CH 92

Give a kiss and the pain will go away, right?

When Rong Ting woke up and found his Emperor Father already up and reading a book, he was a bit ashamed. He’d always thought himself extremely diligent, but he didn’t expect that compared to Emperor Father, he was still very lazy.

He didn’t like the hotel bathroom very much. The toilet was too big, and he felt like he was going to accidentally fall in when he sat on it.

Empress Mother had specially bought a toilet seat1 for him, which was quite convenient. Thinking this way, Emperor Father was not as attentive as Empress Mother.

He was used to relieving himself in the morning, but he was quite worried today, afraid that he would fall in and have an unpleasant experience.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Rong Ting followed his Emperor Father to the hotel dining hall for breakfast. It was still self-serve, and everything was available. There weren’t many people in the dining hall, so the father and son duo sat down in a quiet corner and enjoyed a decent breakfast.

“Emperor Father, are the hotels here much better than our inns over there?” Rong Ting asked curiously as he bit into a meat bun.

The rule of eating without speaking and sleeping in silence was abolished.

Although Rong Heng wasn’t all that close to Rong Ting, he always had answers for his questions. “Great Ye’s best room in the best inn can’t compare to the worst rooms here. Once, when I was the crown prince, I concealed my identity and spent some time among the common people. At that time, I stayed in an inn. The quilt smelled awful, and there was no personal washroom.”

Rong Ting had never stayed in an inn back in the ancient times, so he was full of curiosity listening to Emperor Father bringing this up. “No personal washroom, then how was relieving oneself done?”

“There were latrines. But they were communal.”

Rong Ting’s expression showed disgust. “Isn’t that dirty?”

“Indeed. At first, I didn’t understand the situation. I went there once, and that day I did not eat.” Rong Heng clearly didn’t want to recall it anymore. He found the eggs on his plate were no longer fragrant.

“It seems that the ancient times are indeed not as convenient or developed as modern times.” Rong Ting added, “I like it here. The ancient times does not have supermarkets, television, or Yakult.”

“You can’t say that either.” Rong Heng smiled. “Here, you are only an ordinary person, just like other ordinary children. In ancient times, you are the crown prince. When I die, you will be the emperor who possesses the world in your palm. It is convenient and developed here, but there is no supreme power.”

Rong Ting was silent.

He was still very young, but he had been the crown prince for 5-6 years, and he had always been at the center of power. He could understand Emperor Father’s words.

Rong Heng lowered his head and pretended to inadvertently ask, “Do you want your Empress Mother to go back with us?”

Ah?

Rong Ting looked blank. He had thought about this problem before, when he didn’t think that he would come here. At first, he certainly had wanted Empress Mother to come back with him… but later, oh, how long had he not thought about it?

Ask Empress Mother go back with them? Back to the palace?

Rong Ting subconsciously shook his head, answering in a low voice, “No.”

He didn’t want that.

Rong Heng was somewhat surprised, not having expected this answer from his son. Immediately becoming a bit interested, he gave a slight smile and asked, “Why? Don’t you like her? Don’t you really want to stay with her?”

“Of course I like Empress Mother, I like Empress Mother the most!” Rong Ting grew agitated. “I want to stay with Empress Mother, but I don’t want Empress Mother to go back!”

No matter how excited he was, he wouldn’t shout in a public setting, so he did not attract the attention of others.

“Empress Mother does not like the harem and does not like the ancient times. This I know.” Rong Ting hung his head. “She likes this place the most, and she wants to stay with Grandfather and Grandmother. Although Empress Mother does not tell me, I know that she was not happy in ancient times and in the harem. I do not want Empress Mother to be unhappy. Emperor Father, I like Empress Mother. I just hope that Empress Mother can be happy every day.”

“But shouldn’t a mom stay with her child?” Rong Heng watched him, smiling.

“No. I only want my mom to be happy.”

Rong Ting didn’t understand the relationship between his parents nor what had happened, but he wasn’t stupid. Judging by Empress Mother’s behavior, she did not like ancient times, and she did not like the harem. As her son, how could he use this identity to force Empress Mother to do things she didn’t want to do?”

Rong Heng fell silent.

He absently tapped his fingers against the table, smiling. “You care for her quite deeply2.”

“She birthed me.”

After Rong Ting excitedly answered, he asked, “Emperor Father, exactly what happened between you3 and Empress Mother? I once asked you why Empress Mother married into the palace, and you said you did not remember. Now that you have already recovered your memory, you should have an answer, right?”

This question…

“You never asked her?”

“I do not want to ask her.”

“Why?”

Rong Ting plucked up the courage to raise his head. “Because I feel that Empress Mother was not happy in the palace in ancient times. I do not want her to recall those things.”

