Chapter 108 - Extra 5
Rong Ting didn't have much time to feel sad.
As the crown prince, he was busy, and as the emperor, he was even busier. He was only thirteen this year, but fortunately, his Emperor Father, the Movie Emperor, had planned for this possibility. As early as when he was carrying out his fake death escape plan two years ago, Emperor Father had been slowly paving the way for him. Now, the power was in his hands, and he didn't need to bend to another's will like the previous young emperor. He had taken Emperor Father's place half a year ago and had been in training for a long time, so when the country was handed over to him, there were no internal or external troubles. The breeze was sweet and the rains were abundant; although he was busy, he was excellent in his work.
He had promised Empress Mother to take good care of his eyes and did not read late at night under candlelight. Evening was approaching. He had completed reviewing memorials and finished his meal, so he wanted to take a walk to promote digestion.
The autumn nights had come early, but fortunately the weather was comfortable, and the people were well. His only complaint was that there was no one with whom to hold a conversation.
The only company at the peak was the bitter cold; sitting in the position of emperor and wanting to find a confidant was practically a fool's dream.
He paced slowly, trying to relax his brain. Walk after dinner, live to ninety-nine. In the modern era, he used to often take walks with Empress Mother. Those times were truly rare, beautiful memories.
He wondered, have Emperor Father and Empress Mother reunited?
Thinking that Empress Mother would seek justice for him and toss Emperor Father about well, he couldn't resist a snicker.
From his birth to now, thirteen years have passed. In these thirteen years, except for that half a year in the modern era, Emperor Father had always been alone. He had seen Emperor Father sitting blankly in Kunning Palace, and he had seen Emperor Father looking around the plum garden in a trance. Rong Ting thought, compared to his longing for Empress Mother, Emperor Father should miss her much more.
He wouldn't get involved in the matters between his parents. Whether it was Emperor Father or Empress Mother, both had their difficulties. He could not feel their emotions as though they were his own, so he could only stand in the position of an outsider.
Just as Rong Ting was lost in thought, he passed by the Imperial Garden when he suddenly heard a burst of song.
The singing was melodious, but intermittent, perhaps because it was a distance away. It was no exaggeration to say that Rong Ting, who had spent half a year in the modern era, was unable to appreciate the songs and dances of this era, especially singing... After all, Empress Mother's car played BabyBus, children's songs, and so on. He had also listened to many top hits. In ancient times, he was already at the forefront of fashion. So hearing this song coming from the palace in the evening, Rong Ting only felt goosebumps rising.
Once before, Grandfather had taken him on a trip to the Forbidden City. At that time, they had hired a local tour guide. Grandfather was very interested in strange incidents in the Forbidden City, so he asked the tour guide about them. He and the tour guide were of the same mind, and the two old men began to vividly discuss those rumors without a shred of consideration for the child next to them...
The number of people in the harem had decreased by a fair amount, and a group of palace maids and eunuchs had been released several days ago, so now the palace truly felt a bit empty. Rong Ting recalled what that tour guide had said, and his expression changed.
"Who is it!" Rong Ting was extremely contradictory. On the one hand, he believed that ghosts and gods absolutely did not exist in this world, but on the other hand, the ghost stories he had heard haunted his mind. He couldn't be cowardly in front of the palace maids and eunuchs, so he could only speak sharply and let the guards investigate!
After a while, the guards brought over a palace maid.
She knelt down with her forehead touching the ground, looking delicate and weak.
Rong Ting felt cold just looking at her. It was autumn, and although the weather was pleasant, the temperature was a bit low tonight. He wore thicker clothes, but this maid wasn't wearing much...
He thought of Empress Mother.
At that time, it was winter, and Empress Mother always refused to wear thermal underwear. She always had a compelling reason–wearing thermal underwear would make her legs look thick. There were also many young women on the street with bare legs. Women always had strange ideas and seemed to think that it would look much better.
Could this palace maid also have such an idea?
Rong Ting sighed. It seemed that after turning ten, he had become a sweet pastry. This was not the first time he had encountered such incidents.
"Em, emperor..." The palace maid's voice grew even softer when she spoke, as though he were the one who had been singing all night without rest, and she was the one who was frightened.
Rong Ting was speechless. "Is this palace your washroom?"
What he wanted to say was, is this palace your KTV? Singing each note so proudly.
The palace maid didn't know what that meant, but she could hear the emperor's displeasure, and her body trembled like a sieve.
