Misunderstanding, A Visit From the Palace

Thunder and rain, favor and punishment—all are imperial grace. Ninth Royal Uncle may not be the Emperor, but these words suit him just as well.

If Ninth Royal Uncle treats her well, she cannot refuse; if he kicks her aside, she can only accept.

To Ninth Royal Uncle, she might be nothing but a plaything—someone to toy with when he's in the mood, and to discard when he's not.

Since Ninth Royal Uncle is amused by teasing her right now, she'll use his good mood to get a little revenge for herself.

Taking a deep breath, Serena Feng calmed herself and asked, "Ninth Royal Uncle, the Emperor wants those two horses to breed with Eastlyn's horses, hoping to produce outstanding warhorses, right?"

Nolan Dongling didn't know why Serena Feng suddenly asked about this, but seeing her interested, he was pleased—even if he didn't show it much.

"Yes. Eastlyn's warhorses are weak; cavalry has always been our empire's shortcoming. The Emperor hopes that, with these two horses, we can breed a stronger line of warhorses."

The current Emperor lacks the ability to conquer the world, but he certainly has the ambition for it.

"Are the two horses stallions or mares?" If they're mares, that's almost laughable.

If those two horses get pregnant, after giving birth, you'd still have to wait for the foals to grow up, then breed again... By the time Eastlyn's cavalry becomes strong, Southern Lyn and Lyndaria's iron cavalry might have already trampled Eastlyn flat.

Seeing the smile at the corner of Serena Feng's lips, Nolan Dongling's mood lifted. His worries vanished, and he climbed onto the bed, sat behind Serena, and pulled her into his arms.

Serena Feng was startled, but as an injured patient, she couldn't push him away and could only let Ninth Royal Uncle hold her tightly.

If it were before, she would've been thrilled—truly happy. But now, happiness was out of reach; all she felt was sourness. Struggling to pull away, Nolan only held her tighter: "Don't move. If your wounds split open, you'll be the one to suffer."

"Ninth Royal Uncle, men and women shouldn't be so physically close." If you keep this up, I'll think you want to marry me.

She forced herself to swallow the rest of the words, leaving them unsaid.

If she asked, she'd only embarrass herself. If Ninth Royal Uncle replied, "I could take you as a side consort," she'd die of anger on the spot.

"Well, it's too late. I held you a long time ago—when you were just born, I held you, and you weren't wearing anything. Didn't stop me from holding you then."

Ninth Royal Uncle... Serena Feng suddenly felt the urge to bang her head against the wall. Men and women aren't supposed to share a bed after age three—how was she supposed to control what happened when she was a newborn?

Seeing how stiff Serena was, Nolan Dongling kindly reassured her: "Relax. I won't do anything. You're injured."

Uh... So if I weren't injured, you would do something?

Just thinking about what "do something" implied, Serena Feng's face flushed bright red. Ahhh... She's so impure—her mind's totally in the gutter.

But really, you couldn't blame her—Ninth Royal Uncle's actions were way too easy to misunderstand.

A man and a woman, no blood relation, disheveled on a bed—of course anyone would get the wrong idea.

"Why are you asking about those two horses?" Nolan Dongling saw Serena Feng frowning and thought her wounds were hurting again, so he gently massaged a few acupuncture points to help her relax.

"Mm..." Serena Feng let out a comfortable hum. Afraid she'd get lost in Ninth Royal Uncle's rare tenderness, she wanted to refuse, but her whole body felt soft—she had no strength left. Half-squinting, she looked drowsy, and her guard against him faded.

"If those two horses stayed in my hands, everyone would covet them—if not the Emperor, then Southern Lyn, Lyndaria, or someone else. I know the saying: 'an innocent man gets blamed for holding a treasure.' When I demanded those horses earlier, I was just angry.

I can't keep the horses, but letting the Emperor get his way doesn't sit right with me. So... If they're stallions, castrate them; if they're mares, whatever, let them give birth slowly." No matter how much she liked those horses, it didn't matter—unless she was as powerful as Ninth Royal Uncle, she couldn't protect them.

"Alright, I'll do as you wish." Serena Feng really is Serena Feng—she sees things so clearly, knowing exactly what she can and can't have.

Liking something doesn't mean you can own it. Owning it doesn't mean you can keep it. If you want to protect the people and things you care about, sometimes you need a little distance.

"Thank you, Ninth Royal Uncle." Serena Feng yawned and answered almost on instinct.

She wanted to sleep, but the pain kept her awake. Somehow, after Ninth Royal Uncle massaged her, not only did the pain vanish, but she grew even sleepier—after just a few words, Serena Feng could barely keep her eyes open.

So sleepy, so tired... Ninth Royal Uncle, when are you leaving?

"Is there anything else you want to say to me?" People are least guarded when half-asleep—Nolan Dongling wanted to know if Serena Feng blamed him, resented him, or had anyone she wanted revenge on.

"No..." The best soldiers never talk nonsense, not even in their sleep. Serena Feng wasn't being deliberate—it was just habit from her previous life's training: the less clear-headed she was, the less she could afford to speak carelessly.

"You really don't resent me?"

"No." You're not mine—what's the point in resenting you?

If I have to blame anyone, it's my parents—for dying too early, leaving me alone. I resent them for not taking me with them.

"So is there anyone you do resent?"

"Yes."

"Who is it?" Nolan Dongling's hands paused, clearly eager for Serena Feng's answer.

"Myself. I'm too stupid." Just like Ninth Royal Uncle said—sometimes, if she'd just bowed her head and yielded, she could've suffered less. But she couldn't learn to do it, always ending up battered and wounded.

After all that questioning, this was the answer. Nolan Dongling didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Enough, I won't bother you anymore. Get a good sleep—everything will be better when you wake up." Nolan Dongling gently patted Serena Feng's back, just like his wet nurse used to soothe him as a child.

"Mm." Serena Feng murmured, wanting to resist, but sleepiness won out—soon, she was fast asleep.

......

Serena Feng didn't know when Ninth Royal Uncle left. By the time she woke up the next morning, there was no trace of him. None of the maids or guards had noticed, and Serena didn't mention it.

She kept reminding herself: cherish your life, stay far away from Ninth Royal Uncle.

"Master, you look great—seems you slept well last night." Simon Sun's worries vanished when he saw Serena Feng's rosy cheeks.

He'd been afraid she'd be in too much pain to sleep, and that the calming tonic wouldn't help.

"I did sleep well." When you're mentally and physically exhausted, you need a good night's rest. If she hadn't slept well last night, she'd be in even worse shape today. She had to admit—Ninth Royal Uncle was actually helpful.

"Huh? Master, what's with your face?" Simon Sun was about to feed Serena her medicine when he noticed the finger marks on her cheek.

"Uh..." Serena Feng didn't react at first. "Oh, I pinched myself last night."

Ahem... Serena coughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject: "By the way, Simon, how's your mother recovering? Is her wound still red? And how's Madam Hsieh? Make sure the medical women watch her closely. In a couple days, when I can get out of bed, I'll check on her myself."

Anyone else wouldn't have believed Serena's excuse, but Simon Sun is... well, a total med nerd.

The moment Serena mentioned the two patients staying at Feng Manor, Simon immediately forgot about her face and launched into a detailed report, not caring if Serena was up for it.

Once they started discussing medical cases, they couldn't stop—until a servant arrived: "Miss, someone from the palace... the palace has sent people..."

"Miss, someone from the palace... the palace has sent people..."