“Then when you ask me, are you not afraid I will be unhappy?” Rong Heng asked him with great interest.

Rong Ting gave him a look, then rapidly lowered his head. “If Emperor Father does not wish say, it’s okay.”

“You really want to know?”

“En.”

Rong Heng gave a sigh. Of course he knew his son’s temperament, and that he had an interest in things he shouldn’t, but Rong Heng hoped that his son could learn some lessons from his experience.

And so, Rong Heng, without adding any emotional embellishments, began to talk about the things between him and Song Yuan from those years.

Song Yuan arrived in the afternoon to pick up Rong Ting. She knew he liked to eat sweets, so she specially bought an insulated container at the supermarket and packed it with a well-known local store’s fragrant sesame paste4 and milk squares5.

But for some reason, when she arrived at the hotel lobby, she found that her son didn’t seem to be very happy.

On the other hand, Rong Heng, sitting on the sofa and reading a newspaper, was calm and composed.

“Then we’ll be going home.” Song Yuan took Rong Ting by the hand and gave Rong Heng a meaningful look, wanting to ask him what was wrong with Gugu.

Naturally, Rong Heng understood her gaze. He smiled. “Maybe he’s unhappy because he didn’t eat or sleep well.”

“Really?” Song Yuan looked suspicious.

When the mother and son returned home, Song Yuan got ready to cook and asked Gugu what he wanted to eat. He gave her a deeply bitter6 look, then said he wanted to eat cola chicken wings.

Song Yuan thought, he really didn’t eat well.

While Song Yuan bustled in the kitchen, Rong Ting returned to his desk and carefully ground the ink. He picked up his brush but was unable to put it to paper.

He originally wanted to practice calligraphy, but as the tip of the brush touched the xuan paper, he grew furious and drew a tortoise.

Drawing one tortoise wasn’t enough, and he recklessly drew a lump of poo, which slightly alleviated his depression.

Song Yuan felt like after picking up Gugu from the hotel, she was running around like a spinning top, with almost no time to rest. As soon as she got home she went into the kitchen to cook, and after eating she put away the dishes into the dishwasher, then wiped the table. By the time she finally got out of the shower and looked at the time, it was almost 9!

Although Gugu didn’t need her to read him a bedtime story anymore, before she returned to her room, she still went to his bedroom to chat with him.

After all, they’d been apart for so long.

Gugu, who had always been exceptionally perceptive, was still in a daze when she came in, not yet back to his senses. Who knew what he was thinking in that melon head of his to look so troubled.

“What are you thinking about?” Song Yuan sat by the bed, pulling up his quilt.

Rong Ting reacted when he heard her voice. Seeing Empress Mother’s happy appearance, he couldn’t help reaching up and, just as before, carefully touching the side of her face.

Song Yuan immediately felt shocked.

One must know that Rong Ting was a child from ancient times; he rarely interacted with her so intimately.

“What’s wrong?” Song Yuan asked.

Rong Ting initially felt uncomfortable, but seeing her back to her cheerful and content appearance, he also became happy.

It was good that Empress Mother looked like this!

“Empress Mother, it has been hard on you,” he said.

He didn’t want to tell Empress Mother that he knew about those events.

He wished Empress Mother could never think of those matters again.

If he were a bit braver, he could have told Emperor Father today, in the future, do not bring up the past in front of Empress Mother again. Don’t make Empress Mother unhappy anymore!

Once he turned six, he would become more courageous!

Song Yuan thought Rong Ting was talking about her working hard in the kitchen, so she smiled and said, “It’s not that hard, I’m very happy to cook for you. I feel very proud every time I see you eat the meals I make.”

“En.” Rong Ting pulled her hand. Mustering up his courage, he lowered his head and kissed the back of her hand. When he finished, the tips of his ears had turned red.

He just remembered something.

The last time Empress Mother had accidentally bumped into the corner of the bed, she’d grimaced in pain. But she also smiled and teased him, saying that if he gave a kiss, she wouldn’t hurt.

Give a kiss and the pain will go away, right?

[1] Like one of these, probably

[2] The raws say 你倒是很为她着想, which is like, “You think for her sake?? quite a lot.” As in Rong Ting makes a lot of his decisions with Song Yuan in consideration

[3] Formal/respectful you, as is always the case with Rong Ting speaking directly to his father

[4] 芝麻糊: a really thick soup-like paste(?) made from primarily sticky rice and sesame seeds and strained to get that smooth texture you see in picture

[5] 牛奶砖: a treat made with milk, cream, and condensed milk and covered in a layer of coconut flakes

[6] 苦大仇深: great bitterness, deep hatred

Cheese: we have returned with mother-son family fluff, the REAL content we’re all looking for amirite