With Zuo An, the assassin, accompanying them, Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena encountered no obstacles along the way—no intercepting troops at all. The military did send expert trackers, but compared to a master assassin, they were simply outclassed.
The three quickly reached the port closest to Nolan’s Suburban Villa. There, Ninth Royal Uncle deliberately lingered an extra day and openly exposed his whereabouts.
Zuo An raised his eyebrows and pretended to know nothing. Serena gave Ninth Royal Uncle a long, searching look, but seeing that he didn’t intend to explain, she swallowed her questions and boarded the ship with him.
On the second day after Nolan and Serena boarded, the naval forces stationed at the port received a secret order and mobilized overnight—none of which Serena knew about.
When Serena first boarded, she only thought the ship was unusually large. It was only after she wandered around that she realized the vessel was far more complicated than it appeared—and Nolan’s behavior before boarding had its own deeper meaning.
“Ninth Royal Uncle, what exactly are you planning?” Serena, full of doubt, happened to see Nolan sitting on the deck sipping tea and went over to ask.
“What do you think?” Nolan gestured for Serena to sit, picked up a clean cup, and poured her some tea. He looked so relaxed, as if they were on a vacation at sea—no trace of the tension or desperation of being hunted by the military.
Serena held the cup but didn’t drink; she just stared at Nolan for a long moment before finally saying, “Isn’t this a little too risky?”
Taking on the Emperor’s troops with just the three of them—it’s impossible.
“I never gamble with my own life.” So, there won’t be any danger.
Serena snorted, "No one can ever predict what happens on the battlefield."
"I never fight battles I'm not sure I can win—especially when I'm the one initiating them." Even if victory isn't guaranteed, Nolan always has at least seventy percent certainty; otherwise, he wouldn't choose to confront the naval forces.
"Do we really have to fight? With our skills, we could just head straight to the Shandong Circuit—the Emperor can’t do anything to us there."
Nolan shook his head. "Serena, you’re oversimplifying things. Even if we reach Shandong, we might not be safe. My power base is in the Capital; if someone wants me dead out there, it’s all too easy. I could be killed by bandits or drowned at sea, and the Emperor would just send troops to ‘suppress bandits’ and dismiss a few officials. If I die, it’s a wasted death."
The Emperor has already torn off all pretenses, mobilizing the military to hurt him and making no effort to hide his murderous intent. So this trip to Shandong could never go smoothly. Rather than worrying about assassination every step of the way, Nolan prefers to strike first—shake the Emperor up and make him afraid.
"You want the Emperor to fear you—but won’t that expose your true strength?" Serena understood Nolan’s reasoning, but... it was just too risky. The timing wasn’t right.
Neither Southlyn nor Northlyn, not even Westlyn, has settled their own affairs yet. If Nolan forces the Emperor’s hand now, it could be disastrous.
"Serena, you’re overthinking it. Whatever strength I have—these men will die at sea. What does that have to do with me? If you make a move on land, it’s too easy to leave evidence and get blamed. But at sea, it’s different; the ocean wipes away all traces of blood. And there’s a perfect scapegoat out there." Nolan silently mouthed the word: "pirates."
"You really are..." Shameless.
Serena took a sip of tea and swallowed the rest of her words. Anyway, Nolan had a plan—she didn’t need to worry.
Nolan just smiled faintly, accepting Serena’s backhanded compliment. Once he’d finished his tea, he stood up: “Serena, let me show you this ship—and my naval forces.”
Nolan reached out and pulled Serena to her feet, leading her to tour the massive ship and its equipment.
At first, Serena just thought the ship was huge and sturdy. But after touring it, she realized this wasn’t just a ship—it was a warship, fully armed and ready for battle.
Though it couldn’t compare to modern warships, Serena knew this vessel was far superior to anything the Eastlyn imperial navy had.
"When did you get a ship like this?" Serena poked around, fascinated by the weapons installed onboard.
She’d always regretted never getting to serve on an aircraft carrier in her previous life—not even a cruiser. This time, at least, she could fulfill a piece of that dream.
"It was built long ago, but I upgraded it recently—its combat power is stronger than ever." Without these ships, Nolan could never have secretly trained troops under the Emperor’s nose, nor produced elite units like the Black Riders.
The Nine Provinces Realm is vast, but Nolan’s authority only extends to Eastlyn. Even there, it’s hard to train troops without being discovered, so he chose an island and drilled his forces at sea.
Soon, though, he wouldn’t need to hide anymore—once they reached Shandong, he’d have plenty of space for training.
“Looks like you’ve been planning this for ages. I almost pity the Eastlyn imperial navy.” This man really did think of everything; even the Emperor wouldn’t have an easy time in court.
The Emperor was having a rough time in court. Prince Rowan had spent two years auditing the books and found plenty of problems. When he asked the Ministry of Revenue, those officials just mumbled and dodged the questions.
Prince Rowan thought he’d finally gotten leverage over the Ministry of Revenue, and that day he submitted the problematic accounts directly to the Emperor.
Though the ledgers didn’t show Ninth Royal Uncle taking money from the Ministry of Revenue, they did prove the ministry had issues. The Emperor ordered the Minister of Justice and the Censorate to cooperate with Prince Rowan for a deep investigation.
And once they started digging...
“What? The silver for repairing the Eastlyn National Academy in the twenty-first year of Jingfeng was taken by the Crown Prince?”
“That silver ended up with the Ministry of Works?”
“Was it the Ministry of War that asked for it?”
“Did the Censorate request those funds?”
“Was it for the High Court of Justice’s case-solving expenses?”
“Or did the Capital Prefecture Court need the silver?”
“Why did the Imperial Clan Court need so much silver to repair the prison? What? The old Prince was in charge?”
“Was this one personally ordered by the Emperor?”
...
Pull one thread and the whole mess unravels. The Ministry of Revenue’s books were a problem, but... none of the six ministries or royal princes were clean either. Nine out of ten questionable accounts involved the six ministries; the rest implicated the Crown Prince and the other princes—even Prince Rowan himself...
“Why are you all staring at me? Tell me—where did that silver go?” Prince Rowan’s handsome face was thunderous; the officials below looked ready to cry, but none dared speak up.
In the twenty-third year of Jingfeng, some officials found a pretext to request a hundred thousand taels of silver from the Ministry of Revenue, but it was really a tribute for Prince Rowan. Judging by his reaction, he didn’t seem to remember.
“Your Highness, that silver, um...” One junior official, who’d handled the matter years ago, whispered and shot Prince Rowan a look, hoping he’d recall. This was the biggest account in years—if exposed, Prince Rowan’s reputation would be ruined!
“What? Speak up.” Prince Rowan snapped. The official dropped to his knees with a thud. “Your Highness, the silver—it went to, um, book repairs. Book repairs.”
“Book repairs? You dare lie to me? Where are these books you supposedly repaired?” Prince Rowan pressed on, relentless after days of auditing.
If the investigation really went on, the Ministry of Revenue would be in trouble, but none of the six ministries’ officials could escape. If they truly dug deeper, two-thirds of the court would be gone. These accounts...
Can’t be investigated!
But he’d already started—and now, there was no turning back...