CH 101

Their relationship had indeed started as calculations, but their sentiments were real, and those experiences were also real.

Song Yuan had booked a seaside village.

It was already spring. The island had passed its peak tourism season and was ushering in its off-season period. Song Yuan picked up her phone and checked the local weather–right now, the local temperature was above 30 degrees1. She went back to her room in the villa and joyfully put on a beautiful dress. It really had been such a long time! When she came out of her room and went downstairs, both father and son were sitting on the sofa, their backs upright. Both were wearing long sleeves and long pants. Rong Ting couldn’t bear the heat, so after a psychological struggle, he took off his jacket.

The dress Song Yuan was wearing was something she bought last summer, and its design and tailoring was similar to a cheongsam. She was originally very skinny, but she’d put on some meat over the winter, and now she looked even better in the cheongsam-style dress. The skirt reached above the knee, revealing pale and slender legs. As she came down the escalator, father and son looked over in unison–

Two pairs of eyes reflected the same astonishment.

Yes, there was no amazement2.

Ancient people really couldn’t appreciate this kind of dress.

“Does it look good?” Song Yuan twirled in front of them, in a good mood. “I really love summer. But why haven’t you two changed? Aren’t you hot?”

Rong Ting still couldn’t break through his inner defenses. In the hot spring and the swimming pool, he had no choice and no alternative. But he was not in water now. Exposing his arms and legs, wasn’t it too inappropriate? He shook his head, stubbornly insisting, “Not hot, I’m not hot.”

Song Yuan could see through the thoughts in his heart with one look. But she didn’t want to force him. Once they walked around once under the hot sun, and he was hot and sweaty, this child would naturally raise the white flag and surrender obediently.

She turned to Rong Heng. “What about you, aren’t you hot?”

In her impression of him, this person was very afraid of heat.

Rong Heng was more cunning than Rong Ting; he knew how to assess the situation. If at this moment he said he wasn’t hot, then when he was forced to change into summer clothes, wouldn’t his face be slapped swollen? He resolutely spoke nonsense with wide-open eyes. “I don’t have summer clothes.”

Song Yuan gave an ‘en’ and glanced at the clock. “It’s still early. Let’s go to the nearby shopping mall and buy you two sets of summer clothes. You can wear them when we come back from the cruise.”

“Okay.”

Rong Ting glared at his Emperor Father with resentment…

He had his own thoughts. Emperor Father, as the ruler of a nation, could expose his arms and legs. He was still a six-year-old child; what was the use of insisting on regulations? In any case, Emperor Father was his role model; what Emperor Father did, he would do too. Since Emperor Father was preparing to change into summer clothes, what did he have to be squeamish about?

Therefore, Rong Ting raised his little paw without any psychological pressure and spoke crisply. “Empress Mother, I was not hot just earlier, but now I am hot. I will go up to change clothes. Will we go to the beach after?”

“En, we’ll go to the beach.”

Rong Ting immediately pitter-pattered upstairs and returned to his room. Soon, he changed into a short-sleeved black shirt Song Yuan had previously bought for him. Paired with wide leg plaid pants and a fisherman hat, he was just like a little male god.

He also had idol baggage. After hesitating for several minutes in the room, he fished out a pair of sunglasses from his backpack and put them on. He felt that this black eyewear was much like the masks from ancient times, and no one would recognize him when he wore them.

After changing into summer clothes, Rong Ting felt much cooler. Of course, when he heard his Empress Mother blowing nonstop rainbow farts, he couldn’t control the upward curve of his lips.

Although he still couldn’t appreciate the clothes from here, hearing Empress Mother saying he was very cool, he thought that it must be true. But he still had to be humble. Hearing these compliments, he pursed his lips and responded in a mild and easy tone, “Not at all, not at all.”

Song Yuan was well prepared. Not only did she book a seaside villa, she also rented a car. Song Yuan wasn’t a high-profile person, but for the sake of giving Rong Ting some happy vacation memories, she specially rented a luxury convertible car, something cool and trendy.

There weren’t many locals around; the tourist season had passed, and there weren’t many cars on the road. Everyone was very leisurely. This place was close to the sea, and one could hear the sounds of waves crashing against the rocks. There were blue skies and white clouds above their heads, and even the hot-as-a-dog Rong Heng had a rare expression of relief on his face.

