Military Power, Not Competing Is Competing

Surprised?

Prince Nolan truly doesn't find this surprising at all. Although he'd once cooperated with the Lyndarian Empress, and she had always seemed prudent and focused on Prince Titus's welfare, after hearing Titus's suspicions, he still remained highly guarded against that woman.

Seeing Zuo An's puzzled face, Prince Nolan slowly explained, "Prince Titus once suspected that it was his own mother, the Empress, who broke his legs. At that time, the only people who could have crippled him were the Emperor and the Empress."

There was no evidence left from back then; they hadn't uncovered these facts directly, but deduced them based on the circumstances at the time.

Seeing Zuo An and the others still confused, Prince Nolan continued, "Both Titus and I agreed that it couldn't have been the Emperor. If the Emperor disliked Titus, he would have had no need to cripple him, and besides, the Emperor did order an investigation afterwards. Although he found nothing, that itself suggests he wasn't the one who acted."

"If it wasn't the Emperor, then it must have been the Empress. But I suppose you never found any proof," Zuo An nodded knowingly. He found it easier than Nolan and Titus to accept the idea of a mother harming her own son—he himself was living proof.

Prince Nolan nodded. "The incident was handled too cleanly—there was absolutely no evidence left. Even if we suspected the Empress, we couldn't be sure. After all, she is Titus's mother; even a tiger won't eat its cubs. How could she possibly destroy her own son's future?"

Besides, as the Empress of a nation, even if she didn't care for Titus, she wouldn't go that far. She must know how important a healthy, outstanding prince is to herself and to her family. So even if we had our doubts, we couldn't be certain. We simply couldn't find a motive for the Empress to act. But now, with what you've said, everything is clear."

As expected, no one knows who the real winner is until the end. It turns out that in Lyndaria, the Empress—once seen as Titus's virtuous, gentle mother—was actually his greatest enemy.

They had miscalculated. This time, Titus's secret return to Lyndaria only to be rejected by his father was surely also the result of the Empress's scheming.

"I never thought the mighty Prince Nolan would be fooled by a woman." Zuo An didn't want to mock Nolan, but he just couldn't help himself—Nolan had been so uncooperative.

"I didn't lose to a woman, but to a madwoman's love. I never expected the Lyndarian Empress to love Master Ian Reed so much—enough to sacrifice her own family and son for him."

Madmen's world can't be understood by ordinary people. Prince Nolan considers himself a normal person, so he really can't understand the Lyndarian Empress's madness.

Tsk... Zuo An scoffed, but wisely didn't argue.

"I've told you everything I know; the rest is none of my business." He genuinely didn't want to get involved in messy affairs or fight over meaningless things.

"If I promise something, I'll do it. But there's one thing I have to tell you first—I can guarantee no one else will harm that child, but I can't guarantee the Princess Royal won't."

If Zuo An can find out, then the Princess Royal might too. If she finds out the child's father is Ian Reed, she might kill the child in a fit of rage.

Zuo An wiped his sweat—Nolan's concern wasn't unfounded. His princess mother really looked down on Ian Reed; if she found out the child was Ian's, she definitely wouldn't want him. And if her general lover found out, he wouldn't help her take the throne either.

"I know. If that really happens, I won't blame you," Zuo An said gloomily. Why did he have a mother more obsessed with power than any man?

"Good, as long as you understand. I won't hold it against you this time. Next time you go out on your own business, give me a heads up first. In two days, I'm heading to Shandong with Serena Feng—make sure you come along." Nolan was satisfied with Zuo An's attitude and gave orders bluntly.

Zuo An had no complaints and agreed to everything. Only after Nolan left did Zuo An realize he'd been made a subordinate—and he hadn't resisted at all.

"So sneaky!" Zuo An would never admit he was asking for it—it was definitely Nolan's fault for being so insidious and tricking him.

After getting such big news from Zuo An and analyzing the Lyndarian situation, Nolan changed his disguise and went to the secret room at Sutton Manor.

"Vincent, get this news to Lyndaria as fast as possible. Tell Titus not to stay in Lyndaria—he should return to Eastlyn quickly." The longer Titus stays, the more suspicious the Emperor will get.

'Is it true about Lyndaria? How could the imperial clan agree to let the Princess Royal's child become Crown Prince?' Vincent Su really can't understand the Emperor's thinking.

"The Princess Royal's child isn't even born yet."

"Terrence is finished, and Titus's leg injury is a permanent mark—even if he can walk now, he's still considered disabled. With no sons left, the Emperor might as well choose the Princess Royal's son. That boy has imperial blood; the Emperor just needs to adopt him."

"If the Emperor wants to adopt, he could choose from the imperial clan—it doesn't have to be the Princess Royal's son."

Most imperial clan sons are already older; the Emperor probably wouldn't be happy. This is none of our business—the Emperor wanting the Princess Royal's son to inherit won't be easy. Even if the child is born, the imperial clan won't agree easily. The importance of imperial blood is highlighted; Titus is an exception.

Vincent Su understood. He'd seen how the old regime's ministers made things hard for Lan Jiuqing, just because he was a princess's son, not a prince's.

Nolan continued: "For now, things in Lyndaria are settled. As for whether the Princess Royal's son can inherit, tell Titus not to get involved. The Emperor already dislikes him—don't make things worse. Let the Emperor fight it out with the clan and ministers himself."

Nolan didn't tell Vincent Su about his agreement with Zuo An, and he definitely wouldn't tell Titus. Titus might tolerate Zuo An, but he'd never agree to let the Princess Royal's child live. People like them rarely leave loose ends, and Nolan didn't want too many people knowing about the child.

"I'll notify Prince Titus right away—he should keep up his detached act. Just like before, whether his legs work or not, he has to look like he has no intention to fight for the throne."

The Emperor is still young. Right now, not fighting is fighting. Instead of openly fighting for the throne, it's better to quietly compete for military power. The Princess Royal could control the palace only because her lover is a general with military command.

Wherever you are, military power is king. With it, you have a voice. Nolan hopes Titus will secretly win over generals and gather military strength while the Emperor fights the ministers.