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

Thinking of this, Shu Jingwei suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, her fingers unconsciously tightened, and the corners of her mouth turned back.

"Dismiss the court!"

She spoke abruptly, her voice hard and cold, like a boulder crashing into water, shattering the eloquent discussions that filled the hall.

The courtiers were taken aback. Several of them, who were speaking enthusiastically with their mouths open, had their words abruptly cut off, choking back tears.

Someone tried to say something, but before they could even utter the word "Your Majesty," she shut them down with a single look.

"I hereby adjourn the court!"

Shu Jingwei repeated it again, her brows furrowed and her face full of impatience.

But then, as if remembering something, he added, "The New Year is approaching, and envoys from various countries will soon arrive in the capital. All diplomatic departments should make preparations and not embarrass me!"

"Alright, you can leave now!"

"Your Majesty, we obey your decree—Long live the Emperor!" The ministers bowed their heads and shouted in unison.

Then they all turned around and moved out of the hall in small, quick steps, like the receding tide, flowing out quietly.

After Shu Jingwei and the others left, he rubbed his temples, stood up, and walked outside.

The wind outside the hall rushed in, carrying the chill of deep winter, and felt like a knife cutting into my face.

She stopped and looked up.

The sky was clear and cloudless, with only the red sun hanging in the sky.

There was nothing else.

There were no skyscrapers, no light curtains, no man, and no daughter...

……

Meanwhile, in the capital city, just outside the first layer of walls surrounding the palace.

As the year drew to a close, and with envoys from various countries arriving in the capital to pay tribute, the city was more than ten times busier than usual.

The city gates were wide open, and from morning till night, caravans streamed into the city, making the gate tunnels completely blocked.

The camel caravans of the small kingdom in the Western Regions had bells hanging around the camels' necks, jingling and tinkling, and their backs were laden with colorful blankets and spices.

The ship merchant from the island nation in the South China Sea spoke in a thick, broken dialect, followed by porters carrying heavy boxes filled with pearls and coral.

Traders from the northern grassland tribes drove a group of strong, fat horses, their backs laden with various animal hides and meat.

People from all walks of life crowded the streets and alleys, speaking in accents from all over the country, creating a noisy and chaotic scene that turned the city into a complete mess.

Zhuque Street, the most bustling street in the capital, was packed with people.

This street leads directly from the city gate to the palace. It is eight zhang wide and lined with shops on both sides, with flags fluttering in the wind. The ground is paved with neat rows of blue bricks, each one fitting together perfectly, so that carriages can hardly feel any bumps when they travel on it.

This is the best street in the Great Flame Kingdom, the face of the entire capital. People from the Great Flame Kingdom who walk on it will unconsciously straighten their backs, slow their pace, and feel a sense of nobility.

At this moment, a rosewood carriage is slowly traveling on Zhuque Avenue.

The carriage was made of fine sandalwood, with fine grain that shimmered with a dark purple luster in the sunlight. Auspicious clouds and cranes were carved on all four sides, each stroke a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Pure gold bells, tied with red silk ribbons, hung from the four corners, jingling melodiously as the carriage moved.

The carriage curtain was made of Shu brocade, with a bright red background and phoenixes embroidered in gold thread. Each feather was adorned with pearls the size of rice grains, which shimmered in the winter sun, making it difficult to open one's eyes.

The carriage was followed by twelve guards, each a burly man with a long sword at his waist. On either side were eight palace servants, four men and four women, some carrying lanterns, others carrying boxes, making quite a grand spectacle.

The carriage curtain was lifted slightly, revealing a fair and delicate face.

It was Shu Rou, who was a little over three years old, and this was her first time leaving the palace.

Before, she was too young, so her mother always forbade her to go out and play. But this time, after her third birthday, and with envoys from various countries coming to the capital, the palace was so busy that she finally managed to beg her father to accompany her out of the palace.

She pressed herself against the car window, her little hands gripping the sill. Her eyes were wide open, and she was making "Wow—Wow—" noises, finding everything new and fascinating.

"Father! Father, look!"

She gripped Yao Jingyuan's sleeve tightly with one hand, while pointing her other finger out the window.

"That! What is that?!"

Yao Jingyuan followed her finger and saw a sugar painting shop. The master craftsman flicked his wrist, and the syrup in the spoon drew a dragon shape on the stone slab. It was golden and dazzling in the sunlight. A group of people with children surrounded him.

"That's sugar painting." Yao Jingyuan smiled and picked her up to make her more comfortable. "It's a painting made with sugar, so you can both look at it and eat it."

"Sugar painting!" Shu Rou squeezed harder. "Rou'er wants the dragon! The biggest one!"

