Kou Hui, seeing that no one else was around, raised his voice a little.
He met the little one’s distrustful gaze and explained, “I’m not close to him at all. I plan to take him down and then go live with my mother.”
The little one’s ears perked up—he could smell gossip.
He glanced at the other two kids and then sat down.
During the fight earlier, Ling Fu had pulled Ling Ning away so she wouldn’t witness the violence, so now it was just the little one and his two companions listening to Kou Hui.
Kou Hui stared at the sky, too tired to get up after the beating. He laid on the ground, figuring that the grass was soft enough.
“Why don’t you all lie down too, and I’ll explain everything?”
The little one didn’t lie down.
He sat in front of Kou Hui and said, “Go on, I’m listening.”
With his hands resting under his head as a pillow, Kou Hui started, “The story’s not complicated. Kou Chong, my father, is a womanizer. Don’t let his face fool you—he’s shameless.”
“He tricked my mother, and after she gave birth to me, he took me away.”
“My mother wasn’t easy to deal with, so he found her troublesome and abandoned her.”
“He took me with him, but he didn’t really raise me well. He has other children.”
“I’m the smartest of the bunch, so he started taking me with him everywhere, but I can’t stand him.”
“My biggest goal is to take him down, avenge my mother, and then go live with her.”
When Kou Hui finished his story, the little one remained skeptical. “What if you made this whole thing up? I’m not an easy kid to fool, you know.”
Although Kou Hui’s story sounded sincere, the little one wasn’t ready to trust him just yet.
“I’m not lying,” Kou Hui replied, exasperated by the little one’s suspicion. “What do I have to do to make you believe me?”
“First, pay up.”
The little one extended his hand, palm up, demanding, “Thirty taels of silver! Pay up!”
Kou Hui had ordered several expensive dishes. If Jiang Yan hadn’t signed an IOU, they would have been stuck washing dishes for ten years to pay off the debt.
To the three kids, the extra thirty taels was a fortune.
Kou Hui stared at the little one’s straightforward demand, his mouth twitching. “You’re a little prince. Emperor Ling dotes on you. How could you possibly be short on money?”
“It’s just thirty taels. Why are you asking me for it?”
“You have to pay up, or you’ll get another beating.”
Although the little one was indeed Emperor Ling’s cherished treasure, the emperor’s favorite pastime was teasing him by taking his pocket money. Watching his little one make a pained face as he handed over the money was something Emperor Ling found amusing in a twisted way.
Under the little one’s urging, Kou Hui eventually handed over the thirty taels of silver. For Kou Hui, this amount was nothing. He still couldn’t quite believe that a young prince and the heir of a duke’s household didn’t have the freedom to spend their own pocket money.
After receiving the money, the little one passed it to Jiang Yan.
“Here, take this and give it back to your father,” the little one instructed as he handed the money to Jiang Yan.
But Jiang Yan pocketed the money and grumbled, “I already got beaten up for this; it’s mine now.”
Having taken a beating in exchange for the money, Jiang Yan felt he deserved it. Since Jiang Yan didn’t want to return the money, the little one didn’t press him further.
The little one glanced at Kou Hui, who had returned the money, and said, “Alright, you’re done here. You can leave now.”
Kou Hui was stunned.
He had paid back the money and even shared his life story, yet this cub still didn’t want to include him?
While the little prince was sweet and soft to those he was close to, he was cold and distant to kids he didn’t know well or didn’t particularly like.
After rejecting Kou Hui, the little prince went straight back to his original plan—finding the creek.
He was determined to teach his fifth sister how to swim!
Once his sister learned to swim, she wouldn’t drown.
Though the little one wanted to teach his sister, Ling Ning was terrified of the water. She stood by the edge, not daring to dip even a toe in.
“Little Seven, I don’t want to learn this. It’s pointless,” Ling Ning said, retreating in fear. “Let’s go back. It doesn’t really matter whether I learn this or not.”
