Fighting Over Men, It Was Only a Guess

"When will Uncle Nolan let me go to war?" Prince Colin had spent years leading troops, and now, seeing the flames of battle raging outside, he was growing restless.

He’d been stuck in Jiangnan for years. Aside from the early days, when he had to match wits and strength with the region’s stubborn wealthy clans, he’d had nothing to do since. Even government affairs didn’t concern him—those were handled by the former Crown Prince, now the Prince of Jiangnan, who was being groomed as heir.

What Colin wanted most now was to get back to the battlefield and fight a real war. If he kept wasting away like this, he feared he’d become useless.

"Go to war? You want to head to the front lines?" Serena looked at Prince Colin with an odd expression.

How adorable was Colin, to actually believe Uncle Nolan would let him lead troops into battle.

"Why not? With war everywhere, what’s wrong with me going to the front? I was born to lead troops—I’ve served as a major general guarding a region." Colin’s current status was earned by his own hands; he’s the only prince in the royal family to have built his standing entirely on battlefield merit.

"Kid... face reality." Serena patted Colin’s shoulder, sighing. "Uncle Nolan will never let you near the battlefield. You’d better give up that idea now."

"Why? Doesn’t Uncle Nolan trust me?" A flash of disappointment and hurt crossed Colin’s eyes. He thought Uncle Nolan knew that neither he nor his brother, the former Crown Prince, harbored any ambition. Even if his brother once did, he’d long since given up.

How could a tiny spark compete with the brilliance of the sun and moon? He and his brother had no intention of courting death.

"That’s not the reason. Even if Uncle Nolan trusts you, he still wouldn’t let you go to war. He has to protect the Eastlyn royal bloodline." Serena knew that while Nolan could be cold and ruthless, he was always good to his own people.

"The royal bloodline? Is it really that serious?" Colin was clearly unconvinced.

Serena explained calmly, "You always do your best, but you also have to prepare for the worst. With things this chaotic, Uncle Nolan has to plan for every possibility. Prince Jason and Prince Evan are traitors—even if Uncle Nolan lets them live, they probably won’t survive on their own. And if they do, they’ll be ruined, never fit to rule."

"As for the Prince of Jiangnan, his heart disease may be cured, but he’s still weaker than most. No one knows if it’ll come back, or if he’ll ever have heirs. If... if anything happens to Uncle Nolan, the Eastlyn royal family will only have you left. Only you could hold things together." There’s no way Nolan would let the royal bloodline die out.

"But isn’t there still the little emperor..." Colin started to protest, but halfway through, he couldn’t finish the sentence himself.

The young emperor is just a child, and with that title, if disaster strikes, he’ll be the first to die. Even if he survives, a kid that young can’t hold onto the power Uncle Nolan leaves behind. And with no loyal teachers, who knows what he’d grow up to be.

When you add it all up, Colin really is the most suitable—except for one thing...

"You and Uncle Nolan—don’t you plan to have kids? When are you two getting married?" Now, nothing could stop Uncle Nolan from marrying Serena. There would still be some grumbling, but those voices could be ignored.

"Of course we want kids. But with war raging everywhere, how are we supposed to raise a family? As for getting married? There’s no rush... we’ll wait a couple years." With things this chaotic, who has time to plan a wedding?

Besides, the Regent’s wedding can’t be rushed or done simply. But if it’s too grand and lavish, it’ll cost a fortune, and neither Uncle Nolan nor Serena would ever spend military funds on a wedding.

She had no intention of becoming a woman like Empress Dowager Cixi—diverting military funds for her birthday, which ended up crippling the entire Beiyang Fleet. With no money for cannons or ammunition, they’d had to face enemy fire with their bare bodies, destroying Asia’s greatest navy by sheer mismanagement.

"So that means... I can forget about going to war?" Colin gave a bitter smile, unable to hide his disappointment.

"You can't go to the front, but you can help Uncle Nolan guard the rear. You know how important Jiangnan is—and just think how many people are eyeing this year's autumn harvest." Serena hadn't received solid intel yet, but from the clues, she suspected not just Northlyn, but Ghost Hall and Liancastle were after Jiangnan's autumn grain.

If anyone managed to seize the grain and taxes Jiangnan was supposed to send to the court, it would devastate Eastlyn and massively boost their own power. With stakes like that, plenty would risk losing their heads.

"You got that news too?" Colin was startled, looking at Serena with grave concern.

"What?" Now it was Serena's turn to be confused.

Colin quickly explained, "Lately, a lot of outsiders have snuck into Jiangnan. My brother and I think they're after the government silver and grain. Since we haven't figured out their movements yet, my brother sent a memorial to the court, saying the official grain isn't fully collected and asking for more time before sending it to the capital."

"Is that true? I was only guessing, but hearing this makes it much more serious." Serena's face grew grave, her brows furrowed. "We have to tell Uncle Nolan about this. If anything happens, neither you nor the Prince of Jiangnan can bear the blame."

"Got it. But... what's really happening outside?" To keep Uncle Nolan at ease, Colin and the Prince of Jiangnan hadn't tried to expand their outside influence, so they weren't as well-informed as Serena.

Serena didn’t hide anything—she shared the latest intel: "Recently, Northlyn got a huge shipment of grain. After that, they changed tactics, switching from fierce attacks to just tying down Eastlyn’s forces, never really trying to break through the lines—just dragging things out."

Serena glanced at Colin and continued, "Northlyn’s goal has always been clear—they want grain and Eastlyn’s rich cities. If they’ve suddenly slowed down, it’s not because they’re afraid; it’s because they’ve found another way."

"But it might not be Jiangnan’s silver and grain." Colin couldn’t understand why his little region had drawn so much attention—it felt like trouble for no reason.

Serena shrugged. "That’s why I said it was just a guess. But with what you’ve said, it’s almost certainly true. They’re targeting Jiangnan because their forces are limited, so they have to concentrate on one place—and there’s nowhere better than Jiangnan."

Uh... Colin was speechless. If he were in their shoes, with not enough strength to shake the big tree, of course he’d focus everything on one spot. Jiangnan was the fat prize—he’d pick it too.

"I’m going to find my brother. This has to be reported immediately." At the Prince of Jiangnan’s manor, Colin didn’t bother to host Serena—he jumped off the carriage and ran straight to the office. Anyway, in the manor, Serena was the boss; no one dared slack off around her.

Serena didn’t mind. With the master away, she just treated herself as the master. She brought Snow and the Lizardman into the manor, arranged for them to rest, then went to visit Feng Jin.

It had been a long time, and she missed him. Unfortunately, Feng Jin was asleep when Serena arrived, so she didn’t wake him—just straightened his covers and went out to wait for the Valley Master and the others.

When the Valley Master, Dr. Marcus Guile, and Dr. Redwater returned from the Jiangnan Medical Academy, they caught up on recent events. Serena brought up the main issue, describing the Lizardman’s condition, but she hadn’t even finished before the three of them were already arguing about the diagnosis...