Ah Wu, who was doing something else, still heard his muttering in time.
“Why do you want to hide your third brother?”
Ah Wu asked, and Ling Rui remembered his presence.
He pouted and told Ah Wu about the vision, “Third brother is already very pitiful because of his poor health. Why does he have to be tied up too?”
Every time he thought about his third brother’s future, he felt both anxious and frustrated.
Now, seeing his third brother tied up in Shui Shui’s vision made him even more upset.
“Little one, you have guards with you. It’s not easy to kidnap a prince.”
Ah Wu calmed the little one, his voice steady as he spoke, “If you’re really worried, you can keep a close watch on your third brother in the coming days.”
As for hiding the third prince, Ah Wu couldn’t do that easily since he wasn’t in Qi Dynasty.
“Little one, does your head still hurt?”
Ah Wu remembered how frequently using his foresight had caused Ling Rui’s head to hurt.
“It doesn’t hurt now.”
Talking to Ah Wu cheered Ling Rui up a bit.
Just hearing Ah Wu’s voice made him feel at ease.
“Ah Wu, I’ll protect my third brother.”
Ling Rui clenched his little fists, his chubby face showing determination.
Ah Wu, hearing his words, encouraged him, “Mm, I believe in you.”
“Ah Wu, when will you come to see me?”
After discussing his third brother, Ling Rui turned his attention to Ah Wu, “I haven’t seen you for many days.”
He had lost count of the days since he last saw Ah Wu.
“I drew a picture for you. Did you see it? If you miss me, you can look at it.”
Ling Rui had sent Ah Wu a self-portrait.
He was very pleased with his drawing.
Ah Wu, thinking of the pictures he had received, was silent for a few seconds. After a moment, he replied, “I saw it. It’s… very nice.”
“Second sister said it was cute too.”
Ling Rui proudly praised himself and then reminded Ah Wu, “Ah Wu, you should draw a picture for me too.”
“Mm.”
“Draw yourself for me to see.”
“Mm… okay.”
Their conversation didn’t last long, and Ling Rui opened his eyes and looked at Shui Shui again.
Even though he had seen his third brother tied up in the vision, with Shui Shui by his side, he also clearly saw Shui Shui’s small body protectively leaning on his third brother.
It was a protective stance.
“Shui Shui.”
Ling Rui called out to Shui Shui, genuinely puzzled by the chaotic vision of his future.
He opened his mouth, calling Shui Shui’s name.
Shui Shui watched him intently, as if waiting for him to say something.
After a moment of staring, Ling Rui climbed back onto the carriage, rummaged through it, and brought out a bunch of things, including food and other items, which he handed to Shui Shui.
“I’ll come back.”
After giving the items to Shui Shui, Ling Rui pursed his lips and said, “If your mom leaves again, eat these so you don’t go hungry.”
“When you finish them, I’ll bring more.”
He handed the things to Shui Shui and looked at him a few more times, still worried.
Shui Shui held the items, standing there, watching the carriage slowly move away.
He stood still.
Ling Rui, pulling back the curtain, looked back.
The little one in the carriage, craning his neck and looking back as hard as he could, waved his small hand and shouted loudly, “Go back, Shui Shui, go back and eat.”
Seeing Shui Shui standing there alone made the little one a bit sad.
Although one kept talking and the other remained silent, their emotions seemed to be the same.
The carriage moved far enough that Ling Rui could no longer see Shui Shui, yet he still didn’t retract his head.
Ling Yi couldn’t bear it anymore and lifted him onto his lap.
“Alright, it’s not like you won’t see him again. Why are you so sad?”
Ling Yi didn’t know about the little one’s foresight, nor did he know that his own future involved being kidnapped and seriously ill.
He remained optimistic: “If you want to come next time, I’ll bring you again.”
“But have to go to school.”
The little one had already missed a day of school. Not going to school felt quite comfortable, but he couldn’t skip school every day, or he would get into trouble.
“Third Brother.”
Ling Rui, sitting on Ling Yi’s lap, looked up with his little face, “Please.”
“Please what?” Ling Yi’s eyelid twitched.
Ling Rui hugged him, looking up at him expectantly: “Please go to school with Little Seven, okay?”
Ling Yi: “…”
Ling Yi: “That’s not really okay.”
Ling Yi wasn’t illiterate; the books he had read and the knowledge he had learned were on par with others. But he had never really wanted to go to school.
He didn’t like interacting with too many people; he preferred being alone.
“Please.”
Ling Rui had long noticed that his third brother didn’t like going to school, which is why he had pleaded with him from the start.
“You can go to school yourself. Why insist on having your third brother accompany you?”
Ling Yi held his little face and turned it aside, not letting him use those pleading eyes on him: “You already have Little Six with you; you don’t need your third brother.”
“And your second sister and fifth sister are also at school. So many people are with you; you should be content.”
Ling Yi’s roundabout explanation was just because he was lazy and didn’t want to accompany the little one to school.
The little one sat on his lap, clinging to him and pleading all the way.