"Forget it." Rong Ting didn't want to deal with a palace maid. He just said to the head eunuch, "Zhen does not like listening to people sing or watching people dance. It's annoying to listen to and annoying to watch. This time is an exception; do not let there be another."
The head eunuch nodded in acquiescence.
Presumably after today... there would be a rumor in Great Ye's court that the emperor hated singing and dancing.
Then what did he like? Even though the head eunuch had stayed by His Majesty's side for several years now, he couldn't figure it out.
Rong Ting was the noblest bachelor in Great Ye and an important figure in court. Who out there dared to say that they did not have thoughts about the Empress title? It's a pity that Empress Rende, His Majesty's biological mother, has been deceased for many years, and now the harem had no mistress, so there was no justification for the ministers in court to stuff their daughters into the palace on the grounds of visiting the Empress Dowager. Since indirect means could not bring gains, no one bothered to try. It was up to the prime minister to discuss with Rong Ting about his lifelong events.
As an emperor, in addition to doing his job well, shouldn't he also father an heir for Great Ye?
Rong Ting knew he couldn't escape this hurdle, so one day he asked the prime minister to stay behind to drink tea. After a round of foreshadowing, Rong Ting took the initiative to speak, without waiting for the prime minister to sound him out. "Zhen knows your thoughts. It is simply that you all feel that there is no one in the harem, and you want zhen to select an empress and concubines. But do you know what a soulmate is?"
Helen laoshi had used his word.
The prime minister naturally didn't know what he was talking about. He shook his head. "Your Majesty, forgive this minister for his poor knowledge."
Rong Ting chuckled. "All of you wish for zhen to choose an empress. Though zhen does not know what backgrounds and talents the daughters of the aristocratic families have, zhen thinks they would not be too bad. There must be someone who could be the mother of the country. However, zhen may still be young, but my thoughts differ. Zhen is the emperor of Great Ye, but I am also a person, a living, breathing person. What zhen is looking for is not only an empress, but also a wife. Yesterday after dinner, zhen felt regretful while taking a walk, because there was nobody around zhen with whom to hold a conversation. To have no one who understands zhen and will speak with zhen about life, how lamentable!"
The prime minister was enlightened.
Although he didn't completely understand the meaning of 'soulmate,' if he thought about it, it was a person who could communicate with him and match his rhythm and thoughts.
Hehe.
The prime minister couldn't help but slander, you are more difficult to serve than your father. This empress must have a strong background, match you in talent and learning, and keep pace with you. Young people admire beautiful girls–if her appearance is not outstanding, I'm afraid you wouldn't deign to look!
Fine, it seems the emperor had nobody he liked.
Although his heart bubbled with all sorts of complaints, the prime minister had no other option but to answer and say, "This old minister understands."
In any case, there was a direction to work towards, right?
One night, Song Yuan had a dream. She dreamed that Rong Ting was crying over a stack of memorials piled as high as a small mountain, crying that he was sick and tired. She was startled awake by the dream in the middle of the night. She felt endless distress when she remembered that Gugu was only thirteen when he became emperor. Although she had been a very salted fish empress, she could see during her time in the harem that the emperor profession was comparable to a 996–no, being a diligent emperor was much harder than a 996!
Frankly speaking, if Rong Heng hadn't also been going back at that time, she would have been worried about Rong Ting returning to ancient times.
If she'd known that Rong Heng would come back so soon, she...
Well, alright, she couldn't have done anything. It was just that her distress for her son prompted Song Yuan to imagine a pitiful story about Gugu's life in ancient times, so she treated Rong Heng much more coldly.
For a married woman with a child, her son was definitely more important than her husband. She began searching frantically for extras of the original novel, wanting to know what Gugu's life in the future was like but the author only wrote two extras. She was like a headless fly–she wanted to know about Gugu's situation, but she had no way of finding out.
When Rong Heng came to look for her again, he could occasionally catch her rolling her eyes at him, and her tone of voice was sometimes aggressive.
This meant that they still hadn't reconciled. If they were at the reconciliation stage, he thought, she definitely would not be polite to him...
"I saw a Michelin restaurant with good reviews. Want to go there tonight?"
"When I think about how Gugu might be suffering, I can't eat."
"Want to go shopping? Don't you like shopping for skincare products?"
"When I think about how Gugu might be tired and sick, I don't want to go."
...
......
