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

The Great Flame Kingdom, the Imperial Palace, Chang Le Hall.

The hall was warm and cozy with the sound of burning floor lamps, accompanied by the lively music of traditional instruments.

Today is the birthday of Princess Shu Rou, and Empress Shu Jingwei has specially prepared a banquet here to celebrate her birthday.

The hall was filled with princes and ministers, all with smiles on their faces. They raised their cups to toast the two people sitting in the high seats—Empress Shu Jingwei and Yao Jingyuan—and also praised the little princess who was sitting in Yao Jingyuan's arms, who was well-fed and chubby.

Yao Jingyuan wore a moon-white robe, had a handsome face, and was gentle and refined.

Every now and then, she would turn her head and whisper a few words to Shu Jingwei, teasing the daughter in her arms, which made the Empress smile and her eyes soften with tenderness.

"The little princess is truly beautiful; her features are just like His Majesty's. She is destined for greatness."

"That's right, I heard His Majesty is already considering making Lady Yao his Empress..."

Whispers mingled with the aroma of wine, reaching Yao Jingyuan's ears. A hint of smugness flashed in his eyes, but his face remained increasingly humble.

But in a remote side hall of the same palace, a completely different world unfolds.

Cold winds blew through the dilapidated windows, and the house, devoid of charcoal fire, exuded a suffocating chill.

On the same day, four-year-old Xiaodouzi huddled in the corner, tilting her little face up, staring blankly at the faintly visible sky through the drafty window.

So hungry.

She rubbed her flat little belly.

Dinner had been delivered long ago: a bowl of thin porridge with a few yellowed, rotten vegetable leaves.

She has already finished eating.

But I'm still so hungry.

But she didn't dare ask for food.

Last time she went to beg those palace maids, she was kicked down by a fierce old woman, and her knee was scraped and bruised. It hurt so much...

The old woman scolded her as "a little bastard no one wants," saying, "Your dead father is about to die, and you still think you're a princess."

My father is not a deadbeat father.

Little Douzi didn't know what death meant at that time. She only knew that her father was sick, lying in bed unable to get up, with many dark red and black spots on his body, and he smelled a bit bad.

But she wasn't afraid. She nestled in her father's arms as before, listening to him tell her strange and wonderful stories.

But one day, Father stopped moving, his eyes closed, and his body became cold.

When she nestled in her father's arms, he didn't raise his hand to touch her head or gently call her "Little Pocket."

That afternoon, her father was dragged away by several nannies. She chased after him, crying and shouting, but it was no use. She only received a severe beating...

She never saw her father again after that...

Little Douzi gradually came to understand what death was.

The little boy buried his head in the crook of his knees, his tiny body curled up into a ball.

"Daddy..." she sniffed, muttering softly, her voice barely audible, "Little Douzi misses you so much..."

The words had barely left his mouth—

"Bang!"

The dilapidated palace door was kicked open.

A plump figure walked in; it was the headmistress.

"You little slut!" The old woman swung her fat body as she approached, cursing, "It's the little princess's birthday, and none of us from our palace get any rewards. We all have to stay here and wait, all because of you, you jinx!"

Xiao Douzi lowered his head even further, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Why are you hiding?" The old woman grabbed her by the collar, lifted her up like a chick, and was about to slap her face with her large, fan-like hand.

"I'll teach you a lesson today!"

Before he could finish speaking, a blue light suddenly appeared before his eyes.

A pale blue portal appeared out of thin air, and Lin Ye slowly stepped out from it.

Seeing the scene before him, Lin Ye narrowed his eyes and immediately understood what was happening.

"Damn it, let go of my hand!" Lin Ye roared.

The old woman froze, her hand involuntarily loosening its grip, the small bag falling to the ground, and she shrank back into the corner in terror.

But soon, a look of embarrassment and anger appeared on the old woman's fleshy face.

She's a veteran of the palace! Lord Yao personally gave her instructions! In this harem, besides His Majesty, who dares to touch her?

She stood with her hands on her hips, took a step forward, her face contorted in a rage, and spat everywhere.

"Who the hell are you?! Where did you come from?! Dressed like a beggar, do you think you can scare me with some tricks?!"

"Do you know where this is? This is the Imperial Palace! I'm a palace tutor! I've been in the palace for twenty years! I'm someone who's even spoken to the Empress Dowager!"

"You dare cause trouble here? Try touching me!"

She got more and more excited as she spoke, taking another step forward, her short, stubby fingers almost poking Lin Ye's face:

"Let me tell you! This little slut is one of our palace's playthings! We can beat her and scold her as we please! Who the hell do you think you are—daring to put on airs in front of me?!"

Lin Ye looked at her.

He gave a cold laugh.

He then suddenly lifted his foot.

There was no fancy stuff, just the simplest and most direct kick, right into that fat belly.

"Bang!!!"

The figure, weighing at least 180 pounds, flew three meters away, crashed heavily into the wall, and bounced back to the ground.

She lay on the ground, her face covered in blood, spitting out two teeth with a "plop." Her already fleshy face was now swollen like a pig's head, and her eyes were squeezed into two narrow slits.

She saw Lin Ye through the gap, preparing to walk this way, and suddenly shuddered, letting out a howl before falling completely still.

Lin Ye ignored her. He had come in a hurry and couldn't stay too long. The most important thing now was to take Xiao Douzi away.

Little Douzi didn't dare to look up.

Was he here to hit her too?

In the dim moonlight, the little girl was skin and bones, wearing dirty old clothes, her hair was messy, and her face was so dirty that her original skin color was not visible.

