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

"How's the search going with the person I asked you to find?" Shu Jingwei continued, her phoenix eyes like knives, slashing at the people kneeling below.

The sweat on Zhang Chong's forehead finally broke free and rolled down his temples, landing on the gold bricks.

"Replying to... Your Majesty's words..." Zhang Chong's voice was squeezed out from his throat, each word trembling.

"I led my men to search every 800 li around the capital, turning every mountain, village, temple, and post station upside down... we searched every possible hiding place, but... we found absolutely no trace of the Crown Princess or that sorcerer..."

When he spoke the last few words, his voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, like the buzzing of a mosquito.

"If it's not eight hundred li, then it'll be a thousand li!"

Shu Jingwei's fingers suddenly stopped, gripping the armrest tightly. Her five fingers tightened one by one, her knuckles turned white, and the veins on the back of her hands bulged out.

"I said! Dig three feet into the ground to make a mess of things for me, so that dust will fall from the beams."

"Did you understand?"

These words were practically spat out from between his teeth, each one dripping with anger.

"Your Majesty...understands!"

Zhang Chong kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the gold brick with a dull thud.

Shu Jingwei shifted her gaze from him to another person in the queue—Kong Ling of the Coastal Defense Division.

He was huddled in the crowd, wishing he could hide himself in the shadows of his colleagues.

"How is the search going in the coastal districts and counties?"

Upon hearing these words, and feeling that piercing gaze upon him, Kong Ling was startled and quickly stepped out of line.

He stumbled a step before regaining his balance, then knelt down with a thud. The movement was so sudden that his knees hit the gold bricks with a sharp sound, causing his lips to twitch in pain, but he didn't even dare to rub them.

"Your Majesty!" His voice was shrill, as if someone were choking him, "I have ordered all the coastal counties to search one by one, every fishing village, port, island, even the crevices of the reefs... That sorcerer... that sorcerer has indeed not appeared in the coastal area..."

By the end, his words were trembling uncontrollably.

"It never appeared!?"

Shu Jingwei's voice suddenly rose, piercing straight into the dome of the main hall, almost lifting the roof off.

The twelve tassels on the crown began to shake violently, the white jade beads colliding with each other and making a fine, rapid, crisp sound.

"A perfectly healthy person, with a child, just vanished like that?! We can't even find a trace of them. What use are you to me?!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" All the civil and military officials knelt down in unison. The imperial tablets struck the gold bricks with a series of crackling sounds.

Shu Jingwei's chest heaved violently, and the five-clawed golden dragon on the front of her dragon robe throbbed with her breath.

She closed her eyes, and images of the sky appeared in her mind—buildings taller than mountains, iron boxes that could run on their own without horses, golden grains, a large glass of pure milk, and fruits she couldn't name...

Does such a place really exist in the world?

The thought, like a snake, silently crept into her mind, coiled up, and flicked its tongue.

She froze, clenched her teeth, and strangled the snake to death right there.

impossible!

It's impossible!

She was the emperor, the Son of Heaven!

He is the most honorable person in the world, having received the mandate of heaven and ruling the four seas!

If such a place exists in this world, how could she not know about it? How could she have never heard of it?

It must be that sorcerer's trick, it must be!

It's all fake, completely fake, a mirage, an illusion that can't be presented in a respectable way.

She kept repeating these words to herself, as if she were chanting a spell or brainwashing herself.

After a while, she opened her eyes.

The momentary loss of composure had vanished, and she said, "Keep searching! I want to see them alive or dead."

"I... obey your order!"

Zhang Chong and Kong Ling, who were on the ground, responded in unison, their voices filled with the relief of surviving a disaster. They kowtowed, got up, and returned to the ranks, their legs still trembling.

At that moment, a person stepped out of the queue.

It was Cheng Yan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Shu Jingwei glanced at him, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Speak."

Cheng Yan straightened up, stroked his beard, and spoke slowly, "Your Majesty, it has been more than a month since the last appearance of the celestial canopy."

More than a month.

These four words were like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples in the hearts of civil and military officials, which then spread outwards in concentric circles.

Yes, it's been over a month.

Ever since the sky went out that day, it has never lit up again.

When the first seven days arrived, many common people and even some ministers were secretly looking at the sky, waiting for the light screen to reappear and for the man named Lin Ye to appear in the sky with the eldest princess again.

But the first seven days passed. The second seven days passed. The third, fourth, and fifth seven days all passed.

The sky never brightened again.

Gradually, fewer people looked up at the sky, the voices in teahouses and taverns quieted down, and the number of troops sent by the government to suppress the people who spoke ill of the people decreased until they disappeared altogether.

The legends circulating in the streets and alleys, under the influence of the government, changed from "divine beings descending to earth" to "the sorcery being broken".

Later on, people went back to farming and trading.

Life went on as usual, as if that celestial spectacle had never happened.

Cheng Yan's voice continued. "I believe that the sorcerer has been silent since then, presumably because his demonic power has been exhausted and he can no longer support the celestial canopy. The fact that the celestial canopy has not reappeared proves that this is a sorcery and evil magic, which will eventually come to an end."

After he finished speaking, he slightly raised his chin, his gray beard twitched, and a hint of smugness appeared in the corner of his eye, as if he were pleased with his own cleverness and wit.

As soon as Cheng Yan said this, a low murmur of agreement immediately rang out in the hall.

"Lord Cheng is absolutely right!"

"Sorcery and evil magic cannot last!"

"Lin Ye has probably already suffered a backlash and is too busy to take care of himself."

"Having not shown up for over a month, he probably won't dare to come again."

More and more voices echoed, surging in from all directions like a tide, wave after wave.

Shu Jingwei sat on the dragon throne, listening to those voices, and finally a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Cheng Yan makes a good point.

The fact that the canopy hasn't appeared for over a month is the best proof, isn't it? It proves that it's nothing but sorcery, an illusion, a cheap trick, a mirage that's easily shattered.

That Lin Ye, perhaps he really has exhausted his demonic power. Perhaps he is already dead. Perhaps he is hiding in some cave, barely clinging to life, unable even to stand up.

As for Xiaodouzi—

Little bag...

Thinking of the child on the sky who had been enjoying all sorts of unfamiliar delicacies, a hint of resentment flashed in Shu Jingwei's eyes.

Why does her daughter act so spoiled and dependent on a stranger? Why does she laugh so happily in front of that freak? Why does she never mention her mother?

If that place is real, and the food is real, why didn't she let Lin Ye take her there too?

She's just like her father, Ye Fan, who doesn't know what's important!