The Emperor Has An Illness

Names mentioned in this chapter (which can also be found in the glossary):

-廖青青(Liào qīngqīng)- Liao Qing Qing, the female lead. 

-景礼帝(jǐng lǐ ​​dì)- Emperor Jing Li, the male lead.

-费费(fèi fèi)- Fei Fei, the nickname of Liao Qing Qing’s child.

Current Ranking: Empress Dowager → Empress → Worthy Consort + Virtuous Consort →  Lady Li of Graceful Ceremony → Ye Liangyi + Wu Liangyi → Noble Lady Liao + Noble Lady Jiang + Noble Lady Liang

“Ah, ah, ah, ah!” Fei Fei shouted happily.

Liao Qing Qing and Emperor Jing Li looked at each other and smiled.

Emperor Jing Li said, “Fei Fei’s skin has thickened.”

Liao Qing Qing asked, “Why do you say that?”

“During spring, when I[1] said he was fat, he cried with a “wah” sound. Just now, I said he became even fatter. He was quite happy. It is evident that he is becoming more and more shameless.”

“….”

How can you say that about your own son?

It was true. Fei Fei was increasingly cheekier and thick-skinned. When he could crawl, he crawled around like a giant panda cub, crawling under the bed and hiding, causing the palace maids to cry when they couldn’t find him, while he covered his mouth and sniggered.

After they found him, Emperor Jing Li lectured him. He lowered his head and appeared to have admitted his mistake. Subsequently, instead of crawling under the bed, he crawled into the cupboard, behind the door, and out of the room… All-day long, Zhengqian Palace was very lively. Liao Qing Qing and Emperor Jing Li also had a different kinds of entertainment.

That was to keep Fei Fei company.

Fei Fei grew up under the loving care of his Imperial Father, Queen Mother and Imperial Grandmother. By the time autumn arrived, he could already call Queen Mother, Imperial Father, Imperial Grandmother and a list of words.

And, of course, he could waddle and walk.

Currently, Fei Fei was already over a year old.

The potato business of Liao Qing and Emperor Jing Li finally spread throughout the country. With a surplus of food, the common people’s lives were much more stabilised. It was said that outside the imperial palace, the common people lived and worked in peace and prosperity.

The following year was the year of the population, food and land censuses. The six ministries verified the figures and reported them to Emperor Jing Li, who, upon seeing them, began to laugh in the courtroom.

Since the establishment of the Great Wei Dynasty, the population, food, land area and so on had reached unprecedented heights. It could be said that it surpassed the previous dynasty at its peak.

How could Emperor Jing Li be unhappy?

He took the figures and showed them to Liao Qing Qing.

Liao Qing Qing looked at them carefully.

Fei Fei, who sat on the bedroom floor playing with blocks, was a curious person. He immediately dropped the blocks that Liao Qing Qing had carefully designed. Then, he held Emperor Jing Li’s arm with one hand and grabbed the hem of Liao Qing Qing’s coat with the other. His tiny face raised up, and he said in a child’s voice, “Imperial Father, Queen Mother, show me! Show me! Fei Fei wants to see!”

Emperor Jing Li and Liao Qing Qing turned their heads together to look at Fei Fei.

Fei Fei said, “Fei Fei wants to see it too.”

Emperor Jing Li looked at Fei Fei, who resembled Liao Qing Qing, his eyes unconsciously becoming gentle.

Liao Qing Qing’s heart softened as she looked at Fei Fei, who resembled Emperor Jing Li. She extended her hand to pick up the memorials and showed them to Fei Fei.

Fei Fei looked at the words on it and was dumbfounded.

Liao Qing Qing asked, “Is it nice to look at?”

With a clear voice, Fei Fei replied, “Queen Mother, Fei Fei can’t understand.”

“Then do you want to know?”

“Yes!” Fei Fei nodded vigorously.

“Come here, Queen Mother will tell you.” Liao Qing Qing extended her arms to carry Fei Fei.

Fei Fei quickly said, “Queen Mother, don’t carry me. I’m heavy. I mwaiself… mwaiself go up.”

Emperor Jing Li immediately said, “My son really knows himself.”

Liao Qing Qing, “….”

The two of them looked at Fei Fei together.

Fei Fei’s chubby arms flopped down on the couch. He began to huff and puff to lift his short legs.

