Xiao Yan raised his head and tightly grasped Ji Yunhuan's small hand. His upturned almond-shaped eyes were filled with fear. "There was no Xiaoyun in that dream! It was so cold, so cold. I was really scared. There was no Xiaoyun in that dream. I can't find you."
Ji Yunhuan pulled Xiao Yan to sit down and coaxed him for a while, "The dream is the opposite. I am here well, with Xiaoyuer and the twins in my belly. Your Majesty will have more children in the future, and you will never be alone again."
Xiao Yuer can already walk. He doesn't need anyone to help him. He walks in unsteadily with his short legs. He looks at his father in confusion. His father's eyes are red, as if he has been crying. It turns out that adults can cry too.
Little Yuer reluctantly stuffed the candy in his hand into his father's mouth, patted his father's leg and comforted him, "Daddy, don't cry. Eat candy, the sweetness will make the pain go away."
Ji Yunhuan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Xiao Yuer loved sweets very much. She was afraid that he would damage his teeth, so she didn't dare to let him eat too much. But the little guy felt sorry for his father and was willing to share his limited rations with Xiao Yan.
She hugged Xiaoyuer and gave him a kiss, then smiled and said, "Xiaoyuer is so good. Mother will give you another piece of candy as a reward. Choose one for yourself."
Xiao Yuer cheered, picked out the largest piece of osmanthus candy, and went out happily.
Xiao Yan stuffed a piece of candy into Xiao Yun's mouth, leaned over and kissed her, and said contentedly, "It's sweet. It's even sweeter this way."
The following year, Ji Yunhuan gave birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl. After the second princess and the third prince were born, Yunjing Palace was filled with the laughter of children.
The second princess looks quite like Xiaoyun, and she and Crown Prince Xiao Yu seem like they were cast in the same mold. Xiao Yan loves her so much that he wishes he could hold her in his hands all the time.
Unfortunately, the second princess did not like her father's clumsiness and preferred to stick to her brother. Children like to play with older children, and the second princess also disliked her third brother who was only a quarter of an hour younger than her.
Xiao Yu has been worried about his younger siblings since he was a child.
My father is really stupid. Not only is he stupid, but he also insisted on braiding my sister's hair. My sister's chubby face was wrinkled in pain. If he hadn't coaxed her in private, she would have made a fuss long ago.
My younger brother is like a naughty monkey. Several wet nurses and nannies can't keep an eye on him. My father only spoils my younger brother, and in the end he has to be the bad guy.
A few years later, Xiao Yan suddenly announced that he would adopt the third prince into the Ji family and inherit the title of Duke of Ji.
A single stone caused a thousand ripples, and the court was in an uproar. It had never been heard of a prince being adopted out, and the royal family had few offspring. The ministers tried their best to persuade the emperor, and the memorials piled up on the dragon table.
Xiao Yan felt quite guilty towards the third prince, but compared to adopting a stranger, Xiaoyun hoped that a child with Ji family blood would inherit the title. He had already promised Xiaoyun and would definitely do it.
After being on the throne for many years, Xiao Yan had accumulated great power. He was not a willful emperor. He was willing to open up channels for communication on major issues concerning people's livelihood. Only when it came to matters concerning the empress did he act on his own and suppress all opposing voices.
Ji Xingyao was registered under the name of Ji Yunhuan. Ji Yunhuan was still his mother, but she changed her surname and inherited the title of Duke Ji.
The third prince is still young and will only live in the Duke's Mansion after he reaches adulthood. The ministers cried and wailed, and the voices of opposition never stopped.
Later, Ji Yunhuan gave birth to two more children, both princes. This time she did not use fertility pills, but conceived naturally.
Her children were all very healthy and grew up safely. With the prosperity of the royal family, the voices in the court gradually subsided and no one mentioned the matter of expanding the harem anymore.
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As spring passed and autumn came, the days passed peacefully. The children grew up, showing their talents and busy with family and national affairs.
Ji Yunhuan felt a little melancholy. She looked at the high walls of the Forbidden City and suddenly wanted to go out and take a look.
Xiao Yan immediately abdicated the throne to the crown prince. He didn't want to let his son accompany Xiaoyun out of the palace and leave him alone in the palace!
Xiao Yu was powerless and could only ascend the throne with a wronged look on his face.
Those ministers usually liked to sing against Xiao Yan to show off their literary character. When Xiao Yan was really about to abdicate, they were dumbfounded and cried and begged the emperor to stay.
Xiao Yan was determined to leave, and his ministers saw him off for ten miles, crying as if their own father had died.
When her son ascended the throne, Ji Yunhuan recovered all her memories. She was not the Ji Yunhuan of this world, but she helped her original body fulfill all her wishes and gave birth to five children. She had developed deep feelings for this world.
"I've been using this body all this time, but where's the soul of my original body? Where did it go?"
The system panel flashed several times before answering after a long moment: "According to the feedback from the main system, the original body held deep resentment after death, which is why the main system sensed it and selected the host to complete the task."
"After the host takes over the body, the original body's soul has already been reincarnated. Does the host want to leave this world early? This will shorten the mission time and complete more tasks."
Ji Yunhuan shook his head. "No, I still want to go out and explore. Besides, if I die, I don't know what Xiao Yan will do. If he makes things so bad that the people suffer, then my trip would be in vain."
"Okay, I know the host is reluctant to leave. The system respects the host's wishes. I wish you a pleasant journey!"
Xiao Yan came out with a fox fur coat and gently covered Xiao Yun's shoulders. "The wind is strong on the boat, why don't you wear more clothes? What are you looking at so intently? I called you several times but you didn't respond."
Ji Yunhuan turned around and smiled at Xiao Yan, "I didn't see anything. It's just that this is my first time riding such a big ship. It's quite fresh."
Xiao Yan put his arm around Xiao Yun's shoulders and said, "I'm sorry for wronging you over the years. I'll be with you wherever you want to go in the future."
As the ship sailed down the river against the wind, the sky was high and the land was vast, Ji Yunhuan finally revealed his true feelings, "I entered the palace as a slave at the age of eight, endured ten years of hardship, and never had a moment of joy."
"Xiao Yan, I don't like the Forbidden City. Even after becoming the Queen and the Empress Dowager, I still don't like it there. Let's go to Yaowang Valley. I want to see where my mother lived."
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