Chapter 34
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The two princes in the sleeping quarters were fast asleep. After they fell asleep, Consort De sat by them again.
She gazed intently at her son for a long time before finally getting up. “Let me know when the Fourth Prince’s medicine is ready.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Having given her instructions to the palace servants, Consort De left.
Her voice was soft, not loud enough to wake Ling Rui.
The little one, sleeping beside the Fourth Prince, usually sprawled out in his sleep. However, tonight, his sleeping posture was much better.
He obediently nestled close to the Fourth Prince, looking endearing and lovely.
The bedside lamp shone brightly, and unlike usual, the sleeping quarters remained lit all night.
The imperial physician had prepared a fever-reducing decoction in advance, anticipating the high fever that would follow the Fourth Prince’s injury. As expected, the Fourth Prince developed a fever in the middle of the night.
Ling Rui, preoccupied with his brother before falling asleep, slept lightly.
Sensing the heat next to him, he groggily opened his eyes. Not fully awake, he murmured, “Fourth Brother.”
Ling Hao’s face was flushed with fever, and his brows were furrowed tightly.
Sitting up, Ling Rui’s loosely worn nightshirt fell open, exposing his tender shoulders and chubby little belly.
Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, he called out again, “Fourth Brother.”
After calling twice, he finally came to his senses.
Upon awakening, he realized the palace servants had already noticed his fourth brother’s fever and prepared the fever-reducing medicine.
Consort De arrived too, seemingly having not slept at all.
She carried a bowl of medicinal soup and approached.
“Niang Niang, Fourth Brother has a fever,” Ling Rui’s drowsy voice mumbled, and Consort De didn’t quite catch what he said.
Blowing on the hot soup to cool it, Consort De’s lips touched the medicinal liquid.
If the medicine were truly poisoned, there was only one possibility—
Consort De herself didn’t know it was poisoned.
Ling Rui’s pretty eyes fixed intently on the medicine, his little face tensed, and his tiny fists clenched. The entire little boy treated that bowl of soup as a dire threat.
“Niang Niang, what are you giving Fourth Brother?”
“A fever-reducing and pain-relieving medicine.”
This time, Consort De understood Ling Rui’s mumbled words. While blowing on the medicine, she remarked calmly, “When Hao Er was your age, he spoke less but much clearer than you.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui realized Consort De was praising his fourth brother.
He shook his little head, unconcerned. His main worry was the medicine about to be given to his fourth brother: “Niang Niang, can he not take the medicine?”
He didn’t want his fourth brother to drink it.
Consort De glanced at him, her previously calm voice turning cold instantly: “Your fourth brother is burning up, and you don’t want him to take the medicine? Clearly, you wish him ill.”
Ling Rui’s face turned red from being wronged.
He didn’t want to see his fourth brother unwell.
Consort De, mindful of his status and the support from Noble Consort Yi behind him, restrained her emotions and didn’t argue further.
She sat by the bed and brought a spoonful of the cooled medicine to Ling Hao’s lips.
Seeing the dark, murky soup, Ling Rui’s chest heaved with anxiety.
He had a strong premonition of danger.
This premonition drove him to act instinctively. He pretended to stumble and knocked over the medicine.
The bowl shattered, and the soup spilled all over the floor.
Seeing the carefully cooled medicine spilled, Consort De’s anger flared. “Ling Rui, don’t push your luck!”
“Just because Noble Consort Yi supports you, don’t think you can be so reckless. Your fourth brother is more distinguished than you, how dare you—”
Before she could finish, Ling Hao, who had been in a deep sleep, suddenly started coughing.
He coughed and opened his eyes, immediately calling Ling Rui to his side.
He had awakened to Consort De’s scolding.
“Royal Mother, I’m fine.”
Ling Hao tried to calm Consort De, but his instinctive action to protect Ling Rui only made her more agitated.
“I’ve told you not to get too close.”
Normally, Consort De could maintain her composure and dignity in front of others, even Emperor Ling never noticed anything amiss with her.
But in front of her son, her composure and dignity vanished.
