Jiang Yan was also stunned. He stared with wide eyes, stuttering, “Li-little, li-little—”
Before he could finish calling him, he saw the somewhat dissatisfied little rascal turn his head and prepare to rush back into the classroom.
This time he reacted quickly. Jiang Yan hurriedly walked up and grabbed the emotional little one.
“Little Seven, calm down.”
Jiang Yan held his small body urgently, advising, “Don’t be impulsive anymore! This ink won’t wash off!”
He was starting to despair.
With this black-and-white little rascal, he had no idea how to take him home.
Ling Fu, with darkened eyes, also hurried forward and embraced Ling Rui, saying, “Little Seven, let’s go, let’s go first.”
Time was tight, and he had to give Little Seven a bath first.
“Sixth Brother, I haven’t finished talking to them yet.”
“No need to talk!”
Ling Fu could guess from his little brother’s stance that he was about to declare a fight, but there was really no time.
Ling Rui was taken away by Sixth Brother and the study companion. As he left, he twisted his small face and shouted, “My Sixth Brother and I are not easy to bully!”
If they were bullied again, he would come back for revenge.
“Chen Zhou, carry Little Seven.”
“Jiang Yan, you stay here and take care of the desks and chairs.”
The classroom was a mess and needed someone to clean up.
Jiang Yan was left behind, while Ling Fu, with Little Seven and Chen Zhou, hurriedly got on the carriage.
Before getting on the carriage, Ling Fu also covered Little Seven’s face discreetly to avoid being seen.
Once on the carriage, Ling Fu didn’t let anyone take them directly to the palace. He racked his brains for a while, then had them sent to the street, saying they were going to buy something.
“Little Seven, cover your face with this cloth. When Sixth Brother finds a place, he will take it off for you.”
“Stuffy.”
The little rascal, his face covered with a makeshift cloth, expressed how he felt right now.
“Being stuffy for a while is better than going home and getting beaten up.”
His Little Seven was very brave, confronting multiple opponents directly. But being brave in the palace would definitely lead to a beating.
Ling Fu couldn’t bear to let his little brother get beaten up.
He needed to find a place on the street where he could give Little Seven a thorough scrubbing.
After the guards put them down from the carriage, they behaved as usual, not bothering them, letting them walk ahead.
There were still many people on the street in the evening.
Ling Fu smelled the aroma of snacks from both sides of the street, sniffed, and then stubbornly resisted the urge to eat.
Now was not the time to eat; it was time to save Little Seven.
After walking and asking for a while, the two rascals finally arrived at a place where they could bathe.
When they arrived, the landlady was still stunned for a moment: “You, you want to bathe—”
“Bathe my little brother.”
Ling Fu patted his chest and said boldly, “As long as it’s clean, it doesn’t matter how much it costs.”
The landlady was amused by them: “You two are still young. Doesn’t your family wash you?”
“They do.”
Ling Fu answered straightforwardly, then took off his brother’s cloth mask. He explained frankly to the landlady, “My brother got his face dirty. If we don’t clean it up and go back, he’ll get beaten.”
As soon as he said this, the landlady immediately understood.
But when she saw the little rascal beside him, whose mask had been torn off, the landlady was still taken aback. “How did this little face get so… black?”
For a moment, the landlady couldn’t find the right words to describe it.
“It needs to be cleaned thoroughly, or else he’ll get a beating.”
Ling Fu repeated this again. After he finished, the landlady finally nodded and let them in.
“You kids are really naughty. Look at you, all dirty. If you don’t clean up, you’ll really get a beating when you go back.”
While the landlady spoke, she led them to the innermost room. “I’ll wash him myself and try to get him clean.”
Ling Rui looked down at his hands covered in ink. He obediently let the landlady wash him.
After a while, the landlady looked at the little rascal whose ink stains hadn’t faded much and was baffled.
“This black… isn’t it ink? How come it’s so hard to wash off.”
While Ling Rui was bathing, Ling Fu stayed by his side.
He interjected, “This is new ink, said to be very difficult to wash off.”
The landlady: “…”
The landlady continued to wash for a while.
But the little rascal still didn’t fade.
After half an hour passed, the landlady gave up.
She awkwardly said to the two children, “I can’t wash this off. I tried my best, but this really won’t come off.”
Ling Rui had just been scrubbed so hard he was sore.
He knew the landlady had put in a lot of effort, but the ink on his body simply wouldn’t come off.
“It’s okay.”
The little rascal, knowing that the landlady had done her best, handed over the bathing money: “My dad has hot springs. I’ll just go back and soak in the hot springs.”
