CMWKSD -Chapter 113 Carving a Mark on the Boat to Look for the Sword!

Prince Ling had just finished court. Because of the spring examinations these past two days, even an idle, powerless prince like him had been dragged into a whirlwind of pointless busyness.

He hadn’t even changed out of his official robes yet when he heard his own foolish son wailing at the top of his lungs.

Prince Ling had been about to return to his room to change, but after turning on his heel, he headed for the main hall instead.

Princess Ling sat there with a head full of black lines, listening to Ling Mo cry.

There was no helping it—she’d asked him over a dozen times already, but the boy only knew how to clutch his battered, purple-black eye and howl.

Ling Yue didn’t want to laugh, but her younger brother’s appearance was just too funny.

Prince Ling strode in quickly. Seeing Ling Mo’s state, he was startled for a moment. “What happened here?”

The one who could make decisions was finally back. Ling Mo immediately threw himself into Prince Ling’s arms. “Father… waaaah…”

Prince Ling pushed him away slightly, clearly a bit disgusted.

Mainly because this tall, big-built boy insisted on burying his face in his chest, smearing him all over with tears and snot. Anyone would be disgusted.

“So what exactly happened?”

Though tall, Ling Mo was still just a young teenager. “Father, I got beaten up.”

Prince Ling really wanted to say that he wasn’t blind—he could see clearly!

But he didn’t say that aloud. Instead, he sat down beside Princess Ling. “I know that. But in Great Qi, who would dare beat you?”

Ling Mo whimpered a bit. Ling Yue couldn’t stand it anymore and slammed the table. “Stop crying! Speak clearly!”

She could beat her own brother if she wanted, but it was absolutely not an outsider’s place to do so.

The bloodline pressure instantly hit its peak. Ling Mo immediately shut up.

Sniffling, he only picked out the part about being beaten up by a young lady.

The three people present didn’t think much beyond that—only an inexplicable sense of embarrassment.

According to Ling Mo, that young lady only reached his chin, yet she had ridden on his back and beaten him until he wailed.

Truly shameful.

Prince Ling clearly caught something off. A young lady wouldn’t just beat someone for no reason, would she?

“So what exactly happened?”

Ling Mo fell silent for a moment, facing his father’s murderous glare.

His body trembled, and he finally, honestly confessed that he had molested her.

Ling Yue cursed, “Serves you right!”

Princess Ling didn’t even want to respond anymore.

Wasn’t this just asking to be beaten?

“But… but aren’t dandies all like this?”

Princess Ling pressed her forehead helplessly. There was no helping it—four people in the family, three fools.

The founding emperor had once enfeoffed four princes of non-imperial blood.

But as time flowed on, only Prince Ling remained.

And recently, the political winds in Great Qi had shifted. The Crown Prince had no heir, the Second Prince was useless, and the emperor’s health was worsening by the day.

Not only the other princes—even Prince Ling had inexplicably received many people offering their allegiance.

This was practically pushing Prince Ling toward treason and usurpation.

But was Prince Ling’s brain even capable of such a head-lopping affair?

Even if—just if—by some ridiculous stroke of luck he actually got his hands on the throne—

With Prince Ling’s brain, he’d be toyed with like a spinning top by those monkey-clever court officials.

If that didn’t happen, Princess Ling would cut off her own head and kick it like a ball—those were her words!

Princess Ling sighed helplessly. For the sake of preserving the Ling Prince Manor’s wealth and honor, being an idle prince was perfectly fine.

Why stir up matters that could cost one’s head?

All she could do was have Prince Ling and the children hide their sharp edges.

Though, truth be told, there weren’t any sharp edges to hide. Both children had completely inherited Prince Ling’s simple-mindedness.

Princess Ling had arranged for Ling Mo to act as a dandy, hoping to divert attention and make people think Prince Ling and his family were unfit for great responsibilities.

But her son was young and simple since childhood—nicely put, “unworldly”; bluntly put, stupid.

He couldn’t even play the role of a dandy properly.