She huddled in the corner, covering her head, trembling all over, tears streaming down her face, whispering, "Don't...don't hit Xiaodouzi, Xiaodouzi is very good, very good..."

Lin Ye's eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and he blinked hard to suppress the heat.

He didn't rashly disturb the girl in front of him, who looked like a frightened little animal, but simply reached into his pocket.

Little Douzi saw the man in front of him take out a cube-shaped object. The object lit up and two people appeared on it—Daddy had his arm around the man's shoulder, standing by a wide river, his eyes squinting with laughter.

Little Douzi stared at that familiar face, her eyes widening instantly, and she forgot her fear.

"You're Xiaodouzi, you know him, right?" Lin Ye held the phone close to Xiaodouzi, pointed at Ye Fan, and spoke softly.

Little Douzi looked at the clear and realistic picture in the square, which she had never seen before. Her father in the picture was smiling happily. She had only seen her father so happy when she was very young.

She nodded carefully, her fingers twisting together. "He...is...is Daddy, Little Pocket's Daddy..."

Her voice was soft, weak, and choked with sobs.

Lin Ye felt a lump in his throat and almost couldn't hold back his tears.

He slowly squatted down, approached the girl in front of him, and said in the gentlest voice he had ever used, "My name is Lin Ye. I am your father's best brother and also your godfather."

Lin Ye stretched out his hand, palm up, and placed it in front of Xiao Douzi. "Your father sent me to pick you up. Would you like to come with me?" Xiao Douzi looked at the hand. The hand was large, with fair skin and long, slender fingers.

In the cold palace, the hands of those adults would push her, pinch her, and snatch her things.

But the hand remained outstretched, waiting for her to place it on it. She remembered when her father held her hand; his hand was just this big and warm.

After a long time, she slowly reached out her hand.

Lin Ye gently grasped it.

"Let's go!" Lin Ye said, "Godfather will take you home."

At the same time, the old woman lying on the ground twitched and slowly opened her eyes.

Then she witnessed a scene she would never forget.

In the dilapidated courtyard, a man was leading a little princess. The two slowly walked into a door that glowed with blue light and then disappeared without a trace!

"There's a ghost!!!"

This shout instantly alerted all the palace maids and eunuchs near the side hall.

Amidst the chaos, the news quickly reached Chang Le Palace.

The music abruptly stopped.

Shu Jingwei's wine glass fell to the ground with a "clatter," splashing wine onto the hem of her elegant dress.

"The eldest princess has disappeared!?"

Upon hearing this, Shu Rou, who was in Yao Jingyuan's arms, became unhappy. She struggled to jump to the ground, put her hands on her hips, and pouted, "Mother, your daughter is here!"

Shu Jingwei's expression softened, and she pinched Shu Rou's cheek. "Mother Empress wasn't talking about you."

Turning his head, his sharp gaze pierced the person below, "Speak! What happened!?"

The headmistress knelt on the ground, trembling, carefully covering her pig-like face. Because she had lost two teeth, she spoke very incoherently and with a lisp.

"Your Majesty, Old Lu personally witnessed a strangely dressed blue-clad man leading the eldest princess through a doorway, and then... he disappeared..."

"He's gone!" The old woman suddenly remembered something and added with difficulty, "That blue-clad man was dressed very similarly to Ye Shijun when he first appeared..."

Shu Jingwei's pupils contracted slightly, and her fingers tightened suddenly inside the bright yellow dragon robe.

Ye Shijun! It's the missing Ye Fan!

Yao Jingyuan, who was standing to the side, panicked and couldn't help but take a half step back, almost shouting that it was impossible!

Ye Fan is long dead! His body was even dumped in a mass grave by someone he hired!

She quickly realized where she was, hurriedly lowered her eyelids, and when she looked up again, she had regained her usual amiable demeanor.

He said gently to Shu Jingwei, "Your Majesty, do not be misled by this cunning servant. Consort Ye has been missing for a long time. How could someone who looks like her suddenly appear? Moreover, if it is related to Consort Ye, why would that person take away the eldest princess? This doesn't make sense."

Shu Jingwei glanced at him, and that gaze sent a chill down Yao Jingyuan's spine—it was a kind of coldness he had never seen before, one that carried a murderous intent.

"Issue my decree." Shu Jingwei stood up. "Close the palace gates, seal off the capital, and search the entire city to find the First Princess! Everyone on duty tonight, throw them in jail and subject them to severe torture!"

The palace maids and eunuchs prostrated themselves on the ground, their faces ashen.

Yao Jingyuan stepped forward: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I am willing to interrogate the palace servants—"

"No need." Shu Jingwei walked past him without stopping, not even glancing at him again. "You stay here and watch over Rou'er."

Yao Jingyuan stood there, his gentle smile gradually crumbling.

A strong sense of resentment welled up inside him.

Ye Fan! It's Ye Fan again! Even in death, he can't rest in peace!

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the hall.

"My God! Look up at the sky!"

"What is that!?"

Suddenly, someone exclaimed, and everyone looked up at the same time.

Suddenly, a huge, dazzling screen of light appeared in the night sky, illuminating the entire Great Flame Kingdom.

Two figures can be vaguely seen in the light screen.

One was a four or five-year-old girl, thin and frail, wearing a dirty, patched jacket, tightly clutching the hem of the man's clothes next to her.

Shu Jingwei's heart tightened; that was her daughter!

The other was a young man dressed in strangely styled black clothes, holding a little girl's hand in one hand, looking around.

"Look!" an old minister suddenly exclaimed, "That person! That person..."