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

The goatee sat in the main chair, the tea beside him had long since gone cold, a few tea leaves had sunk to the bottom of the cup, having been steeped for a long time and fully unfurled.

There was no steam rising from the water, and even the cup was cool to the touch. When I touched my fingertips, the coolness crept up my skin and into my bones.

He stared blankly at the cup of cold tea, his gaze seemingly fixed on something extremely far away, or perhaps on the curled-up leaves at the bottom of the cup.

Unconsciously, the fingertips of his other hand caressed the carved armrest of the chair, again and again. The grain of the huanghuali wood had been polished to a glossy sheen, and the patina gleamed with a warm, dark light under the dim candlelight.

The hall was so quiet that you could hear the rain running down the eaves, pattering and splashing on the bluestone slabs in front of the steps.

The other officials who had just arrived stood behind the threshold, peering at the sky through the door frame, stunned and speechless, forgetting to even sit down.

The rain outside was pouring down, and the wind whipped raindrops in, wetting the threshold and the hems of their robes. Yet no one moved, as if frozen in place, even their breathing becoming soft.

A young official was still clutching the oil-paper umbrella he had used to shield himself from the rain when he got out of his sedan chair. Raindrops dripped from the umbrella and quickly formed a small puddle at his feet.

His distorted reflection was mirrored on the water, as was the gray sky outside the door.

The puddle of water grew larger and larger, gradually soaking his shoes. The silk on the toes of his shoes absorbed the water and changed color, but he was completely unaware of it. He just looked up at the sky, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, his face filled with shock.

The curtain of light in the sky remained lit, reflecting the warm yellow candlelight of the Imperial Hospital. The light shone through the clouds, turning the raindrops in the courtyard into a strange pale gold.

It was the scene of Lin Ye and Wang Meng appearing out of thin air at the Imperial Hospital; the scene was so realistic that you could almost smell the medicine.

From the moment Lin Ye vanished into thin air on the training ground to the appearance of the Imperial Hospital in the sky, only a few breaths had passed.

But those few breaths were enough to make the goatee's back break out in a cold sweat.

He had secretly planned that if Lin Ye went to provide disaster relief, he would definitely have to leave the city. At that time, the mountains and roads would be high and the news would not be easy to spread, so he might be able to find some opportunities to do something underhanded.

But this person actually possesses such supernatural powers that he can travel from the training ground outside the city to the imperial palace, which is dozens of kilometers away, in the blink of an eye! This is clearly the legendary immortal technique of shrinking the earth to an inch and making the ends of the earth seem within reach!

If Lin Ye wants to do something, what can I do about it?

The goatee clenched his fists tightly. His knuckles turned white, and his nails almost dug into his palms. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest, like a drum beating faster and faster inside.

He thought about all the planning he had done these past few days, the secret meetings, the confidential letters, the sums of money... he thought about all the sleepless nights, the mental strain, and the hair he had lost...

Are we just going to watch them do disaster relief, stabilizing the raging fires they've worked so hard to control, only to see everything they've achieved go down the drain...?

With natural disasters raging, the people filled with fear, and the government in turmoil, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If the situation is turned around now, there may never be another chance like this.

No! Absolutely not!

They've planned this for so long; they can't afford to fail at the last hurdle! They have to think of a way...

The goatee's breathing became heavy, and the veins on his forehead throbbed faintly. He picked up the glass of now-cold tea, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp, even chewing and swallowing the tea leaves. The bitterness instantly spread in his mouth, which calmed him down a bit.

His gaze swept across the faces of the people below the hall.

The men were all ashen-faced, some with trembling lips, wanting to speak but afraid to. The young official finally came to his senses, looked down at the puddle at his feet, then looked up at the goatee, his eyes filled with seriousness.

The man with the goatee slowly set down his teacup, the bottom of which tapped against the table with a soft sound. The sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet hall, like some kind of signal.

"Please sit down," he said, his voice slightly hoarse. At the same time, he waved his hand, signaling the servants in the room to leave.

The servants bowed their heads and retreated, their footsteps so light they seemed to be stepping on cotton wool. They didn't raise their heads and didn't dare to breathe.

After everyone else had left, only the five of them remained in the hall: the three who had started with the goatee, the young official, the hoarse-voiced military officer, and the two who had joined later.

The room was filled with a heavy silence, and the sound of rain pattering outside the door.

The group seemed to be released from their trance, their steps unsteady as they each found a chair and sat down. No one spoke, but their glances conveyed the same unease.

Someone wanted to have a sip of tea to calm their nerves, but when they picked up the teacup, they found it was empty. They then picked up the teapot next to them, which was also empty, and finally had to put it down in frustration.

Some people kept looking at the sky, which was still bright, casting long, dark shadows of the window frames into the room.

The goatee didn't rush to speak. He closed his eyes, his fingers rhythmically tapping the table, the sound unhurried yet making the hearts of those present grow increasingly anxious.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, and his gaze had regained some of its former composure.

"Tell me your thoughts."

……

On the training ground, the captains of the eight teams finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Lord Lin and General Wang, who had suddenly disappeared, were unharmed.

They exchanged a glance, and both saw a sense of relief on each other's faces.

One of them raised his hand to wipe the raindrops, whether from rain or sweat, from his forehead, and exhaled a long breath. The breath turned into a cloud of white mist in the rain, and then dissipated in the blink of an eye.

"Alright, alright, stop looking!" A captain turned around and shouted to his men. He was quite tall and had a loud voice. His shout carried far through the rain, and the soldiers around him instinctively shrank back.

"Lord Lin and General Wang are doing well, so don't worry about them! Now, listen to my command: in the order we just discussed, go inside one by one and gather your armor!"

He shouted and waved his arms, gesturing for everyone to head towards the barracks. The sleeves of his raincoats swung up with a "whoosh" sound, and water droplets flew out from the cuffs, tracing several bright arcs.

The other team leaders also began organizing their respective teams to go inside and pack their belongings.

One by one, the soldiers reluctantly turned their gaze away from the sky and went back into the house.

They would turn back every three steps while walking, and some even walked backwards, just to catch a glimpse of the warm light in the sky.

They looked like children being dragged away from the stage by their parents, their eyes and hearts filled with "just one more look, just one more look."

"Alright, hurry up! Quickly pack away your armor, undergarments, and boots. We're going to set off with Lord Lin for disaster relief soon, so don't dawdle!"

A captain, unable to bear watching any longer, urged from behind, his tone stern but with a hint of amusement in his eyes. He took two steps forward, lightly patted the back of the head of the soldier walking backward, and chuckled, "Watch where you're going! Looking at the sky again, or you'll knock your teeth out!"

The soldier rubbed the back of his head, scratched his head sheepishly, chuckled, then straightened up and quickened his pace.

Seeing this, the others did not delay any longer and filed into the eight large buildings in the training ground.

……