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

Afterwards, Lin Ye played with Xiao Douzi for a while.

The night outside the window grew even darker, and snowflakes quietly swirled and fell, some settling on the windowsill and accumulating a thin layer of white, while others were blown by the wind and stuck to the glass.

Then, infected by the temperature of the glass, it slowly melts into tiny, fine water droplets that meander down the surface.

The Ferris wheel that Xiao Douzi built was finally finished, although it was crooked and looked like it was drunk when viewed from the side.

But she was very satisfied. She held the Ferris wheel in both hands, turned it around, and examined it for a while before patting the wood chips off her hands with satisfaction.

Sleepiness washed over her again, and Xiao Douzi yawned, her mouth wide open, revealing a row of neat little white teeth, her eyes almost closed.

Lin Ye led her to wash up.

Xiao Douzi stood in front of the sink, brushing her teeth one stroke at a time, her eyes half-open as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Her soul seemed to have flown to the bedroom—to that soft, large bed—and she didn't even notice the trace of foam still clinging to the corner of her mouth.

Lin Ye stood next to her, took a tissue to wipe the foam from the corner of her mouth, and then washed a towel to wipe her face.

After washing up, Xiaodouzi fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed.

Her little head sank into the pillow, the blanket was pulled up to her chin, and her breathing quickly became steady.

His lips were still moving slightly. Lin Ye leaned closer to listen and made out a few indistinct words: "To...protect...my godfather..."

Lin Ye smiled, reached out and gently patted her head, then tucked the corner of the blanket around her.

After confirming that no wind could get in through the gaps, he straightened up, turned off the bedside lamp, and quietly left the room.

He returned to his bedroom, stood by the window, and looked at the swirling snow outside. He felt a sense of comfort and warmth that he had almost never experienced since Ye Fan left.

……

Western Regions.

A light drizzle, like smoke and mist, gently enveloped the entire land, veiling the distant towns and scattered villages in a soft, grayish-blue veil.

The rain was so fine it was almost invisible, and it felt cool on people's faces, but it wasn't annoying at all.

Along the route from the coastline to the capital, there was a town of Flame Devouring at regular intervals. Ashina's deputy general had already set off on horseback to deliver the settlement orders.

The people of the South China Sea and the former nobles were divided into households and allocated to empty houses in various towns along the way. However, the allocation was only for temporary accommodation. If they wanted to continue living there, they would have to pay money.

Alternatively, they could simply spend money to buy better houses. Most nobles chose to buy them themselves, and the soldiers responsible for allocating them were happy to have an easier job.

As for the soldiers from the South China Sea, they were taken to military camps in the suburbs before entering the capital city.

They will be registered there, then their original formations will be broken up and they will be reassigned to the various battalions of the Flame Devourer for retraining.

Upon arriving in the capital, the city gates were already wide open. The guards on the city walls, seeing his royal banner from afar, sounded their horns, the deep blasts carrying far in the humid air.

Ashina rode his jet-black Akhal-Teke horse at the head of the procession.

Many onlookers stood on both sides of the main road in the city, curiously examining the carriage following Ashina and guessing who was inside.

Ashina did not linger. He led the newly appointed prime minister and several elders through the main road and rode straight towards the palace.

The royal palace was built on a high ground in the very center of the capital. Its outer walls were made of large adobe bricks, and the black paint on the walls was washed away by the rain and became shiny black.

On either side of the palace gate stood a stone sculpture of a soaring eagle, its eyes two fist-sized red agates that gleamed dimly in the rain.

He had arranged for someone to notify the other prime minister of the Flame Devourer Kingdom, as well as ten elders, who were already waiting in front of the royal council hall.

They stood in front of the steps, holding several oil-paper umbrellas. Rainwater gathered on the umbrella surfaces, forming fine streams that dripped down the ribs onto the stone slabs, splashing up barely perceptible ripples.

Ashina did not linger in front of the palace.

He dismounted, ripped off his soaked cloak, and threw it, along with the reins, to the approaching horseman. Then he turned and strode up the stone steps.

As he passed another prime minister, he nodded slightly, signaling everyone to follow.

The group walked through the long corridor in front of the hall, their heels clicking loudly on the stone floor. The attendants pushed open the heavy hall doors, and the main hall of the council chamber was revealed to them.

The hall was brightly lit, and the torches and candlesticks on the walls had already been lit by the servants, casting dancing shadows on the walls.

Ashina walked straight to the high platform in the center, stepped onto the steps, turned around, and sat on the high throne.

The throne was carved from a single piece of jade, with an extremely high backrest. At the top, carved from obsidian, was the black eagle with outstretched wings from the Flame Devouring King's banner, its wings spread out to the sides, almost as if it were about to fly off the backrest.

The armrests of the seat were covered with a layer of tanned cowhide that had been polished to a shine, and each end of the armrest was inlaid with a fist-sized red agate.

He sat there, one hand on the armrest, his fingers habitually tracing the red agate, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall from above.

Then he raised his other hand and waved it to the side, first instructing his servants to offer seats to the prime minister and elders.

The servants brought over a dozen round, flat cushions and low tables, which were then lined up on both sides of the hall.

At Ashina's signal, everyone took their seats. To the right were the six newcomers from the South China Sea who had just entered the Western Regions, and to the left were the former prime minister of Shiyan and ten elders.

Once everyone was seated, Ashina spoke up: "What exactly is the situation in the South China Sea? Minister Chouren and the elders, please explain in detail."

His voice echoed beneath the towering palace roof, carrying a natural air of authority.

Fujiwara no Shūjin looked up at him.

The tall man on the throne was looking down at him, his gaze lacking the scrutiny and interest he had shown upon learning his identity on the beach, but it was far from gentle either.

He decided to accept his fate for now; things had come to this point, and there was no other way but to accept it. The Japanese emperor had always been flexible and adaptable; he would see if another opportunity arose later.

Fujiwara no Shūjin organized his thoughts and slowly began to speak: "Aside from the fact that his identity was fake, everything else about the South China Sea was basically true."

He raised his head, looked directly at Ashina, and continued calmly:

"About two weeks ago, it started raining throughout the South China Sea islands. At first, it wasn't heavy. It rains in the South China Sea every year around this time, so we didn't pay much attention to it."

His gaze drifted into the distance, as if he were looking through the stone walls of the council hall at the archipelago that had been submerged by rain.

"But within three days, starting from the islands in the southeast, torrential rain gradually swept across the entire South China Sea. The rainfall was heavier than at any time in previous years..."

Fujiwara no Shūjin's Adam's apple bobbed, as if recalling scenes he didn't want to think about.

"Until we left, the rain would occasionally lessen a little. But at most it would go from a downpour to a moderate rain, and then it would go back to being a downpour almost immediately!"