The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

Winter came a little early this year.

Brewing tea in the pavilion, plum blossoms in the winter, watching the snow under the eaves—because of each other, this winter was no longer cold for them.

After Ning Shuyan was crowned empress, she asked Xiao Jingyou to stay in the palace. Now that she was empress, she was not afraid that Xiao Jingyou would be unruly.

Even if he was restless, it would be easier for her to know his movements in the palace.

Most importantly, she is now the legal mother of all the imperial heirs, and no matter what Xiao Jingyou was like in the past, she will try to be a good legal mother.

She also hopes that in the future, her family will live in harmony and that the brothers will get along well, rather than killing each other.

Therefore, whatever Yi'er and Jin Ning have, he will never be shortchanged in the slightest. Even when Xiao Jingyou is sick, she will personally visit him and take good care of him.

Perhaps it was because he was getting older, or perhaps it was because of Chunlan's guidance, and perhaps he saw how good she had been to him, but gradually his gaze towards her became much kinder, and he became more respectful and polite.

On this day, Ning Shuyan carried a food box to Zhaochen Palace as usual.

But this is not a pastry or porridge; it is a soup made from tonic ingredients.

Although Xiao Yu's residual poison had dissipated, the ordeal had still damaged his body somewhat, so Ning Shuyan would brew some tonic soup for him every day and send it to him.

The two already knew each other's feelings, and Ning Shuyan naturally hoped to grow old with him. Therefore, she cared even more about his health.

When Xiao Yu saw Ning Shuyan arrive, he quickly put down his pen and said with a pained reproach, "I told you it's cold outside, you don't need to come every day. I'll come to your palace for a drink later."

Ning Shuyan opened the food box: "The imperial physician said that this time of day is the best time to take it, so I must come and supervise Your Majesty every day."

Xiao Yu wasn't annoyed at all; on the contrary, he was pleased that she cared about him so much.

He knew that she was afraid of her health and that he wouldn't be able to grow old with her.

Before he was poisoned, he had thought that he was ten years older than her and that he would surely pass away before her someday.

And now, naturally, this is even more true...

However, he privately asked the imperial physicians and they said that as long as he took good care of his health, living to seventy or eighty years old would not be a problem.

Therefore, for her sake, he will take good care of his body.

"Yan Yan, when Yi'er grows up, I will gradually hand over the affairs of the court to him and slowly relinquish power. After he completes his coming-of-age ceremony, I will abdicate."

Ning Shuyan gently blew on the steaming medicine and said, "Yi'er is still young, yet Yulang is already thinking so far ahead."

Xiao Yu reached out his hand to her, and Ning Shuyan put down the medicine bowl and sat in his lap. Listening to Xiao Yu slowly say, "I'm thinking of becoming an Emperor Emeritus after I abdicate. I'll be fifty years old then, and while I can still walk and carry you, I want to take you out of the palace to see all the beauty of the world, to witness the sunsets over the mountains and rivers."

Thinking of this, he felt incredibly happy: "I hope that at that time, I can still be with you."

"Pah, pah, pah!" Ning Shuyan spat excitedly.

She glared at him fiercely: "What nonsense are you talking about! We can all live to be seventy or eighty years old, and in the future we will not only travel all over the world, but also become great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers."

She seemed genuinely angry; her little face was puffed up with sullen expression.

Xiao Yu quickly put his arm around her and gently coaxed her, "I misspoke, I was wrong. I was just using an analogy. Let alone great-grandfather and great-grandmother, maybe I could even be a great-great-grandfather or great-great-grandmother."

Ning Shuyan smiled then, but her delicate eyebrows remained tightly furrowed.

Xiao Yu gently stroked her brow and said softly, "Alright, don't be angry. It hurts my heart when you frown."

Ning Shuyan shook her head slightly, but clutched her chest and said, "I feel a little uncomfortable in my chest."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu immediately became anxious. Could it be that he had injured himself due to anger and frustration?

As he pondered this, he called out loudly, "Summon the Imperial Physician."

Ning Shuyan was lost in thought when she suddenly grabbed Xiao Yu's hand, looked up at his anxious face, and smiled faintly, "Your Majesty... it seems I am pregnant."

