My brother entrusted his child to me, and I livestreamed raising the baby, making the Empress cry wi

Above the sky, the enormous light screen had already unfolded, displaying images so clear that every detail was crystal clear.

The man named Lin Ye was sitting in a room full of books.

Shu Jingwei stared at the man in the sky with a sinister look in her eyes. Her fingers clenched tightly on the sleeves of the dragon robe, her knuckles turning white from the force and cracking.

"Insolence!" Her voice was forced out through clenched teeth, each word chillingly cold. "This fiend dares to show himself in the world!"

"Guards! Shoot this canopy down for me!"

Last time, with Xiao Douzi around, she was afraid of hurting her daughter, so she didn't use any weapons. This time, he was all alone, so she killed him without hesitation!

Shu Jingwei narrowed her eyes, looked at the sky and curled her lips into a cold and determined smile, as if she could already see Lin Ye being shot to death by a hail of arrows.

The imperial guards outside the palace immediately drew their bows and shot hundreds of arrows at the sky, their arrowheads gleaming with a cold, eerie light.

"put!"

Arrows shot into the sky like locusts, densely packed, blotting out the sun and drawing countless black arcs across the heavens.

Then--

The arrows pierced straight through the sky without causing a ripple, disappearing silently into the light like pebbles thrown into a deep pool.

Lin Ye on the sky didn't even blink, just looked down with a half-smile.

The entire court was deathly silent.

Shu Jingwei's face instantly darkened, and her lips trembled slightly, not from fear, but from anger!

She is the Empress! The most powerful person in the entire Great Flame Kingdom. With a single word from her, all the people submit and all the officials bow down.

But right now, standing in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, in front of all the civil and military officials, she couldn't even deal with a single demon!

He couldn't even protect his own daughter!

That fire was burning in her chest, making her feel pain in her internal organs.

She turned her head sharply, her gaze sweeping over the kneeling officials in the hall, over their terrified and bewildered faces, and finally landing on the sky—on the face of the man named Lin Ye.

Lin Ye… Ye Fan’s brother… Ye Fan’s brother!!!

"Ye Fan!"

The two words were squeezed out between her teeth, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, but for the first time, there was a hint of hatred in her tone.

What kind of damn good brother is this!

Ye Fan, you did this on purpose, didn't you?!

All you wanted was for me to favor you again! What disappearance! What good brother! It was all just a ploy to get my attention!

"Ye Fan, you've really gone too far this time! You'd better know when to stop! My patience has its limits!"

Shu Jingwei spoke coldly in a low voice, her fingers clenched so tightly under her dragon robe that they turned white, her sharp nails digging into her palms.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was the first to step forward and kneel down with a thud.

"In my opinion, this sorcerer's methods are bizarre and cannot be countered by ordinary force. Rather than launching a direct attack, it would be better to observe the situation and see what tricks he intends to play!"

"I second that!" Several ministers followed suit and knelt down.

"Since this sorcerer dares to reappear, he must have something on his mind. We should hold our positions for now, observe his intentions, and then devise a countermeasure!"

Shu Jingwei didn't answer immediately. She closed her eyes, her chest heaving, and took several deep breaths before she finally calmed down.

She glanced again at the composed man in the sky, but finally looked away reluctantly.

"Get up, all of you."

Shu Jingwei's voice returned to calm, but everyone could sense the impending storm beneath that calm.

Where is Zhang Chong, the commander of the Imperial Guards?

Zhang Chong stepped out from the ranks of military officers and knelt on one knee: "Your subject is here!"

"I ordered you to find someone, and it's been seven days now." Shu Jingwei looked straight at him, her eyes as black as ink, concealing a storm.

Where are they?

Sweat instantly rolled down Zhang Chong's forehead, large beads of sweat trickling down his temples.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your Majesty is incompetent! I have led men to search every mountain, forest, village, street, and alley within a radius of three hundred li, and indeed... indeed, we have found no trace of the First Princess or that sorcerer..."

"If there's no area within three hundred li, then let's go within five hundred li!" Shu Jingwei's voice was as cold as the biting wind of a winter's day, making the officials below tremble uncontrollably.

"If it's not within five hundred li, then it'll be a thousand li! Dig three feet into the ground, you must find it for me!"

"I... obey your order!"

Zhang Chong kowtowed heavily, his legs were weak when he stood up, and he staggered out of the hall, his boots stepping on the hem of his robe several times, almost tripping him.

Shu Jingwei closed her eyes, and the fatigue from not having rested for days finally showed on the emperor's brow. She raised her hand to rub her temples, her fingertips slightly cold.

"Your Majesty." At this moment, Prime Minister Xiao Bo stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."

Shu Jingwei opened her eyes and looked at him, her weariness gone, her gaze still sharp. "Speak!"

Xiao Bo stroked his beard and carefully began to speak: "I have heard from fishermen along the coast that there are often strange sights at sea called 'mirages'."

"It is said that distant cities, mountains, and figures will appear, so lifelike that they seem to be right in front of you. In reality, they are just reflections of light, illusions."

He paused, then raised his hand and pointed to the sky, his withered finger drawing an arc in the air: "I believe that this 'sky curtain' is probably based on the same principle."

"He must be hiding somewhere by the sea, using this 'mirage' technique to project his image into the sky, creating mystery and confusing people!"

"A mirage?" Shu Jingwei frowned slightly, lowered her eyes and thought for a moment. She seemed to have seen it in some record.

"Exactly!" Xiao Bo said, increasingly convinced that it was a possibility. His voice rose a few decibels, and he straightened his back a bit.

"Your Majesty, consider this: if this sorcerer truly possessed extraordinary abilities, why would he need to hide? Since he dares not reveal his true form and can only resort to these empty tricks, it shows that he is nothing more than a charlatan skilled in unorthodox methods!"

"I second that!" Several more ministers stood up.

"Lord Xiao is absolutely right! This sorcerer must be hiding by the sea, using mirages to fool the world!"

Shu Jingwei pondered for a moment, her gaze sweeping across the sky before returning to her own. Having made up her mind, she slowly spoke.

"By imperial decree—all coastal counties must immediately conduct a thorough investigation within their respective jurisdictions, leaving no area unchecked! Anyone found acting suspiciously must be apprehended and reported immediately! Anyone found harboring or failing to report such individuals will have their entire family executed!"

When she said the last three words, her voice suddenly became louder, and her sharp gaze swept over the people below.

"Your Majesty is wise!" the ministers kowtowed in unison.

Lin Ye was unaware that he had been labeled a "charlatan who uses mirages to deceive people."

He leaned back on the sofa in the study, and after confirming that the live stream had started, he began to speak slowly and deliberately.

"Gentlemen of the Great Flame Kingdom, can you hear me?"

His voice came from the sky, clear and distinct, as if the man were standing right there.