All day long, he only followed behind her and Ling Yue, calling “Mother Consort this” and “Elder Sister that.”

It wasn’t that Princess Ling thought the throne was bad—she simply saw things clearly.

The Ling line was fundamentally unsuited to inherit the throne.

Moreover, Emperor Fengyuan was no easily controlled ruler. Did people really think that just because the Crown Prince had no heir and the Second Prince was useless, the emperor had no backup plans?

These people rushed so quickly to find new patrons—did they really think earning “the merit of following the dragon” was that easy?

Truly blind.

But looking at Ling Mo now, beaten black and blue, Princess Ling genuinely felt a mouthful of old blood about to spray out.

“I told you to act like a dandy, not to molest respectable civilian women. What you did isn’t being a dandy—it’s being scum!”

Ling Mo sniffled and muttered, “I… I saw that those people are like this…”

Princess Ling raised her hand, ready to smack her own son. “Just because others do something, you have to copy them?”

“You can fight crickets, fight cocks, play with cats and walk dogs, go horse racing and fool around with them. Being ignorant and useless is enough…”

Ling Mo was ignorant and useless to begin with—this was just amplifying that trait.

Alright, to be honest, Princess Ling herself didn’t really know what exactly constituted a dandy.

Though she wanted to use this method to tarnish Ling Mo’s reputation and divert attention away from the Ling Prince Manor, she was still the legitimate eldest daughter raised in a noble family. Her basic moral bottom line remained.

Children could love to play, but their nature couldn’t be corrupted.

Those who forcibly abducted women and treated commoners’ lives as worthless weren’t dandies—they were scum, trash.

Princess Ling waved her hand. “Go down and apply medicine!”

It seemed this path wouldn’t work. She’d have to find another method.

This foolish son couldn’t even manage being a dandy.

Ling Yue led Ling Mo away.

“Wait here—big sister will avenge you!”

Ling Yue was filled with righteous indignation. Revenge was fake.

What really mattered was that she had never seen such a woman before.

Within and outside the capital, she loved wielding blades and clubs, something that already made noble ladies look down on her.

But she liked it.

She never expected that there would be another woman in the capital who shared her love for martial skills.

Those daughters of military families—no matter how much they practiced with weapons at home—were always praised outside as virtuous and gentle.

Utterly boring.

Ling Mo looked deeply moved. “Elder Sister, you’re really good.”

Ling Yue chuckled without telling the truth. She was determined to find that young lady and have a proper bout with her.

—

After the children left, Princess Ling looked at Prince Ling. “Well? Have you chosen anyone yet?”

Prince Ling sneakily glanced toward the doorway. “Not yet. We’ll have to wait until the palace examination results come out. Even if you say Yue’er should marry down, it can’t be too low. After all, I’m the only prince of non-imperial blood left in Great Qi.”

Princess Ling hummed in response. Only by retreating at the height of the current could the Ling Prince Manor preserve its wealth and honor.

Otherwise, it would end up like the other three princes.

She didn’t want her daughter to marry down either, but if she didn’t, forming marital ties with powerful court officials would inevitably arouse Emperor Fengyuan’s suspicion.

Children were debts!

…

Ling Yue and Ling Mo squatted in the alley where Ling Mo had been beaten—for seven days!

Seven whole days!

And they still didn’t see Jiu Yue.

Ling Yue refused to give up. “Ling Mo, are you sure this is where you got beaten?”

Ling Mo nodded firmly. How could he forget such a humiliation?

The guards behind them hesitated, wanting to speak.

Princess Ling often said there were three blockheads in the family, but as servants, they obviously couldn’t echo such words.

But…

Watching the heir and the commandery princess wait here for seven days without realizing anything was wrong, the guards deeply empathized with Princess Ling.

Truly blockheads!

Sure, you were beaten in this alley.

But that doesn’t mean the person lives in this alley!

Besides, other than a face, you don’t know who she is, where she lives, or any information at all.

So what exactly are you squatting here for?

Carving a mark on the boat to look for the sword?

Waiting by a stump for a rabbit?