Chapter 11 - He said in a low voice, he would never let her down.
Song Yuan instantly formed an image of the emperor in her mind: a weak chicken-like figure with prominent dark circles under his eyes.
As a matter of fact, it wasn't a big deal for men to have fertility issues.
It was just that Song Yuan couldn't accept that her partner had such a problem. Such were her double standards~
"Your Emperor Father, en..." Song Yuan did not have a poisonous tongue, so naturally she would not reveal her opinion of His Majesty the emperor in front of the child. "Is his hair alright?"
When Rong Ting heard her, he was silent for a long while before candidly asking: "Empress Mother wishes to know of Emperor Father's white hair?"
Song Yuan was stunned, and her thoughts escaped from her lips: "White hair? You just said he's in his prime!"
Oh my god ah! Did she really sleep with an old man and even have a child? No, she refused to accept such a script!
Rong Ting was startled by Song Yuan's reaction. He answered with creased brows, "Gu said before that gu would not lie to Empress Mother. Emperor Father is indeed in the prime of his life!"
"Then why does he have white hair!"
This clearly left Rong Ting unable to respond. The palace maids, eunuchs, and even the Grand Tutor would not talk about Emperor Father in front of him. He did not know much about Emperor Father; compared to Emperor Father, he was more concerned about everything related to Empress Mother. "For as long as gu can recall, Emperor Father has had white hair. But Empress Mother, gu has never lied to you. Emperor Father is indeed in the prime of his life; he is likely only a few years older than Empress Mother."
The more she knew about His Majesty the emperor, the more Song Yuan felt that this was a dangerous topic.
Continuing to talk, continuing to try to understand, Song Yuan feared that she truly wouldn't be able to overcome this hurdle.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about him." Song Yuan was the first to drop the topic. She told Rong Ting, "Today is the weekend. There are many people here, and I'm afraid you won't be used to it. Let's just walk around this neighborhood. There's a bookstore in the area. I noticed that you like to read books; I'll buy you a few, is that good?"
Rong Ting was still a child, after all, and his attention was very quickly diverted. He indeed enjoyed reading books. Even if he wasn't familiar with the characters here, under Mother Empress's guidance, he could probably figure out the general pattern. Give him a bit of time, and he would be able to understand it.
"Empress Mother, are there the Four Treasures of the Study at home?" Rong Ting was an obedient child. Although this was Empress Mother's residence, and despite his curiosity, he only gave a cursory glance. He didn't dare to explore in depth, let alone go through Empress Mother's things without her permission.
"Gu should not neglect gu's studies. Gu has not practiced calligraphy for several days; it would not be good if gu is out of practice upon returning to the palace."
Song Yuan was somewhat surprised. She pulled him over to sit on the sofa, found a notebook and pen from the drawer of the coffee table, and wrote two characters on the paper. "Can you use this pen?"
Okay ba, she also felt her question was nonsense. How could people from ancient times use pens?
"Alright ba, let's go out now. We'll buy a few books, as well as the Four Treasures."
Song Yuan thought for a bit. To be on the safe side, she said: "But just saying in advance, ah, you can't be too picky about it. After all, this is not the ancient times."
Rong Ting thought that Empress Mother was short of money.
His heart felt somewhat suffocated as he looked at Song Yuan's smiling face. He secretly sighed and nodded: "Gu understands."
He would not let Empress Mother feel embarrassed, nor let her feel sad.
Song Yuan sighed in relief. Although this child sometimes had moments when he was stinky and awkward, he was very dependable and sensible when it counted. If he truly was that sort of bear child, even if she felt close to him in her heart, she would still consciously stay away.
The two took advantage of the good weather and went out to the local bookstore.
There were many cars and people going around on the weekend. Feeling that the bookstore was not far from home, she did not drive and instead walked on foot with Rong Ting.
Rong Ting couldn't adapt to Song Yuan's close contact at first. Later, without Song Yuan taking the initiative, he reached out, motioning for her to hold it. He said very righteously, "Gu is not familiar with life here!"
Song Yuan held back a smile. She looked at his small face and found it very interesting. "Yes yes yes, I shall lead Your Highness so you don't lose your way~"
Hearing Empress Mother call him "Your Highness", Rong Ting's ears stealthily flushed red.
Two people, one big hand holding one small hand, walked on the street toward the sunlight. Rong Ting was endlessly shocked by everything in the city, including the high-rise buildings and the cars speeding past.
He soaked it all in, astonished.
"Empress Mother's hometown is quite..."
Rong Ting couldn't even look away.
He was not ignorant. On the contrary, he was crown prince the moment he was born; his awareness was not narrow, but rather quite broad. He was able to discern how good Empress Mother's hometown was.
If Empress Mother felt this place was unforgettable, and was even unwilling to return to the palace with him, it wasn't as though he couldn't understand.
The Empress Mother that the old maid spoke of was dignified, and could be regarded as the nation's mother, but the Empress Mother before him was cheerful and bright.
Empress Mother, gu only wants you to be happy.
The two arrived at the bookstore. The bookstore was especially busy on the weekend. Rong Ting did not know what books were good, as he had never come across such books before, so Song Yuan helped him choose several storybooks suitable for children his age. She also picked up a set of the best-selling "Father and Son" collection. She didn't know if he had learned mathematics, but she picked up a book of beginner's mathematics.
Rong Ting was delighted.
In actuality, he didn't express his excitement and joy like other children did, but after two days of living together, the attentive Song Yuan could already start to distinguish his moods. Like right now, when he clutched these books tightly, his eyes bright, and his lips slightly upturned, it meant that this child was happy enough to fly away.
Extracurricular academies had already been popular since as early as when Song Yuan was in junior high school. Nowadays many parents would send their children to learn calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting, so it was not difficult to purchase a set of the Four Treasures; she could buy them after visiting a few stores. It was only that Rong Ting was a bit disdainful of them. Of course, he didn't make a fuss.
After purchasing a calligraphy set, Rong Ting was reluctant to stroll around outside. His justification was quite reasonable: "Gu is not willing to receive other people's stares."
That was to say, if this were the palace, how many people would dare to look directly at him as they did in Empress Mother's hometown, or take out such objects of unknown origins in front of him ne?