The air conditioning in the mall was on, and Rong Heng sighed in relaxation as soon as they walked in.

Facts proved that buying summer clothes for men could be very quick. Rong Heng was a natural-born clothes rack3, but in about ten minutes, they bought two sets of summer clothes from the same store. He himself was satisfied. Exposing his arms was his limit. Not like that man he’d spotted in the shopping mall parking lot who wore shorts that went above the knee… he was absolutely unacceptable.

Originally, their trip to the shopping mall was just to buy Rong Heng two sets of clothes, but for some reason, Song Yuan couldn’t control her two feet as they honestly led her to the women’s clothing store. That was when the father and son began to doubt life.

What happened to buying men’s clothing?

What happened to only buying Kangkang sandals?

What happened to buying sandals and a hat and that’s all?

Rong Ting’s expression collapsed. “Why is Empress Mother like this! Emperor Father, what did I say, I said we can’t come to the mall. If Empress Mother comes to the mall, she won’t be herself!”

He’d worked so patiently, advising Emperor Father not to come to the mall, advising Emperor Father not to be too naive, advising Emperor Father not to believe Empress Mother’s words, but Emperor Father didn’t listen!

Rong Heng was helpless as well. “Your Empress Mother was not like this before.”

In ancient times, they did not go shopping together. At that time, she didn’t want to shop. At rouge shops, she would stay for a while before coming out. She would stay for a bit longer in jewelry stores, but she would still come out quickly…

How could he have known she would be like this in modern times. He only feared that she was itching to rent a booth in the shopping mall and spend the night here.

When Song Yuan emerged from the shopping mall with a bountiful harvest, the trunk and back seat of the sports car were almost filled with shopping bags.

The sun was setting now. The three of them had the in-flight meal on the plane, then lightly padded their stomachs at the airport. They weren’t too hungry now, so they went to the seaside for a stroll as originally planned.

The island climate was pleasant. When Rong Ting saw the wide sea, his eyes were fixed straight ahead. He had grown up in the palace in the five years since he was born, and he had one or two opportunities to go out with his Emperor Father, but he had not seen much of anything new. Following his transmigration, he had seen many things. He’d originally thought that he was no longer a little country bumpkin, but when he kicked off his shoes and stood on the sandy beach, letting the waves sweep towards him, he couldn’t control himself. He bent down and scooped up a handful of sea water to taste. Shocked, he swiveled his head, showing a mouth of small white teeth, and shouted in surprise towards Song Yuan, “It’s true! Sea water really is salty!!”

Not to mention Song Yuan, even Rong Heng was amused by his childish and adorable behavior. The two of them revealed the affectionate expressions of old parents.

Rong Ting was just like a wild horse breaking free…

He played until his little face was flushed red. Sometimes he would pile up the sand, then he would compete with the waves to see who was faster. At this time, he was more like a six-year-old child.

Song Yuan had always felt distressed for Rong Ting. Children’s happiness was very simple, and his happiness seemed to be even simpler.

She knew that his future was brighter and his vision was wider than she could imagine. He would definitely become a wise ruler in the future. But every time she thought of this, she would feel extreme heartache. When he went back, could he still be a child?

Rong Ting was very happy today. Probably exhausted from playing, after eating a simple dinner at a seafood restaurant and returning home, he perfunctorily took a shower and knocked out.

Song Yuan covered him with a thin quilt and, taking advantage of his slumber, leaned down and kissed his forehead.

As she closed the door, she spotted Rong Heng coming over, holding two glasses. He had also just finished taking a shower and was wearing pajamas. “Drink together?”

“Sure.”

The second floor balcony had a large swing chair, large enough that seating two people wasn’t an issue. The owner of the villa delivered a bottle of wine, leaving a note that said it was made in-house and had a mellow taste.

The island at night was at a comfortable temperature, and the sea breeze was not cold.

Since their reunion, this seemed to be the first time it was so relaxed and comfortable with just the two of them.

Rong Heng swirled the wine in his glass. He suddenly turned his head to look at her. “I don’t think I’ve told you about my Imperial Father and Imperial Mother, right?”

