Upon hearing her long speech, Yunxi burst into tears.
She leaned on Yun Lian's shoulder and cried uncontrollably.
"Sister, if I don't want to be the empress, will you still agree?"
I'm so tired.
Having always sat in a high position, she did not feel the joy that power brings; instead, she always felt the loneliness of being at the top.
Empress Dowager had three thousand beauties in her palace, each vying for attention, yet despite reigning for many years, she had no concubines in her harem. Moreover, she didn't even have a bed warmer.
She has always been alone.
Whether she felt lost, sad, or despairing, she always bore it all alone.
Having gone through eight lifetimes, if she had a weaker mental fortitude, she probably would have gone insane long ago.
She's so tired...
Exhausted, she no longer wanted to care about Yun Kingdom; for the rest of her life, she only wanted to live for herself.
Yun Lian gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.
"If you don't want to be us, then don't be us. Anyone can be the empress, but only you, Yunxi, can be one."
"Yunxi, I'm back now. You used to shoulder all the responsibilities that were mine. You can leave them to me from now on. Just focus on being happy."
Yun Xi hugged Yun Lian tightly.
She had lost count of how many times she had hugged Yun Lian.
Having experienced so many days without her elder sister, only by holding her tightly in her arms and feeling her body temperature and heartbeat could she be sure that this was her living, breathing elder sister.
She was her elder sister who had always been by her side.
"Sister, after we return, will you come with me to collect seashells?"
She wanted to collect a string of seashells of different colors and string them together.
In the future, when I miss freedom, I can look at these things and feel as if they are talking to me, telling me that they too were once free.
"Okay, I'll definitely find you the prettiest seashell."
Yun Xi leaned on Yun Lian's shoulder, not even realizing when she fell asleep.
Her breathing was shallow, and tears still clung to her long, curled eyelashes.
She would even sob in her sleep and couldn't sleep soundly at all.
Yun Lian gently carried her into the room and tucked her in.
Even in modern times, Yun Xi would only be a high school student.
But she has been silently protecting the Yun Kingdom for so many years.
No matter how much she tries to act like an adult, when her childlike side comes out, it still makes people feel extremely sorry for her.
Yun Lian tucked her messy hair behind her ear, fed her half a bottle of calming medicine, and watched as her brows relaxed and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Go to sleep. Children shouldn't always be thinking nonsense. Go find yourself in your dreams."
When Yunxi regained consciousness, the ship had already reached the shore.
As dusk fell, flames roared across the beach, and the aroma of roasted meat wafted far and wide.
Yun Xi wrinkled her nose as she got out of bed. The moment she didn't see Yun Lian, she almost thought she was going through another cycle of reincarnation.
Until I saw her mingling with the people around the campfire.
“Your Highness, to be honest, this is the first time I’ve been so far from home. Before, my little wooden boat could only take me to catch a few small fish before I had to hurry home.”
"Grandpa Zeng, I'm not afraid to tell you this, but this is my first time at the seaside. If I hadn't experienced it for myself, I wouldn't have dared to come here if anyone had told me there were treasures in the sea."
“In the past, when I saw the sea, I felt only fear. But as Her Highness the Crown Princess said, the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish. As long as we are bold enough to make use of the marine resources, we will never see those people starving to death again.”
Some locals who already lived by the sea timidly raised their hands as they watched the group of people talking animatedly.
"These fish taste so fishy, can they really be sold? People rely on the mountains for food, but if you rely on the sea, you'll only be waiting for the flood. In the past, no one would eat the fish we cooked."
"Your Highness, if we can really sell them, it will give us more ways to make a living. Unfortunately, we don't know how to handle them. Could you please teach us?"
Yun Lian was very patient, and she answered all their questions one by one.
When Yun Xi arrived, she saw Yun Lian using her incredibly delicate hands to personally demonstrate to the people how to remove fish scales and internal organs, and how to clean herself to remove the fishy smell.
The ship was filled with either highly skilled technicians who were always engrossed in their research or ordinary people; almost no one had ever personally witnessed Yun Lian as Empress.
When they saw her coming over, they even kindly made room for her.
"Miss Yun, come quickly! Her Highness the Crown Princess just grilled some fish, and we've already eaten several."
"I'll be right there."
Yun Xi smiled and squeezed next to Yun Lian.
After Yun Lian finished demonstrating for them and cleaned her hands, she quietly handed Yun Xi a plate of roasted wild boar meat from behind her back, and a plate of boiled shrimp for herself.
Yunxi was at a loss as to how to handle the palm-sized shrimp.
Chao Yunlian blinked her eyes and gently tugged at her sleeve, acting coquettishly.
"Sister, should I eat the head or the tail first?"
"It's my fault. I forgot that our little miss doesn't have these life skills yet. I'll peel the shell for you right away."
Yun Lian's fingers were beautiful, and the soft firelight added a touch of warmth to her appearance.
Yunlian removed the shrimp heads, tails, and hard shells, leaving only the tender and bouncy shrimp meat.
Yun Xi couldn't eat as fast as Yun Lian.
Its eyes narrowed with joy, like a kitten that had finally gotten its favorite treat, with an invisible tail swaying gently behind it.
"It's so delicious! Sis, you're my goddess!"
"If you like it, eat more. After you're full, we'll go collect seashells. It's getting dark now, so we can take you to experience beachcombing."
Yunxi's eyes sparkled; just imagining it made her feel incredibly happy.
"I'll take care of it right away!"
Yun Lian and she quickly arrived at the beach.
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