Finally, Rong Heng thought of a way. He had inadvertently discovered that she was looking for a certain novel's extras. That evening, he quickly read through the novel and felt shock at what he'd seen. This book wrote of their experiences in ancient times. Fortunately, he had once transmigrated to modern times and back to ancient times. He quickly calmed down and came up with a brilliant plan: why not let Sun Haiping contact the original author and ask the author to make up a few extras about Rong Ting's happy life after his enthronement?
As the old father, Rong Heng was not one bit worried about his son. He had personally taught his son. If Rong Ting hadn't had the ability to secure the throne, he would not have passed the seat to him.
He believed that Rong Ting would do well.
Unfortunately, Song Yuan seemed to worry every day. What remained in her mind was her memory of Rong Ting when he was six years old; she had no idea what a thirteen year old Rong Ting looked like.
The original author had sold the copyrights, and the web drama had been a small hit for a while, so she really wasn't short of money. Plus, how many authors were still thinking about adding extras to the novel after it was finished? Especially when this novel had been completed for several years by now. And so, the original author refused to write any extras, particularly the kind of extra with a beautiful plot where the male and female lead's son was happy...
But what Rong Heng wanted done had to be done. Fortunately, the author also wanted proper meals, and nobody ever thought they had too much money in their pockets. After Sun Haiping put forward very lucrative conditions, the author chose to bow to the power of money and diligently began to write extras.
Of course, she was also very curious. Who was this stupidly rich little prince? The money given was so much that she couldn't control her hand!
Party A's little prince had many requirements—
"He can't get married before the age of eighteen, and he can't brew sauce."
"He can't have a harem, and he can't be lustful."
"He can't get sick."
"He has to miss the female lead, but the writing has to be well-thought out. It can't make people feel sad."
Okie!!
Chapter 109 - Extra 6
Everyone knew that the emperor's requirements were high. Fortunately, although the ministers were impatient, they also knew that the emperor was young. The crown prince was a major event for the country, but one must also look at the emperor's age. If Rong Ting were in his twenties or thirties, and the harem still had no people or descendants, then the ministers would have rolled up their sleeves and had a long reckoning with him. But the key point was that Rong Ting was only fourteen...it was a bit early for that. When the daughters of the aristocratic families heard that the emperor had high standards, they were not discouraged. On the contrary, they were full of fighting spirit.
Why?
The reason was very simple: the emperor was the ruler of the country, and there was no one in the harem at this age. They heard that the emperor especially missed his Empress Mother, and even if he was not particularly adept at poetry, he wrote many poems in honor of his late mother. Who out there did not know that Empress Rende had been the most precious treasure of the previous emperor's heart. From the time the adopted daughter of the General's estate became the empress, and even after, the harem seemed false. The late emperor favored her alone–equivalent to one couple for one lifetime!
Under such influence, perhaps the emperor would also be that sort of lover?
His Majesty excelled in literary and military arts. He was said to be extremely handsome, and he also kept his body pure. So did he demand too much of the empress? Clearly not!
Whoever became empress would be Great Ye's most outstanding woman. This seemed to be an unspoken fact, so the girls of the aristocratic families roused their fighting spirits. Even if they did not become queen and married into the harem, at least they had promoted their strengths and worked hard for it, right?
Rong Ting was indeed the strongest emperor since Great Ye's establishment.
If nothing else, he held real power in his hands, and there were no elders who could make decisions for him; he could decide his own marriage. The ministers couldn't interfere too much. After all, the current emperor's temperament was not as good as the previous emperor's. Once, he directly confronted the prime minister and used his eloquence to force him to back down repeatedly...The prime minister was a veteran who had lived through the reign of two emperors, yet he was unexpectedly unable to win against the thirteen-year-old, newly ascended emperor's veiled scolding–just thinking about it embarrassed him!
One day in court, after routinely discussing major matters and the court was dismissed, Rong Ting distributed a booklet to a few ministers.
"Zhen knows you are all concerned about the matter of selecting an empress and cannot wait to settle the decision for zhen. It is truly moving." Rong Ting paused. "This is the result of the analysis of a large amount of data. Zhen sent people to visit the common people. This data is absolutely true, and there is no falsification. As you all can see, women who give birth at a young age have a higher probability of dying. There is a saying: no matter what, one must pay attention to the ripeness of the melon. Young parents are more likely to give birth to children who die prematurely."
"What Great Ye needs is healthy and strong people. All of you write a memorial on this data. Zhen wants to see your reflection after reading to know if ruler and minister are of one heart."
