silent for a moment. Then he confessed, “Miss Liu, I am the Fifth Young Master you spoke of.”
Liu Fener: “?”
Liu Fener’s expression froze instantly.
She widened her almond eyes, staring at Murong Xu, her already pale face turning even whiter: “Impossible.”
She couldn’t accept this reality.
If the person in front of her was Murong Xu, then who had deceived her?!
“Miss Liu, I really am Murong Xu of the General’s Mansion. If you don’t believe me, you can come with me to the capital. I’ll take you to the General’s Mansion and show you whether I’m lying.”
Murong Xu spoke sincerely while holding the child.
He truly didn’t mind taking Liu Fener to the General’s Mansion.
The more honest he was, the harder it was for Liu Fener to accept: “The one who deceived me is the Fifth Young Master. He even showed me his waist token, with his name on it.”
Murong Xu did indeed have a waist token.
He took off his own waist token and handed it to Liu Fener: “Look, is this the one?”
With trembling hands, Liu Fener took the waist token. After examining it, she bit her lip, her eyes red: “The one he showed me doesn’t match this color and lettering.”
Murong Xu: “…”
Murong Xu understood: “Oh, it’s a fake token.”
Murong Xu wanted to say more to get more information from Liu Fener.
This scheme was clearly targeting him, and he despised such vile actions that ruin a woman’s reputation.
“Uncle, don’t talk anymore.”
The child in his uncle’s arms suddenly leaned over and whispered, “Sister can’t stand anymore.”
Ling Rui, unable to focus on the adults’ conversation, had long since shifted his attention to Liu Fener.
So, he was the first to notice Liu Fener’s physical anomaly.
Sure enough, after his reminder, Liu Fener couldn’t withstand the repeated shocks any longer. Her eyes closed, and she fell backward.
“Miss Liu!”
Murong Xu, holding the child in one arm, reached out to support the falling Liu Fener with the other.
Before he could steady her, Ling Chen, who had been watching, stepped in and caught Liu Fener.
“Let’s take her back.”
Ling Chen, the eldest prince, although younger than Murong Xu, was equally mature and steady: “If we leave them here, they’ll be in danger.”
Murong Xu had the same thought but hesitated, “You came today to investigate the refugee matter…”
Ling Chen interrupted him with a shake of his head: “These two’s safety is equally important.”
Whether the refugee matter was true or not was still unclear.
But right now, if he didn’t help these two, they might be dead by tomorrow.
After Ling Chen spoke, Ling Rui softly echoed, “Take her back, take sister back.”
“Alright, let’s go back.”
Liu Fener and her Father, one bedridden and one unconscious, would need to be carried back.
Fortunately, Ling Chen had secret guards with him.
He handed the people over to the guards and instructed, “Take them to the General’s Mansion.”
The guards received the order and quickly took the people away.
Watching the departing guards, Murong Xu pinched the child’s cheek and sighed plaintively, “Your uncle isn’t even engaged yet, and someone’s already trying to ruin his reputation.”
Murong Xu was about to turn fifteen, the age at which a young master should start discussing marriage.
Discussing marriage wasn’t something that could be settled overnight; it was a long process. Just the step of meeting eligible young ladies required a lot of effort.
Finding a suitable match in terms of family status and compatible personality wasn’t like picking cabbages from the field—there weren’t unlimited choices. Additionally, the lady’s family would also need to consider the General’s Mansion.
“Uncle, what is an engagement?” Ling Rui asked, touching his little uncle’s furrowed brow.
Murong Xu: “…”
Murong Xu let out a “mmm” and replied, “You’ll understand when you’re a bit older.”
They had been out for most of the day, and Ling Chen still had his official business to attend to.
On the way back, Murong Xu patted Ling Chen’s shoulder and said, “After we’ve settled Miss Liu, I’ll come back with you.”
Ling Chen glanced at him and didn’t refuse his offer.
Once they were seated in the carriage, Ling Rui peered out from behind the curtain, his little head poking out.
He was looking to see if Ah Wu was outside.
Just as he was peering out, Murong Xu’s head also squeezed over.
“Little Seven, did you have fun today?” Murong Xu asked, their heads touching.
Ling Rui nodded, his little face showing happiness.
The two of them, with their heads together, only left the back of their heads for Ling Chen to see.
“Uncle, where’s Ah Wu?”
“Ah Wu knows the way back.” Murong Xu whispered to him, “Don’t worry, he’ll probably get back before us.”
Hearing this from his uncle, Ling Rui stopped worrying.
He continued to look at the scenery outside. Compared to the palace, the scenery outside wasn’t as exquisite and beautiful.
But it was vast.