Song Yuan had drunk half a glass of red wine, and both her body and spirit had completely relaxed. She was stunned by the topic that was suddenly brought up. Then she smiled and shook her head. “You haven’t. I only remember that while I still didn’t know your identity, I asked you about your parents. You said that you lost your father and then your mother in your childhood and that there was no one else in your family4.”

Looking back now, this person really was…

Rong Heng smiled with some embarrassment. “At the time, the general’s wife seemed very happy, because the chances of me marrying in5 was greater.”

Song Yuan was amused by his words.

“But it’s not untrue. I indeed have no one else in my family.

“My Imperial Mother died of illness.” Rong Heng’s expression was calm, as though he was discussing someone else’s matter that had nothing to do with him. “She had always liked my Imperial Father. I don’t know exactly what part of that man she found attractive, but he was the one she longed for until she died.

“The imperial physician said that she had a knot in her heart, exhausting all her energy. Maybe the imperial physician was wondering, what was the knot in her heart? What worries did she have? She had a noble birth, became the emperor’s wife, and birthed the crown prince. Her life could be said to have endless glory, wealth, and power.

“I always thought she was ridiculous. She was concerned about nothing else but that her husband did not love her.”

Song Yuan listened quietly. She had only vaguely heard her mother say that the empress’s passing had aggravated the previous emperor’s illness… but now, that didn’t seem to be the case?

“Everyone thinks that my Imperial Father’s grief over losing his first wife led to the onset of his illness. But actually, that’s not true. He knew his body was failing, and he was afraid of leaving behind rumors that he was addicted to medicinal pills. He could take advantage of my Imperial Mother’s death to give himself a reputation for deep affection.” Rong Heng laughed mockingly. “He was so obsessed with that throne that he actually wanted to prolong his life. After taking so many medicinal pills, his body was long hollowed out. My Imperial Mother’s death didn’t affect him at all; he didn’t even shed a single tear.

“I used to have an older half-brother. I heard my Imperial Father used to dote on that concubine very much. If it weren’t for the ministers of the court doing everything they could to oppose it, I fear my deceased older brother would have been the crown prince.

“A little prince born to that concubine died when he was one year old. Nobody knew the specific reason. That concubine also died of depression. Imperial Father probably suspected that it was my Imperial Mother, but he thought too highly of her. She was a very cowardly person; if there was such a method, how could she have a heart knot?

“She was pregnant at that time. Imperial Father suspected her, blamed her, and even wanted to abolish her. Since then, Imperial Mother cried all day long6. As for the child in her stomach, she didn’t care about it at all.

“I was never in good health since I was a child. When I was very young, Imperial Mother would occasionally miss Imperial Father and intentionally make me ill. Later, I read medical texts and found that having…” he was probably too embarrassed and didn’t say the word, “too early wasn’t good for my health, so I never touched the side consorts given to me by Imperial Father and Imperial Mother. I didn’t lie to you about that.”

So it was like that??

When he said he had never touched those women, she’d thought he was talking nonsense.

Rong Heng’s lips twitched. “I’ve been lying since I was a child. I am used to this kind of environment. No matter who I see, my first thought is to assess the value and use of that person. When I first met you and got to know you, I did indeed have some calculations in my heart, but later, I truly…”

“I know.” Song Yuan’s gaze on him was gentle. “I know it all.”

Their relationship had indeed started as calculations, but their sentiments were real, and those experiences were also real.

The one blessing was that neither of them doubted that their relationship was not genuine. That was enough.

The author has something to say:

The impact of one’s natal family is much bigger than we think.

[1] A toasty 86 degrees Fahrenheit

[2] Preceding sentence used 惊讶 (surprise, astonishment), this sentence uses 惊艳 (stunning, breathtaking)

[3] Meaning everything he wears looks good on him

[4] 孤家寡人: one who is cut off from others; an indirect way of referring to someone who’s unmarried

[5] 入赘: to become part of the wife’s family or to live with them. I’ve also seen this being translated as recruiting a son-in-law

[6] 以泪洗面: to bathe one’s face in tears

Cheese: happy holidays! Enjoying my measly three day weekend while missing my weeks long winter break as a student :’)

Man, what an f’d up mom and dad