The little kid laid on the ground, refusing to give money or his life. He laid there so firmly that the old man next to him couldn’t see him anymore.
The old man, lying beside him, couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “You look quite rich, why are you so stingy?”
Sitting in such a nice carriage, wearing fine clothes, and looking so fair and tender, you’d think he was wealthy.
Ling Rui sprawled out, lying down and said, “I don’t have money. My pocket money is almost gone, and I need to buy gifts for adults.”
“I’m really poor.”
The little kid’s honest declaration of poverty made the scammer sit up in frustration, poking at his little arm.
“I’m impressed. You really have some nerve.”
The old man sat up and gave up on the scam.
He looked around at the spectators and knew that this time, the public opinion was not on his side. If he laid there any longer, people would start pointing fingers at him.
It wasn’t worth it.
He left, looking for the next target.
The little kid who had been lying on the ground pulled at his sleeve and said softly, “Wait a minute.”
The old man asked, “…”
The old man said, “What do you want now?”
Ling Rui got up from the ground, went back to the carriage to ask his older brother for some food, and then turned around to give it to the old man.
The old man, looking shabby with unkempt hair, received the food.
He didn’t have money to give the old man, but he could offer him some food. “Scamming is bad. Here, eat this and don’t scam people today.”
The old man looked at the food and smiled. “You child, you’re quite kind-hearted.”
The old man took the food without hesitation and then pulled out a book from his own belongings.
“Here.”
The old man handed the book to him and said, “It’s a medical book. If you want to learn medicine, you can take a look.”
Ling Rui had no intention of studying medicine.
He held the book close and asked, “Can I show this to my friend?”
“Yes, you can.”
After giving him the book, the old man waved his hand and turned to leave.
Ling Rui quickly lost sight of him.
Ling Fu, sitting in the carriage, called out to Ling Rui, “Little Seven, we need to leave. We’re running out of time.”
Although it was late in Luocheng, they still had many things to do. They needed to buy gifts and go to the Shen residence.
“Coming!”
Ling Rui took the book and returned to the carriage.
He, Ling Fu, and the other two young companions pooled their money to buy a silver hairpin for Madam Shen.
The silver hairpin wasn’t very expensive, but it was pretty.
Ling Rui looked at the silver hairpin and decided he would save up his pocket money to buy another one for Noble Consort Yi.
Time passed slowly.
After buying the items, the children arrived at the Shen residence. When they arrived, Madam Shen personally came to greet them.
“Mother!”
Shen Hui and Shen Tang, seeing Madam Shen, were about to rush over, but Madam Shen bypassed them and came to Ling Rui: “Little Seven, you’re here.”
“Madam, this is for you. It’s a gift from me, Sixth Brother, Jiang Yan, and Chen Zhou.”
Ling Rui handed the silver hairpin to Madam Shen and made sure to mention his gift-giving partners.
Madam Shen took the hairpin with a joyful smile: “You children, just coming to play is enough. You don’t need to bring gifts.”
“I would be grateful just for you to come and play with our two little rascals.”
As she spoke, Madam Shen led them into the main hall.
Shen Hui and Shen Tang followed behind. The two children huddled together, and Shen Tang puffed out his cheeks, saying unhappily, “Mother is ignoring us.”
Shen Hui comforted him by patting his head: “They are guests. Mother needs to attend to the guests.”
After leading everyone inside, Madam Shen chatted with them for a while and then took them to a specially prepared toy room.
The room was filled with toys of all kinds and colors.
The children happily played with the toys, while Madam Shen took Ling Rui to a room next door.
Once inside the adjacent room, Madam Shen closed the door behind her.
Ling Rui was a bit puzzled, not knowing why Madam Shen had called him.
Just as he was about to ask, Madam Shen knelt down in front of him and said, “This humble woman greets His Highness the Seventh Prince.”
Madam Shen performed a grand bow.
Ling Rui was stunned.
He was caught off guard by Madam Shen’s gesture and quickly moved to help her up.
“There’s no need for such formalities.”