Xiao Yu was immediately stunned, a surge of joy washing over him like a warm current, followed by an overjoyed exclamation: "Really? I'm going to be the Emperor again?"

Seeing his beaming face, Ning Shuyan said softly, "I'm not sure either. I had some stomach discomfort just now, and I remembered that my period is seven or eight days late. I should... I should be pregnant."

After all, she knew very well how hard Xiao Yu had worked these past two months, and given her generally good health, she was sure she would get pregnant.

Xiao Yu, however, was quite certain: "That's it, it must be there."

As he spoke, he stroked his barely visible belly and said happily, "I've already thought of a name for the princess. If she conceives now, she should be born next August."

Ning Shuyan couldn't help but chuckle: "How does Yulang know it must be a princess? What if it's a prince? Are you going to raise him as a daughter?"

Xiao Yu, however, was extremely confident and said with a smug look on his face, "If I say it's a princess, then it's a princess. This time, it will definitely be accurate."

He held her hand tightly, his deep eyes filled with joy and deep affection.

He gently placed his hands, clasped together, on his lower abdomen, hoping that his joy would not be in vain.

This child came when their love was at its peak; it was their expectation and a testament to their love.

After Xiao Yu drank the medicine, the imperial physician arrived shortly afterward, and as expected, it had been more than a month since then.

Upon hearing this, the two looked at each other with delight, their eyes sparkling brightly.

At this moment, everyone was filled with joy for this long-awaited little person.

Just as Xiao Yu was filled with inexplicable joy, Ji Xun spoke up: "Your Majesty's pregnancy is still in its early stages and the situation is somewhat unstable. I will prescribe a medicine to stabilize the pregnancy for Your Majesty. During these first three months, Your Majesty should pay attention to rest and must not..."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Don't overwork yourself, especially... at night."

How could Ning Shuyan and Xiao Yu not understand the implication of his words? Upon hearing this, the smiles on their faces froze, and Ning Shuyan lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

Xiao Yu raised his hand to his lips and coughed lightly: "Hmm...then you can go down and write the prescription first."

Because I was so eager to have a child recently, we went a little crazy in bed, and little did I know that the baby was already in my womb.

Xiao Yu felt both fear and relief upon recalling the incident, and gently stroked Ning Shuyan's lower abdomen with a loving father's expression.

It was precisely because this pregnancy was unstable that Ning Shuyan was extra careful during her pregnancy, and Xiao Yu was even more cautious, wishing he could stay by Ning Shuyan's side for every single hour of the day, for fear that she might bump into something.

As the pregnancy progressed, the imperial physician discovered it was twins.

Twins are extremely rare, which thrilled Xiao Yu. He immediately took the initiative to serve Ning Shuyan tea and water, and massaged her to relieve her leg cramps in the middle of the night.

He said that as a man, he couldn't share her pain during pregnancy or the agony in her fingers. He insisted on being by her side whenever she was in discomfort, doing everything in his power to make her feel better, to be a good husband and father.

Twin pregnancies bring both joy and sorrow.

This is an unlucky omen, especially for boys. However, if it is twins (a boy and a girl), it is an auspicious sign, as the saying goes, "the phoenix and the dragon bring good fortune," signifying good luck and happiness.

However, the probability of having twins (one boy and one girl) is extremely low.

Knowing Ning Shuyan's worries, Xiao Yu personally assured her that even if she gave birth to two princes or princesses, he would let them grow up safely in the palace, and would not send them out of the palace, much less execute them.

Amidst the anticipation of everyone in the palace, Ning Shuyan finally conceived at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) on the fifth day of the eighth lunar month.

Because of the experience with this pregnancy, everything in Fengyi Palace was bustling with activity in an orderly manner. Ning Shuyan specifically asked Granny Du to stay with Yi'er and not wake him. He was young and might be frightened by seeing this scene, which could leave him with some kind of trauma.

What was different this time was that Xiao Yu stayed by Ning Shuyan's side during childbirth. No matter how she tried to dissuade him, Xiao Yu insisted on staying by her side.

Last time he left her to suffer alone inside, but this time he's determined to stay by her side no matter what, even if he can't help her in any way.

This time, Ning Shuyan's water didn't break first, so she followed the midwife's advice and walked around on the ground despite the pain.