By the time they returned to the temporary palace, the little one was still holding onto his arm, unwilling to let go.
“Be good. Go to school with Little Six, and you can come find your third brother after school.”
Ling Yi said, then peeled the clinging little one off himself and handed him over to Ji Yan, who came to fetch him.
Ji Yan took the little prince from their palace, smiling as she said to Ling Yi, “Third Highness, you look much better today. It seems that getting out and about is beneficial.”
Ji Yan wasn’t just flattering; she genuinely thought that Ling Yi, after this outing, looked much better.
Thinking of the medicinal concoction he had used, Ling Yi felt moved.
Although he felt much better after using it, he still doubted—
Could Shui Shui, at such a young age, really know anything about medicine?
Having an eidetic memory and understanding medicine were two different things.
Ling Yi didn’t show his thoughts on his face. He spoke a few more words to Ji Yan and then returned to his own quarters.
Ling Rui, watching his departing back, reached out his small hand.
Ji Yan gently took hold of the little prince’s extended hand and soothed him, “Your Highness, the noble consort missed you dearly since you didn’t return yesterday.”
“The small kitchen has prepared your favorite dishes. I’ll take you to eat.”
Under Ji Yan’s gentle coaxing, Ling Rui obediently hugged her neck, resting his little head against her shoulder.
Ji Yan, carrying the soft little one, couldn’t help but smile.
Soon, Ling Rui was taken back.
After a good bath and changing into fresh clothes, he joined the Noble Consort Yi for a meal.
At the dining table, Noble Consort Yi chatted with him.
As they talked, the conversation turned to Shui Shui’s mother.
When the little one heard “Shui Shui’s mother,” his face visibly drooped.
Noble Consort Yi frowned slightly, “Little Seven, what’s wrong? Don’t you like Shui Shui’s mother?”
In her memory, her little one rarely showed such obvious emotions towards someone.
“No.”
The little one poked at his bowl and indeed gave the expected answer: “I like playing with Shui Shui, but I don’t like his mother.”
Shui Shui didn’t talk much but would agree to play games with him.
He thought if there were a contest for the best-behaved child, Shui Shui would be first, and he would be second.
“You don’t like Shui Shui’s mother, but do you still want to play with Shui Shui?”
“Yes.”
Ling Rui answered quickly and then hesitated, “Mother, if Shui Shui wants to come home with me, can I bring him back?”
“No.”
Noble Consort Yi replied without hesitation, “According to the laws of Qi Dynasty, a child with either a father or a mother cannot be taken away by others.”
“Little Seven, if you take Shui Shui back, you would be considered a kidnapper. Do you remember what I told you about kidnappers?”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui, scared, clutched his spoon and stopped eating.
He opened his mouth and recited the law Noble Consort Yi had told him: “Kidnappers will be executed, and all their property confiscated.”
After reciting, he touched his little head, scared: “Little Seven doesn’t want to be killed.”
“Don’t be afraid.”
Noble Consort Yi didn’t intend to scare him too much: “Our Little Seven is not a kidnapper.”
She comforted her little one for a while, finally coaxing him to continue eating.
That night, Ling Rui didn’t sleep well.
He originally wanted to check on his third brother before bed, but Noble Consort Yi didn’t allow it: “It’s so late; your third brother should be resting.”
“Third brother doesn’t sleep.”
Ling Rui told Noble Consort Yi: “If I go check on him, I’ll know if he’s sleeping or not.”
Noble Consort Yi’s mouth twitched.
“You’re not going. Asking like that will wake anyone up.”
With Noble Consort Yi’s insistence, Ling Yi had a peaceful night.
Ling Rui, unable to escape Noble Consort Yi’s watch, ran to find his third brother first thing the next morning.
“Good morning, Third Brother.”
The little one poked his head out from the window and called out, waking his third brother. After confirming his third brother was alright, he didn’t wait for him to come over and hold him but turned around and ran off.
He still needed to go back and have breakfast.
After breakfast, it was time for school.
When Ling Fu saw that he finally came to school, his chubby face relaxed: “I thought you wouldn’t come today either. It’s good that you’re here; it’s boring going to school alone.”
Although there were many children in the school, Ling Fu didn’t like playing with them.
“Here, Little Seven, open your mouth.”
Before they even reached the school, Ling Fu was already feeding his younger brother on the way: “Eat more, I brought this especially for you.”
Ling Fu persistently fed his younger brother, wanting to make him chubbier.
He thought that chubby kids looked the best.
He was quite satisfied with his own chubbiness, but his mother and eldest brother were not. They insisted he slim down a bit.
The two brothers chatted and ate along the way. By the time they reached the destination, Ling Rui was already full.
In the school, the teacher didn’t say much about the little one missing school the previous day.
The Noble Consort had arranged for the little one to take a leave, so he wasn’t skipping school without reason.
“Your Highness, have you completed the homework assigned to you?”
The teacher checked the homework he had assigned before the break.
