Chapter 40
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“Here flowers for you.”
Ling Rui shook his little hand, holding a bunch of flowers and grass: “They’re very pretty, all for you.”
Ling Yi looked at him with deep eyes and stayed still for a while before getting out of bed.
He put on his shoes, walked to the window, and opened it.
He swore he didn’t want to see this kind of window that could show shadows again.
Opening the window, a little guy came into view more clearly.
The little guy didn’t know he had just scared his own brother to death. He tilted his soft face upwards and spoke cheerfully, “Third Brother, with these flowers, you’ll fall asleep soon.”
Ling Yi didn’t accept the flowers. He just reached out and took the little guy from the window.
“Why are you looking for me in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”
Ling Yi brought the little prince in from the window, and when he looked down, he found that the little prince was staring at him with a look of wonder, as if he had done something extraordinary.
He asked subconsciously, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Ling Rui, all wrapped up in him, with bright, shiny eyes, blinked at him without blinking, “Third Brother, you’re amazing! You can carry Little Seven!”
He had never been carried by Third Brother before; he thought Third Brother couldn’t lift him.
Unexpectedly, Third Brother could lift him up entirely.
Ling Rui was incredibly amazed, while Ling Yi’s mouth twitched slightly, “I’m so much older than you; of course, I can carry you.”
Ling Rui was small, with chubby arms and legs, but not particularly heavy.
If it were the real chubby Ling Fu, Ling Yi probably wouldn’t even consider bending over.
“Third Brother, that’s great!”
Ling Rui still thought Third Brother was great. When he praised someone, the expression on his little face was sincerely heartfelt.
Being praised, Ling Yi gradually set aside his intention to scold his younger brother, thinking instead—
It’s not a big deal for a child to not be able to sleep and come to play.
It’s okay, I can understand.
“Alright, stop praising.” Ling Yi casually placed the little guy on the bed, looked down at him condescendingly, and returned to his original question, “Why did you come to me in the middle of the night?”
“I wanted to see if Third Brother was asleep.”
Ling Rui sat on the edge of the bed, swinging his little legs, “Third Brother isn’t asleep. I came to deliver flowers.”
He added regretfully, “And some bugs too, but I fell just now and lost them.”
He originally had a handful of bugs in his other little hand, but he fell under the window just now, and the bugs disappeared.
Ling Yi was somewhat afraid of bugs.
Seeing that his bugs were gone, Ling Yi suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
With their eyes meeting, Ling Yi looked at him and asked, “It’s late; don’t scare people outside. Stay here for a while and sleep until morning.”
Ling Rui was stunned.
He looked at Third Brother, then at himself, apparently somewhat surprised by Third Brother’s invitation to stay overnight, “Is Third Brother sleeping with me?”
“Yeah.”
Ling Yi had indeed been scared enough just now. He kicked off his shoes, got back on the bed, and laid down, “Little Seven, if you can’t sleep, tell Third Brother a story.”
Hesitating for a moment, Ling Rui also took off his little shoes and quickly climbed in front of Third Brother, ready to tell him a story.
“Third Brother, I’ll tell you a story about my auntie.”
Ling Rui heard bedtime stories, and most often it was his auntie’s stories.
He sat cross-legged in front of Third Brother and began to tell the story.
When there is still fighting on the battlefield, it does not make one sleepy at all.
Ling Yi closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep for a while, but he couldn’t. He opened his eyes, planning to ask the little prince to tell him a different bedtime story.
But before he could speak, the little prince, who was telling the story, dozily fell headfirst onto him.
Ling Yi: “?”
Ling Yi looked down and saw the little prince sleeping soundly.
The speed at which he fell asleep made Ling Yi envious and jealous.
He reached out and pinched the little prince’s chubby, doughy face. The soft touch made him unable to resist the urge to take a bite.
“I must be crazy.”
Ling Yi muttered to the little face, “Why would I want to bite his cheek? Is this kid casting a gu… Did he cast a gu on my elder brother?”
Thinking of Big Brother’s obvious exceptional love for this little guy, and then looking at this little guy.
At this moment, he really felt that this little guy seemed to be able to cast a gu.
A little guy who can cast gus is a bit scary, but he also looks too cute.
Ling Yi looked at the little guy with his eyes lowered for a while, and still left a gap before lying down.
There was a gap between the two, and Ling Yi closed his eyes and continued to brew sleepiness.
Before he could develop sleepiness, the little guy who was originally a distance away from him rolled over.
The little guy’s sleep was a bit bad. After rolling several times, he rolled over to his side, and his chubby legs rested on his legs.
Ling Yi wanted to remove his chubby legs, but the chubby legs didn’t seem to want to move.
After a while.
Ling Yi resigned himself to fate and let his chubby legs rest on him.