After all, palace attendants always accompanied her, and she wasn’t likely to fall into any water.
As Ling Ning tried to back out, the little one grabbed her hand, his face resolute. “You have to learn.”
He didn’t explain that he wanted her to learn out of fear she might drown. Instead, he framed it another way: “Fifth sister, if I ever drown, you’ll be able to save me if you can swim.”
Ling Ning: “….”
Ling Ning was taken aback. “But you already know how to swim. How could you possibly drown?”
Without hesitation, the little one replied, “Most people who drown already know how to swim. If I get a cramp in the water, I could still drown.”
Hearing the ominous talk of drowning, Ling Fu spat out in dismay, “Little Seven, stop saying such unlucky things!”
Although Ling Fu wasn’t getting in the water himself, he couldn’t stand to hear Little Seven talk like that.
Seeing his sister’s fear, the little one looked at his sixth brother and quickly added, “Fifth sister, don’t be scared. Sixth brother is learning too.”
Ling Fu was confused. “What?”
Before Ling Fu could protest, the little one said, “Swimming helps you lose weight. Sixth brother, after a few laps, you’ll slim down.”
Ling Fu immediately jumped on board, “Alright!”
In a flash, Ling Fu kicked off his shoes, eager to take a dip, even though he hadn’t even tried swimming yet.
With Ling Fu joining in, Ling Ning had no choice but to follow along.
The creek wasn’t deep. The three of them removed their shoes, socks, and jackets before stepping into the water.
The little one, with some help from Jiang Yan, took on the responsibility of teaching them both.
Chen Zhou, however, didn’t get in the water and remained seated on the bank.
“Little Seven, the way you swim doesn’t seem like how I’ve seen others swim,” Ling Ning said hesitantly. She had seen people swim before, and it always looked smooth and graceful.
But Little Seven swam like a little frog.
“This is exactly how you swim,” the little one said, brimming with confidence about his swimming style. As a naturally aquatic little beast, he wouldn’t drown even if he stayed still in the water. But when he moved, he still had to swim.
His swimming style was self-taught: his short legs kicked like a frog’s, propelling his little body through the water.
“Watch, I’ll show you again.”
The little one kicked his little legs, paddling like a frog in front of Ling Ning and Ling Fu.
Ling Ning was still a bit hesitant, but Ling Fu quickly got the hang of it, mimicking the little one’s frog-like kicks.
Before long, another plump little frog was floating in the water.
“Come on, fifth sister, give it a try!” The little one and Ling Fu both encouraged Ling Ning to join in.
The adults knew the kids were playing in the water, but as long as they weren’t in danger, they didn’t intervene.
After a while, the little one got tired from swimming.
“Fifth sister, sixth brother, Jiang Jiang, let’s go eat something,” the little one suggested.
Swimming had worked up an appetite for the three of them. Ling Fu, who was convinced he’d slimmed down, patted his belly and announced with satisfaction, “I’m having an extra bowl of rice today!”
After all the exercise, he felt he deserved two extra bowls without worrying about gaining weight.
The sun was bright, and after coming out of the water, the little ones quickly dried off in the warmth. They put their jackets back on and headed off to find something to eat.
Kou Hui, who had been nearby, saw them eating and followed after them.
“Little Seven, are you really not going to be my friend? I think we could be good friends,” Kou Hui persisted, still eager to befriend the little one.
Little Seven looked over at him and replied, “You’re about to leave soon. Even if I became friends with you, we wouldn’t be able to play for long.”
Besides, the little one didn’t really know much about Kou Hui. After all, the first time they met, Kou Hui had caused Jiang Yan to rack up a debt of thirty taels and take a beating. Plus, Kou Hui’s father was trying to marry his eldest aunt.
It was perfectly reasonable for the little one to feel distant from Kou Hui.