The ministers' expressions changed upon hearing these words: Trouble! The present emperor is indeed worthy of being the child of the previous emperor. Father and son were so alike!
Both were so black-bellied. Want to know if the ruler and minister are of one heart? That was to say, if they didn't follow his will, they were not of one heart with him? If the minister was not of one heart with the ruler, wasn't that courting death?
None of the ministers were stupid, and even the upright, 'clear stream' ministers looked through this data and steadfastly wrote a memorial 'of one heart with the monarch.'
In this way, in the second year of his reign, Rong Ting accomplished a great feat–he established a new marriageable age, and under the tearing and pulling, he fought for a few more golden years of bachelorhood for himself. After all, the one who brought forward this proposal was him, and shouldn't he always set a good example for the people? Heh heh.
Rong Ting put a lot of thought into this matter, and of course he couldn't help but feel a great amount of resentment. In those final two years, Emperor Father had time to sharpen his acting skills, so why didn't he settle this problem for him? What a pit!
Whenever he felt dissatisfied with Emperor Father, Rong Ting would always go to the secret room. People all over the world said that Emperor Father was unparalleled in painting and calligraphy. He did not inherit this good gene, but he felt that his depictions of turtles and poo were very vivid. So whenever he was upset, he would always come to draw turtles. It was a small, quiet way to express his dissatisfaction.
During Emperor Father's life in the modern era, if Empress Mother's fighting power was not enough, Grandfather could scold Emperor Father into submission, right? Thinking about it made him quite happy.
Song Yuan didn't expect that the author would update the story on her official account again, and even upload 2-3 chapters at once. Amazing!
She read quickly, reading the thousands of characters line by line, almost memorizing them.
In the extras, Gugu was very happy, a wise ruler of his generation. He was diligent in political affairs, promoted economic development, and established many policies that benefited the country and the people. Great Ye's national strength greatly increased and could be considered to be in its golden age. The people lived happy lives and worked in peace and contentment. Of course, the most important thing was that the emperor's thinking was very ahead of his time. He advocated postponing the age of marriage and placed great importance on pre- and post-natal care. Of course, he himself led by example.
Song Yuan's eyes blurred with tears as she read. She was truly happy. Before, she always worried that Gugu was too longly in ancient times, that he couldn't bear such a big burden, that he wasn't eating or sleeping well. Now, seeing that Gugu was so happy, she felt relieved, as though a stone hanging in the air had finally fallen to the ground.
That's really great!
As a mother, it was very good to know that her son was healthy and safe. She didn't ask for much, just that Gugu could live a long life. If she could be a little more greedy, she hoped that he would smile often.
Rong Heng saw that Song Yuan had become happy again and finally heaved a sigh of relief. Of course, he also felt a bit frustrated. He had talked until his mouth went dry, swearing to heaven countless times, and it was not as good as the author writing two or three extras. He really wasn't an unscrupulous father, and Rong Ting was also his child. If he had not been absolutely certain that Rong Ting could be left on his own, and if all the obstacles in his way had not been cleared, he would not have been rest assured and run away like this. In her heart, Rong Ting would always be a child who needed to be cared for and protected. In other words, in the mother's heart, even if her child had already grown up, they would always be a child, right?
Song Yuan cheered up. She didn't need to stay abroad for long. After all, she'd promised Song Haiping that she would report to the B City branch after having her fun.
It had been a long vacation, and it was time to start a new life.
Rong Heng was very reluctant, but he knew he couldn't make her stay, not to mention that he also had his own matters to handle.
On the day of her departure, he drove her to the airport. Since there was a lot of time left before boarding, the two chatted in an airport cafe.
"I have to stay here for another year." Rong Heng smiled. "I need to learn everything from the beginning and get used to things again."
Song Yuan gave an 'en.' "As you should. The Xie family is a big family with a huge enterprise."
Thinking about it now, Rong Heng's return was an unexpected joy for her.
The person she thought she would never see again, once again reappeared in her life. She should cherish this blessing.
After experiencing so many things, she suddenly realized: people's lives were very short. Let go when you should let go, but don't miss what you should cherish.
"Will you return to China often?" Song Yuan took the initiative to ask.
"Yes." Rong Heng's gaze fell on her. "I will go back when I have time. One year will fly by."
As Song Yuan prepared to go through the security check and board the plane, Rong Heng suddenly grabbed her, and before she could react, he pulled her into a hug.
Similar scenes played out at the airport every day.
Neither of them were outstanding enough to attract much attention.