Song Yuan pinched his ear. "Those big sisters think that you're very adorable and handsome, so they looked at you and took out their cellphones to take photos; I stopped them. You are very handsome in your period clothing, better looking than all the children in historical dramas."
Rong Ting solemnly corrected her. "Empress Mother, one must not pay attention to outer appearance. Moreover, gu is a man; inner talent is more important than superficial looks."
Song Yuan: "..."
She was actually educated by a child.
By the time the two came home, it was already almost noon. Song Yuan did not supervise Rong Ting. After washing her hands and putting on her apron, she entered the kitchen. Rong Ting's mouth was truly quite shrewd. He didn't like takeout, but the meals she made, regardless of whether it tasted good or not, he would praise and flatter.
By the time Song Yuan finished bustling about and came out of the kitchen, Rong Ting was already writing.
She was extremely curious about what level of calligraphy a five- or six-year-old child from the ancient times would have. She moved closer to look and was amazed. Rong Ting's writing was very similar to traditional script. She hadn't learned calligraphy and couldn't judge the style, but at a glance, the writing was indeed quite good.
Song Yuan couldn't do anything else, but she could still give lavish praise.
Rong Ting was quite flattered by her praise, and there was a faintly proud expression on his face. But when he thought of Emperor Father's daily teachings to guard against pride and impatience, he said modestly, "My writing is only average. The Grand Tutor once said that Emperor Father's painting and calligraphy are without equal."
Song Yuan: "..."
This was simply the tinted lenses of a son ba. In light of having white hair and one child and quite possibly having awkward circumstances, when it came to this Majesty the emperor, Song Yuan... naturally had no fantastic delusions.
"Empress Mother, come try." Rong Ting passed his brush to Song Yuan.
Song Yuan had not learned calligraphy, but she still took the brush. She thought about it, then wrote the three words "Time to eat" on the paper.
She was used to using a ballpoint pen to write, and now she was suddenly using a writing brush. Although her writing wasn't chicken scratch, it also couldn't be considered beautiful.
Rong Ting carefully scrutinized the three characters Song Yuan wrote, his expression as serious as that of the Grand Tutor who usually checked his work. Finally, he lifted his head and said: "Emperor Father deceived me."
"What?"
"When gu was young, gu did not like to practice writing characters. Emperor Father said to gu that he and Empress Mother both excelled at calligraphy, so how could their son not be proficient? Since then, gu has diligently practiced."
Song Yuan had a bold thought. Could Gugu, this little tadpole, have found the wrong mom?
That's what she said, ma. The person with good hands and a clever mind that Gugu spoke of was clearly not her, and the person His Majesty the emperor spoke of was definitely not her!
The person who knew her best was surely herself. A person like her would never transmigrate into ancient times and become a fair maiden who excelled in the four arts.
Song Yuan hummed as she cleared away the tableware: "The little tadpole looking for mama, found a fish and called it mama, the fish wagged its tail, 'Child ya, I am not your mama'~"
Rong Ting heard her singing and walked over from the living room. His small head poked in as he asked, "Empress Mother, are you singing?"
"Child, ya, I am not your mama~"
Rong Ting: "..."
On Saturday night, Song Yuan had a dream.
It was very strange. Everything was very hazy, and she couldn't clearly make out anyone's faces.
It was night, and everything seemed to be in a state of slumber. It was white as far as the eye could see; it seemed that there had been a heavy snowfall. A man brought her up the watchtower. She couldn't see his face clearly, but she could feel his gentleness and care. He brushed off the snowflakes on her cloak and took her by the hand.
She followed his lead and looked outside the watchtower.
She didn't seem to feel the cold.
What she saw was the vast heaven and earth.
The man said something to her. She couldn't hear him clearly except for the end. He said in a low voice, he would never let her down.
Her dream was full of happiness.
Chapter 12 - One wish is for Empress Mother to always smile, and another is for Empress Mother to live a long life.
When Song Yuan woke up, it was still five minutes before seven, and the alarm clock hadn't gone off yet.
She sat on the bed, half-conscious. The dream was too intoxicating, and its effects hadn't worn off even now, leaving her immersed in the dream. She strained to get a good glimpse of the man's face, but she couldn't see it clearly. She forgot many details upon waking up, but that sentence of never letting her down still echoed in her ears like a chant.
Why did she have such a strange dream ne? The important point was that she was unable to help thinking about many things. Such as what Gugu said.
For now, she didn't dare to think too deeply. There were too many things that couldn't be explained.
Although she felt that the Empress Mother from Gugu's mouth was quite likely not her, there were still many points of suspicion. If it weren't for the real-life child in her home, with her character, she absolutely would want to play dead.
Today she would bring Rong Ting to take the maternity test. Song Yuan's heart was truly in a state of unrest.
On the one hand, if Rong Ting wasn't her child, then where could she go to find his family ah? Wouldn't this child be very disappointed ah?
On the other hand, if Rong Ting really was her son, then what should she do?
And that dream...
The ringing of the alarm clock finally woke Song Yuan up, and her consciousness gradually returned. She felt as though she'd have a nervous breakdown one of these days. Before, when she'd had a dream about going out with one of her idols, she hadn't been so up in the clouds ah. It was definitely Rong Ting's influence.
This kid called her Empress Mother every day and would make use of every opportunity to mention his Emperor Father. Although he didn't have strong persuasive skills, she still felt a lot of pressure. She constantly felt that this child was lobbying her, wanting to bring her back to the ancient times that had no cell phone, no computer, no Internet, no pads, and no beverages.
Song Yuan suddenly remembered something that happened in college. At the time, the topic of reincarnations was very popular, and it was said that if you shut your eyes and listened to music, you would slowly start to see your past life. She was timid, and when she saw everywhere on the Internet not to rashly attempt it, she didn't try it, but the other three girls in her dorm had. One said that she had been Consort Zhen in her past life, one said that she was a concubine, and another said that she was Consort Zhen...
She thought there could only be one Consort Zhen ah?
Later, when the females in the class discussed amongst themselves, there were even two Consort Dong'e's.
After hearing about so many reincarnations of Consort Zhen and Consort Dong'e, Song Yuan, who had originally somewhat believed in the idea of reincarnations, immediately lost interest...
