The civil war in Westlyn ended half a month ago. Although the relief forces arrived in time, they only drove the Princess Royal out of the capital—they did not capture her.
The Princess Royal led her followers across the river, seized the territory of Westlyn near the Northlyn border, and now rules her domain north of the river as the self-proclaimed Martial-Peace Emperor, governing separately from the Westlyn Emperor.
From this point on, Westlyn is split in two, with two emperors ruling side by side—the Nine Provinces Realm now has a fifth state.
Although the Westlyn Emperor is dissatisfied, the Princess Royal’s rebellion triggered a relapse of his old illness, leaving him too weak to handle state affairs. Actual power now rests with Crown Prince Titus, who will never kill the Princess Royal at a time like this.
In fact, Westlyn currently lacks the troops and funds to cross the river and fight the Princess Royal. Whether Westlyn wins or loses, any war would only benefit outsiders. Except for the emperor, who is bent on venting his anger, all the ministers oppose launching a campaign against the Princess Royal.
“Father, look—your most beloved royal sister has repaid you like this, and the younger brother you placed so much hope in was forced by you, at the critical moment, to turn to my side.” Facing the emperor’s questioning, Crown Prince Titus responded with open mockery.
The Westlyn Emperor, furious, cursed Titus as an unfilial son. Titus just sneered, didn’t bother to argue, and obediently knelt on the ground, letting the emperor say whatever he wished—he no longer cared.
The emperor, still enraged, threatened to depose Titus, but real power in Westlyn had already fallen into Titus’s hands. The emperor held the title but no authority—he couldn’t even depose Titus if he wanted to.
At morning court, the emperor publicly rebuked Titus and tried to strip him of his Crown Prince title. But the ministers, led by Master Ian Reed, insisted the emperor had been misled by slanderous rumors and was wrong to suspect the Crown Prince.
Titus then wept in court, looking heartbroken, and declared himself unfilial—voluntarily asking to be stripped of his Crown Prince title to appease the emperor.
The ministers all tried to persuade him, praising the Crown Prince’s kindness and filial piety, and hinting that the emperor was on edge after the Princess Royal’s rebellion. They advised Titus not to take it to heart—everyone in Westlyn knew of his reputation for benevolence.
Titus refused and insisted on giving up his Crown Prince title, but the ministers knelt and would not agree, no matter what. Seeing this, the emperor realized his time was over—Westlyn now belonged to Titus and the Princess Royal. He was emperor in name only.
“Westlyn’s situation is exactly as Prince Nolan predicted—Titus will never be the last king of a fallen realm.” Serena Feng found herself admiring Titus: the throne was within reach, yet he could restrain himself. No wonder Prince Nolan valued him.
“A chaotic Westlyn suits Prince Nolan’s interests better. What he’s always wanted is for Titus to hold power in Westlyn.” William Wang Jinling was well aware of Prince Nolan’s plans and had secretly intervened in Westlyn’s affairs himself.
Regardless of whether the Wang and Cui clans are related by marriage, they are still rivals. As the Wang Clan Patriarch, William would never let the Cui Clan grow too powerful. A chaotic Westlyn could drag the Cui Clan into endless trouble and mire them down.
“Northlyn won’t stay quiet either—Prince Nolan never lets anyone get away with slighting him.” Thinking of Prince Nolan, who was about to reach the border, William silently pitied the frontline generals and Northlyn itself.
Northlyn meddled in Eastlyn’s internal affairs, stirred up unrest, and incited Tyre City to add to the chaos. With Prince Nolan’s temperament, he’ll definitely pay them back in kind—or worse.
“Princess Serenity is in Northlyn.” Even if Serena didn’t mention it, William could easily guess.
“If Northlyn realizes that the princess they fought so hard to marry ends up being the fuse for internal chaos, I wonder if they’ll regret it enough to cough up blood.” William joked, though his smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Seeing Serena so relaxed, William knew she was unaware of the rumors swirling outside. Prince Nolan had repeatedly told him not to inform Serena, so he couldn’t play the villain. All he could do was hint that the kingdoms and legacy cities were about to be thrown into chaos, and urge Serena to be extra careful. Unless necessary, she should stay in the Capital—the imperial city is still safer than anywhere else.
The truth about Jason Lan’s identity and the Former Dynasty Imperial Hoard is only known among the top elites of the Four Kingdoms and Nine Cities. Such matters never spread to the masses—only those at the very pinnacle of power learn of them first.
Serena Feng’s intelligence network is sizable, but compared to those cultivated by states and cities over decades, it still falls short. And with deliberate efforts to conceal the news, it’s even harder for her to hear about it.
Serena didn’t think too deeply about William’s warning. With the current situation, war could break out between any kingdom or city at any moment—it really was dangerous outside. Still, she reassured him: “Don’t worry, I won’t leave the Capital alone any time soon.”
“Good. As for meeting the Grand Empress Dowager tomorrow, you don’t need to worry—I’ll ask Empress Dowager Xie to accompany you.” William secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Serena stays in the Capital, he can protect her easily.
“Alright.” To ease William’s worries, Serena readily agreed and promised several times.
Serena had no reason to go out lately anyway. Yun Xiao, Wang Qi, and Sun Sixing were handling affairs in Jiangnan, so she didn’t need to intervene. As for Shandong, if all went well, good news would arrive soon...
As time passed, Tyre City began to show signs of defeat. Tiny Shandong held out against repeated attacks, and even the Tyre City Lord was growing restless.
With the war in Chu City and Northlyn nearly over, once Eastlyn was free to act, Tyre City wouldn’t even be a mouthful for them. At that point, Tyre City would become another Night City, and its lord would end up like Reid Yale—imprisoned for life in Eastlyn, never knowing freedom again.
Now, with Prince Nolan personally leading the campaign against Northlyn and winning the first battle, Northlyn was sure to be pushed back. Seeing both of his allies about to fall, the Tyre City Lord panicked and mustered his forces for a massive assault on Shandong.
But this led to a huge strategic blunder—news came from Shandong that Tyre City’s thirty-thousand-strong vanguard had been ambushed and wiped out, not a single body left behind.
Those thirty thousand troops were Tyre City’s main force. Without them, Tyre City’s defeat was only a matter of time.
When the news from Tyre City arrived, Serena finally felt relieved. If nothing else went wrong, Tyre City would become the future home of the Phoenixfield Clan, and her true identity would soon be exposed.
Serena was mentally prepared and had anticipated the trouble that would come with her exposure. What she hadn’t expected was how quickly, and in what strange way, her identity would be revealed...