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

Shu Jingwei was furious.

Her chest heaved violently, and the five-clawed golden dragon embroidered on her robe seemed to come alive with her breath, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.

She stared intently at Yao Jingyuan, who was kneeling on the ground.

If it weren't for the fact that this person was still somewhat useful, I would have loved to kill him!

But while the death penalty may be spared, punishment is inevitable!

How can I let it go so easily after making her lose so much face!

"Yao Jingyuan has failed in his duty to educate the princess, indulging her and causing her to behave inappropriately! Drag her out and give her fifty strokes of the cane! Deduct her salary for one year and confine her for three months! As a warning to others!" Shu Jingwei's voice was sharp and sarcastic, every word like a poisoned needle.

Yao Jingyuan's shoulders jerked violently, then he remained motionless, as if nailed to the white marble floor by these words.

Shu Jingwei looked down at him and continued speaking, enunciating each word clearly.

"As for Princess Shurou, she must not continue to squander her days in such dissolute and willful ways! After the Lantern Festival, immediately arrange for a tutor for her to begin her studies! The Three Character Classic and the Analects, she must be taught them one by one!"

She took a deep breath and raised her voice a few decibels: "You must personally oversee the daily lessons! If the princess continues to cry, behave improperly, or act inappropriately in the future—"

Her gaze slowly swept over Yao Jingyuan's neck.

"Watch your head!"

These words were spoken very softly, almost like a whisper, yet every word carried a chilling coldness.

Shu Jingwei's harsh reprimand and punishment were like ice water poured over Shu Rou's head, abruptly stopping her crying.

Her face turned deathly pale with fright. She sat on the ground, not daring to sob loudly, but staring in terror at her mother, who had suddenly become incredibly stern and unfamiliar, tears streaming silently down her face.

Upon hearing this, Yao Jingyuan felt dizzy and weak all over, almost collapsing to the ground.

The fine and confinement were minor matters, but the fifty strokes of the cane and the public reprimand by Shu Jingwei for "having impure thoughts" were like rubbing his face into the ground!

Yao Jingyuan felt his face burning hot, from his ears all the way to the base of his neck, as if he had been slapped countless times.

He kept his head down, his eyes fixed on the cracks in the floor tiles, but he could still catch glimpses of the expressions on the faces of the ministers below out of the corner of his eye—

Some were shocked, some were expressionless, and a few courtiers who usually didn't get along with him had a slight upturn at the corners of their mouths, which they quickly suppressed.

How will he ever be able to hold his head high in the palace or at court again?

His fingernails dug deeply into his palms, which were wet with sweat.

Shu Jingwei is using him as a scapegoat to quell her anger and save face!

How could Shu Rou have become like this? Did her mother and the emperor not spoil her at all?

Didn't you just promise everyone that you would build an amusement park and buy all the toys from Linglongge?

How could all the mistakes and all the blame suddenly fall on Yao Jingyuan alone?!

The sudden appearance of this huge, black, and heavy pot caught him completely off guard.

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated and resentful he felt, and a metallic sweetness suddenly surged into his throat!

He clenched his teeth and swallowed the blood back down.

But would he dare to argue? Would he dare to cry foul?

He dares not!

He could only lower his head even further, almost touching the cracks in the gold bricks, and use all his strength to keep his voice from trembling and breaking: "Your subject... receives the decree... thanks Your Majesty. Your subject... will certainly remember Your Majesty's teachings... and deeply reflect on my actions..."

Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between teeth and flesh, carrying the taste of rust and a chill that penetrated to the bone.

The Taihe Hall Square was deathly silent.

Only soft, suppressed sobs and the faint sounds of cheerful music and children's laughter from the toy store could be heard from above the sky.

After venting her frustrations, Shu Jingwei felt a little better.

But looking at Yao Jingyuan kneeling on the ground and Shu Rou, who was terrified, he felt little pleasure, only exhaustion.

She glanced coldly at the sky—

Little Douzi was holding a new plush doll, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she smiled.

The number of vehicles behind them continued to increase, and the shop assistants' expressions grew increasingly respectful and joyful, their smiles almost reaching their ears.