The little one had been out and about for two days, playing, and hadn’t managed to do his homework at all.
With his head hanging low, he went to a small desk to catch up on his homework.
Life in the school was very routine: classes and breaks, repeating the cycle.
Ling Rui was quite worried while at school.
Holding a piece of ink stick, he asked Ling Fu worriedly: “Sixth Brother, what will we do if we can’t find Third Brother when we get back?”
Ling Fu didn’t take it seriously: “So what if we can’t find him? It’s not like he’ll go missing.”
“But what if he does go missing?”
Ling Fu: “…”
Ling Fu: “He won’t go missing.”
Despite Ling Fu’s reassurance, Ling Rui was still worried.
He fretted all day at school, and the first thing he did after school was to check on his third brother.
“Third Brother, here.”
Because he was in a hurry, he didn’t have time to pick out a proper gift for his third brother, so he just plucked some green grass along the way and wove it into a ring, giving it to his third brother to wear: “Wear it on your head, it looks nice!”
Ling Yi: “…”
Ling Yi looked at the green ring and waved his hand: “There’s no need. You don’t have to bring gifts when you visit Third Brother in the future. I don’t need your gifts.”
Ling Rui shook his head, disagreeing: “Mother said we should be polite.”
A polite little one always brings gifts when visiting.
The little one insisted on giving the green grass ring to his third brother. After handing over the gift, he seriously advised his third brother: “Third Brother, don’t go visit Shui Shui alone. If you go, take me with you.”
Ling Rui wasn’t worried that Shui Shui was a bad kid.
He was just worried that his third brother might encounter some mishap while visiting Shui Shui.
Ling Yi responded with a perfunctory “Mm.”
For several days in a row, Ling Rui would check on his third brother before going to school and again after coming back.
Despite his close watch, Ling Yi still visited Shui Shui during the day.
When he visited, he would bring some food and clothing for Shui Shui.
The food he brought was good, but the clothes were quite ordinary.
Food could be eaten without drawing attention, but suddenly wearing too good clothes would be too noticeable.
Shui Shui accepted everything Ling Yi brought.
At first, Shui Shui’s mother didn’t pay much attention to these items until one night when she came back and, out of habit, went to the kitchen to cook.
She found a piece of wrapping paper in the kitchen. As she was about to throw it into the fire, she noticed the pattern on it.
The pattern wasn’t a dragon or phoenix design, but it was a unique pattern, the mark of the imperial kitchen’s pastries.
She had seen this mark before.
With everything quiet around her, Shui Shui’s mother clutched the wrapping paper, staring at it intensely.
After a long while, she calmed her emotions, left the kitchen, and went to find Shui Shui.
“Shui Shui, the young master who visits you…do you know who they are?”
“Little Seven, Third Brother.”
Under his mother’s gaze, Shui Shui slowly uttered these words.
After he spoke, his mother pressed his shoulders and continued to ask: “Besides their names, do you know anything else about them?”
“I don’t know.”
“How could you not know? You’ve always had a good memory, even if you’re a bit slow.” Shui Shui’s mother frowned, not believing his words.
The two of them were at a standstill for a long time, with Shui Shui’s mother questioning him repeatedly.
But Shui Shui kept shaking his head, slowly saying: “I don’t know.”
With no results from her questioning, Shui Shui’s mother put away the wrapping paper and left that night.
Before leaving, she still told Shui Shui: “I’m going to find your father.”
She often said this to Shui Shui.
She said that if she found his father, he might no longer have to pretend to be a little fool.
He would be very esteemed.
But Shui Shui, watching her leave, then looking at the empty kitchen, his eyelashes fluttered, and his face remained expressionless.
Mother hadn’t even cooked for him this time.
Shui Shui didn’t get to eat, and Ling Rui hadn’t forgotten him either.
Ling Rui was saving up money to buy Shui Shui a meal.
“I can lend you money.”
In the Emperor Ling’s palace, the Emperor looked at the little one who came to borrow money. Raising his eyebrows, he said slowly: “Since ancient times, borrowing money has always involved interest. Little Seven, if you borrow from father, father will also charge you interest. Can you accept that?”
“Yes, I can.”
The little one nodded vigorously. To borrow money, he was willing to pay interest.
But Emperor Ling’s interest was a bit different.
He sat in his chair, leisurely listing his “interest” terms one by one, leaving the little one dumbfounded.
“During the loan period, you have to take care of Daddy, just as Daddy took care of you before.”
“This time, it’s your turn to take care of Daddy. You need to help Daddy get up and go to bed, dress Daddy—just the outer coat will do. Also, if Daddy is in a bad mood, you have to cheer him up.”
After saying all this, Emperor Ling added, “And you mustn’t tell the Noble Consort about this.”
He often got exasperated while tutoring the little one, so seizing the opportunity to charge interest, Emperor Ling, being a bit petty, wanted to regain some satisfaction.
While he was enjoying setting these conditions, he didn’t realize that having the little one serve him might not be so enjoyable after all.
