After settling Left Bank and Beanie for the night, Serena Feng and Prince Nolan dismissed their attendants and strolled slowly back to their courtyard under the moonlight.
"Did everything go smoothly?" Serena asked, watching Nolan's profile.
No need to specify—Nolan instantly understood what she was asking. "Zi Tian cooperated very well."
"Is he really willing? He was once Crown Prince, and now he rules a region. Can he really give up his power so easily?" Power, once tasted, is hard to let go.
That feeling of being above everyone, of doing as you please, of holding life and death in your hands—no one would dislike it, especially those born royal. So-called indifference to fame and fortune usually means you just lost the fight for power and retreated for the sake of reputation.
"I don't need his willingness. Do you know where Third Prince's hundred thousand troops are?" Nolan paused, looking at Serena, his expression unreadable.
"Aren't those the Third Prince's private soldiers? Don't tell me they're in Jiangnan?" Serena was stunned, her eyes wide in disbelief.
Nolan replied with a faint smile, "They aren't private soldiers at all—they're the official Jiangnan garrison."
"How is that possible?" After all these years, the Third Prince managed to keep such a force—he was truly formidable.
"Why not? A hundred thousand isn't a small number. Training that many troops without drawing the Emperor's attention is hard. The least conspicuous way is to make them official soldiers."
Jiangnan is far from the Capital, separated by mountains and distance from imperial authority. The region is wealthy, and collusion between officials and merchants is rampant—honest officials are almost nonexistent. For the Third Prince, bribing his way through Jiangnan wasn't hard at all. Compared to the Capital, Jiangnan is much more commercially minded, full of powerful families, and the annual 'gifts' to officials are more than they'd ever embezzle in a lifetime.
Any upright official who comes here either goes along with the corruption—or can't keep his position.
Local officials serve three-year terms, six if reappointed. But even six years can't compare to the entrenched local powers that have existed for decades or centuries.
That's why Jiangnan, like Shandong, is such a prime spot. The Third Prince had great foresight—but in the end, it all benefited Prince Nolan.
"The Prince of Jiangnan really has bad luck," Serena said with a smile. "If the Third Prince didn't have those hundred thousand troops, what would you have done?"
"I would've recalled General Warren Yu," Nolan replied seriously. Serena knew he was joking—General Yu is a border commander with a huge army; bringing him to Jiangnan would be a waste of his talent.
But Nolan's words reminded Serena. She grew serious: "Nolan, whatever you plan, don't drag Simon Sun into it."
"He's a perfect candidate—loyal to you, and holding high office would benefit you. Besides, if you never let him try, how do you know if he's capable? He's smart. I have high hopes for him." Nolan never agreed with Serena deciding Simon's future for him.
Simon Sun is an adult; he has his own ideas.
"No need. Even if I need help, I won't let Simon get involved in this. I don't care if he could do it or not—I don't want him in officialdom." Once you enter politics, even the cleanest soul will be corrupted; otherwise, you won't survive.
"You've protected him too well." Nolan would never admit he was jealous.
"We've talked about this before. No need to revisit it." Serena decisively cut off the topic and changed the subject to the Prince of Jiangnan and the Valley Master, talking about their latest antics.
After she finished, Serena didn't forget to pressure Nolan: "Are you just going to let them off so easily? Making them stand outside the city for a day is too light a punishment. If the cost of mistakes is so low, they'll just do it again."
She absolutely didn't want her private moments with Nolan to become gossip fodder. That feeling was just intolerable.
"What do you want to do?" Nolan certainly wasn't about to let those who mocked him off easy—today was just the beginning.
"Why ask me? I'm so kind, of course I wouldn't hold a grudge over such a small thing," Serena replied magnanimously. Under Nolan's gaze, she changed tack: "But since they're so idle, I should find something for them to do—otherwise they'll just keep pestering the dark-guards."
Serena despised how the Prince of Jiangnan used the dark-guards as paparazzi. To make sure it never happened again, she decided to teach them a lesson they'd never forget.
"I heard the public morgue has lots of unclaimed corpses. The Valley Master and Dr. Redwater need teaching materials—understanding anatomy is the first step. Tomorrow we'll go to the morgue and have the Valley Master and Dr. Redwater dissect a few bodies. Of course, to keep things clean, the corpses have to be washed first. That job goes to the Prince of Jiangnan, Prince Qing, Victor Yun, and Caleb Wang. Since they're so free, I'm sure they have time."
"You're going to make the Prince of Jiangnan wash corpses?" Nolan was stunned, staring at Serena in shock.
Serena was truly fearless.
"What? Is that not allowed? Weren't you the one who said they're very idle?" Serena looked innocent, shifting the blame to Nolan.
Nolan nodded silently. "You're absolutely right—they're very idle. We'll go to the morgue tomorrow."
Nolan silently reminded himself never to cross Serena—her ways of tormenting people were truly ruthless.
The next morning, everyone got up early, because the night before, Nolan had already ordered his subordinates to inform everyone about the morgue visit.
Revenge works best when you hit both body and mind. Telling them early just meant they could stew in misery all night.
"Uncle Nolan, I'm not feeling well. Can I go another day?" The Prince of Jiangnan hadn't slept all night, dark circles under his eyes. When Serena and Nolan entered, he perked up and immediately asked.
Before Nolan could reply, Serena stepped forward with a smile. "Where exactly are you feeling unwell, Prince? Let me take a look."
"Uh... I think I'm better now." The Prince of Jiangnan retreated without hesitation.
How could he forget? Serena was a physician—the very one who'd cured him. Faking illness in front of her was just stupid. But the thought of washing corpses was unbearable.
What should he do?!
The Prince of Jiangnan shot a look at Prince Qing and Victor Yun, signaling them to speak up. But before they could, Nolan sat down and ordered, "Breakfast."
He was clearly refusing to give anyone a chance to object.
The Valley Master and Dr. Redwater didn't mind so much—they were doctors, after all, and dissecting corpses was part of the job. The morgue's bodies just smelled worse. Compared to the Prince of Jiangnan and the others who had to wash corpses, they were actually lucky.
As for Simon Sun, he didn't care at all. After greeting Serena and Nolan, he quietly took his seat.
Serena beamed at the group, satisfied by their angry but silent faces.
She wondered if any of them would dare treat her and Nolan's private life as public entertainment again...