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

The rain outside the palace had only stopped for a short while before it started raining again.

Raindrops fell one by one from the eaves tiles, hitting the stone steps with a crisp, delicate sound.

The hall was stiflingly stuffy, with dampness seeping out from the cracks in the stone bricks, mingling with the musty smell of everyone's clothes after being soaked by the rain, weighing heavily on everyone's shoulders.

The spy looked up after presenting the secret letter.

The flickering candlelight illuminated his face, revealing him to be the waiter from the Western Regions shop.

The bamboo tube had been unsealed, and the secret letter was unfolded in Ashina's hands.

It was the shopkeeper's own handwriting, using a code used exclusively by the Flame Devourer. On the surface, it was just an ordinary goods list, but when read using a specific decryption method, it became a complete intelligence report.

Ashina glanced through the secret letter, then raised his hand, signaling the waiter to stand up and give a brief account to the ministers around him who were unaware of what was going on.

The waiter stood up, first bowing deeply to the throne, then curtsying to the prime ministers and elders on either side.

He had worked in the shop for many years, dealing with all sorts of people. He was eloquent and, although tired, his report was still clear and organized.

"Your Majesty, Your Excellencies—"

"Yesterday morning, the Great Flame Sky lit up again. That immortal named Lin Ye took the Great Flame's eldest princess, Ye Ling'er, to a place called 'Yuante Amusement Park'."

He took a deep breath; what followed was the important part:

"And during the live broadcast on the Sky Screen, General Wang Meng, the current ruler of the Great Flame, suddenly sent a comment."

He paused, wiped the sweat mixed with raindrops from his forehead with the back of his hand, and his voice deepened:

He said, "Lord Lin, the Great Flame has now been initially stabilized. This humble general humbly requests that the Crown Princess ascend the throne as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing this, a buzzing sound of whispers immediately filled the hall.

The elders from the Western Regions exchanged glances. Some frowned and looked puzzled, while others shook their heads slightly with downturned lips. Some leaned over to their neighbors and whispered among themselves.

Xiao Er waited until the noise subsided before continuing, "As soon as this comment appeared, the Flame People instantly went into an uproar."

"Some people agree, saying that Ye Ling'er is Ye Fan's only bloodline and is rightfully his; but there are more who oppose and are dissatisfied."

As he said this, a hint of schadenfreude appeared on his face, and his voice unconsciously rose a little:

"But Wang Meng was extremely firm, saying, 'Whoever disagrees, I'll be waiting for you to come and beat me up in the capital!'" The waiter repeated Wang Meng's resounding words verbatim.

"Upon hearing this, the Great Flame People immediately fell silent."

He shook his head, a hint of sarcasm still lingering on his lips, as if he disdained those cowardly gods of the Great Flame.

"Later, Wang Meng said that he had contacted the immortal Lin Ye, who personally agreed to let the eldest princess succeed to the throne and asked the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the enthronement ceremony."

After he finished speaking, he fell silent and did not disturb the discussion among the gentlemen.

Finally, Da Shiman concluded: "In other words, the next Great Flame Emperor will be a five-year-old girl."

The elders looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this.

The hall was quiet for a moment, with only the occasional crackling of the burning torches and the dripping of water from the eaves hitting the stone steps outside.

Several elders from the Western Regions muttered something in their local language; it was unclear what they were saying, but judging from their expressions, it wasn't anything pleasant.

The five newly appointed elders of the South China Sea were also shocked by the news, their faces showing surprise and bewilderment.

The elder from the former Javanese slammed his hand on his knee, making a dull thud, and couldn't help but swear:

"A five-year-old girl as emperor? Have those idiots from Da Yan been kicked in the head by a donkey?"

He was about to say something more when the elder from the former Rinpa University nudged him with his elbow, signaling him to be mindful of the occasion.

He reluctantly withdrew his hand, but the fat on his face was still trembling slightly, clearly indicating that he had a lot to say but nothing to say.

Ashina leaned back on the throne, his fingers lightly tapping on the red agate, and slowly spoke with a hint of amusement:

"The previous Empress, Shu Jingwei, a woman who ascended to the throne, was originally thought to be our opportunity... but that woman had Ye Fan at the time—"

"Ye Fan was indeed capable, able to repel forces from the west, south, and north. But now, Ye Fan is dead!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh, "Ha! So what if Ye Fan defeated my father? In the end, he still fell for a woman. How laughable!"

The elders below immediately joined in with laughter, the sound rising and falling, buzzing throughout the hall.

The elder who laughed first nodded vigorously while laughing, his face full of flattery as he began to fawn:

"The king had predicted at the time that 'a woman ruling as emperor would not last long.'"

He exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Sure enough, it hasn't been long since Ye Fan died. The woman's true colors were revealed, and she was pulled off her horse without any resistance."

Another elder from the Western Regions was deep in thought, his chin resting on his hand, his brows furrowed in a frown, seemingly puzzled:

"Is it not enough for a woman to be emperor? Now they want to pass the throne to a five-year-old toddler. What is the Great Yan Dynasty trying to do?"

Da Shiman spoke up, a slight smile playing on his lips: "I reckon that girl is just a puppet on stage. The real power holders are Wang Meng and that Lin Ye!"

A glint of light flashed in his eyes as he voiced his suspicions: "Wang Meng holds military power, and Lin Ye possesses some so-called supernatural abilities, but their claims are illegitimate!"

"And that little girl is the daughter of Shu Jingwei and Ye Fan. Shu Jingwei is the legitimate heir of the Shu family, and Ye Fan has an extremely high reputation..."

"Aren't these exactly what the people of the Central Plains care about most—legitimacy and prestige!"

Ashina nodded, a look of approval in his eyes. As expected of their strategist from the Western Regions, he hadn't even thought of this.

"What the Prime Minister of the Barbarian Kingdom said makes perfect sense."

His gaze returned to the waiter in the center of the hall, and his attention fell on another matter the waiter had mentioned.

"You just said that many of the Great Flame People are dissatisfied with and opposed to this matter?"

The waiter leaned forward slightly, placed his right fist in front of his chest, and replied earnestly, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"When Wang Meng first tried to contact Lin Ye, there was a lot of opposition in the comments. Later, probably because Wang Meng said that he had obtained the immortal's approval, no one dared to openly oppose him in the comments."

He abruptly changed the subject, lowering his voice slightly: "But I've investigated the teahouses and restaurants in Fengcheng, and there are quite a few people who privately oppose it!"

Ashina seemed to be deep in thought.

Fengcheng is just a small border town, mostly inhabited by merchants, and there are quite a few who oppose it.

In those big cities, where officials and intellectuals gather, there will only be more opposition!

A great flame—this is an omen of chaos…