“I’m still here, aren’t I? Besides, once I get rid of Kou Chong, I’ll take my mother’s surname. Who knows, maybe my mother and I will come to live here. I think the customs and culture here are pretty nice.”
“But I’m not staying here.”
The little one said slowly, “I’m going to school.”
“You’re really going back to Guan Shan Residence to study?”
“Yes.”
“What’s so great about that place? With the Emperor and Noble Consort Yi doting on you so much, why would they still send you to Guan Shan Residence?”
Kou Hui was genuinely puzzled. “One of our princes from Great Qi went there too, but his situation is completely different from yours.”
Kou Hui had only heard a little about that prince, never actually seeing him. The status of that prince in the palace was worlds apart from the little prince in front of him.
“Guan Shan Residence is great.”
The little one defended his school. He wouldn’t allow anyone to speak ill of Guan Shan Residence.
Before the exams, Guan Shan Residence didn’t interfere with the children. But once enrolled, they were very patient with every child. Each child even had personalized lessons tailored to them.
Guan Shan Residence’s teaching methods were unlike any other schools. The little one had attended the palace school and studied in Luocheng, so he could tell that Guan Shan Residence was unique.
In his eyes, Guan Shan Residence was the best school!
“I think that school is making you a bit silly.”
Kou Hui muttered to himself, but it was too quiet for the little one to hear.
The children managed to get food easily. The people in the tent gave them something to eat and reminded them that dinner was about to be served.
The little ones had a quick snack.
Just after he finished eating, the little one was taken away by Lu Guang.
Ling Fu and Ling Ning were not taken away.
Kou Hui watched the little one leave and then looked at the Fifth Princess and the Sixth Prince still sitting there. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “With your father doting on Little Seven like that, don’t you feel jealous?”
Both Ling Fu and Ling Ning turned to look at him simultaneously.
The two little ones frowned slightly, as if they didn’t like the question. But despite their dislike, they both shook their heads.
“No, we’re not jealous.”
They loved their little brother Little Seven more than they cared about their father’s favor. Besides, before Little Seven came along, their father didn’t particularly favor them either.
There was no reason to resent Little Seven now just because their father showed him affection.
They were very clear on this, so they remained calm about Little Seven being favored.
Kou Hui looked at their expressions, and for a moment, he was truly envious of Little Seven.
“Alright, I should head back now. See you this afternoon.”
Kou Hui waved goodbye to Ling Ning and Ling Fu and then turned to leave.
Meanwhile, Little Seven, who had been brought to his father’s tent by Lu Guang, saw the guest from Great Qi.
He immediately recognized Kou Chong.
“Little Seven, come here.”
The Emperor called his little one over and introduced him to the guest.
Though the little one didn’t particularly like the guests, he politely greeted them.
After greeting the guests, the little one sat down beside the Emperor.
“The Seventh Prince is indeed adorable,” Kou Chong said as he stared at the little one. He then took out a short sword from his waist. “This sword was forged by a master craftsman who has since passed away. It’s impossible to make another one like it.”
“Seventh Prince, I give you this sword as a token to protect you and bring you peace.”
Kou Chong carefully explained the sword’s background before presenting it to the little one.
The little one looked at him, then obediently accepted the short sword.
He pulled the sword from its sheath, seemingly curious about how to use it. But then, “accidentally,” the sword slipped from his hand. The short sword fell and was about to hit the little one’s chubby legs, but the Emperor instinctively reached out to block it.
The Emperor’s hand got a small cut, and the little one froze.
The little one had deliberately let go of the sword. With his pants to protect him, the sword wouldn’t have hurt him.
But the visual effect was quite shocking.
He just wanted to embarrass Kou Chong.
Kou Chong had said the sword would protect him, but as soon as he touched it, an accident almost happened. It showed that Kou Chong’s words were not to be trusted.
The little one didn’t want to give Kou Chong any face, but he hadn’t expected to hurt his father’s hand in the process.
Looking at the small cut on his father’s hand, the little one’s face scrunched up, and he started crying.