In the end, the class monitor mocked them for being too fond of reading brain-dead novels, for each and every one of them fantasizing that they were the consort who monopolized the emperor's love.
Song Yuan turned off the alarm clock and temporarily tossed that dream into a recycle bin.
She got out of bed. Rong Ting had already dressed and finished his morning routine, and was sitting upright on the sofa, holding the graphic novel of The Art of War with both hands.
Seeing her emerge, he merely looked up once, then withdrew his gaze.
Rong Ting's hands-on ability must be quite good. Clearly he had people who served him for all sorts of purposes in ancient times. He hadn't even spent a few days in modern times and he could dress himself, bathe, brush his teeth, and wash his face.
The appointment with the paternity testing institution was at 9 A.M. Afraid that she would be late, Song Yuan didn't have breakfast at home, and brought Rong Ting to the breakfast shop just downstairs.
Rong Ting looked down at the plate of xiaolongbao and soymilk with an expression of disdain.
Song Yuan let out a sigh. "I'm actually quite lazy, and I rarely make my own breakfast in the morning. Naturally, making lunch and dinner are also rare. I usually eat outside or order takeout."
The number of times she cooked in the kitchen these past two days was almost the same as the number of times she had in the past month!
She was quite impressed with herself.
Rong Ting hesitantly glanced at her.
Song Yuan felt her scalp go numb from this gaze, and she made a "stop" gesture. "Alright, if you want to ask me again why I wanted to leave your dad and live a miserable life ba, don't ask. I just really like this kind of life!"
Rong Ting did not know what had happened between his Emperor Father and Empress Mother.
It was clear that the love-hate relationship between adults was far beyond the limits of his comprehension.
In the end, Rong Ting sighed the same way she had just done. "If Empress Mother is unwilling to respond, then gu will not force you. Empress Mother, gu only wishes for you to be happy."
Yesterday, Song Yuan had Rong Ting write on a scroll that she was planning to frame. After all, this was also an ancient text. Not to mention value, its significance was on a completely different level.
The Gugu child stood at the desk, brush in hand, pondering for a long time. At last, he took up his brush, brandished his ink, and wrote four large characters on the paper–live long in prosperity.
One wish is for Empress Mother to always smile, and another is for Empress Mother to live a long life.
Song Yuan was quite touched when she heard this. After several days of living together, it had even crossed her mind that if Gugu truly was her son, then she could accept it.
The two finished breakfast and set off for the institution.
There were quite a number of people who did DNA tests these days, and it was rather simple. After collecting the two parties' hair and hair follicles, as well as drawing a bit of blood, you could directly download the results off the app after several business days. The paper report could be picked up, or the organization could send it through the mail. It was extremely convenient.
Song Yuan also measured Rong Ting's height and weight.
On the small slip of paper was written, height: 114 cm, weight: 22 kg, which was standard.
If it weren't for Rong Ting's aversion, she also would have measured his head circumference.
The institution was not far from the downtown area. Seeing that it was nearly eleven or twelve o'clock, she discussed with Rong Ting and settled on a nearby restaurant for lunch.
Rong Ting very much enjoyed drinking Yakult, but he didn't say it. When he heard that he had to eat out, he initially had a few things to say. But when Song Yuan took out a bottle of Yakult from her bag and handed it to him, he immediately had nothing to say. His resolve was quite shaky.
Song Yuan didn't dare to go to a restaurant with a good reputation and high popularity. Rong Ting didn't like crowded places, and he was still rather tense. He would monitor their surroundings, as though an assassin would rush out in the next second. In order to let the child eat and relax, Song Yuan avoided the Pizza Hut that was packed with children and brought him to a deserted restaurant. It was almost as though she'd reserved the entire hall.
The taste of the food was average–not outstanding, but also not disastrous. Rong Ting seemed to love sweet food. Song Yuan guessed that he usually had to restrain his nature, but still very much loved them, so she ordered a mango pomelo sago for him.
Rong Ting went all out to demonstrate what it meant to do a "clean sweep." The most outrageous thing was that after eating, his face clearly showed a satisfied expression, but his mouth said: "Just barely acceptable to eat."
Song Yuan teased, "Since it's not delicious, I won't order it next time."
Rong Ting anxiously looked at her and very awkwardly said: "Gu never said it wasn't delicious."
Realizing that Song Yuan was teasing him, he wasn't as annoyed as before. Instead, he was more so helpless. "Empress Mother seems to enjoy teasing gu."
"I'm just wondering where you got your awkward and tsundere temper from, your dad?" Realizing that she had just taken the initiative to bring up His Majesty the cucumber, she quickly changed the topic. "Alright, let's not talk about that. Let's go for a walk to help digest our food. I have to go to work tomorrow, and I really can't ask for time off; if I ask for leave again, my uncle will be furious. And when I go to work, you have to stay at home. I need to buy some fruit snacks to keep at home for you, so we're going to the supermarket to stock up."
Rong Ting didn't know what it meant to go to work at first, but after getting a bit of context, he could make a vague guess. He asked: "When Empress Mother speaks of going to work, is it to serve as an official?"
"An official?" Song Yuan laughed. "Of course not. But my mom and dad did want me to be a public servant at first. But even if you pass the civil service exam, you still won't be considered an official; to become one is very difficult."
"It's truly not to serve as an official?" Rong Ting didn't know if he was confused or doubtful. "Gu thought that in Empress Mother's hometown, women can also be enrolled in school and become officials."
"Of course they can ah! We have a woman in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and she's very powerful!" Then she began to gush praise about her goddess.
After talking and talking, Song Yuan also noticed something strange. "Did you say 'also'? Is it also possible over there?"
Rong Ting looked at Song Yuan for a long while, then smiled and shook his head. "At first it was not possible. The previous year, Emperor Father resisted pressure from all sides, as well as memorials from the hundreds of military and civil officials, and insisted on abolishing the old system. Emperor Father said that there were also talented people among women, and they should not be restricted by gender. Women can be enrolled in school, take examinations, and if they are a person of talent, they can also attend court as an official."
Song Yuan was still astonished. Although she was not a history buff, she still knew that there weren't that many dynasties that allowed women to attend court.