“Okay, soak in the hot springs for a while longer and see if it can be washed off.”
After messing around outside for a long time, the two rascals returned empty-handed.
They sat back on the carriage, approaching the palace. Ling Rui looked at his small black hands and then at his dirty clothes.
Since he couldn’t see his own small face, he didn’t know how ridiculous his black-and-white face looked.
“Sixth Brother, does Little Seven look ugly?”
Ling Fu: “…”
Ling Fu looked at him through a filter, so his answer was also filtered.
“In my eyes, you’re very cute. I don’t think you’re ugly at all.”
In Ling Fu’s eyes, his Little Seven had always been cute and pretty.
Now, he might not be particularly pretty, but he’s still very cute.
“Little Seven, why don’t you sleep with me tonight? Don’t let Noble Consort Yi see you.”
“You sleep at my place, and tomorrow we’ll leave together.”
If the adults don’t see Little Seven, they won’t notice anything unusual about him.
That way, Little Seven won’t have to endure beating.
Ling Fu’s idea was indeed beautiful, but Ling Rui shook his head and refused, “No, if Mother knows we slept together, she will definitely come to see me.”
Even if he sleeps with Father, he has to go back before sleeping with Father.
“Sigh, let me think of another way.”
Ling Fu didn’t have much in his mind. After thinking hard for a while, he patted Ling Rui’s shoulder and seriously discussed with him, “How about this, you sneakily soak in Daddy’s hot spring, then I’ll go tell Noble Consort Yi that you’re with Daddy, and you might return late to see her.”
“I’ll make her sleep early.”
Ling Fu thought this trick was feasible. The more he talked about it, the more excited he got, “By the time you come back after soaking in the hot spring, she might have fallen asleep. Then you can climb into bed and sleep, wake up a bit earlier the next day, don’t let her see you, and go straight to school.”
Ling Fu was so worried about him not getting beaten that he was practically distressed.
Ling Rui looked at Sixth Brother and nodded his little head.
He followed Sixth Brother’s plan and sneaked off to soak in Father’s hot spring.
As soon as he went to soak in the hot spring, Ling Fu went to find Noble Consort Yi.
“Noble Consort.”
Ling Fu was still very polite in front of Noble Consort Yi. After greeting her politely, he said to her, “Little Seven is soaking in Royal Father’s hot spring and will be back later. You don’t need to wait for him.”
Noble Consort Yi nodded, “Mmm,” and said, “Then let him soak with His Majesty to avoid coming back and disturbing me.”
Ling Fu: “?”
Ling Fu felt uneasy. Nervously, he asked, “Is Royal Father also in the hot spring pool?”
Noble Consort Yi nodded, “Yes, isn’t Little Seven going to join him for a soak?”
Ling Fu: “…”
Ling Fu hadn’t expected that Emperor Ling would be in the hot spring pool.
He managed to keep Little Seven away from Noble Consort Yi but couldn’t keep him away from Royal Father.
Thinking that Little Seven might meet Royal Father in the hot spring, Ling Fu’s chubby face wrinkled.
This is bad!
What should he do about his Little Seven!
Ling Fu was so worried that he didn’t even feel like continuing to talk to Noble Consort Yi.
After bidding farewell to Noble Consort Yi, Ling Fu left with heavy steps.
Meanwhile…
In a small hot spring, already stripped naked, the little black cub lowered his head and saw the reflection of the little black cub on the water’s surface.
After seeing his reflection in the water, the little black cub was still stunned.
Since splashing ink until now, he hadn’t seen his own appearance.
When bathing on the street, the boss lady had scrubbed him a bit too hard, leaving him dizzy and not paying attention to his appearance.
Now that he saw it clearly, he was dumbfounded.
No wonder Sixth Brother didn’t want him to see Noble Consort Yi.
The little one, feeling a sense of crisis, used his chubby hands to cup water and vigorously rubbed his face. His face was tender and had been reddened by the boss lady’s scrubbing.
Now that he had finally recovered a bit, he rubbed it all over again with his chubby hands and reddened it again.
But his little face hurt from the rubbing, and the ink color still couldn’t be rubbed off.
Seeing that rubbing wouldn’t work, the little one closed his eyes and sank himself into the pool.
He wanted to soak himself!
The little one laid at the bottom of the pool, not moving at all.
At first glance, it looked like he had drowned.
He had been soaking for a while and was starting to feel drowsy.
Since he could breathe freely in the water, after feeling drowsy from soaking, the dazed little one fell asleep directly.
He slept peacefully, unaware that others were looking for him.