Song Yuan's nose was filled with his scent, making her feel at ease, but also making her heart race.
Rong Heng closed his eyes. It felt good to hug her like this. Those ten years he spent waiting suddenly seemed like nothing.
"I won't force you this time. Actually, I also want to see if, in this world where you can freely choose, the person you choose in the end will be me." Rong Heng murmured into her ear, "I came back because I thought, even if I was alone my entire life in ancient times, you wouldn't be there to see it. At least here, you can see my determination, what I'm like when I'm not the emperor anymore."
"Rong Heng is dead, and Ziheng doesn't exist. From now on, I'm just Xie Heng. I hope you will like Xie Heng."
Song Yuan had to admit, she was touched hearing these words.
Yes, there was no emperor, no Ziheng. Perhaps from beginning to end, Ziheng had been one of his disguises. He wanted her to see him as an ordinary person, so... wait and see?
Even after boarding the plane, Song Yuan was still thinking about Rong Heng's words.
When she was taking her phone out from her pocket, she found a card inside. She realized–it must have been Rong Heng's doing. Then, before the plane took off, she received a WeChat message from him.
【It's my own card. There's not much inside, but I earned it all myself. You said before that you wanted a house that belonged to us, so I've been saving money bit by bit. When I save enough for a down payment, may I sincerely invite you to accompany me to the Civil Affairs Bureau?】
Song Yuan used all her strength to stifle her smile.
It seems His Majesty still didn't understand his situation.
He must not have gone out incognito to research current housing prices, right? At the rate he was making money–well, she's not targeting him, but would she be destined to be unmarried her whole life? Was he also destined to be a bachelor all his life?
Ay! Housing prices kill love!
What to do? Song Yuan gave it some thought and simply transferred 100,000 yuan into the card. Alright, she was cheating. She would also slowly earn money and put it into the card. Make money together~
Chapter 110 - Extra 7
Although Rong Ting wasn't an excellent poet by any means, he had read through the histories of previous dynasties and the ancestors of the current, and it seemed that many emperors liked to write poems. In order to follow this trend, Rong Ting claimed that he was also a scholar, and he would also occasionally write one or two poems. He always humbly expressed that his skill level was not high, in fact, he could be considered among the middle or upper ranks of the literati. But the strange part was that when he wrote poems, seven or eight out of every ten were about missing his mother, while the remaining two or three poems were about the weather or the scenery...
One day, the retired Imperial Tutor sought him out and implicitly and tactfully suggested that he should write one or two poems in memory of his Emperor Father.
Rong Ting: "???"
Alright, he had no choice but to hold his nose and write, but he was rendered helpless as his emotions weren't in place, and he lacked inspiration. After several months of pondering, he barely managed to compose two or three poems, though they were subpar for his normal standards.
Rong Ting felt that although the relationship between him and his Emperor Father was not bad, it definitely couldn't be called close.
Before the age of six, the image of Emperor Father in his heart was like a mountain, strict and unapproachable.
After the age of six, the towering image of Emperor Father diminished greatly, until he discovered Emperor Father's plan to fake his death and run away. To be honest, it was already in good conscience that Rong Ting didn't write a few poems to castigate him. And now he had to write poems singing praise of Emperor Father. He had promised Empress Mother to be an honest person. Although it was inevitable while seated on this throne that one would speak words that went against one's thoughts, he couldn't go too far, right? He should stop before excess.
Therefore, in the eyes of the future generation, of the countless poems Emperor Jiayuan wrote in his fifty-eight years of reign, most were in memory of his mother As for the poems about his Emperor Father... the number could be counted on one hand, and they were all acknowledged as inferior to his other works. The sentiments held within them were dry and not as rich. Some later generations speculated that Emperor Jiayuan and his father had a strained relationship. Since ancient times, most crown princes did not have a good end. If Emperor Wuqing had not passed away early in life, perhaps the father and son would have turned upon one another in a power struggle?
Of course, that is a story for later.
Because of Rong Ting's actions, some overly shrewd people began to overanalyze.
These people all thought that he had a bad relationship with the previous emperor, and he had lost his mother in his early years, so he could be said to have lacked family affection. No fatherly affection, and no chance to enjoy motherly love–so he must be yearning for the warmth of a family!
The spies in Rong Ting's hands were very capable. When he saw this rumor, he couldn't help but laugh. After having a laugh, he then became angry.
To say that he lacked fatherly affection was outrageous enough. And why the hell did they say that he had never enjoyed motherly love?
