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

The secret passage was very dark, with only an oil lamp placed far apart on the wall. The lamplight flickered in the wind, which seemed to come from nowhere, making the small space alternately bright and dark.

Shu Jingwei walked in front, followed by a group of veterans with heavy steps.

The shadows of everyone were stretched thin and long by the dim firelight, clinging crookedly to the uneven wall, stretching and contracting with each step, looking like a group of struggling, crawling ghosts.

After entering the secret passage, Shu Jingwei's heart, which had been pounding in her throat, finally calmed down considerably.

She even deliberately slowed her pace and straightened her back to make herself walk more leisurely.

She raised her hand to tidy up a stray strand of hair that had fallen by her temple, her fingertips touching the cold sweat covering her forehead—the sticky, icy touch made her frown slightly.

She subtly wiped the sweat onto the dark patterns on the dragon robe, then raised her chin slightly.

After all, he was still the emperor of these people. Even if he was fleeing for his life, he couldn't be too undignified.

Besides the Hall of Supreme Harmony, many other halls in the palace have secret passages leading to different places.

The entrance to this secret passage is extremely well hidden, concealed in a hidden compartment beneath the dragon throne. Unless someone knows the inside story, they won't be able to find it unless they turn the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony upside down.

For Wang Meng's men to find this secret passage in such a large palace would be impossible without several days of searching.

By the time they find him, he will have already made a hasty retreat, biding his time and waiting to make a comeback.

Thinking of this, Shu Jingwei smiled smugly. Her steps became lighter.

The air in the secret passage was damp and murky, carrying a musty smell and the stench of earth, but when she took a deep breath, she felt extremely comfortable.

So what if we storm the palace? We still won't be able to catch her!

However, at that moment, a gurgling sound came from my stomach.

Shu Jingwei froze, only then realizing that she had been so focused on taking valuables that she hadn't brought any food.

Now, it's long past her usual lunchtime.

She had to urge everyone to quicken their pace.

As they sped forward, finally, a sliver of white light shone through the distance—that was the exit!

Upon reaching the beam of white light, Shu Jingwei did not rush out.

She raised her hand to stop the old soldiers behind her from moving, and winked at an old soldier beside her.

The veteran understood, and carefully pushed open the cover above his head, following the stone steps leading to the exit.

The cold wind of early spring, carrying the scent of earth and decaying leaves, blew in, making Shu Jingwei shiver.

The veteran peeked out, looked around, then withdrew and whispered, "Your Majesty, there's no one here."

Shu Jingwei then lifted the hem of her dragon robe and climbed the steps.

The exit was located in a dense forest outside the city, surrounded by towering ancient trees.

Although it was early spring, the gnarled branches had only just begun to sprout a few new buds, and looked completely bare.

But they were so densely intertwined that they still blocked out most of the sunlight, leaving only a few specks of gold scattered on the ground covered with decaying leaves.

The air in the forest was cold and damp. Stepping on the thick layer of decaying leaves, my feet felt soft and yielding. With each step, I sank into a small indentation, which was quickly filled with seeping water.

Shu Jingwei stood at the exit, looking around, a hint of relief and pride in her eyes as she realized she had survived a close call.

She raised her chin, patted the dirt off her dragon robe, and made a deliberate show of composure.

"Go," she said, pointing to an old soldier, her tone returning to its usual imperious manner, "and find me some food."

The old soldier was stunned for a moment, before he could even reply—

A deafening sound exploded in the dense forest.

"Surround it!"

In an instant—

Countless people suddenly rushed out.

Heavy footsteps pressed in from all directions, making the ground tremble slightly.

The decaying leaves rustled underfoot, startling several unidentified birds in the forest, which flapped their wings and screeched as they soared into the sky.

The soldiers, seemingly emerging from the ground, surrounded the group of about a hundred people, holding steel bars in their hands.

Then, torches lit up one by one, and the wall of people that Shu Jingwei was facing parted, and a person walked out from behind.

Wang Meng, riding a tall horse, looked down at Shu Jingwei, whose face had turned deathly pale, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Shu Jingwei's pupils contracted sharply, her mind went blank, and all the color drained from her face.

impossible!

That's absolutely impossible!

How could anyone in this world, besides myself, possibly know the exit of this secret passage?!

"Impossible! This is impossible!"

She screamed, her voice sharp and piercing with shock and fear, so intense it hurt the eardrums.

Without a second thought, she turned and ran back, wanting to retreat into the secret passage that gave her a sense of security.

But when she turned around, she was greeted by a ground that showed no trace of her presence.

The secret passage she had just emerged from was now sealed shut, tightly against the ground. On the small mound marking the exit, a foot wearing a combat boot stood.

She stiffly raised her head, followed the foot upwards, and saw a blank face belonging to one of Wang Meng's soldiers.

It’s over.

These two words struck her like a thunderbolt, leaving her completely stunned and bewildered.

The encirclement began to shrink, and the veterans squeezed around her, scattering the gold and silver jewelry they carried on their backs on the ground, their faces filled with despair.

Shu Jingwei's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground.

The hem of the dragon robe lay on the dirty ground, and the mud and water quickly seeped into the bright yellow silk, staining it with patches of murky dark color.

Her eyes were fixed blankly on the ground, her lips moved, repeating only one sentence over and over:

"How could this happen... This is impossible... How could this happen..."

Lin Ye sat on the bed with his arms crossed, taking in the entire scene. A wicked smile appeared in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

He thought for a moment, then took out another communication talisman from the system store. This time, however, he didn't stick it on the Heavenly Mirror, but instead directly selected Shu Jingwei to use it.

The talisman flashed, and a microphone icon appeared in the middle, but this time it was blue and on.

Lin Ye brought the talisman to his lips and spoke softly:

"Did you like the surprise I gave you, Shu Jingwei?"

The voice was soft, even gentle.

"Does this scene look familiar? You and Ye Fan captured the old emperor here and forced him to issue the edict of abdication, didn't you?"

Shu Jingwei was stunned for a moment.

She suddenly raised her head, and her whole body trembled violently as if she had been lashed across the back by an invisible whip.

That voice! That voice!

She recognized him! It was Lin Ye from the sky!

It's Ye Fan's brother!

It's him again! It was him again!

Wang Meng paused for a moment, because Lin Yetian's communication talisman was not turned off, and he also heard this sentence.

He glanced discreetly at Shu Jingwei, who was trembling like she had an epileptic seizure, and knew that Lord Lin must have been speaking to her using that secret telepathic method.

He immediately raised his hand, signaling the surrounding soldiers to stop.

After Lord Lin finishes dealing with it.