Ling Rui helped her up and said, “I… I’m not acting as the Seventh Prince outside.”
Standing face to face, Ling Rui was still a bit confused: “How did you know I am the Seventh Prince?”
Shen Hui and Shen Tang didn’t know, and Madam Shen had only met him once. How did she recognize his identity?
“There were too many coincidences. I couldn’t help but guess.”
Seeing the little prince’s inquisitive eyes, Madam Shen cleared her throat and explained, “I carefully questioned Shen Hui and Shen Tang about your conversations.”
“You mentioned Lord Zhu and showed great interest in him.”
“Also, the fire that burned down the ancestral hall happened to sever our family’s connection with Lord Zhu.”
“And, the legal provisions on animal abuse, the officials coming to take people… these are things only the imperial power can execute.”
“Seventh Prince, here’s a letter that Liu Yiniang wanted to send to the magistrate.”
“This magistrate is someone from Lord Zhu’s side.”
“Although our lord desires to build a relationship with Lord Zhu, I assure you, we have no actual dealings with him. Now that Lord Zhu is under the imperial scrutiny, whether it’s good or bad, we don’t want to get involved.”
Madam Shen was quite perceptive.
She gave Ling Rui the letter and clearly explained the relationship between the Shen family and Lord Zhu.
Ling Rui took the letter and, with a serious expression, assured Madam Shen, “I won’t let you get involved in this matter.”
Their conversation wasn’t long, but Ling Rui provided Madam Shen with some reassurance.
When they left the room, Madam Shen addressed Ling Rui as Little Seven again, treating him as if he were a friend of her own children.
“Stay and have dinner before you leave.”
With her worries eased, Madam Shen seemed much more relaxed, smiling as she said, “The kitchen has prepared a lot of dishes. There should be something you all like.”
Madam Shen had prepared dinner, so they had to wait until after the meal to leave.
Soon.
The dishes were brought to the table, and Ling Rui and the other children were all seated. Since Ling Rui was not very skilled with chopsticks, Madam Shen had also prepared a spoon for him.
In formal dining, one shouldn’t start eating until all the dishes are served.
Although the children were young, they understood this rule.
They sat on their chairs without eating, and someone started kicking others with their feet.
Ling Rui’s little legs were kicked painfully.
He scowled and retaliated.
At first, the children were just playing around, but among kids, play often escalates quickly.
“I kicked you lightly, but you kicked me very hard!”
“I was also gentle!”
The children, not controlling their strength, grew increasingly frustrated and began blaming each other, refusing to back down.
The arguing grew louder. Shen Tang, agitated, tried to stand on his chair to speak loudly.
However, he lost his balance and fell onto the dining table with a thud.
The dining table was accidentally knocked over, spilling soup and dishes everywhere.
Madam Shen, who had gone outside to fetch some fruit and tea, walked in to find the mess.
And in the middle of the mess, her own son.
“Shen Tang!”
Even with her usual composure, Madam Shen couldn’t help but raise her voice, ready to scold her son.
Shen Tang, stunned from the fall, quickly scrambled to his feet and hid behind Shen Hui.
“Brother, help me.”
Seeing her son destroy the entire table of food, Madam Shen’s blood pressure spiked.
Ling Rui stood aside, looking a bit guilty. They had been kicking each other around while playing.
“Enough, clean this up and feed it to the chickens and dogs.”
Madam Shen ordered the maid to clean up the mess and to feed the leftovers to the chickens.
The estate had a few chickens, brought from the farm by Shen Hui and Shen Tang. The brothers enjoyed watching the hens lay eggs, so they would often sit by and watch as one egg followed another.
The maid threw the cleaned-up rice grains to the chickens, but soon after, the chickens fell dead on the ground.
The maid’s face turned pale at the sight.
She turned and hurried to Madam Shen.
“Ma, Madam, the chickens are dead!”
Seeing the maid in a panic, Madam Shen frowned and asked, “What chickens? Speak slowly, what happened?”
“Madam, there was poison in the food. I gave it to the chickens, and they died.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Shen’s face changed drastically, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.
