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

Lin Ye carried the little bag into the mall's atrium.

What rendered the Great Flame Kingdom speechless were those pedestrians!

A young woman walks past the camera.

She was wearing a thin white short-sleeved shirt, the sleeves of which were ridiculously short—only reaching halfway up her upper arms, leaving her arms exposed from her shoulders to her elbows, all white and bare.

Below was a dark-colored short skirt, the hem of which was a few inches above the knee. The fabric swayed gently as she walked, revealing her bare calves and a pair of leather boots on her feet.

She was carrying several shopping bags in one hand, and a beige wool coat draped over her other arm—it was the coat she had worn before coming in, but she had taken it off and was draping it over her arm because she was hot inside.

Beside her, another woman wore a sundress with two thin straps hanging from her shoulders, exposing her entire shoulders and collarbone, which were covered in a patch of snow-white skin.

A long black trench coat was draped over one of her arms, and her other arm was linked with that of a man in a shirt. She smiled broadly. The man's shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his forearms.

A little further away, a group of young people were queuing in front of a bubble tea shop. One of the girls was wearing shorts, the hems barely reaching mid-thigh, her legs bare, and a loose long-sleeved sweater, the sleeves of which she had rolled up to her forearms.

……

The Great Flame Kingdom exploded instantly!

The comments in the bottom right corner were like boiling porridge, bubbling and churning out continuously.

[Wang Laoji, a soldier stationed on the northern border: Good heavens! Isn't this girl afraid of getting cold dressed like that? We're stationed on the border, and the wind in December can whip your skin off. We wear three layers of cotton-padded coats and still feel it's too thin. How warm is it in there that she's dressed like this?]

[Zhao Dabang, a border guard in the north: I've been guarding the border for fifteen years, and my hands and feet start getting frostbite as early as October. I get chilblains every year. How can the people there wear short sleeves?]

[Commoner Zhou Wuzhi: Look what those people are holding! Thick coats! They came wearing thick coats, but took them off as soon as they went inside! Because it was so warm inside! Such a big place, so warm that they had to take off their coats?!]

……

In the mall, Xiao Douzi, with her hands on Lin Ye's shoulders, suddenly nuzzled him gently and said in a soft voice, "Daddy, Xiao Douzi is a little hot."

Lin Ye looked down at her; the little girl's face was flushed, and a thin layer of sweat glistened on her forehead under her hat.

He put the small bag down, helped her take off her white wool coat, and then took off his own coat as well, draping it over his arm.

She was wearing a light pink sweatshirt inside her little pocket. The moment she took off her coat, she felt much lighter. She turned her little head and looked around with her big, round eyes.

She gazed at the glittering shop windows and the people walking by, a slight smile on her lips, finding everything fascinating.

……

Meanwhile, on Suzaku Avenue, inside a carriage.

Shu Rou nestled in Yao Jingyuan's arms, her little hands tightly clutching the hot water bottle.

The hot water bottle was made of copper and wrapped in a layer of cotton cloth. The hot water that had just been changed was still scalding hot, but the heat seeped out through the cotton cloth and didn't warm the area very far.

Her fingertips were still cold, her face was pale from the wind, and her nose was red.

"Father... cold..." Her voice was muffled and nasal as she shrank deeper into Yao Jingyuan's arms, wishing she could bury herself inside his cotton robe.

Yao Jingyuan hugged her tighter and reached out to touch her face; it was icy cold.

He frowned, pulled Shu Rou's hood up to cover her ears, and then pulled her cloak up to wrap her up completely.

The winter wind seeped in through the gaps in the curtains, scraping his face like a knife, making his cheeks sting.

He instinctively shrank his neck, feeling himself getting cold. A gust of cool wind slipped in through the collar of his cotton robe, making him shiver.

"Come on," he suddenly said, hugging Shu Rou tightly, "Daddy will take you to a warm place."

He lifted the carriage curtain and shouted to the driver in front, "To Zuixianlou!"

The coachman responded, cracked his whip in the air, and headed towards the largest restaurant in the capital.

Before long, the carriage stopped in front of Zuixianlou.

Yao Jingyuan carried Shu Rou out of the car and strode into the restaurant. The waiter immediately greeted them with a smile.

"Go to the private room on the top floor," Yao Jingyuan stopped, looked down at him, and said, "The princess is cold, go and fetch two charcoal braziers."

