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

The echoes of Ashina's laughter had not yet faded; the sound seemed to still linger between the carved beams and pillars, buzzing and vibrating in our ears.

With each breath, one could smell the burnt aroma of mutton tallow candles, and the air was filled with a burning excitement, like the smell of strong liquor after it had been spilled on the ground, making one's chest feel slightly bloated.

The candlelight in the main hall appeared even dimmer against the backdrop of the sunlight.

Golden light streamed in through the high windows, gradually eroding the darkness in the corners of the hall.

The candle flames huddled within the lamp, flickering into a few pale golden remnants, throbbing and dancing softly.

A black candle flame, like a scorched grain of rice, trembled under the licking of the flame, formed on the wick.

Occasionally, a drop of wax would roll off the candle and condense into a milky white teardrop inside the copper lamp.

The wax rolled down slowly, leaving a semi-transparent trail on the candle, before slowly gathering into a single drop that trembled and clung precariously to the candle.

When it reached the bottom, it hung there, swaying slightly from the heat of the flames. Finally, it could no longer hold on and fell into the lamp with a thud, splashing a tiny, fleeting flower on the copper wall.

Sunlight fell on the cool stone ground, cutting a blindingly bright boundary, with light dust slowly swirling on both sides of the line.

Dashiman stood at the lower end, his back ramrod straight, like a spear driven into the ground.

But if you look closely, you can see that his right hand is hanging by his side, his knuckles clenching and unclenching in his sleeve.

His fingernails dug into his palm, leaving four crescent-shaped marks, each slightly whitish, which quickly turned red with blood the moment he let go.

The fabric at the cuffs of his sleeves was already wrinkled in several places. He stared at the eloquent Fujiwara no Shojin, a thin layer of gloom in his eyes, like the shadow cast by a dark cloud as it swept across the sky.

The bronze bells under the eaves outside the hall were swayed by the wind again.

This time, the sound was intermittent, ringing a few times when the wind came and falling silent when the wind stopped. Occasionally, a sudden gust of sea breeze would blow in, and the copper bells would start to ring, creating a continuous tinkling sound.

The sound of the bell striking the copper wall was torn apart by the sea breeze, sometimes clear as if it were right next to your ear, and sometimes as distant as an echo from another world.

Da Shiman felt quite uneasy.

The taste was hard to describe—it was neither sour nor astringent. It was more like an unripe green apricot being forced down your throat, stuck there, neither going up nor down.

Unable to swallow or spit it out, the bitter and astringent liquid seeped into the back of the tongue little by little.

The juice seemed to carry tiny thorns, which spread along the root of his tongue all the way to his heart, making his fingertips feel slightly cold.

The air filled his lungs, dry and slightly cool, carrying the lingering spicy aftertaste of frankincense and the salty astringency of the sea breeze, brushing past his throat before he slowly exhaled it.

For a moment, he even considered using his old trick to speak first and say that he would take care of it, but when he opened his mouth, he realized that he couldn't do it.

The miraculous medicine is in their hands, and the king will definitely make them do these two things at the same time. He certainly can't wait until he returns from the grasslands to go find Shu Jingwei. Everyone understands the principle that delay will lead to complications.

He could only suppress his resentment and questioned, "But Shu Jingwei isn't trustworthy either. What if we cure her with the miracle medicine, and then she turns around and has us captured?"

Ashina pondered this as well. Indeed, everything mentioned above had a common premise: it was necessary to control Shu Jingwei and prevent her from developing any rebellious intentions.

The dry land breeze blowing from the north and the humid sea breeze surging from the south collided again under the corridor, twisting into a small whirlwind.

I swept up a few withered leaves and dry husks from the stone steps, spun them around in mid-air three or four times, and then scattered them with a snap, the fallen leaves and dust settling back onto the ground.

Fujiwara no Shūjin's eyes flickered; he had, of course, thought about this as well.

He clapped his hands lightly, his tone unhurried yet carrying a slippery, venomous quality, and said slowly, "You could say it's a divine medicine bestowed upon us by the gods of our Western Regions."

"After taking this medicine, you must not do anything that would harm the Western Regions, otherwise the divine medicine will lose its effectiveness."

He paused, his gaze sweeping lightly over Dashiman's tense face, before adding with a light laugh.

"And she will become a cripple again, a cripple who lives worse than a dog."

The candlelight in the corner of the hall flickered, as if it had been pierced by the word. The flame veered sharply to the side, then bounced back, shedding a single grayish-white tear.

The candle tear slowly slid down the candle, solidifying halfway down, like a tear on a cheek that hadn't had a chance to fall before being dried by the wind.

"She certainly doesn't want to go back to where she is now, so she'll just obediently be our puppet."

Ashina's eyes gleamed, and he slapped his thigh with a sharp crack, causing the candle flames to dip three inches. He exclaimed, "This plan is brilliant!"

His voice boomed like a bell, and the last vestiges of his laughter transformed into ecstatic triumph.

He thought for a moment and then said, "I remember the latest intelligence my spies brought about regarding her; it said she was a beggar in Ancheng?"

"In that case, Prime Minister Chou Ren, I hereby order you to depart immediately. If you need any men, take my order to the camp to fetch them. Bring Shu Jingwei back to the Western Regions as soon as possible, heal her bone injury, and put her to our use."

As he spoke, he pulled a bronze wolf-head token from his waist and tossed it over.

The token traced a deep arc in the air, and Fujiwara no Shūjin caught it steadily with both hands.

Sunlight shone on the token, and the raised patterns on the bronze surface, worn smooth countless times, flashed in the light.

The light swept across the wolf's fangs, erect ears, and mane, as if a sleeping wolf had opened its eyes briefly in mid-air before closing them again.

Ashina then turned to Dashiman: "Prime Minister Dashiman, please make preparations. Take the two elders with you. The important task on the grasslands will be entrusted to you."

The two agreed in unison.

The same word came from two mouths, one high and one low, one fast and one slow, converging in the hall and then slowly dissipating.

Just then, the conch shells of the southern port sounded.

That was the routine command given at midday high tide, the sound long and deep, whistling through the layers of houses.

By the time it reached the main hall, it had been churned into a soft murmur by the wind, clinging to the stone wall like a sigh from the seabed.

Ashina nodded in satisfaction; today's council meeting had truly given him a great surprise.

This time, with perfect timing, favorable location, and popular support, he, Devouring Flame, has all the advantages. He will surely take down Great Flame!

He finally rose from his throne, his robes billowing open with a rustling sound, creating a tiny breeze that caused the flames on the candlesticks beside him to veer outwards.

He slowly straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the faces in the hall, his shadow sliding down the wall and covering half of the throne's back.

Then he raised his right hand, palm up, fingers together, and lifted it upwards.

He finally stood up and raised his hand: "Meeting adjourned!"