Ever since that day when Serena Feng suffered uterine contractions and nearly scared Prince Nolan out of his wits, he has stopped "appearing" in front of her, and has not pressured her at all. Even his plan to sail out against Ghost Hall has been temporarily shelved.
Between Ghost Hall and Serena Feng, it’s obvious which one matters more. If, for the sake of chasing down Ghost Hall and the Ghost King, Serena were to go into premature labor and Nolan missed the birth of his first child, he would regret it for a lifetime.
Nolan’s absence is only for show; in reality, he comes to Feng Manor every night. Aside from the covert guards who help cover for him, Nolan doesn’t disturb anyone else.
At first, Serena didn’t notice. Her sleep quality has been poor lately, and she spends most days lying in bed, often waking up in the middle of the night. More than once, she’s found someone in her room upon waking.
The first time, Serena was genuinely startled and almost cried out. When she realized it was Nolan, she pretended not to know and went back to sleep.
What could she say?
Tell Nolan to leave? Ask him to stay far away, to never appear before her again?
She couldn’t say it, and she didn’t dare to say it.
Nolan has already made his biggest concession. If she keeps pushing, he won’t pressure her now, but once the child is born, she probably won’t be able to hide anymore. If an imperial edict comes down, she’ll have no choice at all.
Of course, that’s not the most important thing. What matters most is that she’s sensed Nolan’s change—she’s seen him make concessions for her, seen him learning how to lower his pride and love her.
She truly couldn’t bear to let go of this side of Nolan.
No wonder women love domineering men—because when a domineering man turns gentle, it’s enough to drown you.
Just like now—she only shifted slightly, and Nolan immediately noticed her discomfort. Then he sat there, silently massaging her legs, just to make her feel better.
Sure, any maid could do this kind of thing. But none of them are Nolan…
Serena knows this man has always cared for her in his own way. Just like before, when he found her hands sore, he would silently take her hand and massage it for her.
When she overlaps Nolan with Lance Quinn, Serena realizes that, aside from Bella Qin’s existence, she never truly rejected the idea that Nolan is Lance Quinn. As Lance, Nolan always appeared when she needed him most, helping her unconditionally.
Serena quietly closed her eyes and turned her face away…
What will they do in the future?
Resting her hand on her belly, Serena let out a soft sigh and went back to sleep.
Serena slept soundly through the night, while Nolan didn’t sleep at all. Serena’s legs were badly swollen, and Nolan massaged them for her the entire night, only leaving in a rush at dawn to attend morning court.
Back at the palace, Nolan’s personal eunuch hurriedly changed his clothes. Seeing the deepening dark circles under Nolan’s eyes, the eunuch cautiously advised, “Your Majesty, if you keep going like this, even an iron body can’t take it.”
Nolan’s injuries were never fully healed, and now he’s spending his sleep hours with Serena. If this keeps up, it really will shorten his life.
Nolan shot the eunuch a cold look. The eunuch shivered, quickly lowered his head, and didn’t dare say another word.
Nolan is a good master, but there’s one crucial rule: everyone around him must keep their mouths shut. Anything that shouldn’t be said, must never be spoken—whether to Nolan himself or to anyone else.
“This is the last time.” Nolan stood still as the eunuch finished dressing him, then strode toward the main hall, showing no sign that he hadn’t slept for several nights.
At morning court, officials once again brought up the issue of Southern Lyn and Northlyn. The border is in chaos—every young man has been sent to the front, and there’s no one left to farm. No matter how wealthy Eastlyn is, without grain, money is useless.
A civil official suggested that they could negotiate peace with Southern Lyn and Northlyn to show imperial benevolence.
Nolan slammed the memorial down. “If I slaughter your whole family and spare your life, is that benevolent enough?”
Southern Lyn is nearly conquered, and Northlyn and Eastlyn have been locked in a border stalemate for ages. If Eastlyn can’t subdue Southern Lyn and Northlyn, those two nations won’t let Eastlyn off either.
Benevolence? What’s the use of that?
"I am terrified, Your Majesty." The official who proposed peace immediately knelt, not daring to advocate his benevolent policy any further.
William Wang gave him a sympathetic look: Did you really think His Majesty is like the former emperor, wanting both reputation and the realm?
William Wang stepped forward and presented his memorial, seeking to ease the emperor’s worries.
"Eastlyn is short on people, but Liancastle, Tyre City, Leaf City, and Chu City have plenty. I suggest relocating the captured soldiers and civilians from these four cities, with the court purchasing good farmland and distributing it according to household size."
This way, Eastlyn will have people to farm, and the people and captives from the four cities will have a way to live and hope for the future. With food to eat and Eastlyn’s acceptance, they won’t rebel.
As for the population loss in the four cities, that’s even easier. Since Eastlyn now controls the land, it can encourage its own people to move there, giving them land as well—even allowing exchanges.
Over time, the people of both sides will blend together, and soon no one will remember whether they’re from Chu City or Eastlyn.
This policy was drafted by Felix Fuller and William Wang after several days of work. From feasibility to planning, even surveys of local farmland have been completed.
Anyway, the national treasury has money. The court will buy land from big landlords at market price, and even if they don’t want to sell, they’ll have to.
Of course, landlords who cooperate with the court’s policy will receive certain rewards.
Felix Fuller named this policy: Return the Land to the People.
This is truly benevolent rule—different from the kind advocated by the peace faction, but clearly the one that actually considers the people.
Nolan was satisfied with the policy, but said nothing about it during court—he simply kept the memorial and moved on to the next item.
As a result, the courtiers brought up an old issue again: urging Nolan to appoint an empress and take consorts. The timing of the grand ceremony and the appointment aren’t linked, but he still ought to choose a consort.
Nolan’s harem doesn’t have a single woman, which really isn’t something to celebrate.
It’s tough being a minister—if the emperor avoids women, they worry about succession; if he indulges, they worry about distraction and misrule. The last dynasty was ruined by women, after all—especially the Phoenixfield heiress.
Once someone started, everyone joined in, urging Nolan to fill his harem…
Ministers love nothing more than giving the emperor trouble—the less willing he is, the happier they are. That way, they look like loyal and capable officials.
The darker Nolan’s face grew, the more excited the ministers became. In the end, Nolan stormed off, leaving the entire court still kneeling, begging him to heed their advice.
Felix Fuller quietly glanced around, and while everyone was kneeling, slipped out of the hall and headed for the imperial study.
Everything has its limits, and Nolan has definitely overdone it lately!