Your whole family has never enjoyed motherly love!!
I and my mother are doing well, my Empress Mother loves me the most!
He couldn't stand others saying he had never been loved by Empress Mother, so he secretly wrote poems, boasting that his Empress Mother made him many toys, that his Empress Mother personally sewed clothes for him, that his Empress Mother wrote a book in full detail about his diet, that all the diaries left behind by his Empress Mother talked only about him...
Rong Ting allowed the State Preceptor, who Emperor Father had deeply trusted, to remain in the palace. The State Preceptor didn't know what grand adventure they had encountered, and even if he was curious, he did not ask.
State Preceptors were learned and talented, and their scope of knowledge was beyond the reach of ordinary people. He himself was indifferent to fame and fortune, and he was completely different from those treacherous State Preceptors or prior dynasties.
Rong Ting would occasionally chat with him in his free time.
One day, Rong Ting was busy with government affairs and was about to take a stroll and look at vegetation to protect his eyesight when he bumped into the State Preceptor, who had also come to appreciate the flowers.
The State Preceptor was already in his forties this year, but there was no trace of the passage of years on his face. He was always calm, his expression gentle, with an attitude of desiring nothing.
He asked the State Preceptor: "Have you ever seen zhen's Empress Mother?"
The State Preceptor froze before shaking his head. "I have only heard of her."
"Sigh, there are fewer and fewer people in the palace who have seen her. In the future, zhen does not know who zhen can talk to about her."
The State Preceptor laughed softly. "His Majesty's love for his mother is very pure."
"Mn." Rong Ting gave a low hum. "Zhen has always regretted being unable to stay by Empress Mother's side and fulfill my filial responsibilities.Zhen does not know if there is an afterlife, and if there is, whether zhen will be fortunate enough to become her child again."
The State Preceptor thought for a moment, then said, "A sincere heart begets attainment."
"Did you also say the same to Emperor Father?"
After a brief pause, the State Preceptor nodded with a slight smile.
"But zhen does not feel that Emperor Father was very sincere, yet he has already reunited with Empress Mother. If zhen and Empress Mother could not reconnect our mother and son relationship, would it not be too unreasonable?
The State Preceptor had an ominous premonition.
Both father and son loved to make things difficult for people. One the surface, they held an "I am enlightened, all things follow fate" appearance, but in fact, it was "If you can't think of a way to realize my wish, then I will... hmph"...
They both thought like this: In any case, the State Preceptor is omnipotent. If you are not omnipotent, and even this little wish cannot be fulfilled for me, do you will have the audacity to call yourself the State Preceptor?
Heaven knows that he had also been forcibly sealed State Preceptor by the previous emperor.
It's too miserable being the State Preceptor for your old Rong family!
The State Preceptor inwardly cursed while maintaining a light smile. "Naturally, Your Majesty will have your wish granted."
This emperor was still much kinder than the previous emperor, and a bit more easily fooled. After all, His Majesty's request was for the next life, not this one. In the next life, everyone will drink a bowl of Meng Po soup–who will remember whom?
Song Yuan still hadn't fully taken over Song Haiping's business and company. With her current experience, she still wasn't fully qualified, so at present, she was just a manager in the B City branch. The focus of Song Haiping's company was still centered around her hometown, so the branch in B City wasn't very big. Stationed in an office building outside the Third Ring Road, including her and the cleaning auntie, there were only about ten employees.
They usually weren't very busy, but now their hands were full with the year's end closing in. On this day, she once again worked overtime until past nine. Her Moments were full of talk about B City's first snow that she still hadn't had time to see. Just when she was about to turn off the lights in the office, she found that snow was falling outside.
Even though Song Yuan had had her drivers license for several years now, in the face of such weather, she still didn't dare to drive on the road.
In the past, she had always cherished her life, and since the separation of mother and son, she cherished her life even more.
After all, she still held onto the hope that one day, Rong Ting would suddenly appear in front of her. Just like his father, appearing in front of her with an umbrella in hand and the words "long time no see."
The office was some distance away from the subway station, but there was a bus stop not far off that went directly to the gate of her apartment community. Plus, she hadn't taken the bus in a long time.
After packing up, she left the office and headed for the bus stop. There, she waited for several minutes until her bus arrived.
She scanned the code with her phone and walked towards the back of the bus.
There weren't many passengers, and several seats in the back were empty.
Suddenly, she spotted a person who shouldn't have been there.
