Chapter 250: Extra
The little princess’s milk name was Tiantian, a name Liu Yun casually gave her, simply wishing her daughter a happy and sweet life.
Unlike her precocious elder brother, Tiantian only spoke in reduplicated syllables before she was one year old. After turning one, she started to utter words, but her speech was unclear. Liu Yun, while examining her, discovered she had a short lingual frenulum, which only required a minor snip.
This was a minor procedure, and many parents of children with delayed speech development would have their children undergo it. However, Gu Changxiao did not see it that way; in his view, any procedure involving a knife was a major surgery.
Even though he himself had been on the battlefield, where being cut or shot was commonplace and he still bore many wounds, the thought of cutting his adorable daughter pained him more than cutting himself ten times over.
He insisted, “My Princess, however she is, is perfect. If she speaks a little slower, she speaks a little slower. It’s not like she can’t speak.”
Just then, Tiantian hugged her father’s leg, and with a smile, said, “Father Emperor~”
Well, she said those two words quite clearly, which made Gu Changxiao’s heart soften even more. He held her and said to Liu Yun, “No surgery for our daughter! Let her take her time, I will teach her to speak!”
Shuo’er also chimed in, “Sister is soft and fragrant, obedient and sensible, and doesn’t cry much. What does it matter if she speaks a little slower? Mother Empress is too demanding of her!”
Tiantian then turned and hugged Shuo’er, “Guoguo~”
Alright, Liu Yun became the villain. She had no choice but to make an agreement with the father and son: if Tiantian’s speech was still unclear at three years old, she would definitely have the surgery. This was for her own good; if the Princess spoke unclearly, she would be ridiculed by others.
From then on, the father and son considered teaching Tiantian to speak a top priority. Shuo’er taught his sister ancient poems and tongue twisters. Gu Changxiao was even more exaggerated; he had heard from someone that the more a child heard, the faster they learned.
It was dangerous to take Tiantian out of the palace to crowded places, so he actually brought Tiantian to the morning court!
Shuo’er naturally went along too. The little Crown Prince sat there with a serious demeanor, listening to the officials argue.
Our little Princess was purely there to watch the fun, either sitting with her brother or climbing onto her Father Emperor’s lap.
Initially, an old Censor objected, but later everyone realized that when the little Princess was present, the Emperor’s temper was much better.
No matter how big the issue, even if the Emperor was furious, as long as the little Princess smiled at him, his anger would immediately subside.
Sometimes, when Tiantian couldn’t wake up in the morning and didn’t attend court, the officials would feel quite disappointed.
Grandpa Ling also said Liu Yun was making a fuss, and that Liu Yun herself didn’t speak clearly when she was little, unable to distinguish between ‘four’ and ‘ten’ even at eight years old.
He completely exposed Liu Yun’s past and even scolded her:
“When you were learning to speak as a child, Grandpa always praised you and indulged you. Don’t you dare say our Tiantian speaks slowly again! What a clever little Princess she is!”
Tiantian indeed became a little princess doted on by everyone. Although everyone said they didn’t mind and it was fine if children were a little slower, royal princesses were required to participate in sacrifices and rituals.
If she were to speak unclearly at such times, she would surely be mocked behind her back by the officials. Even the smallest matter in the Royal family would become big news in the common folk. Liu Yun did not want her daughter to be criticized from a young age.
When she was alone with Tiantian, she would take out her phone from the space and play children’s songs for Tiantian, teaching her to recite them word by word.
In the blink of an eye, Tiantian turned two years old, and her progress was significant; her speech had become much clearer. The day before her birthday, Liu Yun asked her, “Tiantian, what gift do you want?”
Tiantian counted on her fingers, listing what Father Emperor, Brother, Grandfather, Little Maternal Uncle, and Uncle Yan had each given her. Her eyes twinkled, and she leaned on Liu Yun’s lap, saying, “Mother Empress, Tiantian wants a singing treasure, Tiantian wants to watch it with everyone.”
Liu Yun’s heart skipped a beat. “Did you tell others that Mother Empress has a singing treasure?”
She nodded. “I told Brother, and he wants to see it too.”
Liu Yun had no choice but to say, “Not yet, the treasure is broken.”
Then Tiantian made a second request: “Then I want to sleep with Mother Empress.”
She slept in a side hall. Liu Yun only slept with her when she was sick or when Gu Changxiao went to the temporary palace. Since she was asking for it as a birthday gift, Liu Yun naturally agreed.
She had someone inform His Majesty that she would be staying in the Imperial Study tonight.
That night, Tiantian chattered happily in Liu Yun’s arms, like a little bird, for a long time before falling asleep.
Liu Yun looked at her daughter’s sleeping, adorable face and kissed her little cheek. However, she herself had no intention of sleeping. She entered the space, wanting to make a birthday gift for Tiantian.
As soon as she reached the experimental bench, she heard her daughter’s milky voice from behind, “Mother Empress, what is this place? It’s so beautiful!”
Liu Yun turned around and saw Tiantian in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes and happily running around the space.
She was surprised, delighted, and a little disbelieving. She stepped forward and pulled her daughter up to test it. They reappeared on the bed, but Tiantian was already awake and asked excitedly, “Mother Empress, where did we just go?”
Liu Yun took her hand again and entered the space. Mother and daughter entered together, and Tiantian burst into joyous laughter again.
Liu Yun, already overcome with emotion, hugged her tightly. “This is great!”
She had conducted many experiments and brought Jin’an, Grandpa, Gu Changxiao, and Shuo’er, but none of them could enter the space.
Therefore, Liu Yun had not intended to reveal it to them; it was too troublesome. She knew Liu Yun suspected something, but that fellow was completely fixated, believing she possessed an immortal artifact.
She never expected her daughter could enter! Now she didn’t have to worry about the space disappearing after her death. There were still many advanced technologies she hadn’t revealed yet!
From that day on, Liu Yun and Tiantian made a pact that neither would speak of it. Every day, under the guise of private lessons, she would take Tiantian into the space for an hour, teaching her to use the computer and recognize various instruments.
The little girl was curious about everything in the space and didn’t find it boring at all. Each time she entered, she was reluctant to leave.
Liu Yun was completely relieved. Even after her death, their technology would not fall behind.
Shuo’er would inherit the throne, and Tiantian would inherit the space.
Let us mother and daughter, no, the four of us as a family, work together to ensure Great Xia remains the most powerful nation in the world forever!
