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

"Lord Lin!?" Wang Meng's throat went dry, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement.

There really was a response!

"Yes," Lin Ye replied calmly.

"Lord Lin, how is Lord Ye? Where is he? Has he encountered some difficulties? You are Lord Ye's best brother, has Lord Ye contacted you? This humble general... is there anything this humble general can do to help?"

Wang Meng spoke urgently, bowing and clasping his hands in a gesture of respect towards the sky, his tone filled with earnestness and humble expectation.

A brief silence.

The silence made Wang Meng's heart sink little by little.

Then, Lin Ye's voice rang out again, this time with a cold scrutiny beneath the calm surface:

"So what if I know?"

Wang Meng was taken aback.

"If you knew that Ye Fan was in grave danger, hanging by a thread, or even... already dead, what would you have done?"

Lin Ye's voice was calm and unhurried, yet it was like a cold awl, piercing straight to the core of Wang Meng's most unwanted suspicion.

"What can you do?"

"I..." Wang Meng's blood rushed to his head, and he roared without thinking.

"If Lord Ye is in trouble, I will risk my life to rescue him! If anyone dares to harm Lord Ye, I will lead my men to crush the enemy and avenge Lord Ye!"

"Your men?" Lin Ye's voice carried a barely audible hint of sneer, faint yet chillingly cold.

"You mean those tens of thousands of border troops stationed at Beiguan who are short of pay and food, and whose weapons are outdated?"

"I..." Wang Meng was struck hard, staggered back half a step, and his back hit the cold wall.

Yeah... what does he have now?

Besides a heart full of resentment and loyalty, besides these tens of thousands of brothers who could endure hardship with him but might not be willing to die for a "missing" Lord Ye, what else did he have?

Supplies are running low, and the court is suspicious of them...

What will he use to "crush his enemies"? What gives him the right to "avenge his grievances"?

A profound sense of powerlessness and indignation, like ice water mixed with magma, churned and tormented within him.

"Lord Lin..." Wang Meng's voice lowered, hoarse and pained from being severely whipped by reality.

"Could it be...could it be that this humble general can only stand by and watch Lord Ye suffer, and do nothing at all?!"

"Lord Ye's kindness to me is immeasurable! If it weren't for Lord Ye clearing my family's name back then and mentoring me all this time, I'm afraid... I would have been nothing but a pile of bones long ago!"

His tone was even more excited, yet tinged with nostalgia, each word resonating clearly throughout the room.

"It was Lord Ye! He saved my entire family's lives and gave me a future... How could I ever forget such kindness and virtue?! How could I possibly stand idly by and do nothing for Lord Ye?! How could I... find peace of mind?!"

In the end, this tough man, who had never flinched even when faced with swords on the battlefield, had red eyes, a choked voice, and hot tears welling up in his eyes, which he stubbornly held back.

Lin Ye listened quietly.

At the same time, he asked the system in his mind: "System, is there a way to detect Wang Meng's loyalty?"

【叮——查询到商城有忠诚检测符（一次性）：可对指定目标进行忠诚度检测，检测结果分为：死忠（95%以上）、忠诚（80%-95%）、摇摆（50%-80%）、随时叛变（50%以下）。兑换需100震惊值。】

Lin Ye had a sudden thought: "Exchange it, and use it directly after exchanging."

[Ding—Exchange successful. Shock points consumed: 100. Current balance: 1150800. Please specify the target.]

"General Dingyuan, Wang Meng."

[Detection in progress... Detection complete. Target: Wang Meng, Loyalty: 100%. Judgment: Unwavering Loyalty. (This person has almost blind trust and obedience towards Ye Fan and those close to Ye Fan.)]

Lin Ye's gaze lingered on "100%" for a moment.

It's actually the maximum value?

This person is indeed usable.

He then spoke, his icy voice seeming to soften somewhat. "Ye Fan was indeed right about him."

"Ye Fan," Lin Ye continued, this time the cold hatred hidden beneath his calm demeanor finally coming to light. "It's not a simple disappearance!"

Wang Meng's heart leaped into his throat, and he held his breath.

"After he was dismissed from his post, he was placed under house arrest in the palace by Shu Jingwei, who ignored him completely. Later, his health deteriorated for some unknown reason... until he finally died despite all medical treatment... I suspect that Yao Jingyuan was behind it all."

"boom--!!!"

Despite having a bad feeling, when the bloody truth was so bluntly revealed, Wang Meng still felt a darkness before his eyes, a buzzing in his ears, and his whole world spinning and collapsing!

"Shu-Jing-Wei!!! Yao-Jing-Yuan!!!"

Wang Meng roared fiercely to the sky, his roar like that of a wounded lone wolf, mournful and sorrowful, filled with boundless hatred!

"Bang!" He slammed his fist hard against the hard blue brick wall, the wall was slightly dented, and gravel fell down. His fist was instantly torn open and bleeding profusely.

"I'm going to kill them! I'm going to slaughter those two beasts who are worse than pigs and dogs! To avenge Lord Ye!!" Wang Meng seemed to have gone mad, turning around and rushing towards the door.

