CH 106

After returning to ancient times, Rong Ting took a long time to adjust.

Though the position of crown prince seemed like one that stood above ten thousand people and under only one1, it was actually quite difficult. Occasionally, Rong Ting would be so tired he could barely stand it. During those times, he would ask himself whether he ever regretted his decision to return to ancient times. But he had no regrets. The belief that he would be a good emperor seemed to have long been ingrained in his bones. At the age of six, Rong Ting would cry when he recalled his Empress Mother, but at the age of twelve, he could already control his emotions.

It was probably because he always felt that one day, he would meet Empress Mother again.

About half a year before Rong Ting’s thirteenth birthday, Rong Heng suddenly called him to his bedchamber late at night.

Rong Heng ordered everyone else in the palace to leave. When only the father and son were left, Rong Heng struggled to sit up, his complexion pale. He weakly coughed into a kerchief.

In the past two years, he fell ill more frequently, and the time to recovery took longer.

Rumors flew both in and out of the palace, speculating that the emperor’s health was failing, and perhaps he would not live past these two years. Rong Ting would be furious every time he heard these rumors, but there was nothing he could do. Emperor Father was now entrusting him with many matters, and he lacked both time and energy to guard him.

Some time ago, Emperor Father unexpectedly coughed up blood.

Rong Ting couldn’t believe that his Emperor Father, who he had always believed was capable of supporting both heaven and earth, was growing weaker day by day, and even…

“Emperor Father, it’s unwise to come out so late at night. You should rest well,” Rong Ting said in a low voice.

Rong Heng smiled. He was already not a very healthy person, and he looked very weak now. “En, I’ll go to sleep after explaining some things to you. It’s still early now.”

Explain what things?

In the past few years, Emperor Father had handed him too many things; he didn’t even have time to drink water.

Perhaps in Emperor Father’s book, women were treated as men, and men were treated as beasts of labor!

“Keep this booklet with you.” The trembling of Rong Heng’s hands expressed how weak and feeble he was. He brought out a dark red booklet and passed it to Rong Ting.

Seeing his trembling hands, Rong Ting felt a sting in his eyes and nose.

Emperor Father was still so young, how could his health be so bad? Could it really be that transmigration had reduced his lifespan? But didn’t he also transmigrate? Why did he feel that his body felt better than before? Could it have something to do with Rong Ting being vaccinated, but not his Emperor Father?

Rong Ting accepted the booklet and flipped it open. In an instant, he was stunned.

“In it are the current situations of some of the officials at the fifth rank and above. You can analyze it yourself which ones do proper work and which ones are all talk. The one’s I’ve marked are all reliable. Some of the officials here have also taken bribes, but when the water is clear, there are no fish; there are very few officials who are truly honest. You must learn to balance the relationships between honest officials and the so-called corrupt officials. Once you sit on the throne, you can naturally distinguish which ones are tolerable and which are not.

“Of course,” Rong Heng coughed quietly, his eyelids drooping, “my spies also ‘inadvertently’ collected the secrets of some officials along the way. You can choose to look at them. If you feel they’re useful, you can keep them in mind. If you feel they’re useless, just forget about them.”

Rong Ting couldn’t believe it!

Has the power of Emperor Father’s spies reached this level? They’ve even uncovered the secrets of the court ministers?

“This is also for you.” Rong Heng handed him another booklet. “This is the relevant information on some of the ministers’ daughters who are suitable for your age. It also describes their appearance and character, as well as their level of knowledge and what talents they possess. Your Empress Mother once said that a child is influenced by their family origins. I feel that she is correct, so I’ve also written about their family backgrounds and close relationships.”

Rong Ting: “…Emperor Father, I’m still young.”

He was only 13. He couldn’t have an early romance.

Even if those hillbillies hinted that he should select a crown princess consort, Emperor Father should have had modern societal thoughts instilled into him, right? Could it be that he also supported Rong Ting taking a wife?

Rong Heng was also very hopeless and helpless.

What father wanted to worry about such matters for his son? It wasn’t like he was bored with nothing to do.

But he had no choice!

“I’m not asking you to choose a consort now.” Rong Heng coughed several times. “It’s not a bad thing to familiarize yourself with these situations. I can’t make decisions for you your entire life. The daughters of these ministers have all been raised in their boudoirs; one day, after I leave, those ministers will definitely propose a draft–it’s unavoidable. Keep the booklets for now; maybe you won’t need them in the future.”