Rong Heng was sitting by a window.
She originally should have been able to spot him at first glance–after all, his head of white hair was particularly distinctive and stood out among a crowd. But this time, she found that he had dyed his hair black.
Song Yuan took the seat next to him and asked in surprise, "Didn't you say you'd be back in two days?"
Rong Heng smiled but didn't speak.
He came back today but told her he would be back in two days, just to give her a nice surprise.
But looking at her expression and appearance, it seemed that there was only surprise and no joy?
In order to fabricate this surprise, he had taken this bus route back and forth several times. Fortunately, the bus driver wasn't the same person. Otherwise, wouldn't he think he was insane?
He knew that she definitely wouldn't dare to drive on such a snowy day, and she was more likely to take the bus. That was why he did such a silly thing.
"Are you not happy?" Rong Heng asked her.
Song Yuan clapped her forehead. "My brain is just frozen. Give me a minute to process and I think I'll feel happy."
What kind of answer was this?
Could it be that she still hadn't processed it yet?
Yes, she was indeed such a slow-witted person.
"Anyway, why did you dye your hair black?" Song Yuan pointed to his hair, asking curiously.
Rong Heng's heart was steeped in bitterness and despair!
His actual age was now in his thirties, while she was only in her twenties. Their age difference was ten years! The one good thing was that at least on the ID card, Rong Heng was under thirty years old.
Otherwise, with his future father-in-law's nitpicky character, this age difference would definitely become an obstacle.
Back when he was in ancient times, he had paid great attention to maintaining excellent health, and it was the same in the modern era. Although she always said that he looked like he was only in his twenties, he always felt that she was comforting him. In order to make them look a little more compatible, he didn't mind dyeing his hair once in a while.
She had never asked him why his hair had turned white, but he believed she knew.
Perhaps it was also a form of proof that he loves her.
In the past, he used to mind that she didn't love him as much as he did her. He was a person who cared about and fussed over losses and gains. Something like giving too much and not receiving the same amount in return, he had only done it once in his life, and only for one person.
"Is it alright?" Rong Heng asked her.
Song Yuan carefully studied him. In fact, she had almost forgotten what he had looked like with black hair. Looking at him now, his appearance vaguely overlapped with what he had looked like back then.
"It's not bad."
Rong Heng's lips curled slightly when he heard her verdict.
In the first snow in B City, the two of them sat on the bus just like this. Unlike last time, this time, the two faced each other candidly.
Chapter 111 - Extra 8 (End)
A lot happened in this one year.
The card jointly shared between Rong Heng and Song Yuan had enough money to pay for a home.
After many designs and considerations, Song Haiping pinched his nose and expressed that he no longer opposed the matter between the two.
Old Master Xie passed away last year. He was quite old, and he had liked to drink in his youth, so his physical health had not been particularly good. Over the past few years, Mrs. Xie looked for doctors all over the country in order to keep his life. After Rong Heng came to power, Old Master Xie finally couldn't hold on anymore, and he passed away peacefully with his eyes closed.
The strange thing was that in the middle of this year, Xie Yanjun's former lover, who had given birth to an illegitimate child for him, went crazy for some unknown reason and rammed him with her car... Xie Yanjun didn't die on the spot, but he also couldn't keep his legs. In order to save his life, after a consultation with several experts, the hospital carried out an amputation. Mrs. Xie watched over him day and night without sleeping. When Xie Yanjun woke up, before he discovered that his legs were gone, he saw his wife's worried and exhausted appearance, and sour feeling emerged from his nose. He finally found that all those women outside were just playthings; the one who accompanied him to the very end was his wife.
Mrs. Xie held his hand, tears falling down like rain. "Yanjun, promise me. Promise me you will be well."
Xie Yanjun found her words a bit strange. Just as he was going to comfort her, he felt something wrong. On this day, he found that his legs were missing, and he could only be seated in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Since then, Xie Yanjun had no longer been in charge of the company. His temperament became moody, and he always thought of himself as a waste. Instead of socializing with people, he only stayed in the family home. Mrs. Xie took care of him at first, but later, she never returned to the family home. Xie Yanjun always suspected that Mrs. Xie was spurning him and had someone else outside.
Finally, one day, Xie Yanjun committed suicide.
Mrs. Xie cried until she fainted at his funeral. There was no one who did not speak of her deep affection.
Rong Heng could be a good emperor in ancient times, and he also studied hard and actively made efforts in modern times. Gradually, he inherited the Xie family, and over the past few years, he had slowly become Xie Heng.
