Backhand Move, Even a Rotten Ship Has Three Jin of Nails

The battle between two "men"—one big, one small—ends with Prince Nolan losing to Feng Jin’s toothless charm.

Serena Feng holds Feng Jin in her arms, looking apologetically at Prince Nolan, leaving him alone to finish his meal.

Prince Nolan’s face remains expressionless, betraying neither joy nor anger. The only reaction comes from the Snow Wolf at his feet—its fur suddenly bristles, then it shifts to the side, tucking its paws in obediently.

When Serena Feng and Feng Jin leave, the Snow Wolf immediately jumps up, glances at Prince Nolan, then at the doorway, and finally abandons him to dash after the child...

Compared to the cold, hard Prince Nolan, the soft, sweet little Feng Jin is far more irresistible.

Maybe because he senses his sister might be taken away, Feng Jin is especially restless tonight. When Serena Feng bathes him, she ends up soaked herself.

It’s early spring, still chilly. Not wanting to catch a cold, Serena has fresh water and clothes sent over and uses the bath in Feng Jin’s courtyard herself.

When Serena steps out, Feng Jin and the Snow Wolf are playing with building blocks in the nursery. This room was personally designed by Left Shore; every toy is handmade by him, showing how much care he puts into raising Feng Jin.

Left Shore is raising Feng Jin as his own son, always wanting to give him the very best.

Serena plays with Feng Jin for a while. As always, when it’s time for him to sleep, she carries him back to his room—never shortening their time together just because Prince Nolan is visiting.

"Is His Highness going to have to queue up after the little young master?" Autumn and Winter exchange a look, both shrinking their necks in silent agreement.

Tonight, Feng Jin is not only extra mischievous, he’s also unusually energetic. Normally, he falls asleep before Serena finishes a bedtime story, but tonight she reads the whole tale and he’s still wide awake, eyes spinning as he watches her.

When Feng Jin realizes Serena is looking at him, he quickly squeezes his eyes shut, pretending to try hard to sleep, but keeps peeking to make sure she’s still there, only relaxing when he sees her nearby.

It’s only because children lack a sense of security—after seeing Prince Nolan, Feng Jin tries every trick he can think of to keep Serena close. She only feels tenderness, never annoyance.

Serena strokes Feng Jin’s small head, softly humming an unfamiliar tune in his ear. Feng Jin inches closer, pressing his head against hers, finally smiling in contentment before drifting off to sleep.

It takes half an hour longer than usual. Serena waits until Feng Jin is sound asleep, tucks in his quilt, and quietly tiptoes out.

Tonight, it’s Autumn’s turn to keep watch. After Serena leaves, she comes in with a blanket and settles on the small couch by Feng Jin’s bed. The Snow Wolf also obediently lies by the door, guarding the sleeping child.

When Serena returns to her own courtyard, Prince Nolan has already bathed and changed. Dressed in a thin inner robe, he leans against the headboard reading—a habit he picked up from Serena.

"You’re back." Prince Nolan looks up, setting his book aside on the edge of the bed.

Serena remembers once finding an erotic book among Nolan’s things, and her gaze unconsciously lands on the book in his hand. She wonders if, despite his solemn demeanor, he’s reading another ‘yellow book’ right now.

If Prince Nolan knew what Serena was thinking, he’d probably pin her to the bed and give her a good beating.

Does he look like someone who reads smut all day?

Serena coughs inwardly... Prince Nolan’s presence is overwhelming; she quickly looks away, not daring to think further. She takes off her outer robe, lets her hair down, and obediently climbs into bed, curling up in his arms.

They chat idly, mostly Serena talking while Prince Nolan listens. When she finishes, he finally speaks, calmly and lightly telling her about Prince Damien of Southlyn.

Even a rotten ship has three pounds of nails. Prince Damien has offended so many people that of course he’d prepare a backup plan for himself—it’s only natural.

Serena stays relaxed in his arms, not even shifting position, and lazily asks, "Is he threatening you?"

"It’s a transaction." These secrets are Prince Damien’s lifelines. Prince Nolan is sure he wouldn’t dare reveal them—if he did, what leverage would he have left?

"He’s actually pretty impressive, managing to dig up all this dirt." As much as Serena looks down on Prince Damien, she has to admit he’s got real skills—a force to be reckoned with.

"He might not have found it out himself." Anything you do leaves traces; for people like them, hard evidence isn’t necessary—just suspicion is enough.

Serena nods and looks up, asking, "So what’s your plan? Let him go?"

If Prince Damien dies, the people he’s placed will surely expose everything. Setting aside the Lu family pirates, just the Kyushu map and the secrets of the former dynasty would be enough to land Prince Nolan in serious trouble.

In cases like this, evidence isn’t needed—just a whiff of scandal will have the three kingdoms and eight cities acting preemptively, preferring to kill the wrong person than let the guilty go free.

With their current strength, they can’t possibly take on the three kingdoms and eight cities all at once.

In this situation, compromise is their only option.

"If he wants to live, let him live." As long as Prince Damien stays alive, that’s all that matters; how he lives is no longer up to him.

Serena frowns: "You just reached an agreement with the other three kingdoms to publicly execute Prince Damien, and now you’re changing your mind. Won’t that raise suspicion?"

"Southlyn." Prince Nolan draws out the last syllable, making Serena’s heart skip a beat.

Serena quietly snuggles closer to Prince Nolan before asking, "You mean, let Southlyn take the lead?"

"Mm."

"The Emperor of Southlyn doesn’t seem to care about Prince Damien’s fate; all he cares about is saving face." When Prince Nolan brought it up, Southlyn only voiced superficial opposition, not showing any real resistance.

"Jin Xing." Prince Nolan names the key figure. Serena’s brows knit and she sits up straight: "No way... Jin Xing just wrote to me recently—he’s in trouble and doesn’t have the power to do any of this right now."

Jin Xing didn’t say exactly what trouble he was facing—only that if he ever returned, would he still be able to act as Zhou Xing.

Those words sounded like he was making arrangements for his own end—how could Serena possibly refuse him?

"Southlyn’s internal situation is unstable. I can offer him protection." Southlyn has kept its problems tightly under wraps, but some rumors have leaked out.

Prince Jin Xing of Southlyn is the emperor’s only son, yet the emperor has not named him crown prince and keeps suppressing him—especially in recent days.

The power Jin Xing built in Southlyn over the past two years has nearly been dismantled by the emperor. Just days ago, the emperor issued an edict condemning Jin Xing for being disloyal, unfilial, disrespectful, deceitful, scheming, and for forming factions and plotting rebellion.

Each of these charges is serious; with the imperial decree issued, Jin Xing’s chances of inheriting the throne are essentially gone.

Such drastic actions naturally arouse curiosity from other nations. Jin Xing isn’t stupid—he knows just how dire his situation is. If he can’t turn things around, staying in Southlyn means certain death.