"Yes, yes, your private room has always been prepared for you, Master Yao, please! The charcoal brazier will be here shortly!" The waiter bowed and led them to the most luxurious private room on the top floor.

The private room was quite large, and with the doors and windows closed, there was finally no draft coming in.

Only the window facing the street was left slightly ajar, and Yao Jingyuan sat with Shu Rou in his arms on a chair padded with a thick mattress by the window.

The waiter quickly brought over two charcoal braziers, placing them on either side of the two people, and added more high-quality silver wire charcoal into them.

Flames licked at the charcoal, and heat slowly rose. Yao Jingyuan felt the warmth creeping up from his feet, and finally let out a long sigh of relief.

He looked at the two large basins of silver charcoal in front of him and smiled smugly.

Only a handful of families in the entire capital can afford this fine silver charcoal.

Aside from His Majesty, only he and his daughter could indulge in such unrestrained pleasures.

He picked up the fire poker and slowly poked at the charcoal brazier, his movements carrying a deliberate calmness.

The fire poker brushed away the surface ash, revealing the glowing red embers beneath. The crimson light shone on his face, and the heat wave washed over him, soothing his entire face.

Shu Rou gradually warmed up, her stiff body slowly softened, and she made muffled humming sounds. Finally, she was willing to pull her head out of his arms.

Yao Jingyuan tossed it a couple of times, nodded in satisfaction, and slightly raised his chin, thinking to himself—

That little bastard will probably never get to bake on such warm charcoal in his entire life.

No, you've probably never even seen one before, let alone grilled it!

The smile on his lips grew wider and wider, and he almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Just then, Shu Rou warmed up and looked up at the sky again, just in time to see Lin Ye helping Xiao Douzi take off her coat. Xiao Douzi's fair face was flushed, and it was clear that the place they were in was very warm.

There were also people wearing short sleeves and skirts walking around in the mall. One girl even fanned herself as she passed in front of the camera—she was complaining of the heat!

Shu Rou's eyes widened suddenly, like two copper bells, her pupils reflecting the unbelievably warm world in the sky.

"Father! Look at them! They're dressed so lightly and they're not cold! And that little beggar! She's so warm she has to take off her coat!" Her voice was high-pitched and thin, with a sob in it.

She looked down with disdain and tugged at her thick, bulky silk jacket, then pulled at her cloak.

"Rou'er is wearing so many layers and she's still cold!" Her eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up. "Rou'er wants heating too! Rou'er wants that heating too!"

She tossed the now-cold hot water bottle aside, and the copperware slammed onto the floor with a thud, rolled twice, and finally stopped when it hit the foot of the charcoal brazier.

Yao Jingyuan's newly risen sense of pride seemed to have been slapped hard across the face, vanishing without a trace.

He took a deep breath, pulled Shu Rou closer to him, rested his chin on the top of her head, and said in a low voice, "Rou'er, be good! That's sorcery, it's not real. We don't need that."

"But they're really not cold!" Shu Rou squirmed in his arms, pounding his chest with her two little fists, using all her strength. Even though she was young and not very strong, she still managed to make Yao Jingyuan frown.

"Look at that little beggar! She's dressed so thinly! And she's still smiling! She's not cold at all! Rou'er is cold! Rou'er is still so cold!"

Her voice broke down by the end, hoarse and tearful, and tears finally fell, one by one landing on the back of Yao Jingyuan's hand.

Yao Jingyuan looked up at the little boy in the sky who had taken off his coat and was laughing heartily, then looked down at his daughter who was crying in his arms.

He was filled with intense hatred, as if a fire was burning within him, causing him excruciating pain in his internal organs.

But there was nothing he could do.

He could only sit by the window, looking at the bright, warm world in the sky that seemed to never have winter, his fingers gripping the window frame tightly, his knuckles turning white, his nails digging into the wood, leaving a shallow mark.

They are truly despicable people and their bastards; this will never end!

In front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Imperial Palace.

Shu Jingwei sat on a chair brought by a eunuch, holding a piping hot hot water bottle that had just been delivered. Beside her were two charcoal braziers, burning with the finest silver wire charcoal.

Her gaze was fixed on the thinly dressed person in the sky, her brows furrowed into a tight knot.

Heating!?

What is that?!