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Translator: Cheese
Extra 1 – “Do you have someone you admire?”
In the past, Rong Ting thought that his Emperor Father had no interests or hobbies. Oh, that’s not right, he did have a hobby: deceiving Empress Mother.
When they returned from modern times, Rong Ting discovered that his Emperor Father suddenly became very unstable!
When something is unusual, there must be a cause1.
He recalled what Empress Mother said. When people were in love, they would involuntarily want to dress beautifully. He thought, although men and women didn’t follow the same line of thinking, everyone was human, so they must be more or less the same in big matters. Emperor Father… could he be in love?
Rong Ting knew that he was being very selfish. He didn’t know whether Empress Mother had found a boyfriend over there. In any case, he couldn’t see her, so he’ll just assume that Empress Mother didn’t have a boyfriend!
Emperor Father wanted to fall in love? Wanted to be together with someone else? Unless Rong Ting was dead, or he was blind and deaf, don’t even think about it!
Eleven-year-old Rong Ting was busy every day. He was no longer satisfied with listening to the Grand Tutor’s teachings. He remembered a sentence Empress Mother used to say: learn by doing2. Just like, if he hadn’t transmigrated to modern times, how would he know the price of vegetables? How would he know the price of rice?
He had to know what things were like among the people. He wanted to know whether the people could afford to eat. Don’t even think about trying to fool him. Before he ascended to the throne, he still had a lot of time to practice.
Of course, when the father and son were chatting happily, Rong Ting would frequently stab Rong Heng with a sentence. “When I hide my identity and walk among the people, it is to understand the sentiments of the people, not to fall in love under a sock puppet3.”
Rong Heng: “…”
This will probably become his dark history.
“Don’t say these strange things in front of other people.” Rong Heng felt his head hurt.
Why? Rong Ting relied on himself being an innovator4, and on several occasions of extreme anger, he even called one minister a hillbilly.
“Emperor Father, will you not listen to Empress Mother’s words? You don’t care about those ministers, and now they submit memorials nearly every day, asking you to pick a crown princess consort for me! I’m only eleven this year; I’d still be in elementary school in modern times, and they’re urging me to fall in love?” Rong Ting grew angrier the more he thought about it. “I have no thoughts on this sort of thing right now. I’m only in elementary school; elementary students who have an early romance will have their parents called in!”
These ministers were too demented, right?
Wanting to introduce a girlfriend to eleven-year-old him? If this were modern times, they would be scolded to the point even their own mother wouldn’t recognize them.
Rong Heng was also very helpless. “I rejected them all. But you can’t stop others from doing this kind of thing. They say their pieces; I just don’t listen.”
“Empress Mother said I can only consider those things after I turn eighteen.” Rong Ting didn’t actually treat Song Yuan’s words as an imperial decree; it was just that he truly didn’t have those kinds of thoughts. “In any case, I will not think about it before I am eighteen. Love before the age of eighteen is an early romance.”
“I know.”
The ministers were immensely satisfied with Rong Ting, especially the Grand Tutor. In the past, they only praised him for his talents and intelligence. But now, things were different; he couldn’t wait to stuff Rong Ting with all his teachings.
And Rong Ting didn’t disappoint–compared to Rong Heng at the same age, he was much more outstanding.
What made Rong Heng gratified was that perhaps his son really would become an open and upright emperor. A much better emperor than himself.
He could consider it to be a justification to this country and his people.
“Is there anything else?” Rong Heng asked him.
Only then did Rong Ting recall the matter, and his expression sank. From his standpoint, he didn’t wish for Emperor Father to be emotionally involved with anyone. Although Emperor Father had indeed remained alone in these past few years, it was just the ending of Emperor Father’s choosing. If Emperor Father fell in love with another, or was together with someone, he was absolutely unable to accept it, especially when he thought that Empress Mother may also have someone in modern times. He felt it was very unfair.
“Emperor Father, I heard that you run around the palace every morning now.” Rong Ting knew that Emperor Father wasn’t Empress Mother. Even if they had gotten much closer due to their adventures in modern times, Emperor Father still wasn’t someone he could treat presumptuously.
Objectively speaking, as his son, Rong Ting did indeed lack any position to evaluate or have an opinion on Emperor Father’s harem affairs. If the topic of him asking Emperor Father to keep his body as pure as jade for his “deceased” Empress Mother were to spread out, one feared that even his staunch supporter, the Grand Tutor, would denounce him as unfilial.
Rong Heng gave him a glance. “Morning runs are good for one’s health.”
“But you’ve never jogged before.”
Rong Ting spoke euphemistically. Before, the emperor would rest every day after reviewing memorials. But now, things were different. Getting up in the morning, when it might not be light out and the temperature might even be cold, to go jogging? This was too suspicious!
“That was then, this is now.” Rong Heng shot him a look. “You ran all the way here to find me because of this?”
Of course not.
Rong Ting shook his head. “I was too worried about Emperor Father. I heard that Emperor Father would frequently consult the imperial physicians recently and feared that Emperor Father had fallen ill. Emperor Father, you are the pillar of the Great Ye dynasty.”
Rong Heng’s expression changed minutely at his words.
