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

"Liar! Daddy, you lied to me again!" She turned around abruptly, grabbed Yao Jingyuan's arm, and shook it with all her might. Tears streamed down her face, and her features were scrunched up with anger.

"This is nothing! It's not the most fun place!" Her voice was so shrill it could pierce the roof of the teahouse. "I want to go there! I want to go to the place with the colorful balls and the flying horses!!"

She pointed at the sky, then suddenly pointed at the fire-breathing performer outside the teahouse who had just finished a performance and was wiping his sweat as he asked for a reward, her voice full of disdain and anger.

"What's so interesting about this damn fire-breathing thing! It's all dark and scary! I want to go to that place on the sky canopy! It's much more interesting and fun there!"

"Rou'er, that's fake..." Yao Jingyuan tried to use the old excuse.

"You're lying! That little beggar was having so much fun! How could it be fake!" Shu Rou didn't believe it at all.

The scene was so real, and the joy was so infectious.

"You just don't want to take me! I'm going to tell Mother! I'll say you're bullying me! You won't let me go to fun places!"

She cried and kicked the bench next to her.

The stool leg was kicked so hard it made a loud "bang" sound, drawing attention even in the noisy teahouse.

A number of people around had already turned to look, pointing and whispering at the father and daughter who were dressed in fine clothes but arguing in public.

Yao Jingyuan's face turned pale and then flushed, and the veins in his temples throbbed.

The stares from those around him made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles, and his daughter's relentless accusations and crying only made him more agitated and gave him a splitting headache.

"Alright! Stop fooling around!" He couldn't help but raise his voice, trying to subdue her with his fatherly authority. "Father said that's witchcraft! We can't go! If you keep making a fuss, Father will take you back to the palace right now! We won't take you to play any other fun things!"

Normally, this threat might have some effect.

But at this moment, after seeing the "Fun Park", "other fun things" had completely become "boring" in Shu Rou's mind.

Far from being frightened, the anger on her little face flared up even higher, like a fire fueled by oil.

"Fine, let's go back to the palace!" she suddenly declared, her voice even sharper and more irritating than before. "Who cares about your fun things! I'm going to tell Mother Empress! I want her to build me a paradise like that! And it has to be even better than that one!"

Shu Rou screamed and released Yao Jingyuan's arm, but then started kicking his legs, leaving black marks on his trouser legs with the soles of her shoes.

"You useless father! You can't do anything! All you do is lie! I hate you! I hate you the most!"

"Useless" and "annoying"—every word pierced Yao Jingyuan's heart like a needle.

Especially when he was publicly insulted by his daughter, his dignity as a royal consort and a father was shattered.

He was so angry he was trembling, and suddenly raised his hand—

Shu Rou shrank back in fright, her crying momentarily halting. But seeing Yao Jingyuan's hand frozen in place, she instantly seized the opportunity, crying even louder and shouting, "Go ahead and hit me! I'll tell Mother Empress you hit me! I'll have her punish you!"

Yao Jingyuan's hand fell limply to the ground.

Fight? He wouldn't dare.

Shu Rou is the apple of Shu Jingwei's eye. She would ask about her every little thing, even if she bumped or bruised herself. If she were to hit her in public, who knows what would happen?

Besides, countless eyes are watching at this moment.

A deep sense of powerlessness and rage clung to him, almost threatening to consume him.

I can't coax them.

You can't scare them.

We mustn't fight them.

What else can he do?

Looking at his daughter's resentful face and then at the growing crowd of people whispering around him, Yao Jingyuan's last shred of reason told him that he had to leave this place that had made him lose face immediately.

He suddenly bent down, forcibly picked up Shu Rou, who was still kicking and crying, and held her tightly in his arms, ignoring her struggles and pounding.

He lowered his head, covered his face with his arm, and rushed out of the teahouse amidst the surprised or mocking gazes of the crowd, almost fleeing towards his carriage.

"Back to the palace! Quickly! Back to the palace!" He shoved into the carriage and shouted at the driver, his voice hoarse and unpleasant.

The carriage sped away, leaving the suffocating embarrassment behind for the time being.

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

Shu Jingwei stood alone on the white jade steps, while the palace servants and eunuchs standing behind her all held their breath and lowered their heads.

The hot water bottle in her arms had long since lost its warmth; the coldness of the metal seeped through the thin layer of velvet, but she seemed oblivious, her gaze fixed blankly on the sky.

She watched as Lin Ye carefully placed the little bag into the sea of ​​colorful balls, and watched the little girl go from surprise to laughter, clumsily and happily splashing around in the "ocean".

The laughter pierced through the void and struck her eardrums.

That's her daughter.

My biological daughter, by blood.

In a place unseen by her, she was being so tenderly cared for and so indulgently pampered by another stranger, enjoying such...pure happiness.

Shu Jingwei's vision suddenly blurred for a moment, as if she were seeing double.

The little boy's laughing face on the sky seemed to overlap with another innocent face from my memory—

That was a younger version of Shu Rou, who, during a rare and heartwarming moment, had shown her a dependent smile.

But soon, that smile was influenced by the rules of the palace and her majesty and aloofness as an emperor, and gradually transformed into a reserved and sensible demeanor befitting her status as a "princess".

Shu Rou was her most beloved child.

She gave the best she could: a noble status, fine clothes and delicacies, and the awe of others.

But... Shu Rou seemed to have never been like this before, so carefree and immersed in a world called "happiness," laughing so unrestrainedly.

Is she really inferior to Lin Ye as a parent?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, she shuddered as if she had been scalded.

Her fingers tightened suddenly, her nails digging into the velvet of the hot water bottle, making a sharp scraping sound as they hit the copper exterior.

Do not!

Those are all strange and ingenious tricks to bewitch children!

Is it right to let children indulge in play and neglect their studies?

Her great flames require a successor who is both literate and skilled in martial arts, and knowledgeable and reasonable, not a playboy who only knows how to play and have fun!

Little Douzi is the eldest princess, the face of their Great Flame Kingdom. How can she be so presumptuous as to indulge in those childish tricks all day long?!

Lin Ye isn't raising a child at all; he's ruining one!

Yes! That must be it!

Shu Jingwei repeated the image to herself over and over again, as if doing so could completely crush that glaringly warm scene and the untimely unease in her heart.

She was the emperor, the Son of Heaven; her path, her way—

That is the right way to govern the country! That is correct!

However… she couldn’t help but glance at the sky again and saw Xiao Douzi emerge from the sea of ​​balls, giggling at Lin Ye.

That smile... was so bright, so vibrant...

It's just for fun!

Her Rou'er cannot lose either!

Anyway, Rou'er is still young, so it's fine for her to play for a few more years!

Moreover, their mighty Yan state, possessing vast lands and countless skilled craftsmen, could be inferior to some barbarian land whose location is unknown!

Shu Jingwei was preparing to order the Ministry of Works to gather craftsmen to make those amusement facilities based on the sky screen.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing cry rang out, interrupting her from speaking.