She looked sharply at her son, her voice both fierce and slightly desperate: “He doesn’t truly care for you as a brother! He deliberately spilled your medicine. He did it on purpose.”
“He doesn’t want you to take your medicine.”
Consort De seized on this incident, repeating it to make Ling Hao believe that the little prince he protected was not a good brother.
Having lived with her for so long, Ling Hao knew her well.
In the past, he could easily find the best way to respond, letting his mother vent her emotions so she would soon calm down.
But now, his head ached, his shoulder hurt, and his entire body felt miserable.
He suddenly felt too tired to deal with his mother.
“Royal Mother, Little Seven won’t harm me.”
Ling Hao said hoarsely, “It’s late. Let the servants take care of me, you should go rest.”
For the first time, Ling Hao directly opposed his mother.
Consort De seemed stunned.
She stood there, looking blankly at Ling Hao.
Ling Rui, leaning against his fourth brother, cautiously watched Consort De. He had expected her to react even more aggressively, but she didn’t continue arguing.
Instead, she looked at Ling Hao in disbelief and asked, “Hao Er, you want me to leave?”
“Royal Mother, I beg you, I want to rest alone.”
Ling Hao’s words fell clearly on Consort De’s ears.
Her lips trembled as she stared at her son on the bed and the little child beside him.
The next moment, she turned and left abruptly.
Seeing her leave, Ling Hao sighed in relief.
“Little Seven, go back to Fenghua Palace to rest. You won’t sleep well here.”
After sending away Consort De, Ling Hao looked down at the little child snuggled beside him.
“Fourth Brother, don’t make Little Seven leave.”
Ling Rui moved closer, rubbing his cool little face against Ling Hao’s to help reduce his fever.
The soft little face felt soothing against Ling Hao’s skin.
“Fourth Brother, I’ll help you cool down.”
Having experienced several fevers before, the little child knew what to do.
He called the servants to help wipe Ling Hao with warm water and then called Cui Xi to brew pain-relief medicine.
“Cuicui, watch the medicine.”
Ling Rui whispered in Cuixi’s ear, “Don’t let anyone else make it.”
Seeing the little prince so anxious made Cuixi nervous too.
Since arriving in Consort De’s palace, she had kept a low profile, so Consort De hadn’t noticed her.
She had seen clearly why the little prince angered Consort De—he had knocked over the medicine.
Now, the little prince insisted she personally prepare the medicine…
Though Cuixi didn’t look particularly clever, she wasn’t stupid. In an instant, she understood many things.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness.”
Cuixi adjusted Ling Rui’s nightshirt and said softly, “I’ll stay with the medicine while it brews.”
Cuixi went to prepare the medicine.
Ling Rui, along with the servants, continued helping his fourth brother with the fever.
This method worked, but the fever would soon return.
Ling Hao watched the little child earnestly dampen a cloth to wipe him down, feeling both touched and sad.
“Little Seven, are you sleepy?”
“Not sleepy.”
Ling Rui, busy with his task, replied in his soft voice, “Fourth Brother, I’m blowing on it, so it won’t hurt.”
“Mm, Fourth Brother doesn’t hurt.”
Ling Hao had a high tolerance for pain. Since childhood, he had endured hardships training with his martial arts master.
His greatest dream was to go to the border, to see the female general Murong Xue, and to fight on the battlefield like her.
To go to war, one couldn’t fear pain.
“Fourth Brother.”
Ling Rui, alternating between applying the cloth and blowing on it, took a moment to talk to Ling Hao: “The medicine will be ready soon.”
“Okay.”
Ling Hao agreed without asking why Ling Rui had knocked over the previous medicine.
The sleeping quarters were quiet, with only their voices breaking the silence.
Ling Rui, being young, often jumped from topic to topic while talking.
One moment, he was talking to Ling Hao about his study companion, and the next, he mentioned a letter from his little uncle.
“Eldest Auntie is recovering from her injuries.”
Ling Rui remembered that his fourth brother had asked about Eldest Auntie before, so he made sure to highlight how amazing Eldest Auntie was.
When Murong Xue was mentioned, Ling Hao genuinely felt his pain lessen.