He cleared his throat. “I’m fine.”
He didn’t want to tell Rong Ting, but that was fine, because Rong Ting had already inquired. Emperor Father was summoning the imperial physician to ask about techniques for maintaining his health and beauty!
As the ruler of a country, did Emperor Father still need to maintain his youth? How many people dared to look directly at the Son of Heaven’s face? What’s more, as the emperor, what appearance or figure needed to be maintained? He concluded: Emperor Father’s current appearance really was like that of someone who had fallen in love.
Empress Mother said that people who were in love would always pay special attention to their image. Sloppy men might clean themselves up, or at least look much cleaner on the outside. Women would buy new clothes and makeup…
“Emperor Father, you said that we are father and son. There should be no secrets between father and son. I just want to ask you, are you…” Rong Ting paused, pursing his lips. He felt sad for his Empress Mother. “Do you have someone you admire?”
Without waiting for Rong Heng’s answer, Rong Ting continued in a steady tone, “In these many years, I know that you have been alone. Other than national events, there has been nothing else in your life. Now, you are in the prime of your life. If you have a person you admire, this son will naturally give his blessing.”
When the father and son chatted in private, they used “you” and “I”5 to call each other.
As the saying went, old ginger was spicier. As soon as Rong Heng heard Rong Ting call himself “this son,” he knew that his son was digging a pit for him.
Don’t look at his son speaking so well. He could guarantee that as long as he said that he liked someone else, this child would change his face in minutes–no, he wouldn’t change his face on the surface, but in private, it’s hard to say.
Rong Heng still retained his original nature6; he was still insidious and cunning. His schemes and shrewdness was incomparable to a person as magnanimous as Rong Ting.
Rong Heng sighed. “It’s been several years since we’ve come back. Do you still remember the face of your Empress Mother?”
“Of course I remember.” He had never forgotten.
“I’m getting old.” Rong Heng’s expression was lonely. “I’m afraid that one day my vision will fade, and I won’t even remember what she looks like.”
Rong Ting’s heart softened at these words.
In fact, Emperor Father wasn’t old. He was in the prime of his life in his thirties.
Other than his white hair, he didn’t have any signs of aging.
But he also knew, when Emperor Father and Empress Mother met again… no, they wouldn’t meet again.
“That won’t happen.” Rong Ting assured him softly. “If you forget, I will tell you. And you have so many paintings in your secret room. Aren’t they all paintings of Empress Mother?”
Rong Heng laughed self-deprecatingly. “But I fear that when we meet again, I will have already grown old. Will she recognize me then?”
This…
Rong Ting couldn’t make a guarantee on behalf of his Empress Mother.
“Rong Ting, I’ve never thought of anyone else in that way other than your Empress Mother. You should know that best. Not in the past, not now, and not in the future. In this life, I have failed her. As her husband, I did not properly accompany her. I promised to take her around, but I didn’t even do that.”
Rong Ting’s expression was cold as he listened, but he didn’t say anything.
The matter between his parents… what should he say.
“For the throne, the country, and the people, I’ve fulfilled my responsibilities. Actually,” Rong Heng mused in a low voice, “I think being Xie Heng isn’t too bad.”
Rong Ting felt discomfited seeing Emperor Father like this. He sat down next to him, poured a cup of tea for him, and comforted softly, “Emperor Father, don’t be like this. Whether it is Empress Mother, me, or you, we all must live more happily.”
They had all said so.
Rong Heng calmly glanced at him. “Do you really want me to be happier?”
Rong Ting nodded. “Of course. Empress Mother is my mother, and Emperor Father is my father.”
“Having you say this is enough.” Rong Heng smiled.
Good child.
The author has something to say:
I read all your comments la. Ai, actually, when I set up the story with this protagonist, I thought you would be dissatisfied when I wrote the ending. The ending of this story really isn’t that happy. These kinds of emotions and character settings aren’t that well-received. During that time, it wasn’t that I didn’t waver. But fortunately, I followed my outline to the end.
Some people feel very distressed for Gugu and feel that Gugu is alone in ancient times. But he’s really not an ordinary child. He also wants to sit on that throne and show off his ambition and talent (offscreen: the second in command wants to be the first in command).
I will write the extras well.
[1] 事出反常必有妖: lit. when something’s gone wrong, there must be a demon; something’s up that’s causing this to happen
[2] 实践出真知: practice gives rise to real/true knowledge
[3] 马甲: sockpuppet or vest; slang for an alternate identity or online account. It’s also modern slang and wouldn’t necessarily be understood in ancient times LOL
[4] 弄潮儿: figuratively speaking, a risktaker or enterprising person
[5] The polite you, the casual you, and I
[6] 原来的配方原来的味道: original recipe, original flavor
Cheese: not sure i captured what the author meant but i think that’s the gist??
Piper's Pickups 
I got a feeling that RH is digging a pit for RT to take over the responsibility as emperor on a very earlier year.
Like… As soon as RT can ascent to the throne, he can go wherever he wants. And… As he knows how to transmigrate not like RT and SY, i suspect he knows how to transmigrated to SY’s world “whenever” he wants.
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