It’s strange to say that after this little guy rolled over, Ling Yi slowly started to feel sleepy.
Ling Yi, who was awakened in the middle of the night, finally managed to fall asleep again after a round of tossing and turning.
Cui Xi, who was waiting outside, didn’t see the little prince come out, and was a little anxious.
Finally, it was an undercover guard in the tree who jumped down, lightly leaped to her side, and told her, “The Third Prince brought the Seventh Prince into the house and they went to bed. You can rest and come back later.”
Although the undercover guard said that the Seventh Prince stayed overnight with the Third Prince, Cui Xi still stayed here and didn’t leave.
Next day.
Ling Yi woke up early. He was worried about something before going to bed, so he woke up early.
When he woke up, the little guy next to him was sleeping all over the place, just like a little piglet.
Without having time to appreciate the little piglet’s sleeping posture, Ling Yi directly woke him up, “Little Seven, wake up.”
Ling Yi pushed several times before Ling Rui responded drowsily.
He hummed and arched his little body, trying to escape from Ling Yi’s big hand pushing him.
But Ling Yi held onto his chubby feet and didn’t let him run.
After being pulled several times, Ling Rui pouted and was about to cry.
Ling Yi: “…”
Ling Yi was as hard-hearted as iron.
He forcibly woke up the little guy who hadn’t slept well.
“Little Seven, sleep when you get back.”
Ling Yi picked up the awakened little guy, quickly put on his little shoes, then opened the window and put him back in last night’s position.
“Go back now and don’t tell anyone that you slept here last night.”
Even though he was awake, the little guy’s head was still a bit fuzzy as he stood beneath the window, looking up at his third brother with an upturned face.
Ling Yi solemnly stared back at him, emphasizing, “Especially don’t let Royal Mother find out.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui nodded his little head.
Ling Yi watched him turn his small body along the wall until he was far enough away to close the window.
Cui Xi, who had been waiting until now, saw her little prince come out and hurried over to him, lifting him into her arms.
“Little Highness, why did you wake up so early?”
Ling Rui, nestled in her arms, rested his sleepy head against her shoulder and rubbed his eyes with his chubby little fist, “Sleepy.”
Seeing that he wasn’t fully awake, Cui Xi gently patted his back, coaxing him to go back to sleep.
As she was taking the young prince away, Cui Xi lifted her head and glanced at a tree not far away.
After that glance, she quickly averted her gaze and walked away with the young prince in her arms.
Not long after they left, the Empress arrived with her personal maidservant.
She was carrying a bowl of already prepared medicine.
When Ling Yi saw the medicine, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. “Royal Mother, I don’t want to drink the medicine anymore.”
“Yi Er, be obedient.”
The Empress had invested a lot in both of her sons. For her eldest, she had placed all her hopes and expectations on him, and for her youngest, she was equally attentive and caring.
Her youngest son’s health was her greatest concern.
Ling Yi listened to his mother, remained silent for a few seconds, then took the medicine and drank it in one gulp.
The medicine was very bitter.
Even after so many years, he still couldn’t get used to the bitterness.
The Empress stared at him. Only after seeing him finish the medicine did her expression soften a little.
“How did you sleep last night?” she asked.
With the bitter taste still in his mouth, Ling Yi tried to put on a relaxed expression but couldn’t quite manage it. He made an effort but eventually replied without much expression, “I slept okay.”
“Now that we have to travel every day, if you feel unwell, tell me immediately.”
“Royal Mother, I am not unwell.”
Although he couldn’t smile, Ling Yi spoke lightly, “Since leaving the palace, I feel much more relaxed, and my health has improved a lot.”
The Empress didn’t believe him.
The mother and son stood facing each other for a moment before the Empress sat down. She wanted to accompany Ling Yi for breakfast.
When he was in the palace, Ling Yi rarely went out because he spent most of his time under his mother’s watchful eye.
His mother was extremely protective of him.
From a young age, because of his frail health, his mother didn’t allow anyone to come into contact with him or play with him.
In his mother’s eyes, everyone could potentially harm him.
Ling Yi looked at his mother and adjusted his emotions before saying, “Royal Mother, aren’t you having breakfast with Father?”
“He doesn’t like vegetarian food.”
The Empress replied indifferently, “He went to Noble Consort Yi.”
Ling Yi: “…”
He didn’t pursue the topic further.
He was about to change the subject, but the Empress continued, “Have you ever interacted with the seventh prince raised by Noble Consort Yi?”
Ling Yi smiled, “No.”
As the mother and son chatted while waiting for breakfast, Ling Rui was being sent back to Noble Consort Yi. When he arrived, he was still asleep, resting on Cui Xi’s shoulder.
Noble Consort Yi took him and kissed his small face, “Why bring him back while he’s still asleep?”
