Wow, this rough-around-the-edges pregnant wife is something else, she's incredibly ruthless!

Snowflakes were falling heavily, but the house was warm and cozy.

Wearing a thick cloak, Zhou Yan sat opposite the woman who was clearly somewhat astonished.

An indescribable atmosphere filled the air, and Xiaoya felt her cheeks burning under Zhou Yan's direct gaze.

The woman lowered her eyes, her hands unconsciously rubbing together the scissors in her hands.

Until the man's deep, husky voice, tinged with a hint of teasing, rang out, "Why is your face red?"

"Uh, I'm wearing too many clothes and it's a bit hot."

Zhou Yan looked at her, gave a soft "hmm", and then picked up the paper window decorations on the table and asked, "How do you cut this?"

She glanced at the man with slightly raised eyes; his handsome features were tense, and he seemed genuinely interested in the paper-cut window decorations.

Xiaoya lowered her guard, unfolded the paper-cut window decoration in her hand, and then said gently, "First, fold it in half like this, then cut along this line. After cutting all around like this, fold it in half again like this..."

Once Xiaoya started talking about paper-cut window decorations, she was like a chatterbox, and Zhou Yan didn't even have a chance to interject.

He listened to the woman's gentle voice, but his hands didn't stop moving.

A smile slowly crept onto Zhou Yan's lips, and his icy aura vanished in an instant.

They stayed in Xiaoya's courtyard for three whole hours, and the two went from being awkward at first to getting along well later.

Occasionally, the two would talk about interesting things they had seen in the past.

Together they pasted the cut-out paper-cut window decorations, and Zhou Yan also had dinner in Xiao Ya's courtyard.

Both of them were quiet, as if they had realized something at some point. From then on, Zhou Yan often came to Xiaoya's courtyard.

Her promotion from Jieyu to Pinfei was met with opposition from many people in both the court and the harem.

There is only one reason: a country girl is not suited for a major responsibility.

Zhou Yan found it laughable, but this laugh had a surprising effect; he soared into the sky.

When the man announced Xiaoya as the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty at the morning court, not only did the world find it absurd, but even she herself found it unbelievable.

When she saw the man who had come to eat after the morning court session, Xiaoya said bluntly, "I cannot sit on the throne of Empress."

"Why can't I sit? Aren't you my woman?"

"not me……"

Xiaoya blushed upon hearing this, but the mother of the nation was a role model for women all over the world. Not to mention that she was proficient in everything from music and chess to calligraphy and painting, her family background was also excellent.

For a country girl like her to attain the position of a concubine is already incredibly lucky.

It was rare to see her with such an expression, so Zhou Yan had no choice but to put down his chopsticks.

He held the woman's hands tightly in his own, his dark eyes fixed on her beside him.

“If I say you can take it, then you can take it. The mother of the nation is not just a noblewoman from a prominent family; only daughters from ordinary families know the suffering of the world.”

"And most importantly, I want to give you the best. That seat is the only one I want you to sit in."

The man's voice was firm and unwavering.

Xiaoya felt for a moment that she was not worthy of such treatment from a man.

If that's the case, why worry? She's just the mother of the nation; she should just do her job well.

Not to mention the monthly salary of a thousand taels of silver, there are many, many other things to try!

……

After becoming a nation in a daze, Xiaoya had no idea that she had such great potential.

Lying in the magnificent palace, the man beside her was fast asleep. The woman stared wide-eyed at it all, as if it were all unreal.

"What's wrong? Can't sleep?"

"Ah! Wasn't His Majesty asleep?"

Startled by the sudden sound, Xiaoya turned to look at the man beside her.

Unlike his cold and serious demeanor during the day, his dark hair was loose, and his face was full of gentleness and tenderness.

A pair of strong, large hands gripped her waist, and the man's smooth chin rested on the top of her head.

"What are you thinking about!"

"No." Holding the man's hand tightly, Xiaoya turned and buried her face in his chest, and after a long while she finally spoke, "It just feels like everything I've gained is unreal."

"is it?"

The man's voice was deep and hot, and his large hand on her waist was restlessly caressing her soft flesh.

Then he pressed his wet, hot lips against her earlobe and said, "Then let's experience something real."

"Well."

With our lips sealed, after tonight we will truly be husband and wife.

What is called unreal is all fake.

……

She defied public opinion to make the person she loved her empress.

The two lived an incredibly sweet and happy life.

In just two months, Xiaoya became pregnant.

During this time, Zhou Yan brought several children from outside the palace into the palace to keep Xiao Ya company.

In May of the following year, Xiaoya gave birth to twins, a boy named Zhou Min and a girl named Zhou Qing.

For this reason, Lu Chuan and Meng Tong, who were far away in Wuyou Valley, specially brought their children to the capital to celebrate.

When Meng Tong first met Xiao Ya, he felt that they got along well.

Sure enough, in just one day, the two became as familiar as best friends.

Later, Zhou Yan even took Xiaoya and the children to Wuyou Valley.

The place of my dreams was indeed extraordinary, looking at every flower, every blade of grass, every building, and every person around me.

Xiaoya absolutely loves this place.

Three years after giving birth to twins, Xiaoya gave birth to a son and a daughter.

Everyone says that the empress is a blessed person, but little do they know that the truly blessed person is someone else.

Watching the man playing happily with the children in the courtyard, Zhou Fu felt that the best decision he had made that day was bringing Xiao Ya into the palace.

……

As the children grew up, Zhou Yan's love for Xiao Ya never diminished.

Even unintentionally, one can always discover her unusual nature.

He only regretted not meeting her sooner; at least he could have encountered that ray of light in his gloomy world sooner.

The development of the Great Zhou Dynasty gradually got back on track, and the people lived in peace and contentment.

All of this is inseparable from Zhou Yan's hard work, and of course, from the help of Wuyou Valley.

When everyone planted several acres of potatoes and sweet potatoes, he knew that no one would starve to death that winter.

After working diligently for twenty years, Zhou Yan, not yet sixty years old, decisively handed over the reins to his son, Zhou Min.

Zhou Min had been assisting his father in governing since childhood, and was already very insightful at a young age, not to mention that he had a formidable figure by his side.

Lu Huai, who was strolling around Wuyou Valley, became the key to the young man's steady rise to power.

They were not like ruler and subject, but rather like confidants and friends.

Once the heavy burden was lifted from his back, Zhou Yan's previously dejected demeanor became lively again.

The man tirelessly traveled the world with his wife, witnessing all its splendors, and eventually settled down as an unknown private tutor in Wuyou Valley.

Looking at that innocent smiling face, the man felt that he was truly living for himself for once.

He lived to be 100 years old, and he and his wife were buried together.

Standing on that sun-drenched hillside, he guarded the vast land he had conquered for the world.

[Zhou Yan’s extra chapter ends. 】