[Service Purpose: Supervise the Emperor's diligence and love for the people! Urge the Empress to eat on time! Protect the health and happiness of the four children! And by the way...fight anyone I dislike! (This includes, but is not limited to, envoys from vassal states who try to shirk their obligations, old scholars who write lengthy memorials, and palace maids who try to secretly give Lingbao extra candy!)]
[Ultimate authority unlocked: Permanently bind to the time and space coordinates of this world! Libao, I'm taking root here and won't leave!]
"Poof!" Su Li was the first to lose control, nearly spitting out the sour plum juice in her mouth. System Auntie? Li Bao?! This naming was just as bad as hers!
"Auntie?" Lingbao tilted her head, feeling curious about this new name. She stretched out her greasy little hands and pawed at the air. "Auntie Liangliang? Hug?"
Second child Su Heng immediately guarded his golden pacifier vigilantly: "Auntie? You don't want to grab the pacifier?"
Sanbao Su Yu's Yunzhou curiously flew towards the direction where the sound came from (the ceiling), and the mechanical arm waved tentatively.
Dabao Su Chen's abacus beads clattered crisply, and an analysis report quickly emerged: [New individual 'Aunt Libao': Energy form stability 99.9%, Emotional simulation 85.7%, maximum favorability towards Lingmei, potential threat level: none. Note: Recommended inclusion in the imperial household, with a third-rank female official salary.]
Xiao Jue put down his chopsticks, staring at the surreal scene before him, then glancing at the reactions of his wife and children. Finally, he simply raised his wine glass and nodded ever so slightly in the direction of the invisible "Aunt Libao" in the air. His deep voice, tinged with a barely perceptible smile, said, "Sure."
[Awooo!] Aunt Libao's excited, uncharacteristic cheer echoed through her mind. [Thank you, Lord, for your grace! That someone... the Imperial Kitchen! Three more plates of marinated beef! Put it on my account! Lingbao is growing! Your Majesty needs some nourishment too! (She muttered softly: Although his strength doesn't seem to... ahem, it doesn't seem to need any...)]
Su Li's face flushed red, and she glared at Xiao Jue, earning him an innocent and calm stare back. Lingbao clapped his hands happily, "Rou Rou! Lingbao's! Hello, Auntie!"
The steam from the hot pot rose again, suffusing the smiling faces of everyone in the imperial study with warmth and life. It was as if an invisible, yet incredibly fresh, presence permeated the air, a touch of venom, a bit of noise, but also a deep sense of protection and belonging, completely blending into this world of fireworks.
---
**Section 3: Star Tracks Homeward Journey (Epilogue)**
The night was gentle, the stars hanging low. The palace, bustling during the day, had fallen silent, save for the warm lights still burning in the warm chambers of the Emperor and Empress's chambers. Lingbao, freshly bathed and dressed in soft nightgown, nestled like a contented kitten in Xiao Jue's broad, warm embrace, her little head dozing off gradually, her hand unconsciously clutching a lock of Xiao Jue's long, inky hair. Su Li sat beside them, gently patting her daughter's back and humming a tuneless lullaby.
"Daddy..." Lingbao mumbled in a daze, rubbing her little face on Daddy's solid chest, and found the most comfortable position, "Dongdong...Feifei...Lingbao Yingying...Bangbang..." She was still recalling the "great achievements" of the day.
Xiao Jue's deep voice echoed in the silent warm room, more comforting than a lullaby: "Well, Ling'er is the best."
Su Li watched this scene, her heart melting. She gently stroked Lingbao's soft hair, her gaze fixed on Xiao Jue's angular profile. The dim light softened his characteristic coldness. Suddenly, she spoke softly, a hint of inquiry barely perceptible in her voice: "Guihong ruler...that scabbard, the one Lingbao always used as a 'hard stick'...can you tell the children its story?"
Xiao Jue's large hand, caressing Lingbao's back, paused slightly. He raised his eyes, his deep gaze seeming to penetrate the barriers of time and space, gazing into the distant, blood-soaked past. The warm room was silent, save for the sound of Lingbao's long, even breathing.
"It once belonged to someone," Xiao Jue's voice was low and gentle, as if he was recounting an ancient legend that had nothing to do with him. "A person...who was crushed by blood and responsibility, and ultimately chose to exile both soul and sword to Guixu, seeking liberation in the so-called 'ultimate nothingness'."
Su Li's heart tightened slightly. She held Xiao Jue's other hand, which was resting on his knee. Her palm felt warm.
"He thought Guixu was the end, annihilation, and eternal silence." Xiao Jue felt the warmth in his palm and continued, "He was wrong." His gaze fell on Lingbao's sleeping face. That pure and flawless sleepiness could dispel darkness better than any light in the world. "The end of Guixu is not eternal silence."
He paused for a moment. The room was so quiet that he could hear the slight crackling of the candlelight.
"It was a... forgotten sea of chaos." Xiao Jue's voice was filled with a strange sense of vastness. "Lightless, timeless, and without existence. His scabbard sank into it like a speck of dust dropped into stagnant water. Just when his consciousness was about to be completely assimilated by the eternal 'nothingness'..."
He held Su Li's hand tightly, as if he was also holding the truth and warmth in his arms at this moment.
“…He heard the sound.”
"It's the cry of a young, newborn baby."
"Like a sharp axe splitting the sky, it split open the eternal chaos and silence."
"That cry declared 'there is', declared 'there is', declared... life itself is the ultimate sharp edge that pierces through nothingness."
Su Li held her breath. She looked at Ling Bao, then at Xiao Jue, and an incredible yet perfectly fitting thought began to grow wildly in her mind.
"That cry... pierced the barriers of Guixu, shaking the silent sea of chaos..." Xiao Jue's voice became extremely soft, as if afraid of disturbing something. "It allowed the scabbard that had sunk with him... for the first time, in absolute 'nothingness', to feel the glimmer and... the pull of 'existence'." He lowered his head, gently resting his chin on Lingbao's soft head. His voice deepened, carrying a sense of relief and gentleness, as if the dust had settled. "Following that glimmer, the scabbard... struggled, breaking free from the constraints of Guixu... and finally, landing... beside a firewood pile in a farmhouse lit with warm lights."
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