He was going to gather troops and return to the capital immediately to tear those two thieves to pieces!

"stop!"

Lin Ye's icy voice was like a bucket of ice water poured over Wang Meng's head, instantly halting his steps toward the outside.

"Are you going to your death now?" Lin Ye's voice was sharp and undeniable.

"With your meager army of tens of thousands at Dingyuan Pass, lacking pay and provisions, you think you can storm the impregnable walls of the capital guarded by hundreds of thousands of imperial guards?"

Wang Meng stood frozen at the doorway, his back trembling violently with extreme anger and helplessness.

Every word Lin Ye said was like a whip lashing at him.

Yeah... what does he have now?

The border troops were suffering, the court was suspicious of them, their food supplies were insufficient, and their weapons were outdated.

His rash rebellion was not for revenge, but to send his brothers to their deaths!

"Could it be...could we just stand by and watch Lord Ye die unjustly, and watch those two beasts go unpunished and continue to rule the country that Lord Ye conquered?!" Wang Meng turned around abruptly, his voice distorted by pain and struggle.

Making him do nothing is worse than killing him!

"Who said you had to just stand by and watch?" Lin Ye's voice carried a calm, even cruel, rationality.

"A blood debt must be repaid in blood!"

"But not now. Not with your and your brothers' lives. Revenge requires strength, it requires opportunity, and even more so—to survive and become stronger."

Wang Meng's chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, barely managing to suppress the murderous intent that threatened to burst through his chest.

He knew Lin Ye was right.

"Lord Lin..." Wang Meng's voice lowered, hoarse with pleading.

"Then... what should this humble servant do? Please... guide me! You are Lord Ye's brother, the one to whom Lord Ye entrusted everything. Your words are Lord Ye's words! This humble servant... will die a thousand deaths to obey your command!"

He knelt down, facing the sky, and clasped his hands tightly in a fist salute.

On the sky, Lin Ye nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Right now, what you need to do is stabilize the border, grip your sword tightly, protect the soldiers behind you, and take care of the people under your rule," Lin Ye's voice came clearly, carrying a clear instruction.

"The border region is bitterly cold, the soldiers are starving, and the people are suffering. Find a safe place, and I will give you a batch of 'spiritual liquid' that can help crops grow faster and increase yields later."

Wang Meng suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with astonishing light.

Food! Food is what the border region needs most!

"Once you obtain it, conduct secret tests to confirm its effectiveness, and then promote its use in the border fields. Ensure the soldiers are well-fed and the people survive. This is the top priority."

"Understood, sir!" Wang Meng nodded emphatically. With food supplies, the army's morale could be stabilized, and the people's hearts could be united! This was the foundation!

"In addition, I may transmit other things you might need in the future using the same method, so please keep an eye on them," Lin Ye continued.

"The border is far from the emperor's reach, and Shu Jingwei and Yao Jingyuan's influence can't extend that far for the time being, nor do they care about this 'bitter and cold land.' This is the best place for you to accumulate strength."

The light in Wang Meng's eyes shone even brighter.

This is to allow him to secretly develop his power and cultivate his foundation!

"But there's one thing," Lin Ye emphasized, his voice becoming more forceful.

"You need to spread the word. These are Ye Fan's wishes, and also my humble efforts as Lin Ye, unable to tolerate the chaos of this world. Ye Fan's kindness should be remembered. My name, Lin Ye's name, should also be known. This will be useful to me."

"Also, keep Ye Fan's information a secret for now. Release it at the right time later; it might have some unexpected effects." Lin Ye curled the corners of his lips, but the curve was devoid of warmth.

Although Wang Meng didn't quite understand what Lin Ye was going to do, he agreed without hesitation: "This subordinate obeys! All those who benefit from this must be made aware of the kindness shown to Lord Ye and Lord Lin!"

"Very good." Lin Ye's voice carried a hint of satisfaction.

"Remain calm, cultivate your roots, stockpile provisions, and delay declaring yourself king. Let the storms in the capital rage on for now. You only need to observe detachedly and wait for the opportune moment. Only when the edifice is about to collapse and the people have lost all support will it be the day to draw your sword and exact revenge!"

Wang Meng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the grief, anger, murderous intent, and the ignited flame of hope churning in his chest into the deepest part of his heart.

He solemnly kowtowed to the sky, each word ringing out firmly: "This humble general, Wang Meng, obeys Lord Lin's command! I will never forget Lord Ye's grudge! If I do not avenge this, I swear I am not worthy to be a man!"

"Go prepare the place first. Call me when you're ready, and I'll respond later," Lin Ye said as a final remark.

The voice in my mind receded like the tide, leaving no trace.

Wang Meng stood still, maintaining his devout kneeling posture, for a long time without moving.

The cold wind outside the window ruffled his blood-stained sleeves, but he felt no cold. He only felt the flames of "revenge" and "hope" burning fiercely in his chest, growing ever stronger.

……

Shu Jingwei had no idea that her throne and even her life were being coveted.

She was sitting on the dragon throne in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, gritting her teeth as she looked at the sky!