Rong Ting naturally understood the meaning behind these booklets.

He was a bit moved. It seemed he really was Emperor Father’s own son; he didn’t hide a single thing from him.

“Thank you, Emperor Father.”

“No need for thanks. These are all things I should do for you.” Rong Heng smiled, looking at his son. “It’s a pity I may not see the day you marry.”

Rong Ting felt his heartstrings tighten. “What is Emperor Father saying? You are only in your thirties this year. Even with Imperial Grandfather’s health, didn’t he live to be in his fifties? Emperor Father, you will be able to watch me marry and have children.”

Rong Heng’s expression shifted minutely, but he quickly covered it up again. “I’m afraid I don’t have this blessing. But don’t fret. Even if we are separated in the future, I will always miss you.”

Why did Emperor Father always like to say such things lately, like he was talking about his funeral!

Rong Ting hated hearing such words, but he glanced at Emperor Father’s pallid complexion and silently swallowed those words back.

From that day on, Rong Ting would spend some time every day to keep Rong Heng company. It was already wrong for him to be unable to be filial to the end by Empress Mother’s side. Now that Emperor Father’s health was failing, how could he not stay by his side as his son?

Rong Heng felt helpless. “You don’t need to come every day. Don’t you still have many matters to handle?”

Rong Ting was insistent. “Emperor Father’s health is the top priority.”

…

……

Of course, after a week or two, Rong Ting noticed that something was off.

He kept getting the feeling that… Emperor Father’s health wasn’t that bad!

Rong Ting was a serious fellow, and very few people could fool him. Once he was suspicious, he insisted on getting to the bottom of things, so he began to read through medical books, and he also paid special attention to Emperor Father’s condition every time he fell ill. That was when he discovered that Emperor Father was not as weak as he appeared.

Emperor Father said he couldn’t eat, and at every meal he would only eat two or three bites before stopping.

But one time, he came back early, and in order to not disturb Emperor Father’s rest, he stopped the servants from announcing his arrival and directly walked in. As a result, he could smell… Although Emperor Father promptly covered it up, he had the feeling that Emperor Father had just finished eating something.

After that day, he kept a close watch, and he discovered that after he left, Emperor Father’s chief eunuch would sneak in with a food box.

This chief eunuch had been by Emperor Father’s side since he was still the young crown prince, and the two shared a deep bond of master and servant. With his extremely cautious style, Rong Ting guessed that the chief eunuch didn’t have the guts to eat in Emperor Father’s palace even if he borrowed the courage of several men! After all his calculations, the person who was eating could only be Emperor Father.

What kind of problem was this. Can’t eat during mealtimes, but after Rong Ting leaves, his appetite improves and everything tastes delicious??

He flipped through medical books and read through the imperial physicians’ records and concluded that there must be a mistake.

In his opinion, Emperor Father wasn’t sick from exhaustion at all!

And most importantly, Emperor Father had become particularly concerned about the stars. Every few days, he would summon the imperial astronomer and chat for nearly half a day. He could show concern for Emperor Father’s health and consult the imperial physicians’ records, but as the crown prince, he could not go up and ask about the contents of Emperor Father and the imperial astronomer’s discussion; that would be taken as arrogance.

Rong Ting calmed down and realized that he had been hoodwinked by his Emperor Father.

Two days ago, Emperor Father said something mysterious. He said, “I have nothing left to teach you. You must carefully think about this final lesson.”

As an emperor, the most taboo thing was to be blinded by friendship and lose the ability to distinguish right from wrong. But he never expected that one day, his Emperor Father would deceive him!

As long as he thought about everything Emperor Father has done these past two years, he could clearly see the clues.

Emperor Father, Emperor Father had been scheming for so long and had slowly begun to implement his plan several years beforehand. How astonishing that he only found out now!

How insidious! How cunning!

Rong Ting held his teacup, recalling that day Emperor Father coughed up blood. He thought bitterly, how was this an emperor, he was clearly a film emperor!

[1] 一人之下万人之上: under one and above ten thousand [people]

Cheese: lmao poor rong ting

sorry for the inconsistent updates! online classes are eating up most of my battery life :’) so the weekly schedule is kinda changing to “whatever sunday i finish tling a chapter.” but i WILL finish. eventually.

and happy valentines to you and your loved ones!