Ling Rui liked to see the big sky and the endless green trees. Looking at them reminded him of the frontier his Niang Niang had told him about.
He snuggled closer to Murong Xu and asked, “Uncle, have you been to the frontier?”
“I have.”
Murong Xu smiled, “Your little uncle has been everywhere.”
He didn’t like reading books; he loved traveling.
So, his Father had allowed him to go out early. He had been to battlefields and wandered in the martial world, seeing countless sceneries. However, the more he saw, the heavier his heart sometimes felt.
Compared to many countries, the Qi Chao situation was quite dire.
The Qi Chao had a great geographical location, abundant resources, and was very livable. However, such a good land without a strong military to defend it would lead to dire consequences.
The current trend of the dynasty was to emphasize literature over military affairs.
Thinking about the pack of wolves surrounding them, the smile in Murong Xu’s eyes faded a bit.
Ling Rui keenly sensed his little uncle’s mood change. He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a sweet fruit he had saved especially.
He tried hard to break the fruit into two halves.
After struggling for a while, his little hands turned red, but the fruit remained intact.
Murong Xu couldn’t bear to watch anymore and helped him break the fruit into two halves: “You want half for me and half for you? Here, this half is for you.”
“No.”
Ling Rui handed one half to Murong Xu and the other half to Ling Chen: “One for uncle, one for brother.”
After distributing the fruit, he sat back down.
Seeing his uncle and brother looking at him, he softly said, “Little Seven doesn’t need it.”
He had already eaten a sweet fruit; he wouldn’t eat this one.
Even though he said he wouldn’t eat it, Murong Xu and Ling Chen could tell he still wanted to.
The two adults exchanged a glance, and the next second, Murong Xu held the fruit in front of the child and said, “Little Seven, taste it for uncle and see if it’s sweet.”
Before taking a bite, Ling Rui said, “It’s sweet!”
Murong Xu pretended to doubt him: “I think it might be sour. You taste it, and then I’ll eat.”
Under his little uncle’s doubtful gaze, Ling Rui had no choice but to open his mouth and take a bite of the fruit.
After biting his uncle’s fruit, Ling Chen also handed his fruit over for him to bite.
The three of them sat in the carriage, sharing fruit and cheering up the cub, creating a warm atmosphere.
When they arrived at the General’s Mansion, Murong Xu and Ling Chen went to check on the unconscious Liu Fener, while Ling Rui took the opportunity to look for Ah Wu.
He was now walking more steadily, and his speech was much clearer.
Such progress in a young child greatly satisfied Noble Consort Yi. When she sent messages to the General’s Mansion, she spoke of her child with immense pride.
“Little Seven.”
Before finding Ah Wu, Ling Rui first encountered Lord Murong, the strictest person in the General’s Mansion. Murong Feng looked at the little boy in front of him and asked, “How are your studies at the academy going?”
“Good.”
Ling Rui had just started at the academy and still played with Ling Fu and Ling Ning, who were of similar age and got along well.
As for the older brothers and sisters, they didn’t come to play with them in the academy yet.
“Come with me.” Murong Feng said, picking up Ling Rui instead of letting him walk.
Soon, Ling Rui was taken to the main hall, where a group of people was sitting. The old madam at the head opened her arms and took him in.
“Little Seven, last time you came, your Royal Father hadn’t yet entrusted you to Noble Consort Yi, so we couldn’t give you anything.”
The old madam kindly stroked Ling Rui’s little face and said gently, “Now that Noble Consort Yi is your mother, our Murong family is your maternal family. From now on, we will be your greatest support, protecting you so you can grow up safely and smoothly.”
Ling Rui didn’t understand what a maternal family was, but he could see the love in the old madam’s eyes.
He smiled and nuzzled her cheek, softly saying, “I’ll protect everyone too.”
When everyone heard his innocent words, they laughed and said it wasn’t necessary, but their hearts were warmed. The Murong family had always been protective, and Little Seven’s words further confirmed that he belonged with them.
“Come, Little Seven, see the gifts we have prepared for you.”
The old madam took the lead, presenting a necklace inlaid with jade, clearly a valuable item. She smiled and said, “This is a necklace blessed by Master Nanshan, perfect for a child like you.”
After the old lady gave the necklace, Madam Murong was equally generous.
She presented Ling Rui with a small box filled with documents.
Ling Rui, who couldn’t read yet, looked at the papers, growing more puzzled: “I can’t understand it.”
He didn’t recognize any of the characters.
Madam Murong smiled and explained, “These are property deeds, for shops and estates… From now on, they belong to you.”
Ling Rui, still puzzled, didn’t understand what this meant.
