Old Brooks was not surprised, his expression still sincere: "On the seventh day of the fifth month, the Imperial Astrologer observed the heavens at night and saw a 'Heavenly Calamity Demon Star' fall into the world of Yan, reincarnated as a human. When grown, this person would bring disaster to the world and chaos to the nation. That very night, His Majesty summoned me to the palace for an audience."

As he spoke, Old Brooks took a deep breath, his voice low: "His Majesty asked me: If no child is born tonight, how could it reincarnate?"

To reach the high position of Prime Minister, one would never put human life in their eyes. Yet even so, after hearing Old Brooks's account, Lord Foster still felt a chill run down his spine.

No one born that night? It should be to kill all infants born that night.

The population of Great Yan is countless, and the number of babies born in a single night would be in the hundreds of thousands...

Old Brooks's voice continued: "His Majesty entrusted this heavy task to me. He also told me to remember eight words: The Emperor of Great Yan, loves his people as his own children!"

A massacre, to kill all infants born that night—though shocking, it was not a difficult task. The real trouble lay in two points: not missing a single one; and not letting it be known, not mobilizing the local officials.

If the court's massacre of infants were to be leaked, it would surely cause a popular uprising.

And the Changting Guard under Lord Brooks's command was responsible for supervising the nation, with spies everywhere from villages and counties to the capital and the court. This 'no one born that night' task was within their jurisdiction, and only they could carry it out flawlessly.

The slaughter was conducted in secret. If not for Xie himself revealing it, even the Prime Minister would not have known.

Lord Brooks averted his gaze, no longer looking at the Prime Minister, but instead fixed his eyes on the candle flame on the table: "On the night of the seventh day of the fifth month, His Majesty gave me a hundred days to complete the task... Today is the last day, and Fourth Young Master is the last one."

Prime Minister Foster's expression was calm, betraying no reaction, but Brian Carter on the bed was scared out of his wits. Heavenly Calamity Demon Star, seventh day of the fifth month, the last one... He heard every word Old Brooks said, and of course understood what the other intended to do.

"I arrived so late to your banquet, old friend, because I didn't know what to do." At this point, Old Brooks suddenly changed the subject: "Tomorrow I will send my little daughter to your residence. Whether Fourth Young Master is here or not, she will be the daughter-in-law of the Fu family, a member of the Fu family."

Prime Minister Foster let out a long, slow sigh, finally understanding what Old Brooks meant by 'betrothal'.

In terms of power and status, Prime Minister Foster was second only to one, above all others. Even a 'snake' like Old Brooks would not dare to touch his family. But the imperial edict was hard to defy, and the Prime Minister's Fourth Young Master was born on the night of the seventh day of the fifth month—this was known throughout the court. Even if Old Brooks wanted to secretly spare 'Brian Carter', it was impossible.

Old Brooks did not want to offend the Prime Minister because of the 'imperial edict', so he 'sent' his own little daughter to the Fu family, to exchange for, to repay Fourth Young Master's life.

It was the Emperor who wanted to kill Brian Carter; but Old Brooks still offered his own daughter in compensation. This arrangement was flawless—publicly and privately, the Prime Minister could only accept the favor, with nothing to say in return.

Old Brooks's gaze finally moved away from the candlestick and turned to look at Brian Carter lying on the bed: "This is a good child. Look at him, he seems to understand what adults are saying... His eyes are so bright, looking back and forth between you and me."

The Prime Minister smiled: "If he really understood, he would have been wailing by now."

Brian Carter did not cry.

The Prime Minister was his 'real' father, his only hope of survival—should he act pitiful to win sympathy?

Brian Carter understood well that it was useless. The matter of 'slaying the demon star' was, on a grand scale, about the safety of the nation; on a personal level, it was about Prime Minister Foster's loyalty to the Emperor and the court. To reach the high position of Prime Minister, how could he not know how to weigh his options? How could he risk angering the Emperor for the sake of a fourth son barely a hundred days old?

A high official father would not protect him, and with this infant body, Brian Carter could do nothing.

After transmigrating and being reborn, he had only enjoyed a hundred days of good life, and now the word 'death' loomed before him again. If this was fate, so be it—why bother crying?

Sure enough, when it came to the life and death of his youngest son, Lord Foster only said lightly, "The world comes first." Then, he cupped his hands to Old Brooks in salute: "Thank you for your trouble." After speaking, he did not spare Brian Carter another glance and strode away. Perhaps it was 'even a tiger does not eat its cubs', or perhaps he wished to avoid suspicion, he left Brian Carter to Old Brooks.

But Prime Minister Foster did not expect that just as he reached the door, Old Brooks suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Oh?" and said, "Prime Minister, please wait." As he spoke, he pointed to Brian Carter on the bed.

Following Old Brooks's gesture, Prime Minister Foster turned to look, and was truly shocked: the child who had just been lively and bright-eyed now had a grayish complexion, his skin completely devoid of luster... Fourth Young Master was dead.

Old Brooks reached out with both hands, shaking his head in a deep voice: "I haven't even done anything yet."

Though both men were experienced and knowledgeable, their minds were a bit unsettled—things had happened far too strangely. After a moment, Prime Minister Foster showed a bitter smile: "Heaven's will, I suppose. Truly a good child, afraid to make things difficult for his father."

Chapter Three New Coolness