She was preparing to have Yao Jingyuan dragged out and beaten with a board.

Just then—

"puff!"

A soft sound came from the sky, like a candle being blown out.

That enormous celestial canopy, which covered the entire sky of the Great Flame Kingdom and stirred up the winds and clouds for half a day, along with the bizarre and fantastical place within it, once again vanished without warning—

Disappeared.

There was a deathly silence on the Taihe Hall Square.

Then, as if a string that had been stretched for too long had suddenly snapped, the kneeling courtiers collapsed almost simultaneously.

Some people sat directly on their heels, some supported themselves on the ground and slowly straightened up, and some exhaled a long breath, which condensed into a cloud of white mist in the cold air and slowly dissipated.

it is finally over.

They spent the entire morning there, standing there from the first light of dawn until midday, without a drop of water or a grain of rice.

My knees were numb from kneeling, my neck ached from looking up, and my stomach was growling with hunger, but I was kept in check by the continuous shocks on the sky and Shu Jingwei's occasional outbursts of madness.

They dared not move, nor dared to make a sound.

Now that the sky had darkened, all the hunger, exhaustion, and aches surged up at once. Several old ministers almost lost their footing and had to be supported by those around them to avoid falling.

Shu Jingwei stood there, looking up at the now empty sky.

His lips were pressed into a thin line, and he lost all interest in continuing to curse.

"Someone come here—"

Shu Jingwei looked down at Yao Jingyuan, about to continue what she hadn't finished saying.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the ministers who had just breathed a sigh of relief, though they dared not look directly at her, clearly had expressions of watching the spectacle on their faces.

Shu Jingwei felt a sudden chill run down her spine.

She suddenly realized that she had gone too far in publicly scolding and punishing people, revealing her emotions too openly.

In the eyes of these old foxes, how is she any different from a shrew who takes her anger out on others because of family troubles?

The wrath of an emperor should be as powerful as thunder and as immeasurable.

Instead of being able to see right through her—what she's angry about, who she cares about more—as she is now.

A voice suddenly flashed through my mind.

That was a long time ago, shortly after she ascended the throne. One day, she flew into a rage over something and smashed an entire set of teacups in front of the palace servants.

Ye Fan simply watched quietly, and only after she had finished venting her anger did he calmly say, "Your Majesty, I saw everything you were like just now. If I were your political enemy, I would already be thinking about how I could use this to provoke you again next time I need to."

At that moment, she felt that Ye Fan was lecturing her and waved her hand impatiently.

But now...

Shu Jingwei's back tensed slightly.

She paused, her gaze slowly shifting from Yao Jingyuan to sweeping over the entire court of civil and military officials.

That gaze was no longer just angry, but contained more scrutiny and consideration.

The air in the Taihe Hall Square seemed to grow heavier.

Several ministers who had been secretly watching the spectacle just moments before immediately became serious and lowered their heads even further when they were swept by this gaze.

Shu Jingwei looked away and turned her gaze back to Yao Jingyuan.

"Enough, Yao Jingyuan. Take the princess back to freshen up! There's no need for the beating, but her salary will be deducted and she will remain in solitary confinement. Except for the Lantern Festival, she must stay in her room and reflect on what happened today!"

After Shu Jingwei finished speaking, she nodded in satisfaction.

She only just thought of another thing.

After being flogged fifty times, Yao Jingyuan was bedridden for two or three months. Who would take care of Shu Rou? Who would serve her?

Shu Jingwei's gaze inadvertently swept over the assembled officials, secretly noting down the faces of those who had shown unusual expressions earlier.

She lost her composure today.

She will hold Yao Jingyuan accountable for this.

If he hadn't failed to properly educate his daughter, leading to this situation, why would she have exposed her emotions to this extent in front of the entire court?

But she didn't show it on her face, she just lightly flicked her sleeve and said, "Let's disperse."

Having said that, he turned and walked into the hall, the hem of his dragon robe trailing a long arc on the white marble floor.

Yao Jingyuan quickly lowered his head and agreed. Shu Rou, who was next to him, opened her mouth, still thinking about her paradise, but in the end she didn't dare to mention it again.