If Shen Tang hadn’t knocked over the table, they might have eaten the poisoned food…
Madam Shen nearly collapsed.
She gripped the back of her chair tightly, her voice trembling: “Don’t make a fuss. Come with me to the kitchen!”
“Also, get the people who were watching Liu Yiniang to come here.”
Despite her trembling voice, Madam Shen’s mind was sharp. She made arrangements quickly and headed for the kitchen.
Halfway there, she suddenly remembered: “Did the master have his meal today? Where did he have it?”
“Master seems to have eaten at Concubine Fang’s place. I don’t know if he has finished.”
“Go check.”
Madam Shen sent a young maid to find out, while she and her trusted maid sealed off the kitchen.
The children waiting for dinner were hungry and waited for a long time, but the food never came.
Ling Fu looked at Shen Tang with a grudge: “If you hadn’t knocked over the table, we would have had our dinner by now.”
Shen Tang: “…”
Shen Tang was frustrated: “It’s all Little Seven’s fault for kicking me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have stood on the chair.”
“You kicked me too!”
The children began to argue again. Fortunately, the argument didn’t last long. Madam Shen knew they were hungry but dared not cook in the house anymore.
She ordered her personal maid to buy ready-made food from the street and bring it back for the children.
The dinner at Madam Shen’s place was a complete disaster.
She had no intention of relying on the prince, but having him in her home, she wanted to make a good impression. It would benefit the Shen family.
Now, all her plans were ruined.
Fuming with anger, after sending the children away, she calmly took Shen Hui and Shen Tang to the Second Young Master’s room and had them sleep together.
As for her, she conducted a thorough investigation of the incident.
Master Shen was lucky; the young maid arrived in time and prevented him from eating too much of the poisoned food. He had already seen a doctor and was fortunate to have survived.
Madam Shen was investigating this matter, and Master Shen let her proceed. He also wanted to know who in his household had the audacity to try to harm their entire family!
Madam Shen’s investigation was swift—
“It was Liu Yiniang who bribed people, intending to poison us all.”
Madam Shen handed over the evidence she had uncovered, coldly tossing it in front of Master Shen. “Master, this time, so many lives were at stake. You, I, and even Hui Er and Tangtang almost lost our lives. However you decide to handle this, I will follow your lead.”
Master Shen: “…”
Master Shen closed his eyes. After almost being poisoned himself, he could no longer soften his heart.
“Liu Yiniang intended to murder so many people in the Shen household; she cannot be kept here any longer.”
If Liu Yiniang remained in the residence, Master Shen feared he would eventually die at her hands.
Following Master Shen’s orders, Liu Yiniang died that very night in her quarters.
After her death, Master Shen’s anger had not yet subsided. He didn’t even provide her with a simple coffin; instead, she was taken to a mass grave and discarded without ceremony.
With Liu Yiniang’s death, Eldest Young Master Shen Da, who was locked up in prison, did not fare any better.
Since Shen Da had already committed acts like torturing and killing cats, it was unsurprising that he had been involved in other misdeeds behind the scenes.
His other crimes were uncovered, and with no one to protect him, he was sentenced to death.
After spending over ten years in glory within the provincial government, both Liu Yiniang and the Eldest Young Master met their end, while Madam Shen’s influence and prestige were restored.
Currently, the entire Shen household was well-managed under Madam Shen’s leadership.
Later, when Ling Rui and Ling Fu went to visit, they had a great time.
At midnight.
Even at this late hour, the imperial palace was still active. Ling Rui had a red cloth tied around his head and was diligently studying.
Noble Consort Yi, unable to watch any longer, called out to him, “That’s enough; it’s already so late. Stop working so hard.”
“You can study again tomorrow; it’s just the same.”
The little boy, with his red cloth still tied around his head, shook his head earnestly. “No, I must study.”
He had recently set a study schedule and was determined to attend Guan Shan Residence Academy on his third birthday.
Neither Noble Consort Yi nor Emperor Ling knew about this plan.
