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

Shu Jingwei felt a chill run down her spine, and fear began to grow in her heart.

Someone was watching her life from the shadows—a taboo that no emperor could tolerate!

Just as she was thinking of disregarding everything, using the power of the whole country, and searching every inch of land to dig out Ye Fan and Lin Ye, and to strike first.

Suddenly, a person stepped out from the queue below.

It was Prime Minister Xiao Bo.

His beard and hair were gray, and his back was slightly hunched, but his steps were still quite steady. He stepped out of the queue, holding a tablet, and bowed in salute.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has something to say."

Shu Jingwei glanced at him, the sinister look in her eyes not yet completely gone. "Speak."

Xiao Bo straightened up, stroked his beard, and spoke in a calm and unhurried manner, with the confidence of the head of the civil officials.

"The heavens are treacherous, and demons are rampant, stirring up people's hearts and minds, which is a great calamity for our dynasty."

He paused, raising his tablet slightly in his hand. "However, regarding the sudden festering sores on the tongues of the barbarians from the South China Sea—this old minister believes it was not caused by sorcery, but more likely a deliberate illusion created by the cunning Lin Ye!"

"An illusion?" Shu Jingwei frowned slightly.

She turned her head to the side, her gaze falling from top to bottom onto Xiao Bo's graying head. Her gaze was so intense that it sent shivers down Xiao Bo's spine.

But she didn't interrupt him.

She simply nodded her chin slightly, signaling him to continue.

Xiao Bo took a deep breath and continued, "Your Majesty, you see, since Lin Ye can conjure such a realistic celestial phantom, it is evident that he is meticulous and adept at understanding people's hearts."

His cloudy eyes darted around for a moment, then slowed down, his tone carrying a analytical quality, like peeling back layers of an onion. "The South China Sea and the Great Flame have climates that are vastly different, one hot and humid, the other cold and dry. People from the South China Sea who suddenly come north often suffer from acclimatization problems, internal heat, and mouth ulcers. Lin Ye must have foreseen this!"

His voice rose slightly, his tone becoming increasingly certain, as if he had grasped the crux of the matter: "He must have anticipated that merchants from the South China Sea would arrive in the capital this Lantern Festival! And he must have also anticipated that among so many people, there would certainly be those with weaker constitutions who would be prone to verbal ailments!"

A low commotion arose inside the hall.

Xiao Bo's voice grew louder and louder, his white beard trembling slightly with excitement.

"—Therefore, he first used sorcery to silence those people who were making a ruckus in the sky, and then, taking advantage of his illness and the public's suspicion, he uttered those threatening words, creating the illusion that he was the one administering punishment! This was a psychological tactic, intended to exaggerate his abilities, intimidate our subjects, and make us fearful so that we dare not investigate his true nature!"

As the last word fell, Xiao Bo bowed deeply once more. His gray hair gleamed dimly in the morning light.

A moment later, he straightened up, a sharp glint appearing in his cloudy old eyes:

"Your Majesty is wise! If he truly possessed the ability to injure people from afar without them even realizing it, why would he go to such great lengths to establish his authority through a mere canker sore? Why would he hide his true form and dare not reveal himself to the world?"

He spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Therefore, this old minister dares to speculate that the barbarian from the South China Sea merely happened to be there and became a tool for that demon to intimidate us!"

After Xiao Bo finished speaking, he slightly raised his chin, his white beard trembling gently in the morning breeze, giving him an air of calm and knowing composure.

Upon hearing this, a low murmur of agreement immediately filled the hall.

"Prime Minister Xiao is right."

"The climates of the South China Sea and the Great Flame are indeed vastly different." An official who looked like a military general stroked his beard and nodded.

"It's normal to get a sore throat. When I went to Lingnan to take up my post, my mouth was full of blisters for the first month."

"Lin Ye is just going with the flow and bluffing."

On the white jade steps, Shu Jingwei's taut shoulders and back relaxed almost imperceptibly.

Xiao Bo's analysis was like a hand, clearing away the thick fog in her heart.

Yes, the South China Sea is hot and humid, while the Great Firewall is dry and cold; it's common for people to experience acclimatization problems.

Lin Ye, being cunning and treacherous, seized upon this seemingly ordinary matter and made a big fuss about it, pretending to have extraordinary abilities...

This explanation is much more acceptable than the utterly incomprehensible and chilling sorcery of "causing someone's mouth to rot from a distance."

A sliver of clarity swept through my heart.

Like ice water poured onto red-hot iron, with a hiss, those crazy, reckless thoughts finally cooled down.

She was almost fooled by this kind of supernatural trick!

"Minister Xiao is right!"

Shu Jingwei's voice regained its usual calm and dignified tone.

"Issue my decree."

Shu Jingwei's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly carried to every corner of the square.

"Local governments should immediately post notices to appease the people." She spoke steadily, enunciating each word clearly.

"Just say that those people from the South China Sea developed mouth ulcers due to acclimatization issues and improper diet, and that it has nothing to do with Lin Ye."

She paused, her gaze fixed on the still-suspended, motionless curtain of light high in the sky, her eyes sharp as knives:

"The statements on the celestial screen are nothing more than a trick by sorcerers who have deduced their symptoms and are now taking advantage of the situation to bluff. The people need not panic, and they should not believe the rumors."

"Anyone who dares to use this matter to spread rumors, mislead the public, or undermine the foundation of the nation, whether an official or a commoner, will be severely punished—"

"We will not tolerate this!"

The last four words burst out from between his teeth, like a blade slicing across a cold whetstone, carrying a piercing chill.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The courtiers echoed in unison, their voices tinged with a sense of relief and weakness.

Xiao Bo's analysis, at least, gave them an "explanation" that was understandable and acceptable.

Even if this explanation is not entirely credible.

But on this morning, which was shattered by a series of "miracles," and with everyone's hearts clenched with fear, they were willing to cling to even the smallest straw.

The chief eunuch accepted the order and hurriedly retreated, his back hunched.

Shu Jingwei didn't look at them again.

She raised her head again, looking at the still-suspended light curtain in the sky. Her eyes had calmed down, but deep inside was a trace of fear that had been forcibly suppressed.

Even if it's just a coincidence.

Even if it's a treacherous scheme.

Such a precise grasp of people's hearts and minds, leveraging existing trends to create momentum...

What exactly does Lin Ye want to do?

And what about Ye Fan?

They are the best of brothers.

Then——

Is this what Ye Fan wanted to do?

……

On the sky, the car gradually slowed down.

The car turned onto a wider road.

At the end of the road was a cluster of buildings.

It's not one building, it's several buildings connected together.

The two towers are of different heights. The taller one is entirely covered with light champagne-colored glass, each pane of which is slightly tilted inward, gleaming with a warm metallic sheen in the late autumn afternoon sun.

The top of the tower is a stepped terrace that narrows in each layer, with slender silver trim along the edges.

As sunlight passes through the glass, it is refracted into tiny, scattered spots of light that fall on the plaza below, drifting slowly with the movement of the clouds.

People flocked to the buildings from all directions, some pushing suitcases, some holding children's hands, and some carrying shopping bags of all sizes. Even from a distance, you could hear the laughter and hustle and bustle coming from there.

……

Under the sky, the entire Great Flame Kingdom fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone craned their necks, mouths agape, eyes bulging as if about to pop out of their sockets, all with only one question in mind—

What kind of place is that?!