Kou Chong, who had given the sword: “…”
Watching the injured Emperor and the wailing little prince, Kou Chong was grinding his teeth.
This little prince was so good-looking, yet so dumb.
He couldn’t even hold a sword properly!
“Summon the imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician!”
Someone urgently called for the doctor, while the little one, with tears in his eyes, clung to his father’s arm, anxiously looking at his hand.
“Does it hurt?”
The little one held his father’s hand and blew on it.
The Emperor’s reaction had been instinctive.
With the unsheathed sword falling toward his child, his first thought was naturally to block it.
Now, with a small cut on his hand and his little one frightened and crying, the Emperor felt a growing dissatisfaction toward Kou Chong, who had given the gift.
“It doesn’t hurt.”
The Emperor pulled the teary-eyed little one onto his lap and looked down at him. “No more crying.”
Although the cut on his hand was minor, given his status, Kou Chong still had to apologize for it.
He sincerely apologized, and just as Emperor Ling was about to let it go, the little one in his arms rubbed his eyes and spoke up.
“It’s Zai Zai’s bad.”
The little one raised his chubby face, looking up at his father. “Daddy didn’t need to block it for me. Let me bleed! Zai Zai is not afraid!”
Emperor Ling: “…”
Emperor Ling was instantly reminded that if he hadn’t blocked it, the one bleeding would’ve been his tender-skinned, delicate little one.
Seeing the change in Emperor Ling’s expression, Kou Chong couldn’t help but feel a growing resentment toward the little one in his heart.
This clumsy cub couldn’t even hold onto something properly, and on top of that, he couldn’t say the right things!
After the little one said that, Emperor Ling, who had been ready to brush off the incident, pursed his lips and said nothing more.
Kou Chong mentally cursed the little one, but his gaunt face didn’t show any sign of displeasure. Instead, he lowered his head and once again expressed his apologies to Emperor Ling, even offering several more gifts to pacify the startled little one.
The little one knew when to stop.
He held back his tears as he accepted the gifts, but his face still looked aggrieved.
Watching him, Kou Chong was almost driven to the point of spitting blood in anger.
Emperor Ling’s hand wound was treated simply—such a minor injury wasn’t worth bandaging.
Even though the little one knew it was just a small cut, he remained deeply concerned. At dinner, he made sure to sit next to Emperor Ling.
Not only did he sit beside him, but he also used his own spoon to scoop up some food and feed it to Emperor Ling.
Emperor Ling glanced at the spoonful of food and, after taking one bite, cleared his throat and declined, “Little Seven, you eat your own food. My hand is fine.”
During the meal, everyone else was present.
When the little one saw his father stop eating, he sniffled and resumed eating on his own.
Those present, being well-informed, already knew what had happened earlier.
Now, watching the little one feed Emperor Ling, none of the princes or princesses thought much of it.
If they were injured, Little Seven would probably feed them too.
However, some individuals witnessing the young prince’s behavior saw it differently, thinking the little one was just sucking up. They sneered internally—no wonder Emperor Ling doted on him; this little prince sure knew how to curry favor.
The meal passed without any further incidents. After all, it wasn’t the time to stir up trouble. Following the meal was nap time.
After the nap, there would be a competition.
The little one napped with Emperor Ling.
Every so often, he would check on Emperor Ling’s hand, holding his father’s large hand in his two small hands, scrutinizing it again and again until Emperor Ling yawned.
“It’s just a little scratch, it’ll heal soon,” Emperor Ling said, pushing the little one over, causing him to flop onto the bed. Then, he trapped the little one under his big hand, preventing him from squirming.
“Sleep now, and after you wake up, we’ll watch the competition.”
“Okay.”
The little one obediently closed his eyes. Before falling asleep, his little mind was still plotting how to make Kou Chong suffer a setback.
Though he was thinking a lot, it didn’t affect his ability to fall asleep quickly.