"Then in that case, your Emperor Father can be considered a mingjun." Song Yuan couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Rong Ting gave a smile at her words. Then the smiling expression on his face faded and turned serious. "Empress Mother, if Emperor Father heard these words, he would be delighted."
"That's a given. Any emperor would want to hear later generations appraise them as a mingjun. Of course, there are some emperors who would prefer to have no accomplishments, but also no failures. Your Emperor Father's decision would be considered a great advancement in thinking at that time. In the past, many men looked down on women and felt that women should remain in the rear courtyard. To be able to accept that there are talented people among women–no, a person who expresses this point of view is quite good."
But Rong Ting shook his head. "Not so."
"What do you mean? Do you doubt that women are not inferior to men?" Song Yuan's tone already hinted at danger. If Gugu did not look her in the eyes and he answered "yes", she was going to teach him a good lesson on ideology today.
But on second thought, for someone from the ancient times to have such an opinion, was it that strange? But the child was already here in the modern age now, so he had to adjust his thoughts accordingly.
"'There are also talented people among women, and they should not be restricted by their gender, nor should they be confined to the rear courtyard.' This point of view did not come from Emperor Father." There was a proud light in Rong Ting's eyes. His voice was clear and steady. "The bangyan is a woman. Emperor Father once spoke with her at the Xuan Dao temple. Gu was also present, and gu heard Emperor Father tell the bangyan–" he paused and cleared his throat, seeming to want to imitate his Emperor Father. "'Empress Ren De once told zhen that talented people exist among the women. If they were constrained by their gender and the rear courtyard and were unable to display their literary talents and their might, it would be a great pity. Abolishing the old system today was zhen's wife's lifelong wish.'"
Chapter 13 - Who are you?!
That night, Song Yuan couldn't sleep.
The last time she'd had insomnia, it had been because she was afraid. She turned on all the lights in the house and talked on the phone with Xie Ya until two or three in the morning.
She grabbed the tablet from the nightstand and once again searched up Rong Ting's name, as well as the Great Ye Dynasty that Rong Ting spoke of, but she found nothing. Moreover, based on her knowledge of history, there was no such dynasty by that name.
What was going on? But it wasn't impossible that there were some dynasties that were not included in historical records.
There was no relevant information on the Internet; it was quite worrying.
Even as a natural-born optimist, in the face of the current situation, Song Yuan felt like she was going to go bald from stress.
Song Yuan woke up at 6:30 in the morning. Yawning as she fried eggs, she couldn't help but laugh to herself; she truly did have the potential to be a good mom ah. In order to make a simple breakfast for Rong Ting, she even got up half an hour early today. It should be written in the history books as something that moved China and inspired all of Asia.
Since a homemade breakfast should be neat and not take too much energy, it could only be as simple as possible. A bowl of millet porridge with some fried egg, bacon, and pickled vegetables should be just right for eating.
"If I don't leave I'm going to be late, and my pay will get docked." Although Song Yuan wasn't lacking in money, she also didn't want to perform too poorly at the company. Stopping at the door, she repeatedly gave reminders to Rong Ting.
Gugu the child felt as though his ears were going to grow calluses. "Gu knows, gu understands. Gu will not open the door for strangers, nor jump off the building, nor turn on the gas or gas stove! Empress Mother, if you don't leave, you really will be late."
Song Yuan angrily pinched his ear, "You're starting to resent me for nagging now? How can I not worry ma? I'm saying this again, no matter who knocks on the door, don't open it!"
"En! Gu really knows!"
"The millet porridge is in the rice cooker. I pushed the warming button; if you're hungry then you can eat that. There's also fried eggs and bacon in the lunchbox. There is Yakult in the fridge, but don't drink too much. If you don't want to eat that, there's yesterday's pork floss xiaobei on the coffee table, and the fruit bowl has bananas and oranges."
Rong Ting was completely helpless; Empress Mother had said this sentence a great many times. He handed her the bag placed on the shoe cabinet.
"Ungrateful," Song Yuan complained as she left the house.
Having a child at home was truly very worrying.
Yesterday she had been quite careless; she had ordered a children's smart watch last night, and it would only arrive today.
She didn't have a home phone, either. Since she had to go to work, it would be very difficult to know how Gugu was doing at home; she should have thought of it during breakfast.
At first, she had said to Rong Ting that she would return as soon as she got off work at five thirty in the afternoon, but at twelve, she grabbed her bag and was the first to rush out. Her uncle's company was not very far from her house; she could get there in about twenty minutes.
When she unlocked the door, Rong Ting, who was sitting on the sofa reading a book, jumped in surprise and vigilantly looked in the direction of the door.
Seeing that the person who came in was her, Rong Ting let out a sigh of relief and put down his book. "Empress Mother, did you not say that you would return at youshi?
Song Yuan, finding that nothing had happened to Rong Ting, and was safe and sound at home, her heart was much more at ease. "I missed you ah."
When Rong Ting heard her, he was inwardly very excited, as well as a little shy.
The happy outcome was that Song Yuan brought back two meals. He also didn't have a "such humble food, gu would not eat it even if he was starving to death" expression on his face. On the contrary, he was quite happy.
Rong Ting was no different from other children. He liked to drink Yakult, he liked to eat gummy candies, and he also liked to eat the ham sausages in this meal.
Halfway through the meal, Rong Ting thought of what he had seen this morning. Breaking his rule of eating without speaking and sleeping without talking, he removed his jade pendant with unusual solemnity and handed it to Song Yuan.
Song Yuan looked at him, puzzled.
Rong Ting pursed his lips. He raised a small, clenched fist to his lips and coughed.
Such an action being done by a five or six year old truly was strange.
"Empress Mother, although gu does not know this jade pendant's value, it's unlikely to be cheap."
"Where is it not cheap, it definitely is very expensive ah. It's an antique. What about it?"
"Empress Mother should find a trustworthy pawnshop and pawn it."
Song Yuan's eyes widened. She didn't understand what Rong Ting wanted to do.
"Once Empress Mother receives the silver, change to a good residence ba."
...
"Is this place not good?" Song Yuan put down her chopsticks, bewildered.