With her head lowered, Cui Xi reported everything that happened last night to Noble Consort Yi.
When Noble Consort Yi heard that the little rascal came knocking on someone’s window late at night, her eyelids twitched.
She looked at the tender little bun-faced boy and said, “Kissed prematurely.”
This little troublemaker seemed to be getting less obedient after leaving the palace.
If it had been her window knocked on last night, Noble Consort Yi had a premonition that she could have picked up this little rascal and given him a good beating on the spot.
She thought about beating him, but she still put the little guy into the bed and let him continue to sleep.
The journey continued.
But these two little rascals, Ling Rui and Ling Fu, were gradually escalating their mischief.
They slept in the sedan chair during the day and sneaked out at night.
Ling Rui loved finding his third brother the most.
After being scared several times by this little nocturnal ghost, Ling Yi’s heart became noticeably stronger.
When the little rascal came to play with his third brother at night, he was thrown out by his third brother before dawn.
He propped his chin and said to Ling Fu in distress, “I’m so sleepy, I haven’t slept well.”
Ling Fu, hearing his words, turned a page in his picture book casually, “I told you, don’t go to play with third brother. If you insist on going…”
“The Empress always goes to see third brother. If you go to play with third brother again, she will definitely find out.”
Ling Rui didn’t want to be found by the Empress.
Before, he wasn’t very afraid of the Empress, but after being thrown out several times by his third brother, he was afraid of the Empress.
Because he knew that his third brother threw him out because he was afraid that the Empress would find out.
“Little Seventh, what do you want to do when we get to Luocheng?”
Ling Fu became more interested in Luocheng the more he looked at these illustrations. He looked up and chatted with Ling Rui, “There are so many delicious things and fun things in Luocheng. When the time comes, let’s go eat and play together!”
“Okay.”
Ling Rui nodded, agreeing with Sixth Brother’s suggestion.
The two little rascals chatted about Luocheng for a while, and Ling Rui returned to the topic.
Ling Fu couldn’t offer much good advice on his distress.
Days passed calmly like this for a few days.
Ling Yi had an additional little one at night, so he actually got more sleep than before. Not only did he get more sleep, but the quality of his sleep also improved significantly.
He used to sleep quite restlessly.
Now, whether it’s the little one startling him, causing a fuss, or getting into trouble, he genuinely felt that he was sleeping much more comfortably.
However, possibly due to the travel, although he slept better, his physical condition still fluctuated.
That afternoon, he spat up a bit of blood while in the carriage.
It wasn’t much blood, and he wiped his mouth and hand clean with a handkerchief, not letting anyone know.
Though his mother kept a close watch on him, she was also feeling a bit unwell from the journey and often went back to rest.
When his mother went to rest, he naturally wasn’t watched as closely.
By evening.
After his mother’s routine check on him, he opened the window and let the little one outside climb in.
The little one didn’t need him to hold him anymore; he could climb through the window by himself.
“There’s a perfectly good door, yet you insist on climbing through the window.”
Ling Yi patted his little butt and asked with his charming peach blossom eyes, “Is climbing the window that much fun?”
“Yes, it’s fun!”
The little one, having landed safely, answered confidently.
After landing, he spread his little arms, asking for a hug from his third brother.
Ling Yi hugged him.
Before he could pull away, Ling Rui suddenly wrapped his small arms around Ling Yi’s neck, not letting him go.
Ling Yi: “?”
Maintaining his position, Ling Yi looked at the little one up close and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ling Rui looked at him seriously without speaking.
They stared at each other until Ling Yi couldn’t take it anymore and pinched his cheek. “What’s with that look? Why are you staring at me like that?”
Ling Rui still didn’t speak.
He reached out with his little hands and cupped his third brother’s face.
“Third Brother.”
With a serious expression and a soft little voice, the little one said earnestly, “I can smell it.”
He could smell a hint of blood on his third brother.
While the little one was very serious, Ling Yi was not at all.
He placed the little one on a chair and pinched his nose. “What can you smell?”
“I… I can smell danger!”
Ling Rui struggled to find the right words to describe what he smelled.
Ling Yi didn’t take it seriously.
He handed the little one a cup of warmed goat milk from the table. “I added a bit of honey. Try it.”
The goat’s milk with honey was sweet and inviting.
Ling Rui looked at Third Brother, then back at the goat’s milk, resisting the temptation and wanting to talk more about the danger with Third Brother.
But before he could say anything, the door suddenly swung open.
Standing at the doorway was the Empress, who had returned to remind the younger son not to drink cold goat’s milk.
The little child, who had been avoiding the Empress for a few days, stood there dumbfounded.
This was bad.
He hadn’t smelled the danger of the Empress!
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Obrigada pela tradução ❣