Before long, the little one was fast asleep.
After he fell asleep, Emperor Ling gave his chubby cheek a gentle pinch.
A nap should not last too long—an hour would suffice.
When the little one was woken up after an hour, he wasn’t too happy about it. He stuck his little butt out and buried his head into the thin blanket.
Emperor Ling tugged on his chubby little legs and forcibly pulled him out. “Wash your face, and you’ll wake up. Come on, get up.”
The upcoming competition was important, so Emperor Ling wasn’t going to let the little one laze around in bed.
Called out of his sleepy mood by Emperor Ling, the little one was still grumpy, even after washing his face. His expression remained sullen and displeased.
Emperor Ling carried him to watch the competition.
The events were fairly standard, with participants from both Great Qi and Qi Dynasty engaging in martial arts bouts.
Aside from martial arts, there were also literary competitions. Initially, the matches seemed exciting, but as time went on, the smile on Emperor Ling’s face faded.
Qi Dynasty hadn’t won a single round.
Though there was still a full day of competitions left tomorrow, by the end of the afternoon, Qi Dynasty had already lost face.
After the competition, the two sides were free to engage in other activities.
Emperor Ling summoned people to personally draft the list of participants for the next day’s competition.
Meanwhile, the little one had wandered off.
Instead of seeking out Ling Fu and the others to play, he quietly followed Kou Chong.
Emperor Ling had chosen a prime spot for the camp, which bordered a wide, flowing section of the moat.
Kou Chong noticed the little one.
He assumed the little one was coming to find him, but to his surprise, the little one walked right past him to play by the water.
Perhaps because the water wasn’t polluted, it flowed clear and cool.
The little one squatted by the water, splashing it playfully with his chubby hands.
Kou Chong, watching him, decided to speak first. “Seventh Highness, I’m currently requesting marriage with your eldest aunt. It won’t be long before I’ll become your uncle.”
“When we’re officially family, feel free to come to me with any requests.”
The little one, squatting by the water, didn’t even look at him. He simply said, “I don’t want such an ugly uncle.”
“You’re old, ugly, and have too many kids. You’re irresponsible. My eldest auntie won’t want you.”
The normally polite little one said these blunt, piercing words in his soft, innocent voice.
Kou Chong’s face turned dark as he listened.
The little one continued, “With how you are, even in Brother Zhuzi’s village, you wouldn’t be able to find a wife.”
His sharp remarks didn’t stop.
Unable to bear it any longer, Kou Chong snapped, “Shut up.”
But the little one didn’t shut up. He just looked at the now-furious Kou Chong and raised his eyebrows. “I’ve been waiting for a long time.”
Kou Chong: “What do you mean by ‘waiting for a long time’?”
The little kid squatted motionless: “Come a bit closer, and I’ll tell you.”
Kou Chong looked at the kid suspiciously. Under the little one’s gaze, he still walked over: “What do you want to say?”
The kid smiled as Kou Chong approached.
From the inn to here, the kid had been waiting for too long! He had been looking for a chance to set Kou Chong up.
If Kou Chong did something really bad, so bad that even Dad and everyone else couldn’t tolerate it, Dad definitely wouldn’t marry his eldest aunt to Kou Chong.
This idea only came to the kid after waking up today.
Before that, he had been thinking about how to get rid of Kou Chong.
But after waking up, the kid came up with a better idea. He spent the whole afternoon not really watching the match, but keeping an eye on Kou Chong.
Kou Chong had a bad temper.
The kid seized on this, ready to cause trouble.
“Eldest Auntie loves me very much.”
As Kou Chong came closer, the kid said, “Dad loves me too, and so do my older brother and sister.”
“If you accidentally push me into the water, and I disappear, what do you think? Will Dad come after you?”
Kou Chong: “…”
Kou Chong looked at the deep water, his pupils suddenly constricting.
What kind of craziness is this kid up to?!