This community was one that her father daren had carefully selected. When she was eighteen, it was still the most expensive community in the city. A few years had passed, and although it could no longer be considered an upscale community, it still had all the necessary facilities. There were also elementary and junior high schools nearby, and the subway station was just a few minutes' walk away. The orientation was good, and the layout was good; nowadays, she couldn't buy it even if she wanted to ne.
Why make her change houses?
Song Yuan felt nervous. It was said that small children could see dirty things, and Gugu was also a person who had transmigrated from ancient times. Could it be that this house's feng shui was not good?
Rong Ting was too shy to speak about what he saw this morning.
He stood on the balcony earlier, looking down at the community in an attempt to learn more about the terrain, when he spotted a young man and woman hugging and even... how scandalous, how unseemly!
Perhaps this was a place where people from all walks of life converged to meet; Empress Empress could only temporarily reside here.
Rong Ting didn't want to say it, nor was it easy to say it. He only said: "If Empress Mother is short on money, there is no need to worry. Although gu is not yet of age, gu will still think of means to protect you."
"Although I'm extremely touched by your words, have you misunderstood something?" Song Yuan thrust the jade pendant back into his grasp. "Okay, you're the crown prince. Your definition of poor people is different from my definition of poor people. I can't be considered to be very rich, but I'm really not short on money. I have more than enough to support you!"
"Is this true?"
"Of course it is ah. Now, going back to the question earlier, is my place not good? Why do I need to change houses?" She was still rather curious about this point.
Rong Ting was silent for a moment, then said: "Gu thinks that this place is not worthy of Empress Mother's status. Empress Mother is the mother of a country..."
Seeing that he had a heap of things to say, Song Yuan interrupted him. "I'm the one who's not worthy of this place. If it weren't for my dad, I wouldn't be able to afford this house even if I didn't eat or drink for my entire life."
Rong Ting was astonished, but not about the house. "Grandfather is here?"
"Of course ah. My mom and dad are here."
Rong Ting's face was that of pleasant surprise. "Grandmother is also here. Gu has never heard Emperor Father mention this."
He paused, then tentatively asked: "Is gu's war god uncle here as well?"
War god uncle?
"I'm an only child, with no brothers or sisters ah. Who is this war god you're talking about?"
As she said this, Song Yuan's cell phone rang–it was a call from a client she was responsible for. She picked it up, and when she listened to the other party speak, she felt a headache forming. When she hung up, she didn't even have time to eat–she stood up, packed away her lunchbox, and said to Rong Ting: "A client came to the company looking for me; I have to hurry over. I should be able to get off work on time this afternoon. You be good at home."
Having been cut off in this way, Rong Ting forgot to ask about the matter of his war god uncle.
The war god uncle was a taboo subject in his dynasty. He had only incidentally heard his horsemanship and archery instructor mention that the god of war uncle led troops like he was a deity–extremely powerful. Of course, after he said this, he revealed an expression of regret. After that, this instructor no longer taught him–he heard that he had been sent by Emperor Father to the Ministry of Works.
Emperor Father didn't even remember him, so how could she remember Emperor Father and other people ne?
Song Yuan returned to the company and began to busily work. The majority of the time, she did miscellaneous tasks, but she was also in charge of a few clients. The unfortunate part was that, perhaps her uncle had the intention to train her, but these few clients were the most demanding.
That afternoon, she was so busy that her head was spinning, and she didn't even have time to drink water.
At home, Rong Ting also had a packed schedule. One shichen of practicing writing, one shichen of reading–he didn't dare to be even slightly negligent with his studies.
At about five o'clock, Rong Ting was reading the graphic novel version of The Art of War, completely immersed.
Meanwhile, Father Song drove to the community, wearing a Bluetooth earphone and talking on the phone. "I heard that things are about to change in the capital. It has nothing to do with me, but I want to ask, the Xie family's matters will not affect the opening of my supermarket branch ba?
The man on the other side laughed. "Who are you ah? You have no influence in the capital. You can rest assured, the Xie Family won't care about you. The only ones you have offended are the underlings that the Xie family can no longer support. Don't worry."
"That's good." Father Song parked the car. He glanced at the two cardboard boxes in the backseat through his rearview mirror. "I didn't mention it, but I went to my daughter's house. She hasn't gotten off work yet."
"President Song truly really loves his daughter to bits."
Seriously–as soon as he returned from his business trip, daddy brought back a box of seafood and a box of cherries as treasures to present to his daughter. Such a thing, he had half a mind to say it looked like Father Song had not seen his girl in more than half a month.
Song Haiping hummed a tune as he picked up the cardboard boxes. In his pocket was the key that his daughter had given to him before. He was ready to play the part of a loving father today.
Cook the girl a dinner, and he bet this little lazy bum wouldn't start a fire.
When the girl returned, and he had cooked the meal and washed the fruit, wouldn't she be moved to tears?
At the door, Song Haiping put down the cardboard boxes. He took out the key from his pocket, opened the door, and bent down to move the boxes, only to hear a milky voice: "Who are you?!"
Chapter 14 - She felt that she could still salvage the situation!
Song Haiping stared at the person standing next to the shoe rack. It was a child wearing a period costume and vigilantly watching him.
"Who are you?!" Rong Ting was not frightened. Although Empress Empress repeatedly warned him of the darkness in people's hearts, he felt that he had encountered the most sinister people and the darkest matters. He brought out the dignity of a crown prince–even if he was only five or six years old, his lofty manner couldn't help but stun others.
"Who are you?" Song Haiping returned to his senses. He frowned, asking, "Who are you, how did you get in?"
Could it be that Yuanyuan rented out the house?
But he didn't hear Yuanyuan mention it ah.
"Little kid, is this your house?" Song Haiping asked again.
He had looked at his daughter's Moments page two days earlier, and the background photo was of this new home ah. How did she rent out the apartment so quickly?
Rong Ting inspected Song Haiping from top to bottom. He didn't feel any malicious intent from this person, but he couldn't relax yet. He was not an adult, after all; if this man wanted to harm him, it would be extremely for him to do so.