“Hurry up.”
Noble Consort Yi yawned and urged him again, “Don’t make me come over there.”
If she went over, the little boy’s bottom would definitely get a smack.
Seeing Noble Consort Yi’s patience wearing thin, the little boy with the red cloth on his head slowly climbed into bed.
Even after getting into bed, he didn’t sleep. He kept his eyes open, wanting to chat with Noble Consort Yi.
“Mother, can I go to Jiangyu County with Sixth Brother? His grandmother lives there, and I want to visit with him.”
“Sure.”
Noble Consort Yi, holding his soft little body, said lazily, “If you go to sleep obediently now, you can go. If not, you can’t.”
After hearing this, the little boy quickly closed his eyes.
The next day.
Ling Rui shared the good news with Ling Fu, who was also very happy.
Before heading to Jiangyu County, they first went to the Shen residence to treat the second young master’s illness.
The Shen family’s second young master had a condition of coldness, which was further complicated by chronic poisoning.
Shui Shui explained the treatment results to Madam Shen, who was so furious that she nearly dragged Liu Yiniang out and whipped her corpse again.
She now hated Liu Yiniang and her son with a passion.
“It can be cured.”
Although there was some poison, it wasn’t difficult to treat. Shui Shui slowly explained to Liu Yiniang, “He will recover and be as healthy as normal.”
He wouldn’t have to stay cooped up at home and could play outside in good health.
Madam Shen, upon hearing this, was almost moved to kneel and thank him.
Seeing Madam Shen’s emotional reaction, Shui Shui quickly ran behind Ling Fu.
He didn’t go behind Ling Rui since Ling Rui was too small to hide him.
Shui Shui wasn’t very good at handling such gratitude.
After returning from the Shen residence, Ling Rui followed Shui Shui to watch him prepare medicine. Although he had no plans to become a doctor, he wanted to learn a bit of everything.
According to the latest news, the entrance exam for Guan Shan Residence Academy included several subjects.
The more he learned, the more security he would have!
Shui Shui enjoyed spending time with him, so he was happy to see Ling Rui following him.
Ling Fu wasn’t interested in what they were doing, so he didn’t follow them.
Shui Shui and Ling Rui busied themselves in a small courtyard, where Shui Shui took a lot of ginger, crushed it into juice, mixed it with water, and made ginger water.
They made a whole bucket of ginger water.
Curious, Ling Rui asked, “What’s this for?”
“To drive away cold.”
Shui Shui squatted on the ground, continuing to crush other ingredients. Ginger water was just one of the things he was preparing.
He said, “For coldness, use this for soaking.”
The second young master’s cold was severe, and this would help.
The ginger water was warm from the sun. Ling Rui, feeling cold at night lately, thought he might also have some cold and wanted to soak in it.
“Shui Shui, can I use this?” Ling Rui pointed to the warm ginger water and asked.
Shui Shui nodded.
Though he nodded, Shui Shui didn’t know what the little boy wanted to do with it.
Moments later, Shui Shui saw the little boy pluck a bunch of flower petals and pour them into the ginger water.
Then the little boy took off his clothes and sat in the water.
The naked little boy was bathing in the courtyard, holding flower petals in his small hands, looking quite content.
However, Shui Shui’s expression grew more and more anxious, becoming quite serious.
He stopped squatting and stood up, keeping his eyes fixed on the little boy in the water.
“Little Seven, you—”
Before he could finish saying “get up,” the little boy’s expression in the tub began to look increasingly uncomfortable.
“Shui Shui.”
The little boy in the tub, with a flushed face, looked at Shui Shui with a slightly panicked expression and said, “It hurts.”
Shui Shui: “…”
Shui Shui walked over quickly and pulled him out, saying, “This water is spicy.”
Ginger water is very spicy, and Little Seven, being chubby, didn’t really have a cold problem.
So, the consequences of soaking in this water were predictable.
A few minutes later.
The little boy, who had climbed out of the tub, had his white and tender skin reddened from the spiciness. He looked up and cried out loudly.