Xiao Yu looked at her large, round belly. Not to mention that she was in abdominal pain at the moment, she used to have great difficulty walking.

He immediately flew into a rage and ordered the imperial physicians and midwives to devise a way to deliver the baby quickly and reduce the pain.

Finally, Ji Xun had Qiu Le administer acupuncture to Ning Shuyan to relieve her pain.

Fortunately, this was her second pregnancy, and Ning Shuyan's cervix was fully dilated within two hours.

At this moment, she was in so much pain that she was covered in cold sweat, and her consciousness was becoming somewhat blurred. The only thing she could feel was that her hand was being held tightly by another hand.

"I can see the little prince's head, Your Majesty, you can push harder now."

Upon hearing this, Ning Shuyan immediately sobered up and gripped Xiao Yu's hand with unprecedented force.

This was Xiao Yu's first time entering the delivery room, and he only then realized how much suffering she had endured during the birth of Yi'er, which made him feel even more guilty and heartbroken.

He secretly vowed to make it up to her in the future and to give her all the beautiful things in the world.

Just as she had exerted seven or eight pushes, at the crack of dawn, the midwife's joyful voice rang out: "It's born! It's born! It's a little prince!"

Xiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief. With one child born, the danger would be less. So everyone waited anxiously for the birth of another imperial heir.

Xiao Yu's hands were pinched raw and red by her sharp nails, but he felt no pain in his hands. Only his heart ached, and he wished he could suffer the pain in place of the woman in front of him.

After finding the right technique, Ning Shuyan exerted force a few times, and then felt a slip below, followed by the nanny's announcement of good news and the baby's cry.

"Congratulations to Your Majesty and Empress on the birth of twins, a boy and a girl."

These were the last words Ning Shuyan heard before she fell into a deep sleep. It was these words that made her slightly raise the corners of her mouth, and she, already exhausted, drifted off to sleep peacefully.

Xiao Yu was stunned into silence upon hearing the news of twins, until he saw Ning Shuyan fall into a deep sleep. Only then did he call out in panic, "Qiu Le!"

Qiu Le immediately took Ning Shuyan's wrist, and she herself breathed a sigh of relief: "Your Majesty, Her Highness is extremely tired and has fallen into a deep sleep."

Having twins is not like having a single child; it's naturally more difficult to give birth to twins.

Ning Shuyan's labor only lasted a little over two hours (four hours), which is considered very smooth and quick.

Hearing that Ning Shuyan was alright, Xiao Yu finally felt completely relieved. He didn't go to see the child first, but gently wiped the sweat from her face and neck with a hot towel, saying in an extremely gentle voice, "Sleep well, I'm right here with you."

The midwives were all shocked by what they saw: the Emperor himself had entered the delivery room to accompany the Empress in giving birth.

When the dragon and phoenix were born, the Emperor did not come to see the children first. Instead, he was concerned about the Empress's health, wiping her sweat with extreme pity and talking to her.

Even the lords of ordinary families outside the palace were no different.

Xiao Yu personally covered Ning Shuyan with the blanket before getting up to look at the two children in the wet nurse's arms.

The one on the left is the older brother, with a rosy face, and the one on the right is the younger sister, who is thinner and smaller than her brother. Her delicate face melted Xiao Yu's heart.

After he reached out and hugged the two children, Cheng Yin came in.

Aside from Xiao Yu and Ning Shuyan, she was undoubtedly the happiest person in the palace when she heard the words "twins".

They once said that each other's children were their own children.

Especially after Ning Shuyan became Empress, she treated Ning'er even better, and Xiao Yu even bestowed upon her a title.

Cheng Yin, beaming with smiles, played with the two infants in their swaddling clothes, and asked gently, "Has His Majesty decided on the names and titles for the little prince and princess?"

Xiao Yu's features were gentle, and although his gaze was fixed on the two children, it seemed as if he was looking elsewhere.

He raised the corners of his mouth and slowly said, "Deep joy, abundant blessings."

Their hearts were in love, their bond as deep as the stars, forever shining brightly.

On the fifth day of the eighth lunar month, at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the Third Prince Xiao Jingchen and Princess Yongning Xiao Jinyue made a brilliant mark on history.

For them, this family of five, their wonderful life was just beginning...