Once,

Twice,

Thrice.

Four times.

Fei Fei’s short little legs finally got on the edge of the couch, and he began to exert strength as he panted. Just as he was about to climb onto the couch, he finally ran out of strength, lay on the edge of the couch, and shouted, “Imperial Father, Queen Mother, I’m going to fall. I’m going to fall.”

His voice was really child-like. It was extremely amusing.

Both Liao Qing Qing and Emperor Jing Li wanted to laugh, but they suppressed it.

Emperor Jing Li reached out and slapped Fei Fei’s tiny butt with his big hand. Fei Fei climbed onto the couch in a flash, panting and sitting down. He sat next to Liao Qing Qing. “Imperial Father, thank you.”

Emperor Jing Li smiled.

Fei Fei said in a clear voice, “Queen Mother, Imperial Father patted my… butt, butt and I came up.”

“So amazing!” Liao Qing Qing praised Fei Fei.

Fei Fei felt so happy, and he moved his tiny body to sit closer to Liao Qing Qing.

Liao Qing Qing picked up the memorial and began to teach Fei Fei to recognise words. She said, “Look, this is one.”

“What is one, ah?” Fei Fei did not understand.

“One from one, two, three, four, five, six. Do you understand?”

Fei Fei immediately nodded his tiny head. “Queen Mother, I… I understand.”

Liao Qing Qing continued to point to a word and said, “This is two.”

Fei Fei raised his chubby face and asked, “Two from “the breeze in February is like a scissors”?”[2]

Emperor Jing Li had taught Fei Fei quite a few simple poems. But Liao Qing Qing did not expect Fei Fei to remember it at once. So she held onto Fei Fei’s tiny face in surprise, and with a “muah”, she kissed him. Then, she said, “Baby, you are so amazing!”

Fei Fei grinned with a “hehe” sound. He liked his mother’s kisses the most.

When the two turned their heads, they didn’t know when Emperor Jing Li had also squeezed in beside Liao Qing Qing.

Fei Fei immediately said, “Imperial Father, you are pushing… pushing Queen Mother to the side.”

Emperor Jing Li immediately replied, “Why didn’t you say that you are pushing my wife to the side?”

“Imperial father, who… is your wife?” Although Fei Fei could talk in complete sentences, he was not familiar with some parts of the sentences yet. Sometimes, he would say a sentence in several paragraphs.

“My wife is your Queen Mother.”

Upon hearing that, Fei Fei looked at Liao Qing Qing.

Liao Qing Qing nodded her head.

Fei Fei stared blankly for a moment and then hugged Liao Qing Qing. He said, “My Queen Mother!”

Emperor Jing Li followed suit and said, “My wife!”

“My Queen Mother!” Fei Fei said.

Emperor Jing Li even argued with Fei Fei, “My wife!”

""

“My Queen Mother!!”

“My wife!!”

“….”

On Liao Qing Qing’s body, one large and one small koala-like person clung to her and hugged her tightly. They bickered constantly. Liao Qing Qing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. At the same time, warmth surged through her heart.

Having been alone in her past life, she never thought she would have a husband, a son and a mother-in-law that treated her so well. She felt immensely happy and gave Emperor Jing Li and Fei Fei a kiss on each of their cheeks to stop the battle between the father and son.

However, later on, Emperor Jing Li would still childishly fight with Fei Fei over Liao Qing Qing.

But overall, the father and son were very harmonious.

Fei Fei seemed to have inherited Liao Qing Qing’s sensibility. No matter how his Imperial Father argued with him, he still loved his Imperial Father.

One time, Emperor Jing Li made a kite for Fei Fei. He accidentally cut his hand, and it bled a little. Fei Fei burst out crying. When Emperor Jing Li’s hand was bandaged, he squeezed into Emperor Jing Li’s arms and said in his baby voice, “No pain, Imperial Father. Fei Fei, blow, blow.”

Instead, it made Emperor Jing Li feel touched, and his eyes reddened.

Liao Qing Qing was also touched.

[1] 朕(zhèn)- I (imperial) or we (imperial use).

[2] 吹风、似剪刀 It originates from the poem “the Willow”(咏柳). It describes how the spring breeze in February cuts out the tender leaves like scissors. Credits: hjenglish