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

Ashina nodded again, leaning back on his throne, his fingers tapping slowly on the red agate, each tap landing precisely on the same spot.

The sky outside the high window had completely cleared, the thin layer of moisture had finally dissipated, and the sunlight poured in without any obstruction.

The light was as thick as molten gold, poured onto the polished stone bricks. The dust particles suspended in the beam of light tumbled slowly, like a group of silent, swimming golden mayflies.

The edges of the pillars of light were cut into neat squares by the window frames, spreading diagonally throughout the hall.

That makes a lot of sense, that's exactly right.

His gaze swept over Fujiwara no Shojin's head, past the scimitar-shaped high window, over the vast deserts and Gobi of the Western Regions, and landed on the Great Flame territory that he had never set foot on but had coveted for many years.

Throughout history, foreign invasions have always been the most sensitive sore spot for a people, and the easiest way to unite the entire nation in resistance.

Normally, the Great Flame Sect is never a monolithic entity; it is filled with powerful clans and factions locked in endless battles.

Powerful families oppressed commoners, aristocratic families ostracized those from humble backgrounds, scholars looked down on each other, and warriors were suspicious of one another...

However, when faced with an external enemy, most would temporarily set aside their personal hatred and unite against it.

The wind outside the hall suddenly picked up.

The wind comes from the sea to the south, carrying a fishy, ​​damp air, and from the inland to the north, it carries the smell of dry, sandy soil.

Two gusts of wind collided under the corridor of the main hall, causing the copper bells under the corridor to jingle.

After all, anyone with a brain can understand the principle that those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts.

The impact of alien invasions is devastating.

A long conch shell horn sounded from the direction of the southern port in the distance. By the time it was carried into the hall by the sea breeze, it had become so faint that only a faint, muffled melody remained, as if echoing his thoughts.

If a foreign race were to take power, it would be one thing if they could not survive, but they would also lose the legacy of their ancestors.

Cities can be rebuilt, and populations can multiply, but those things etched into our very bones, once severed, are truly severed.

The same applies to ordinary people.

Those who normally wish each other dead would suddenly find themselves standing side by side behind the city walls.

Neighbors who would argue for three days and three nights over half a peck of rice would share their stored grain with the soldiers guarding the city.

Those literati who wrote the most scathing poems criticizing the imperial court would then turn around and write the most impassioned manifestos, calling on the people of the world to unite against foreign aggression.

Therefore, in order to ensure that the country conquered is not a barren wasteland with nine out of ten houses empty, the goal is to prevent a desolate and barren land.

It's better to be a bit more roundabout than to be a ruin where everyone would rather die than surrender and where war rages everywhere.

The goal is to make those Great Flame People believe that this land is still their own, only now that a new ruler has taken control.

When boiling frogs, you shouldn't boil the water too quickly.

The sunlight streaming through the high window was just blocked by a passing cloud.

The cloud was a cumulonimbus cloud drifting in from the southern sea. Its base was grayish, and its top was snow-white under the sun. It looked like an island suspended in mid-air, slowly moving northward.

The light in the main hall suddenly dimmed, and the golden mayflies that were slowly rolling on the floor tiles disappeared in an instant, as if they had been covered by a huge curtain.

A moment later, the clouds moved away, and the light poured in again, brighter and more dazzling than before.

Ashina recalled Shu Jingwei, whom Fujiwara no Shūjin had mentioned, and probably understood what he meant.

Shu Jingwei, a legitimate member of the Shu royal family, with her standing in front of them, who could know that it was the Western Regions plotting behind the scenes?

However, as long as the Great Flame People are gradually and thoroughly integrated into the cultural life of the Western Regions, the Great Flame People will cease to exist.

As for whether Shu Jingwei is willing or not...

A deposed emperor of the Great Flame Dynasty, whose limbs were broken and who had been reduced to beggars, was given a way out by the Western Regions, a chance to regain her high position. Why shouldn't she accept it?

It's like throwing a piece of driftwood to someone who's about to drown; she'll cling to it tightly without the slightest hesitation.

He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling from the throne, through the slowly swirling golden dust in the pillar of light, and landing on Fujiwara no Shojin's face, which always seemed to wear a smile.

"So, Prime Minister Chou Renguo intends to use Shu Jingwei as a buffer?"

Fujiwara no Uchika nodded: "Exactly."

He stood at the edge of the pillar of light, half of his body bathed in golden sunlight, the other half shrouded in shadow.

The sunlight illuminated every fine line on the right side of his face, making even the barely perceptible wrinkles at the corners of his eyes clearly visible.

His left side of his face was hidden in the shadows, with only his small eye shining in the shadows, like a puddle of seawater left in a crevice of a reef after the tide has receded, inconspicuous yet full of mystery.

"In the current power struggle within the Great Flame, Shu Jingwei has long been kicked off the chessboard. In that case, she is precisely the most useful pawn—"

He extended a short, stubby finger and made a light tap in the air, as if pressing an invisible chess piece onto the chessboard.

"No one will defend against a discarded piece. Especially one that is crippled and has no chance of rising again."

"So, nobody will care about her, and that's our chance!"

"Furthermore," Fujiwara no Shūjin raised his head and looked at Ashina, his small eyes gleaming with composure.

"Those people of the Great Flame Kingdom, since they wish to restore the Shu Dynasty, to appease the so-called Heaven and stop this natural disaster..."

"So, Your Majesty, do you think they will choose Shu Jingwei—"

"Is it still that three-year-old Shu Rou, who clearly seems to be controlled by outsiders?"

Ashina laughed heartily, his laughter echoing throughout the empty hall, making the wooden latticework on the high windows seem to tremble slightly.

The laughter bounced off the stone wall of the main hall, then off the opposite wall, and bounced off again.

Layer upon layer, they tumbled and collided under the dome of the main hall, like a pack of wild beasts that had been caged for too long and were finally released, rampaging and running rampant without restraint.

A gecko, which had come out to bask in the midday sun, was startled by the laughter. It flicked its tail and darted into a crack in the wall, leaving behind a brownish-gray afterimage.

The laughter contained smugness, approval, and even a hint of undisguised mockery.

It wasn't a mockery of Fujiwara no Shūjin, but rather a mockery of the Great Flame People who were about to be manipulated by them.

"That must be Shu Jingwei!" He slapped the armrest, his palm striking the tanned leather with a dull thud, causing the red agate to tremble slightly.

Fujiwara no Shūjin also laughed, but he kept his laughter low to avoid drowning out Ashina's voice.

"That's right. With Shu Jingwei in the open, we can get those foolish Great Yan people to support us!"

He licked his chapped lips, tasting a slightly salty flavor on his tongue, but his eyes shone even brighter.

"Once we deal with Wang Meng, and keep Shu Jingwei firmly under our control, the entire Great Flame will be ours for the taking!"