He chatted with Ling Rui about Murong Xue.
Ling Rui, now considered part of the General’s household, idolized Murong Xue like all the other children in the General’s family.
“Eldest Auntie is amazing.”
Ling Rui’s eyes sparkled as he talked about Eldest Auntie, sharing stories about her that Ling Hao had never heard before.
Despite the pain from his wounds and the fever clouding his mind, Ling Hao forced himself to listen, encouraging Ling Rui to share more about Murong Xue’s exploits on the battlefield.
With someone showing interest, Ling Rui spoke even more enthusiastically.
He talked so much that his throat became dry.
Just then, Cuixi brought the freshly brewed pain-relief medicine. Noticing the little prince’s parched lips, she quickly fetched a cup of water.
She handed the water to the little prince and fed the medicine to the fourth prince.
Holding the water cup, Ling Rui softly said to his brother, “You can drink it now.”
Cui Cui was trustworthy!
Ling Hao took a few sips as he was fed, then, finding it troublesome, grabbed the bowl with his good hand and drank it all in one go.
Ling Rui watched, stunned, as his brother finished the medicine in one gulp.
“Fourth Brother, it’s so bitter.”
After drinking the medicine, Ling Rui was astonished by the way his Fourth Brother took his medicine.
When he was sick, Noble Consort Yi would feed him the medicine, and he would cry for a long time before finishing it.
Every time he drank medicine, Noble Consort Yi had to change her clothes. Sometimes, when he was particularly troublesome, she had to take a bath.
She would sweat and get her clothes wet from the medicine, making it impossible for her to sleep without cleaning up first.
“Drinking it all at once means only one bitter moment. Taking it spoon by spoon means many bitter moments,” Ling Hao explained, handing the empty bowl to Cuixi.
Though he appeared unaffected by the bitterness, Cuixi handed him a sweet date as she took the bowl.
Ling Hao paused before accepting the date.
After drinking the medicine, he quickly felt a bit better. With his condition stabilizing slightly, he looked at his injured arm.
When he woke up, he had felt that his right arm was completely powerless. His right hand could still move but lacked strength.
“Little Seven.”
Lying down again after taking the medicine, Ling Hao looked at the little child lying beside him and asked, “Is my arm beyond healing?”
Ling Rui: “….”
Ling Rui’s eyes widened.
He knew how proud his fourth brother was of his strength and archery skills.
If his fourth brother knew what the doctors had said, he would be devastated.
“Fourth Brother, do you trust Little Seven?” Ling Rui raised his face, looking seriously at his brother.
Ling Hao met his gaze and nodded without hesitation, “Yes, I trust you.”
After today’s events, Ling Hao didn’t want to distance himself from the little child in his arms.
His royal mother had always taught him to be tough, saying that all the men in the royal family were hard-hearted.
He had tried to follow his royal mother’s teachings.
But hearing Little Seven cry, saying he wouldn’t talk to him or play with him anymore, made his heart ache.
He couldn’t continue ignoring Little Seven with a hardened heart.
In this palace devoid of familial affection, Little Seven’s presence was too precious.
“The doctors said it couldn’t be completely healed, but I can do it.”
Ling Rui leaned against him without pressing on his wounds, “I can heal Fourth Brother’s arm.”
Ling Rui talked about a herb he knew, describing its miraculous effects.
He wanted to use this herb to heal his brother’s arm.
But upon hearing this, Ling Hao’s first thought was—
“If such a herb existed, General Murong’s troops would be invincible on the battlefield.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui was momentarily speechless.
Ling Hao quickly regained his senses. Though he said he trusted Ling Rui, he didn’t have high hopes for the miraculous herb described by Ling Rui.
If such a miraculous herb existed, the world would have known about it long ago.
The knowledgeable doctors were unaware of this herb, so how could Little Seven know about it?
Ling Hao kept his thoughts to himself, not showing any doubt on his face. He assumed Little Seven was just trying to comfort him.
Knowing Little Seven had this concern warmed his heart.
“Alright, let’s sleep.”
