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

The afternoon sun streamed through the high windows of the council hall, casting shimmering patches of light on the floor.

Fujiwara no Shujin shook his head slightly in denial, but the smile on his lips deepened. The silver thread embroidery on the collar of his robe shimmered in the light.

A pair of small eyes curved up at the same time, their gaze filled with an indescribable joy.

He has no brothers.

The five words, seemingly floating in the air, brought a sigh of relief to both Ashina and Dashiman.

That's true; the probability of such an event is probably even lower than the probability of this natural disaster occurring.

Ashina's shoulders visibly relaxed, and his tense body leaned back in the chair.

A hint of weariness appeared on that face, weathered by wind, sand, and battle; though relaxed, there was also a touch of disappointment.

The sunlight outside the hall was intense, streaming in through the high windows and cutting bright beams of light into the stone bricks.

The wisps of smoke from the frankincense rose gently from the bronze incense burner in the corner of the hall, swirling and twisting in the pillar of light, sending that slightly bitter fragrance into everyone's nostrils.

Ashina lazily raised his right hand and waved it casually, ordering a servant to bring a bowl of water.

My throat is parched from talking for so long.

A servant hurried forward carrying a silver bowl, a few glistening water droplets clinging to its rim. Ashina took it and sipped; the water was lukewarm, neither too hot nor too cold, just right to soothe his parched throat.

He casually wiped the water from the corner of his mouth with his fingertip, then raised his eyelids, his gaze passing over the rim of the silver bowl and landing on Fujiwara no Tsurugi: "Then he—"

As he spoke, he took another sip of water.

Fujiwara no Shujin gave a sly smile, a hint of lewdness inexplicably creeping onto his shrewd face: "Him? —"

Sunlight fell on one side of his face, making that side shine, while the other side was hidden in shadow. In the interplay of light and shadow, his smile seemed all the more meaningful.

"He was the favorite concubine of the Khorchin Khan! And that darling was very fond of him."

puff--

Ashina spat out the water he had just drunk, which exploded into a cloud of white mist in mid-air.

The water droplets, illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the high window, shone brightly, each one like a grain of broken gold, tracing countless tiny arcs in the air before gently scattering onto the table in front of me.

Ashina shoved the silver bowl back into the servant's hand with such force that the remaining water inside spilled out, splashing onto the servant's sleeve and leaving a dark, damp stain.

The servant hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to wipe it, and took a few quick steps back.

Ashina didn't care about any of that.

He leaned forward, his eyes, sharpened by the winds and frosts of the grasslands, now wide open.

He scanned the elder of the Great Pear Kingdom from head to toe and from toe to head several times.

My gaze swept from his thin, pale cheeks to his collar where veins could be seen, from his slender wrists to his calves where there was almost no muscle definition.

"Him?" Ashina blurted out, his tone filled with genuine confusion.

Can a pale-faced, skinny guy like him really bring happiness to the "Pearl of the Grasslands"?

"Ahem..." Elder Yali coughed lightly, his whole being exuding an indescribable embarrassment.

He lowered his eyes, somewhat embarrassed. He had said countless things in his life.

He had confronted his own ministers.

In the imperial court, he sat on the throne, silencing his old ministers who opposed him, their beards trembling.

Those words were like drawn swords, each one striking the other's vitals.

He also negotiated with envoys from other major powers in the South China Sea.

At both ends of the long table, the glint of swords was hidden behind polite words. With each word he spoke, the other person's face paled a little, and before he had even finished a cup of tea, the other person's back was already soaked with sweat.

Those words were like an airtight net, trapping the other person inside, the more they struggled, the tighter it became.

He also forced his political opponents to back down at alliance meetings.

The old man with a full head of white hair was so moved by his words that he stood up, leaning on the table. His lips trembled for a long time before he finally turned and left without even leaving a polite word.

Those words were like a sudden hailstorm, crashing down on the other party, leaving them utterly defenseless.

He could deliver so many passionate words, subtly incisive words, and words that could turn the tide, all without batting an eye, with complete ease, leaving the other party utterly convinced.

Language is his most useful chess piece; he can place it wherever he wants.

But not a single word—

No sentence has ever been as difficult to utter as this one today.

Confronting his own ministers, negotiating with envoys from enemy countries, and forcing his opponents to retreat at alliance meetings...

Never before have I found it so difficult to utter a single sentence as I have today.

But for the sake of the greater plan!

He gritted his teeth and decided to tell the truth: "Your subject did indeed have a deep and mutual affection with Princess Tana of the Khorchin tribe."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for the person on the throne to hear clearly.

When he spoke of "mutual affection," his voice was relatively steady, but when he spoke of "extraordinary love," it became somewhat shaky.

"But later—"

He paused there, his lips moved a few times, and a thin layer of sweat seeped from his forehead, glistening faintly in the sunlight.

"I truly felt somewhat powerless... that's why I returned to the South China Sea..."

After he finished speaking the last word, as if he had used up all his strength, he lowered his head and dared not look anyone in the eye.

Fujiwara no Tsuruhito added at the opportune moment, "I've heard that Princess Tana of Khorchin still sends him letters every year, asking him to return to the grasslands and rekindle their romance."

As I spoke, I couldn't help but sigh, "It's all fate."

Fate is truly a wonderful thing.

Silence fell over the hall once again.

The wind outside the window stopped sometime ago, and even the dust in the air settled down, no longer floating.

Only the smoke from the frankincense continued to rise tirelessly, only to be intercepted halfway by the beam of light, swirling in the sunlight.

Ashina remained silent for a moment, and finally thought that one should not judge a book by its cover.

This seemingly frail young man was actually the one the Khorchin princess could never forget.

Given the nature of the grassland people, if a man runs away, it's already considered polite not to chase him down.

But this Princess Tana, instead of seeking revenge, also sent messages every year...

It's clear that it's true love.

Meanwhile, Dashiman on the opposite side was completely speechless. He stood on the right, looking at Fujiwara no Shojin and the other two on the left with a complicated and unwilling gaze.

He didn't even bother to twirl his beard; his hands hung at his sides, his fingers silently tightening inside his sleeves.

He never imagined things would develop to this point!

The princess of Khorchin and the Khan of Balin, two pivotal figures in the great grassland tribes, were both intricately connected with these surrendered officials from the South China Sea.

This relationship is an intertwining of blood ties and emotions! It is far closer than that of the China tribe, who have only met Canaan once and are still undecided whether the other party is friend or foe.

Dashiman quickly calculated in his mind, shifting his gaze from Fujiwara no Shojin's smug face to Ashina on the throne.

He's been completely outmatched in terms of connections. He needs to find another way to get back at them!