Over the past few days, he had come to get a general grasp of how the people here talked. He didn't dare to reveal his identity in Empress Mother's absence. After stewing over it in his heart, he said: "Yes, my mom left for work." Seeming to be afraid that the man would think there were only women and children in the house and have malicious thoughts, he added, "Emp–my dad will be home soon."
Song Haiping heard this and came to the conclusion that his daughter had rented out the house to a family of three.
He let out an "oh" and smiled. "What a coincidence. This is my daughter's house; she must have rented it out to you. Since that's the case, I'll be going. But little kid, when you're alone in the house, pay attention to your safety ah!"
Song Haiping thought, this was his family's daughter's house, after all. If something happened to that girl, it wouldn't be good, so he kindly told Rong Ting some things to take note of.
For example, don't climb over the railing, be careful of falling, don't haphazardly use the gas stove, be careful of carbon monoxide poisoning...and so on.
Rong Ting could accept Song Yuan nagging endlessly like this, but that didn't mean that he would accept a random stranger acting in such a way. He furrowed his brows and ordered the guest out. "Mister, I still have to study."
Song Haiping smiled awkwardly, and he was just about to pick up the boxes and leave when he caught a glimpse of the photo hanging on the wall. His vision wasn't bad, and with a glance he could see that it was the photo that he took with his daughter on the island last year.
The house was rented out, but the photo hadn't been taken down?
It was almost as though he was possessed–Song Haiping didn't know what came over him. He pointed at the photo of Song Yuan and said to Rong Ting: "This is a photo of my daughter. She's a careless person–she must have forgotten to take the photo when she rented it out to you. Little kid, can you grab it for me? I'll take it away."
Rong Ting looked in the direction of the finger, then looked at Song Haiping.
The furrowed brows suddenly smoothed out.
People of the imperial family were capricious, flipping their faces faster than turning the pages of a book. Rong Ting, who the second before was very on-guard and hated that Song Haiping wouldn't leave right away, now had a rare smile on his face, and the chilliness in his voice was swept away. "So you must be Grandfather?"
Song Haiping: "???"
Rong Ting had already opened the door. "Grandfather, please come in. You must be weary from your journey. Gu will pour you a cup of tea."
If one must know, Rong Ting did not have many elder family members who were still alive. Previously, he had only heard of his grandfather and uncle's prestigious reputations, but he had never met them. Now that he had met them, he was especially cordial.
Song Haiping dazedly walked into the house, dazedly changed his shoes, and placed both boxes on the floor. Finally reacting, he pointed to himself and asked Rong Ting, astonished: "Little kid, what did you call me just now? Are we acquainted?"
Rong Ting's movements were clumsy as he poured Song Haiping a cup of tea. He was not nervous; he had studied at Emperor Father's side from a young age, and he had been exposed to many grand occasions. The only time he had been somewhat nervous was when he had met Empress Mother. The rest of the time, he had a calm and collected manner that exceeded children of his age. This was no exception; not showing any surprise that his grandfather didn't recognize him, he smiled and replied: "Grandfather need not be distant. Gu is Empress Mother's son, and Grandfather is Empress Mother's biological father; gu will also be filial to Grandfather. Asking that Grandfather not be so reserved."
At this scholarly way of speaking, Song Haiping's face was already filled with question marks.
His 'Grandfather,' 'Grandfather' made Song Haiping's temples throb painfully.
"Little kid, you've got the wrong person." Song Haiping turned to leave. "I only have one daughter, and she just graduated from college ne."
After learning of Song Haiping's identity, Rong Ting felt very close to him in his heart. Seeing that Song Haiping wanted to leave, he chased after him, seeming to be at a loss. "Grandfather, is gu's etiquette lacking?"
Song Haiping stopped and pointed to the photo of Song Yuan on the wall. Without a pause for breath, he said, "Little kid, you've really got the wrong person. This is my daughter. She should be your family's landlord."
Rong Ting let out a sigh of relief. "Then gu is not mistaken. Grandfather, Empress Mother will return at youshi. Please wait a bit longer."
Song Haiping was silent.
Because he had a bold conjecture in his heart. From the moment he knocked on the door until now, everything gave off a strange feeling. It was impossible for the girl to rent the apartment to other people without giving him a heads up. She had lived here two days ago–how could the house be rented out so soon? Not to mention this child's peculiar words. This address of 'Grandfather' sent a chill down his back.
Could it be that his daughter found a boyfriend who was divorced with children?
Song Haiping stared at Rong Ting as he took out his cell phone to make a phone call to Song Yuan.
The call connected very quickly. The background was noisy, filled with the sounds of phone calls and printers. "Dad, what are you doing ne? I'm busy right now."
"Song Yuan, you come back right now!!!"
"Why is there a child at home!!!"
"Get your ass back here!!!"
Rong Ting was startled by this full-powered roar. Taking a step back, he stared at the furious Song Haiping, thinking, the former Great General's reputation was indeed true.
On the other end of the phone, Song Yuan was also ready to pee her pants. She hadn't expected her dad to go straight to her house and meet Gugu. Thinking of the situation she would face when she returned home, she really wished she could pass out.
Song Yuan returned home with the fastest speed she could muster. When she walked into the house, she saw Rong Ting standing at the bathroom entrance, repeatedly asking with full courtesy: "Grandfather, why are you in the lavatory, are you not feeling well? Should gu call for an imperial physician?"
Inside the bathroom, Song Haiping was ready to die. Of course, before he died, he must figure out what exactly was going on.
"What happened?" Song Yuan came over to Rong Ting's side and asked in a low voice.
Seeing Song Yuan had come back, Rong Ting instantly entered grievance mode. "Grandfather is not willing to see gu. Gu called out to him, and he didn't respond."
Rong Ting was very good at throwing the pot. "Grandfather resents Emperor Father, but the person who fears Grandfather and Uncle is Emperor Father. Gu is not afraid; it is proper that every injustice has a head, and every debt has its debtor. If Grandfather insists on putting this debt on gu's head..." he pursed his lips, a pitifully weak and innocent look on his face, "then gu will accept it. The father's debt, the son's recompense."
Song Yuan rubbed his head. "You think too much. The grandfather you're talking about is definitely not the one inside there."
Even if she really transmigrated to ancient times, and really slept with His Majesty the emperor and had Gugu, the grandfather that Gugu spoke of was absolutely not her biological father.