"Okay, I'll buy it!" Yao Jingyuan said, frowning as he pulled his sleeve back a bit; it was almost torn to shreds.

He then gave a wink to the palace servants outside, who immediately jogged to join the queue.

The carriage continued forward, and Shu Rou's attention was quickly drawn to something else.

A troupe of acrobats set up a stage on the street. Some people walked on stilts and weaved through the crowd, some swallowed and breathed fire, and some balanced bowls and spun plates. The crowd of onlookers was layered upon layer, with cheers rising and falling.

"Father! That person is walking on fire! Why doesn't he get burned to death?" Shu Rou almost leaned out of the car window, but Yao Jingyuan pulled her back.

"That's something they've practiced; Rou'er can't learn it."

"Why can't we learn it? Rou'er wants to too!"

"Because Rou'er is a princess, princesses don't need to learn these things." Yao Jingyuan pinched her nose. "Princesses only need to eat well, dress well, and play well."

Shu Rou nodded thoughtfully, then looked away.

Ahead was a silk shop, with bolts of fabric hanging at the entrance, shimmering in the sunlight. Next to it was a jewelry shop, its counters overflowing with hairpins, earrings, bracelets, gold, silver, and jade artifacts—a dazzling array.

Further ahead, there were stalls selling candied hawthorns, pastries, clay figurines, lanterns... The whole street was packed with all kinds of stalls, offering everything from food and toys to household items.

Shu Rou was dazzled by the bustling Suzaku Avenue before her, and her mouth never stopped moving.

"Daddy! It's so lively here! There are so many people, and so many delicious and fun things!" She turned around, her little face flushed with excitement.

"Rou'er likes it here!"

Yao Jingyuan smiled and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Of course. This is the capital of our Great Flame Kingdom, the most prosperous place in the world!"

His voice carried a hint of smugness as his gaze swept across the bustling crowd, the rows of shops, and the neatly paved blue brick avenue.

"Rou'er, remember this: you are the princess of the Great Flame Kingdom. All the best things in this world should be yours!"

Shu Rou nodded vigorously, smiled with satisfaction, and leaned back against the car window to continue watching the commotion outside.

……

modern.

Lin Ye was holding Xiao Douzi's hand in the waiting area at the entrance of the Times Building.

The little girl was wearing a white woolen coat and a beige knitted hat, the little pom-pom on top of the hat swaying as she looked around.

Her gaze shifted from the glass curtain wall of the building to the ginkgo tree by the roadside, and then from the ginkgo tree to the ground beneath her feet—and suddenly she stopped moving.

She lowered her head and stared at the road in front of her for several seconds.

It was a wide, flat, gray road that gleamed slightly in the sunlight.

The white markings on the road were clearly visible, one after another, stretching straight into the distance.

"Godfather, this road is so smooth and wide!" Little Douzi exclaimed in surprise. She squatted down and reached out her little hand to touch the road in front of her. Her fingertips touched the rough pebbles and dust, feeling a little rough on her skin.

She exclaimed "Huh!" and pressed it with her palm. "It's even smoother than the blue brick road in the palace!"

Lin Ye's expression changed slightly, and he quickly bent down to pull her back, his movements swift and gentle.

"Little Douzi, you can't squat by the roadside, it's dangerous." He lowered his voice, his tone serious, and gently patted the dust off Little Douzi's little hands before continuing.

"Look," he raised his finger, pointing to where they were standing, "that's up here, high up—this is called a sidewalk, it's for pedestrians."

His finger moved down further, pointing to the gray road.

"And below that, this is called the road, and this is where cars travel."

Just as they finished speaking, a black sedan drove past them, stirring up a gust of wind that made the few strands of hair that were sticking out of Xiaodouzi's head sway.

"Look, the car is going very fast. Little Douzi, remember to stay away from the road, okay?" Lin Ye looked solemnly into Little Douzi's eyes and instructed him.

Xiao Douzi blinked, looked at the wide driveway, then at Lin Ye's serious expression, and nodded vigorously.

"I'll remember, Little Pocket will never do it again." Her voice was soft, but very earnest.

After saying that, she thought for a moment, then pulled her right hand out of Lin Ye's big hand and raised her small, white little finger with a pale pink nail.

"Little Douzi can make a pinky promise with her godfather."

Lin Ye looked at her little finger sticking up and couldn't help but laugh.

He also extended his little finger, hooked it with hers, and smiled, "Our little dumpling is so well-behaved."

Little Douzi giggled and buried his face in the fur of his collar, revealing the tips of his two red ears.

Lin Ye stood up, shifting his gaze from above her head to the wide road in front of him.

Gray road surface, white markings, a lush green belt in the middle, and an overpass in the distance...

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

How about we start here?

He silently recited it in his mind—

"System, start live stream."