Using his good arm, Ling Hao hugged the child tightly, closing his eyes, “Little Seven, sleep well too.”
“Mm! I’ll sleep now.”
Ling Rui closed his eyes tightly, trying to fall asleep.
The two snuggled closely, quickly drifting into a peaceful sleep.
Meanwhile, Cuixi stood guard nearby, not closing her eyes for a moment.
The next day.
Cuixi brewed another batch of medicine for Ling Hao. Having cared for the sick little prince before, she efficiently tended to the injured fourth prince.
Given Ling Hao’s condition, attending school was out of the question.
He recuperated in the palace, with Ling Rui sticking by his side.
Only after Ling Hao drank his medicine and laid down to rest during the day did Ling Rui return to Fenghua Palace.
Cuixi, returning ahead of Ling Rui, didn’t rest immediately. She went to see Noble Consort Yi first, reporting on the medicine brewing herself.
“At first, I thought the young prince was just overly anxious… But later, when I was brewing the medicine, I realized that something indeed was off with the people in Consort De’s palace.”
“Niang Niang, it seems that recently, the princes in the palace have all encountered troubles.”
First, it was the eldest prince, and now, the fourth prince.
Although Emperor Ling has many consorts and numerous children, when counted carefully, there are only three princes who are currently valued in the palace.
The eldest prince, the fourth prince, and the youngest, the seventh prince.
The third prince is frail and sickly, no one needs to harm him for his survival to be uncertain, so he isn’t considered a factor.
The sixth prince, besides his gluttony, has no merits and isn’t intelligent, so he is also not considered.
After Cuixi finished her report, she withdrew to rest.
Noble Consort Yi’s face remained grim as she pondered Cuixi’s words. One prince after another getting injured, though each incident seemed accidental, still warranted vigilance.
“Ji Yan, send a message to the General’s residence…”
Noble Consort Yi was worried about the safety of her own child, while Emperor Ling sat in his study with a similarly dark expression.
Some things seemed to be diverging from his plan.
From Ling Chen’s near-death experience to Ling Hao’s arm injury…
This was all wrong.
He originally just wanted to solidify his imperial power, to make everyone aware that—
He was the emperor. Whether it was the General’s residence or his own sons, they should all behave properly and fulfill their roles as subjects until his death.
He wanted the General’s residence to settle down and give the eldest prince a warning, making the empress’s faction behind him less eager to push for his appointment as the heir.
But the warning had nearly resulted in the eldest prince’s death.
“Who exactly…”
Emperor Ling murmured, “Who wants to kill all my sons?”
No one in the study answered him.
But a few days later, the Imperial Astronomer submitted a report stating that after observing the stars at night, they had detected unusual omens.
These omens in the stars corresponded to the recent series of disturbances in the palace.
Ling Rui wasn’t privy to these discussions about celestial signs. After clinging to his fourth brother for a few days, he finally saw his temporary study companions again.
The three study companions stood in front of him.
The quietest one, Chen Zhou, still said little, silently recording everything in his little notebook.
Everything he noted eventually ended up in the Eastern Palace of Great Qing.
The young crown prince, Huo Qinwu, received not only his letters but others as well.
After reading all the letters, a hint of barely concealed murderous intent appeared on his cold face.
“This tiny temple is overrun with demons.”
He coldly remarked, “Such a weak little country, instead of thinking about how to survive, they are preoccupied with solidifying their power.”
How foolish and laughable.
If it weren’t for the affection he had for Zaizai, he would have wanted to kill all these people.
His little one staying in Qi Dynasty is a tremendous blessing for Qi Dynasty, but why do some people in Qi Dynasty insist on making his little one unhappy?
Huo Qinwu put the letters he received into the fire, letting them burn bit by bit.
Meanwhile, Ling Rui was squatting on the ground, searching for herbs in the palace.
Ling Fu squatted next to him, scratching his head in frustration, “Little Seven, I’ve never seen the herb you’re talking about.”
“Sixth Brother, keep looking.”
Ling Rui encouraged, “The palace is huge, let’s keep looking together.”
Ling Fu nodded, “Alright, let’s look together.”
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