"Gugu, can you go back to your room to read?" Song Yuan knew that there would be a tough battle between her and her dad. Rong Ting was still a child; it wasn't appropriate to let him watch. "I still have some grown-up things to talk about with my dad. It's not convenient for children to listen. Go to your room and read–I'll call you later to eat dinner, okay?"
Rong Ting gave Song Yuan a worried glance, then nodded. "Grandfather is still angry. Empress Mother must be careful."
Song Yuan felt that she truly was simple-minded; even in this moment, she was amused by his words. "Relax, he can't bear to hit me."
Rong Ting's eyes widened. "Grandfather dares to hit Empress Mother? Empress Mother is the mother of a nation..."
Seeing that he wanted to blabber on again, Song Yuan resolutely pushed him back to his room and shut the door. Then, she mustered up the courage to walk up to the bathroom door, stretch out a hand, and knock. "Dad, I'm home."
The next second, the bathroom door opened. Song Haiping's face was livid. "Song Yuan, don't tell this father of yours that you're someone's stepmother?"
"This father of mine?" Song Yuan was surprised.
Song Haiping thought to himself, he must have been led astray by that kid. To even pick up the way that people spoke in historical dramas.
"Don't tell your dad that you're someone's stepmom!"
Song Haiping didn't wait for Song Yuan to answer. When he was young, he had had a very short temper. He wanted to scold Song Yuan, but then he thought about the child in the house. In any case, children were innocent in matters between adults. He shouldn't involve the child, nor should he upset him, so he lowered his voice and glowered like the Black Cat Detective. "Tell Dad what's going on. Let me tell you, even if I agree, your mom will not agree. Don't you know what sort of temperament your mom has ah? If she finds out you found a divorced man with kids and you're still rushing to be a stepmom, she'll kill you! I'm not bluffing!"
Song Yuan naturally knew that her father wasn't bluffing...
It was just that she felt she could still salvage the situation!
"So what if..." Song Yuan imitated him and lowered her voice. She seemed very mysterious. "And I mean what if, what if the child is mine ne?"
She had thought about it. If Gugu really was her son, then she couldn't avoid her parents. She also didn't want to hide it from her mom and dad. In this world, the only ones who she could trust to put their whole heart into helping her raise Gugu were her parents!
Song Yuan immediately went to support Song Haiping. As expected, the next moment, Song Haiping reacted and stumbled. If it weren't for Song Yuan supporting him, he really would have fainted in the bathroom.
Chapter 15 - Still bringing up the DNA test. Why was it that the more he heard the more scared he was ne?
Song Yuan helped Song Haiping to the living room and onto the sofa. Taking advantage of Song Haiping's delayed reaction, Song Yuan, who knew her father better than anyone else, told him the entire sequence of events.
"The situation is like this, Dad. I told you that time that something bad happened to me that week, and that I really didn't go sneak out to play because work was so stressful, but you and Mom didn't believe me. If the results of the DNA test say that he's really my son, then I definitely transmigrated back to ancient times that week."
Song Haiping slowly calmed down as he listened to Song Yuan speak. After grasping the key points, he asked a few questions. "You're really not dating a divorced man? And you're not a stepmom?"
"No, no!"
Song Haiping sighed in relief. "Then Dad understands."
Song Yuan hadn't expected her dad's ability to understand was so great that he was almost caught up. For a moment, she relaxed.
"Yuanyuan, don't worry. Dad knows an excellent professor in the psychiatry department. Ask your uncle for the next two days off–Dad will take you to see a doctor. Things like these are not a big deal. You young people are under a lot of stress from work and life ma. I read on the internet that there are a lot of people with depression, so it's not too unusual for you to have mythomania. As long as we treat it well, there won't be any problems."
"Also, whose kid is that? Is he your colleague or your friend's? Quickly send him back home; if the child stays in our house, it'll be big trouble if he falls or bumps into something. You can't be so careless."
Song Yuan: "..."
After she talked for so long, her dad had come to the conclusion that she was crazy.
"Forget it. There's no evidence right now, so no matter how many times I tell you, it'll be useless. The results of the DNA test should be out tomorrow or the day after." Song Yuan paused. "Let's wait until then."
When Song Haiping saw his family's daughter acting like this, his heart was in turmoil.
Still bringing up the DNA test. Why was it that the more he heard the more scared he was ne?
Song Haiping was a simple-minded optimist. He had the vague sense that things were not simple, but he also didn't dare to open his mouth to ask, because it was all too absurd. It was so absurd, but when he looked at his daughter's serious expression, he couldn't help but consider–could her claim that the child might be hers possibly be real ba?
When Song Yuan returned to her room to change clothes, Rong Ting emerged from his. Song Haiping looked up and saw this little cub.
The more he looked at this cub, the more it seemed that he had seen him somewhere before. He thought and thought, then suddenly remembered the wallet in his pocket. He took it out, and inside was a photo of his little girl when she was younger, performing during an arts festival. He didn't know if it was his imagination or not, but with this comparison, he felt that this little cub really did resemble his little girl from when she was young. Especially those dimples–amazing, it was just like a copy and paste.
His heart thumped.
He couldn't help but think about something that happened the week his daughter disappeared.
At that time, Eldest Brother-in-law had called him, saying that he couldn't reach Yuanyuan. He and his ex-wife rushed back to the city and searched the apartment Yuanyuan had been renting at the time. There was no one at home, nor in this city. They contacted everyone they could contact, but nobody had seen Yuanyuan, and the apartment's surveillance cameras happened to be broken. Actually, Yuanyuan had snuck out to go on a trip with her friends before, but she had contacted them two or three days later. This time, they called the police and asked the authorities to check the surveillance footage, but they found nothing suspicious.
He had been in a panic. On top of that, news had broken out that a female college student had gone missing. So when there was no news from the police, he then asked someone to contact a great master and gave him Yuanyuan's eight characters of birth. The great master, looking like a swindler, pinched his fingers in calculation. His expression changed, and he told Song Haiping that Yuanyuan was no longer in this world.
What parents could stand to hear such words? He was so furious that he punched the great master.
Not even two days later, Yuanyuan called them...