It wasn’t until the third young lady pinched his cheek and explained in simple terms, “With these, you’ll have a lot of money, an endless supply of money. Our Little Seven will be a little tycoon in the future!”
The newly-promoted little tycoon stared wide-eyed and asked, “How much money?”
Even though it was a lot, he couldn’t grasp the concept.
The third young lady thought for a moment and gave him an example: “Look at your little clothes. Your money is enough to buy clothes to fill several palaces.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui was so shocked his mouth fell open.
When he looked at the small box again, his eyes were obviously different from before.
This wasn’t an ordinary box; it was a very precious box!
Madam Murong giving this portion of the estate’s profits to Ling Rui was agreed upon by the old madam and Lord Murong. As a prince, it was natural for him to have private property and income.
Their little prince didn’t have many expenses now.
But as he grew older, he would need more money.
Even the sixth prince, who seemed to be the least successful, had the support of Consort Ru’s family, although their support was limited, they still helped.
The Murong family didn’t intend for the little prince to compete for the throne, but living in the palace with several older brothers, even if he didn’t compete, others might not be at ease with him.
If they were uneasy, the most straightforward solution would be to take his life.
After Madam Murong gave the box, Lord Murong’s several concubines smiled and said, “Our gifts aren’t as valuable as the madam’s, but they come from the heart.”
The concubines gifted handmade clothes and shoes, bracelets, and scented sachets.
They weren’t valuable, but the sentiment was.
Ling Rui had received gifts before, but compared to this time, those were insignificant. This time’s gifts were the true entrance gifts.
From now on, the Murong family completely accepted Ling Rui as their little prince.
Their previously held principles of not interfering in court politics, not meddling in affairs other than their own Noble Consort, and not involving themselves in the matters of the royal heirs were broken.
The principles of the General’s Mansion now included a little prince.
Ling Rui received so many gifts his hands were sore. Even Lord Murong gave him a small sword: “I had a close friend forge this for you. When you grow older, you can learn our Murong family’s martial arts.”
Seeing this, Ling Rui reached out to take it, but Murong Feng avoided his small hand: “Let Noble Consort Yi keep this for you for now. You are still too young to use it.”
“Okay.”
After spending quite some time with the adults, Ling Rui finally had a chance to find Ah Wu.
He laid on Ah Wu’s warm belly, talking to him: “Ah Wu, I predicted that big brother would be in danger today, but I was wrong.”
He meant his prediction was wrong.
His big brother wasn’t in danger today.
Ah Wu was gently massaging his little legs with his paws. He had walked a lot today and needed his legs and feet massaged to avoid pain at night.
Hearing what Ling Rui said, Ah Wu paused and then said, “You weren’t wrong.”
Zaizai’s predictions couldn’t be wrong; they could only be altered by himself.
“If you hadn’t gone out with Ling Chen today, and if your uncle hadn’t gone over, Ling Chen would have been in danger.” Ah Wu’s tone was calm, but his words were firm.
Ling Rui frowned, still a bit self-doubting: “Really? I wasn’t wrong?”
“No.”
Ah Wu said, nuzzling his cheek: “Zaizai, I have to leave. At most, I’ll stay for two more days before I go.”
If he stayed any longer, the Great Qing would need a new crown prince.
He originally didn’t care about the position of the Great Qing crown prince.
But now, he had to raise Zaizai, so Great Qing had to be his. Anyone who dared to take it from him would have to die.
Hearing that Ah Wu was leaving, Ling Rui instantly felt reluctant.
He reached out and hugged Ah Wu’s neck, teary-eyed: “Don’t go.”
Ah Wu licked away his tears and said, “I have to go.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui’s tears fell even more fiercely.
While the little room was filled with scenes of farewell, on the other side, Murong Xu and Ling Chen waited for Liu Fener to wake up.
The General’s Mansion had invited a doctor to treat Liu Fener. When she woke up, she was dazed for a while. Then she slowly regained her spirits: “Fifth young master, I’m sorry, I almost harmed you.”
Liu Fener, with red eyes, confessed to Murong Xu that she had written a blood letter to a young master in the capital.
That young master had promised her that if she really died, he would deliver the blood letter to a noble in the palace, accusing the fifth young master and seeking justice for her!
“Who is this young master you mentioned from the capital? Where does he live?” Murong Xu asked.
Liu Fener looked puzzled for a moment, then in a hoarse voice said, “I don’t know where his home is, but I know he owns a teahouse.”
Upon hearing this, Murong Xu continued to ask, “Which teahouse?”
Liu Fener clutched the quilt, straining to recall.
While she was trying to remember, in a nearby room, the little boy was crying and throwing a tantrum, “I won’t let you leave, I can take care of you.”
“I have lots and lots of money, I’ll take care of you!”
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