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

Shu Jingwei suddenly turned her head, her narrow phoenix eyes wide open.

At that moment, her mind went blank, followed by a torrent of shame, anger, and fury.

She felt a burning sensation on her face, as if she had been slapped hard.

orphan!?

Wang Meng is an orphan!?

The deputy commander was so startled by her glare that he staggered back half a step, his back hitting the edge of the battlement, and he almost fell headfirst.

He gripped the edge of the stacked walls with both hands to steady himself, his voice already trembling with tears:

"General Wang... Wang Meng has no parents... no extended family... He was a beggar rescued by Lord Ye... This is something the entire army knows..."

Shu Jingwei's face turned ashen the instant those words were spoken.

Shu Jingwei suddenly raised her hand, intending to slap that face, but the helmet covering that face successfully stopped her movement.

She angrily lowered her hand and demanded sharply, "Why didn't you say so sooner?!"

The deputy commander was startled by her raised hand and flinched again, only breathing a sigh of relief when he realized she hadn't struck. Faced with the questioning, his lips moved for a long time, but he didn't dare to utter a single word.

Lin Ye leaned against the headboard, sat up straight, held the cup with one hand, patted his chest with the other, and laughed out of his throat without warning.

This emperor is terrible—he doesn't even know the financial situation of his subordinates, or rather, his enemies.

They don't even know the enemy's resources, yet they're threatening their non-existent family members?

He took a breath, leaned back against the headboard, and a smile still lingered on his lips.

Unable to select—aren't you annoyed?

Shu Jingwei was indeed angry.

Her chest heaved violently, and she was breathing heavily through her nostrils.

But she was more afraid than angry.

Because she knew that the imperial guards in the city could not possibly be a match for Wang Meng's army.

Her fingers dug into the cracks between the bricks of the wall, and her armor was already cracked; if she pressed any harder, it would break.

If threats don't work, let's try something else.

Shu Jingwei took another deep breath, lowered her voice, and tried to make her tone sound more composed.

A profound sense of humiliation and a strong will to survive intertwined within him.

Her pride wouldn't allow her to bow down to a general who had risen from humble beginnings, but the dragon throne behind her, and her own life, forced her to swallow her pride.

"Wang Meng—listen to me! If you withdraw your troops now, I can pretend nothing happened!"

"Furthermore, I can bestow upon you the title of Grand General Who Protects the Nation! No one in the history of the Great Yan Kingdom has ever been granted this title—you will be the first!"

"Wealth, honor, high office—whatever you desire, I can give you! Why would you choose to be a rebel?"

The more she talked, the more smoothly she became, and eventually she herself felt that it was a tremendous temptation.

A sense of confidence even rekindled within her.

No one in the world can refuse such a condition!

After she finished speaking, she leaned on the edge of the stack with both hands and looked down, staring intently at Wang Meng, waiting for his reply.

However, things did not turn out as she had hoped.

Looking at the tall figure on the city wall, Wang Meng felt as if he were seeing the past.

That woman was always so aloof, towards them... and towards Lord Ye as well!

He clenched his fist, a surge of anger rising within him.

He ignored the emperor's promise of high-ranking official positions and generous salaries that made many people swallow hard.

He simply raised his right hand sharply, brought his five fingers together, and swung it forward.

"Attack the city!"

"kill--!!!"

A tremendous roar exploded at the same moment, shaking the dust off the city walls.

Some of the soldiers guarding the city were so shaken that their spears slipped from their hands, the shafts hit the crenellations, and they tumbled off the city wall.

The siege engines in the rear began to push forward.

The cart was four zhang tall, with its base made from the trunk of an old pine tree. Each of its eight wheels was half a person's height, and it made a rumbling sound when it rolled over the ground.

A thick battering ram, about the size of a person's embrace, was tied to the top of the siege engine. The ram was filled with densely packed steel bars that reflected a cold light in the sunlight.

Eight soldiers pushed the wheels on both sides of the vehicle, while twenty men pulled on four thick hemp ropes in front to control the direction, and another twenty men pushed forward from behind.

The wheels rolled over the ground, leaving two deep ruts on the dirt road, and gravel flew everywhere under the wheels.

Those on the city wall finally realized what was happening.

The defending general roared the order, his voice cracking: "Fire! Fire now—!"

The archers, suppressing their fear, drew their bows.

The arrows flew out sparsely, some losing momentum halfway through before wobbling into the ground, while others simply veered off course and flew off to who-knows-where.

The few who reached the siege engine had little offensive power left. The siege engine was covered with two layers of water-soaked raw cowhide, which concealed everyone below.

The arrow made a dull thud when it was shot up, bounced twice, and fell to the ground.

The entire city wall shook the moment the siege engine crashed into the city gate.

Some of the soldiers standing on the city wall sat down on the ground with a thud, their armor clanging against the stone bricks.

The battering ram began to relentlessly strike the city gate.

Boom—Boom—Boom—

Each strike was accompanied by a flurry of shouts and frantic footsteps from the city wall.

Each blow felt like a direct hit to Shu Jingwei's heart.

Looking at the crumbling city gate and listening to the deafening shouts of battle coming from below the city walls, a chill ran from her feet to the top of her head.

She suddenly realized that she might actually die here today.

Everything she had painstakingly obtained—her throne, her glory…

It was about to be smashed to pieces by that thunderous sound of wood striking!

Soon, the gold nails on the city gate began to loosen, the bolts creaked and groaned, and rust and sawdust fell from the cracks in the gate.

Because a lot of steel bars were driven into the battering ram, after the third strike, the city gate even began to show dents due to the excessive weight.

The impact continues.

One after another...

Bang! A bunch of golden nails on the city gate flew off, somersaulting and flying far away in the sunlight.

Crack! A crack burst open in the door panel and spread rapidly in all directions.

Bang! The bolt, so thick it took two people to hug it, split completely in two, and the city gate burst open with a deafening roar!

Shu Jingwei stood on the city wall, her face completely pale, devoid of any color.

Her mind was buzzing, and everything before her eyes seemed to slow down.

Such a swift siege! The sun didn't even dip its head slightly!

That's so fast!

An unprecedented despair gripped her, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

The legs beneath the dragon robe trembled so badly they were shaking like leaves, and he could barely stand.

The iron cavalry below the city walls had begun to move. The sound of hooves grew louder and louder as they approached.

Shu Jingwei turned around abruptly, and in her panic, she tripped over the hem of the dragon robe, staggering forward several steps and almost falling headfirst.

The deputy commander beside her quickly reached out to help her up, but she flung him away, her voice completely distorted, shrill and inhuman, filled with hysteria: "Retreat! Retreat quickly! Back to the palace—!"

Only one thought remained clear in her mind: she, the Empress of the Great Flame, absolutely could not die here! She was unwilling! How could she die at the hands of these lowly commoners!

Run! Run first! There's still a way!

It definitely will!