Just as he was only a short distance away, Emperor Ling heard someone say that the little prince was missing near the hot spring, and he also froze, “I’m here, and I didn’t see Little Seven come over.”
“Your Majesty, the little prince did come, but in the blink of an eye, this servant couldn’t see him anymore.”
Emperor Ling: “…”
Upon hearing this, Emperor Ling quickly put on his clothes and went to look for him himself.
There were separate small pools and interconnected large pools by the hot spring pool. Emperor Ling hurriedly put on his clothes and went to the other hot spring pools to find the little one.
He was looking for the little one, but the little one who had just been soaking in the pool was not sleeping obediently.
As he slept, he kicked his short legs.
As soon as he kicked his legs, his small body naturally floated with the water.
Coincidentally, the chaotic route he floated along at the bottom of the water perfectly achieved hide-and-seek with Emperor Ling. He hid so accurately that Emperor Ling searched all around and couldn’t find his figure.
“Little Seven isn’t here. Go look somewhere else.”
Emperor Ling frowned, his face not looking good, “No one saw him go somewhere else? What are you all doing?!”
Emperor Ling was furious again, and the little one couldn’t be found.
Finally, the entire palace was alarmed, and the Third Prince and the Empress were also searched. Looking at the people searching for the little one, the Empress said lightly, “He really can stir up trouble.”
Ling Yi didn’t speak in front of her.
The Empress glanced at him and suddenly asked, “You’ve been living in the palace for so long. How many times has your royal father come to see you? Has he ever eaten with you?”
Ling Yi: “…”
Ling Yi couldn’t lie and could only tell the truth, “Royal Father is also recuperating. I’m already grown up. There’s no need for Royal Father to come see me.”
“He doesn’t look at you or your older brother, but he watches Little Seven day after day.”
The Empress’s tone was casual, but her calm tone made Ling Yi breathless. He interrupted the Empress and smiled, “Royal Mother, Little Seven is young, and it’s normal for Royal Father to look after him more. By the way, speaking of my older brother, how is he doing in court recently?”
“I haven’t seen Older Brother in a long time, and I really miss him a bit.”
“Your Older Brother is doing well.”
Mentioning the Eldest Prince, the Empress didn’t mention Seventh Prince again. She calmly said, “It’s time to start looking for a suitable girl for your Eldest Brother these two years.”
Ling Yi: “…”
“Isn’t it a bit early?”
Sitting on the chair, the Empress’s prayer beads were darkened from constant rubbing. With her other hand resting on the beads, she spoke slowly, “Let’s start looking these two years. When he turns fifteen and leaves the palace to establish his own residence, he should have a Princess.”
The Empress discussed arrangements for the Eldest Prince.
Ling Yi earnestly listened at the lower end of the hall.
From their appearance, they also exuded a sense of maternal love and filial piety.
While the Empress displayed maternal love and filial piety, chaos reigned elsewhere.
Noble Consort Yi asked incredulously, “The palace has been searched several times over. How is it possible that they still can’t find him?”
Especially with the attendants following the Seventh Prince, they stated that he had entered the hot spring, where the Emperor was staying, and the guards were strict—no assassins could possibly have abducted the Seventh Prince.
This was simply an extraordinary case.
The Emperor was quite certain of his search results—
He was certain that the little one was not in the hot spring.
By now, it was completely dark, and everyone was searching with lanterns for the Little Prince.
After who knows how long,
The little one, who had been drifting at the bottom of the hot spring, woke up. Rubbing his eyes, he touched his belly. “I’m so hungry.”
Hungry, the little one climbed out and looked at his dirty clothes, feeling reluctant to wear them.
He went to a nearby house not far from the hot spring, where clothes were washed, but his clothes were not there.
He saw a small gray garment from Chen Zhou, clean and neat, so he put it on.
It was difficult for him to dress, but he managed to get dressed.
After putting on his clothes, he walked out and randomly followed a group of people rushing around for no apparent reason. They were in a hurry, as if looking for something.
He was a little curious and kind-hearted, so he trotted along with his short legs.
As such a small child, others naturally noticed him.
But now that he had changed his clothes, with his face dirty and his hands dark, it was really hard for anyone to recognize that he was the most beautiful Seventh Prince in the palace.
The search for the Seventh Prince continued without success. The Emperor was completely furious and threatened to execute the palace attendants who failed to look after the Seventh Prince.
The little one, who had been running around, saw a crowd gathered ahead, with someone kneeling on the ground.
He couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on? Who are you looking for?”
The palace attendant, with red eyes, choked out, “We’re looking for the Seventh Prince. The Seventh Prince has disappeared.”
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