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

Wang Meng clenched his fists, placed his hands on his knees, and pulled his fingers one by one into his palms, making a slight cracking sound from his joints.

The fingertips turned bluish-white from the force, and the knuckles bulged out as if they were about to burst through the thin skin.

The veins on the back of his hand bulged out, extending from his wrist all the way to the base of his fingers.

The bluish veins, like streams, meandered, bulged, and throbbed beneath his wheat-colored skin, each one taut as if a bowstring were about to snap.

To save money, only one ring of candles was lit around the area where he and his officials were gathered.

Beyond the halo of light, a heavy darkness pressed in from behind the beams, pillars, and curtains, engulfing the remaining half of the palace.

The candle flame flickered intermittently, disturbed by the damp wind seeping in through the crack in the door, stretching his shadow on the screen behind him into varying lengths, as if it might be torn apart at any moment.

Last year, with the help of the Immortal Lin, they had a bumper harvest of grain in the northern region and a large area nearby.

Wang Meng still remembers it to this day.

During those days, he stood on the edge of the field, and a hot wind swept in from the depths of the wheat field, carrying the dry and strong smell of ripe wheat stalks that had been scorched by the sun, making his nose itch.

The sun overhead was blindingly bright and scorching, and the sky was as blue as indigo cloth just pulled from a dye vat, with not a single cloud in sight.

As far as the eye can see, there are surging golden waves, with heavy ears of wheat drooping their heads, the ears so full they seem about to burst, and they rustle loudly when the wind blows.

The voice was deep and resonant, giving people a sense of security.

After the harvest was finished, he looked at the piles of golden wheat grains, taller than a person, and was immediately filled with excitement.

Wang Meng reached out and scooped up a handful of wheat grains, letting them slip through his fingers. The grains landed on his other palm, heavy and cool, carrying the scent of earth and sunshine.

He looked down at the few remaining grains of wheat in his palm, round and plump, gleaming warmly in the sunlight, like tiny pieces of gold.

At that moment, his eyes even stung a little—when had he ever seen so much food in this harsh northern land?

If even the poorest of the northern regions can harvest so much, then the other towns must be reaping even more!

What a bumper harvest! This is truly a bumper harvest!

This grain was originally intended to subsidize some people who couldn't afford food after the war and sustain them until this year's harvest.

When he led his troops into the capital, he sent people back to the northern border to make arrangements to collect surplus grain from various cities and counties in the north and transport it to counties and prefectures that were short of grain due to the war.

Then the government distributed grain to help the people in these areas get through the first six months.

With the help of the Immortal Lin's divine book and the spirit spring water, the entire Great Flame will surely have a bountiful harvest this spring, and they will no longer lack food.

But now this rain has disrupted all plans.

Wang Meng wearily rubbed his temples. Ever since the urgent report of the flooding of the southernmost village of Dayan, he hadn't had a good night's sleep, and bad news kept coming in.

Almost every few hours a new urgent report would arrive, none of them good news.

His eyes are now bloodshot, and there are two deep bluish-black shadows under his eye sockets.

His lips were dry, cracked, and pale, with a small crack in the center of his lower lip, from which blood was faintly seeping. A lick of his tongue left his mouth full of salty, rusty taste.

A thick, coarse stubble had sprouted on his chin, sticking out firmly and making him look several years older.

The candlelight cast a dark shadow on his profile, highlighting his prominent cheekbones and revealing a slight hollow in his cheeks.

Wang Meng's gaze passed through the half-open wooden window, where dense rain lines looked like bright white whips lashing down from the depths of the clouds.

The crackling and popping sounds blended together, so loud that all you could hear was that one sound.

Rainwater flowed down the eaves of the palace, forming a curtain of water that cascaded down. A misty fog rose from the ground, carrying a cool breeze that seeped in through the gaps under the palace doors, soaking the imperial kiln bricks.

Through the continuous rain, he saw a gloomy sky.

The sky was perfectly clear, and the clouds hung so low they almost touched the giant kiss at the very top of the palace.

Moreover, the clouds seemed unusually heavy, making the beasts on the roof ridge appear shorter, huddled in the rain, and lacking their usual imposing grandeur.

Every now and then, muffled thunder rumbled from the horizon, shaking the dust that had accumulated on the palace beams and causing it to fall down in a flurry.

The sounds of rain, thunder, and the hushed conversations of the ministers in the palace blended together, making his temples throb.

The veins under his temples bulged and contracted, again and again, as if some living thing was trapped inside and struggling desperately.

He could hear a buzzing sound in his ears, the sound of blood rushing through his veins, muffled and heavy, mixed with the sound of rain outside.

An untimely voice suddenly rang in his mind. It wasn't loud, but it was very clear, as if someone was speaking right next to his ear.

The voice told him: If only Lord Lin were here. Lord Lin would surely have a way…

The voice was soft and gentle, filled with an indescribable allure.

Otherwise... let's contact Lord Lin. After all, Lord Lin specifically gave me a communication talisman, saying to contact him if anything happens.

At this moment, the ten talismans were placed on his chest. He had specially asked someone to sew a pocket on the chest of his inner garment to store the talismans, and he would not take them off except when bathing.

He could feel the presence of those talisman papers even through his clothes—they were stacked neatly one by one, and the paper was slightly stiff.

When kept close to the body for a long time, it becomes warm from body heat, like another heart, gently and continuously radiating warmth.

As long as... I take one out and use it, I can contact Lord Lin and get him to help Da Yan...

But he quickly suppressed the thought.

No!

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and when he opened them again, there seemed to be a few more blood vessels in them.

Just a few days ago, I said in front of everyone on the sky: The Great Flame is basically stable, and I implore the Crown Princess to succeed to the throne.

He spoke so confidently and eloquently back then, even instructing the Ministry of Rites to be ready to prepare for the coronation ceremony at any time.

But just a few days later, trouble broke out—

The granaries are empty, more than a dozen river embankments have collapsed, and the number of displaced people is increasing day by day...

Wang Meng's breath hitched, as if something was blocking his throat, something he couldn't swallow or spit out, it just stuck there, feeling sour and astringent.

How dare he go to see Lord Lin?

Moreover, Lord Lin has already done so much for the Great Flame...

The divine weapon was given by Lord Lin, and Shu Jingwei was able to bring down the enemy so quickly thanks to Lord Lin's divine weapon and military dispatch.

The spring water and the divine book were given by Lord Lin, and the increased grain production was entirely due to Lord Lin.

And the iron-smelting method, which is still under research, was all bestowed upon them by Lord Lin out of kindness…

Wang Meng mentally counted each item one by one. With each item he thought of, the talismans on his chest, which seemed to have suddenly gained weight, became even heavier, causing his sternum to ache slightly.

How could I possibly continue to trouble him?