The kneeling courtiers, as if granted a pardon, kowtowed in unison: "Respectfully bidding farewell to Your Majesty—Long live the Emperor!"

They got up, some brushed the dust off their knees, some rubbed their sore necks, and some helped their colleagues by the arms, walking in twos and threes toward the palace gate.

Yao Jingyuan knelt on the ground, quietly watching Shu Jingwei's figure grow smaller and smaller in the distance.

Without hesitation, without reluctance, she didn't even glance at him twice.

He suddenly remembered many things.

She remembered how she hugged him affectionately and called him "Jingyuan" when he proposed policies that were favorable to her.

She remembered that Ye Fan had been banished to the cold palace because he was no longer useful, along with that little bastard child.

……

One by one, they flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern.

Then he suddenly understood.

That woman loved no one but herself.

When it's useful, it's because "Jingyuan understands my heart best."

When it's useless, it's "Watch your head."

He has seen through everything completely.

Yao Jingyuan's knees had been hitting the cold white marble for too long and had lost all feeling. When he stood up, he swayed twice and almost fell down again.

The eunuch next to him quickly grabbed his arm, but he pushed him away.

The young eunuch stumbled a couple of steps after being pushed, almost falling over, and lowered his head, not daring to go any further.

Yao Jingyuan lowered his head and looked at Shu Rou, who was still slumped on the ground.

She had stopped crying, but was still sobbing a little. Her face was flushed red, her eyes were swollen like walnuts, and her face was covered in snot and tears. Her silk jacket was covered in dust.

She hunched her shoulders, lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously digging into the cracks in the floor tiles, her eyes fixed on the direction Shu Jingwei had left in.

"Get up." Yao Jingyuan's voice was low, filled with suppressed anger.

Shu Rou's body trembled slightly, and she slowly, very slowly, got up.

Her legs went weak and she could barely stand. She had to hold onto the edge of the table to stay upright.

Yao Jingyuan bent down, picked up Shu Rou, held her tightly in his arms, and strode onto the sedan chair that the palace servants had just brought.

His hand was so tight that Shu Rou frowned, but after glancing at his gloomy face, she didn't dare to say anything.

Inside the luxurious sedan chair, Yao Jingyuan's eyes were sinister.

The hatred in my heart spread like wildfire, like weeds growing uncontrollably.

He hated Lin Ye, that fiend, for stirring up trouble; he hated Ye Fan, that little bastard, for stealing all the attention; and he hated Shu Jingwei for turning her back on him so heartlessly, using him as a scapegoat to quell her anger!

Yao Jingyuan will never forget the humiliation he suffered today!

One day...

Shu Jingwei is a woman who climbed to the top by relying on men!

Then why is it impossible for Yao Jingyuan to sit on that dragon throne?

Upon returning to his bedchamber, Yao Jingyuan closed the door behind him and headed straight for his desk.

He spread out the letter paper and wrote three letters.

The letter invited several adults to meet at the "usual place" three days later at 5 PM. At the end, the words "an old appointment" were added. To outsiders, it was just ordinary small talk, but only the recipient of the letter could appreciate the weight of the message.

In the lower right corner of each letter, he would press a tiny mark with his fingernail dipped in cinnabar.

The mark was hidden in the creases and could not be found without careful observation.

After writing all three letters, Yao Jingyuan put down his pen, blew the ink off each letter to dry it, folded them into narrow strips, and sealed them in identical plain white envelopes.

"Wang Hao," he called out, his voice not loud, but there was an immediate response from outside the door.

His trusted eunuch, Wang Hao, pushed open the door and stood at attention, bowing.

Yao Jingyuan handed over the three letters along with his personal jade pendant, looking at him with a sinister gaze: "You must personally deliver them out of the palace and make sure they reach those officials."

Wang Hao accepted it with both hands and bowed solemnly, saying, "Rest assured, Master, this servant understands."

"Go."

Wang Hao accepted the order and left.

Yao Jingyuan remained seated at his desk, motionless.

The candlelight cast two flickering beams of light in his eyes, making them appear even more deep and unfathomable.

The cold wind outside was growing stronger; the Great Flame Kingdom was about to undergo a major upheaval...