Despite Yuanyuan's vehement denial, he and his ex-wife both concluded that this child must have run away to party it up.
As a matter of fact, both of them felt that this matter had been a bit strange. If not, why would he have sent someone to find the great master again and ask for a protective talisman for his daughter ne, or heard that his ex-wife had gone to H City to ask a very famous great master to seal the spirits around her daughter, and still hadn't returned ne? On the surface, they insisted that their daughter had lied to them because they didn't want to blow things out of proportion and further alarm their daughter. The calmer they were, the calmer she would be.
"Kid, come here." Song Haiping beckoned to Rong Ting.
Although Rong Ting thought that it was quite bold of Grandfather to treat the crown prince this way, he didn't say anything. His back was very straight as he approached Song Haiping.
Rong Ting was not the kind of child who would return cold treatment with enthusiasm. Facing Song Haiping now, he was no longer as delighted as before, and there wasn't much of a smile on his face.
The more Song Haiping looked at Rong Ting's face, the more frightened he was. He still managed to calm himself and say in a coaxing manner: "Little kid, Grandpa will give you ten thousand yuan and buy you car models, Ultraman, Transformers, and Legos. So can you tell Grandpa the truth? What is the relationship between you and my family's Yuanyuan?"
Rong Ting didn't know what Ultraman and Transformers were, but it didn't obstruct him from understanding the meaning of Song Haiping's words. He frowned. "How could gu deceive Grandfather? And Grandfather, even if you are Empress Mother's biological father, gu wishes to remind you not to call Empress Mother by her maiden name. It is inappropriate."
Song Haiping: "..."
"I'm a little dizzy, I want to lie down!"
When he said this, Song Haiping's face actually looked pale.
When Song Yuan returned from her room, she didn't see her dad in the living room. There was only Rong Ting, sitting on the couch with his gaze fixed on the LCD TV screen. For the last few days, he had been wondering about what it was, but he couldn't bring himself to ask Empress Mother, for fear that Empress Mother would laugh at his ignorance.
"Where's my dad?" Song Yuan asked.
Rong Ting pointed to the tightly closed guest room. "Grandfather was dizzy, so he is resting."
"Oh!"
Song Yuan finally had time to open the boxes that Song Haiping had brought over. One box was seafood that was brought over from overseas, and another was a box full of cherries. She was rather pleasantly surprised. "You have good luck with food today. Wait for me to make a seafood feast."
As she said that, she picked up a live shrimp and threw it on Rong Ting. As predicted, the next second, Rong Ting defied physics as he jumped up in fear.
Seeing his embarrassed appearance that finally had a bit of the feeling of a child, Song Yuan burst into laughter.
Rong Ting was originally very annoyed, but seeing his family's Empress Mother laughing without a trace of the bearing of the mother of a country, he couldn't help but say, extremely helpless: "Empress Mother..."
"Alright la, I won't tease you. I'm going to go cook."
Rong Ting followed. Rolling up his sleeves, he picked up the box of seafood and looked inside at all the living creatures that he had never seen before. He resolutely shifted his gaze. "Empress Mother, gu will go with you."
Song Yuan was surprised. "Aren't you ancient people very particular about gentlemen staying away from the kitchen?"
"Not so." Rong Ting shook his head again like a little adult. "Of all the virtues, filial piety comes first. Empress Mother, the mother of a country, puts in effort for gu to have three meals a day. As the son, how could gu be indifferent? A true gentleman, even if he is near the kitchen, is still a gentleman, and a lowly person, even if he carries a book of sages, is still a lowly person."
What was more, His Majesty the emperor had been very successful in the matter of educating children.
The two talked and laughed in the kitchen. Actually, what Song Yuan didn't know was that it was with great resolution that Rong Ting entered the kitchen to assist. He didn't want Empress Mother to work too hard. Empress Mother had to go to work in the day, and once she got home, she had to make dinner for him. He had gone through a thousand hardships and ten thousand sufferings to meet Empress Mother in order to make her happy, not to add to her burden.
As a son, if he watched his mother's hardship, yet he didn't do everything in his power to help, how could he be the ruler of a country ne?
If he could be aloof and indifferent to his mother's hardship, then if one day the common people encountered hardship, would he also sit there and ignore it ne?
After Song Haiping had lain down enough, his mind in a mess, making him, this middle-aged person, believe that crossing through time and space was undoubtedly a fantasy, but at the same time, feel that Yuanyuan definitely had some sort of relationship with that odd child. Compared to transmigrating to ancient times and having a child, Song Haiping was more inclined to believe that his daughter had plucked and eaten the forbidden fruit. Once this thought entered his head, Song Haiping was even more unable to calm down.
But on second thought, the time didn't match up.
That child was at least five or six years old. Yuanyuan was only twenty-two right now. If he really was her own child, then Yuanyuan would have been sixteen or seventeen when she gave birth, and about fifteen when she got pregnant?
Fifteen-year-old Yuanyuan would have just finished the high school entrance exam and would have been getting ready for high school. Her high school had not been that far from the company he had been working at at that time. He had frequently stopped by to see his daughter several times a month! If it was then, he wouldn't have been so blind as to not see it!
But what if there was such a possibility?
Song Haiping found it difficult to cool down. He came out of the guest room and walked to the kitchen. Not caring whether the child was present or not, he asked: "Yuanyuan, when will the DNA test results come out?"
He appeared from out of the blue, and Song Yuan, who had been in the middle of chopping vegetables, was nearly startled into cutting her fingers.
Rong Ting disapprovingly looked at Song Haiping, seemingly blaming him for not making noise and startling Empress Mother.
Song Yuan placed down the kitchen knife. "It should be within these two days."
Song Haiping looked at Song Yuan standing with Rong Ting, and the more he looked, the more he found it hard to breathe. This world was full of lookalikes, and he knew his daughter; she herself must also be doubtful, or else she wouldn't have gone to do a DNA test. Why doubt it ne, if she had done those things!
He had now abandoned the idea of "crossing through time and space", and from the beginning, he had never considered it a possibility.
Thinking that his daughter had been cheated by some boy of unknown origins, Song Haiping felt his blood pressure rise again. "Where's his dad–no, where's that damned beast!"