Song Yuan liked Xie Heng.
Later, she became his wife.
It was just that she never dared to get pregnant. Mrs. Xie was a very good mother-in-law and never meddled in their affairs. She was very comfortable being by herself, traveling all over the world and devoting herself to philanthropy. Song Haiping and Chen Linjing know the reason why Song Yuan didn't want children, and Rong Heng knew even better than them, so no one urged her. Even if she chose not to have children, everyone could understand her.
She once had a child, the most obedient and sensible child. How could she dare have another child? She didn't want anyone to replace him...
She would never forget Rong Ting.
Until one day, Song Yuan had a strange dream.
She was a transparent figure in her dream, walking along a path in the palace. There were no people in the palace, and she didn't know what she was looking for.
Suddenly, she saw Rong Ting. He was still the same as when he left, dressed in ancient clothes and looking young and tender.
He looked at her, and she looked at him.
He couldn't step forward, and neither could she.
The mother and son just stared at each other like this. Tears ran down her face. She hadn't seen him in so, so long.
Rong Ting still had that milky voice. "Empress Mother, I thought you forgot about me."
"How could I forget you? You're my child."
Rong Ting seemed very satisfied with this response. "Then, Empress Mother, can I continue to be your child?"
"Can you?" Song Yuan asked him in return.
"If you want me to be your child, then I will work hard. If you don't want me to be your child, then I'll forget about it."
"Of course I do!"
"Then wait for me, Empress Mother!"
Ever since Song Yuan had this dream, she began to wonder if it was a message. She hesitated, and hesitated, for fear that it was only her desires in the day manifesting in her dreams at night.
Later, she dreamed of him again. He said helplessly, "Empress Mother, if you don't take me away, I will be taken away by someone else!"
Song Yuan gritted her teeth and told Rong Heng about the dream. "Do you think I should get pregnant and have a child?"
Rong Heng was very worried that this was a trick and that she was testing him. After thinking about it, he answered, "Depends on you. If you want, we will. If you don't, then it doesn't matter."
In the end, Song Yuan didn't want to let go of this possibility. To her surprise, it was an instant success, and she became pregnant in just one try.
This gave Rong Heng great self-confidence. He had always felt that his true age was not too young, but he didn't expect that he was so powerful!
From the discovery of her pregnancy until giving birth, Song Yuan was initially very uncertain and doubtful. Later, when the fetal movements began, she became much calmer. Whether or not this child was Rong Ting, she would love him/her, because this was also her child. Even if this child was not Rong Ting, she would never forget him.
Newborn babies all looked similar. Song Yuan asked Rong Heng, "Do you think he looks like Rong Ting?
It was difficult for Rong Heng to say. He had forgotten what Rong Ting looked like when he was born, only that he had been red and his eyes had been tightly closed.
Of course, Song Yuan didn't remember, either...
Eh!
Rong Ting's memory of his previous life disappeared little by little.
When he was first born, he had nearly 60 years of memories. When he was able to turn over, he had only 30 years of memories. When he was able to stand up with support, he only had 10 years of memories. In the end, his memory stayed at five and a half years... and never disappeared.
He didn't expect that he could continue to be Empress Mother's child.
He also forgot how he became her child.
What Rong Ting didn't know was that during his 58 years of reign, all his life's blood and sweat was for the sake of the people. He launched many policies that benefited the country and the people, saved the lives of many people, and accrued great merits. In addition, he was very persistent, so he could be reincarnated with his memories, though only his memories from before he left Song Yuan remained.
His appearance gradually overlapped with the meat bun version of Rong Ting.
Song Yuan was greatly surprised.
Until one day, Rong Ting was finally able to speak clearly and called her Empress Mother.
The author has something to say:
Explanation for the flow of time:
The female lead is someone from the modern era. She can't disappear into thin air for too long, so when she transmigrates to ancient times, the flow of time in the modern era becomes very slow. She stayed in ancient times for about five years, and only a week passed in modern times.
The male lead and Rong Ting are people from ancient times (the emperor is equivalent to the fated person of ancient times), and it's even less likely that they will disappear for too long. If they were, the world would be in chaos. When they transmigrated to modern times, it was the reverse. They stayed in modern times for about half a year, but in ancient times, it was only about a day or less than a day.
When the male lead faked his death and Rong Ting succeeded to the throne, the fated person changed to Rong Ting, and the flow of time returned to normal.