Whether it's troubling matters or troubling people, they won't change just because you wish it. Even if you don't want to face them, you still have to lift your head and deal with it.
After sending Su Wenqing away, Serena Feng summoned Jada Tang and Mira Tang, asking if something had happened to the Young Clan.
The result...
Serena really did guess right—at this moment, the Young Clan was facing major trouble, and Victor Young was probably running himself ragged.
The Emperor suffered a major loss at the hands of the Cui Clan. Unable to locate the hidden Cui Clan and unwilling to swallow the defeat in silence, he decided to target the Young Clan, which was somewhat connected to the Cui Clan but not too closely.
The Emperor joined forces with Southlyn, Northlyn, and Lyndaria, the Four Kingdoms, to simultaneously pressure the Young Clan, forcing them to supply all medicinal materials for the current disaster relief—yes, all of it—completely free of charge.
If it were just one country, the Young Clan could rely on Cloud City and ignore it, or bargain. But with four kingdoms joining forces, even the Young Clan and Cloud City combined can’t withstand it. In the face of a nation’s machinery, no matter how powerful a family is, there are limits.
With four kingdoms united, not even the Young Clan—or even the Cui and Wang clans together—could withstand it.
“So the Young Clan became the scapegoat. What about the Cui Clan? Did they do anything?” Serena truly sympathized with the Young Clan—this was a classic case of getting hit while lying down. But since the Young Clan is the largest medicinal merchant in the Nine Provinces, it’s understandable that the four emperors would join forces to bully them now.
“No, the four emperors’ move didn’t hurt the Young Clan’s foundation—just made it hard for them to manage in the short term. After this, they’ll be greatly weakened, but their core won’t be shaken, so the Cui Clan hasn’t intervened.”
In short, the four emperors just wanted to give the Young Clan a warning, make them bleed, and slow their expansion—but not destroy them completely. The Cui Clan, aiming to calm the Four Kingdoms’ anger, would just watch coldly from the sidelines.
“Keep monitoring the Young Clan and let me know if anything happens. How’s the progress infiltrating Night City?” Serena sighed. At times like this, even if she had the power, she couldn’t step in to help the Young Clan—the Emperor was venting, and once he’d cooled off, things would settle down.
The Young Clan would just have to accept their bad luck.
“The Night Clan has run Night City for generations, and their bloodline is thin—this time, there’s only Reid Yale as the heir. We can’t insert our people, and for now, there’s no useful information.” Jada and Mira Tang both lowered their heads; at this point, any further explanation was pointless.
Serena understood—old powers like the Night Clan in Night City aren’t easy to shake. She was just probing; if nothing came of it, so be it. She’d take her time.
“What about the Shandong Lu Clan? As a big clan in Shandong, with so many people, there should be plenty of weak points to exploit.” Serena firmly believed that even the strongest fortress could be undone from within. When it came to Night City and the Shandong Lu Clan, Nolan had his methods, and she had hers.
“You really hit the mark, Miss. We actually found someone we can work with. The Shandong Lu Clan keeps a close eye on their legitimate heirs, forbidding them from taking concubines or causing scandals. But the stricter the rules, the easier it is for trouble to break out. The biggest bandit leader in Shandong is actually the Lu Clan patriarch’s illegitimate son, and he’s been fighting the family for years.” Jada’s eyes curved into a smile.
Serena hadn’t expected that a casual investigation would actually turn up someone useful.
“An illegitimate son? Big clans like these are full of them. Don’t alert him for now—just keep watching.” Serena suddenly realized that, in her former life, she was basically an illegitimate daughter too. Only, she chose to walk away from her family, not fight them.
“Understood. I’ll have our people be careful not to reveal their identities.” Jada couldn’t recruit locals to investigate the Shandong Lu Clan, so she had her agents pose as traveling merchants—an easy way to befriend local gentry and gather information.
The three of them were just about to discuss how to pry open Night Clan’s defenses when a knock sounded at the door. “Miss.”
It was Spring’s voice outside.
“Come in.”
Spring entered, holding a gold-stamped invitation. She walked in gracefully and announced, “Miss, Prince Nathan of Southlyn sent this card—he’ll be visiting you tomorrow afternoon.”
Spring respectfully handed the invitation to Serena Feng, her face full of admiration. It wasn’t every day a foreign prince arrived and paid a personal visit—few could ever dream of such honor.
“Prince Nathan of Southlyn? I thought he was arriving tomorrow?” Serena took the card and opened it…
The calligraphy danced across the page—elegant, yet sharp beneath the surface. Through those strokes, Serena could almost see Evan Zhou, now a prince of Southlyn.
The handwriting was beautiful, the wording impeccably formal—almost like diplomatic correspondence between two nations. Serena glanced at it, then lost interest.
“Yes, Miss. The vanguard officer said Prince Nathan will go straight to Feng Manor upon entering Eastlyn. If this causes any offense, he asks your forgiveness.” In other words, Prince Nathan would see Serena before even greeting the Emperor…
In Prince Nathan’s mind, Serena Feng’s status was anything but ordinary.
Of course, this was also Nathan’s shrewdness. He owed his rise to Ninth Royal Uncle; if he had any true backer in Eastlyn, it would be Nolan.
But this time, he came at the Emperor’s invitation. If he put the Emperor first in everything, that would mean standing against Ninth Royal Uncle. Clearly, Nathan had no such intention, so...
The moment he arrived in the Capital, he went straight to see Serena Feng—not only to show her he hadn’t forgotten, but also to signal to the Emperor and Nolan that his stance remained unchanged.
So much calculation in a single visit—Evan Zhou was no longer the boy she once knew. Serena closed the invitation and tossed it aside. “Pass the word: receive Prince Nathan’s party with full courtesy. Don’t let protocol slip.”
Serena rubbed her brow, looking troubled and unwilling to say more.
“Yes, Miss.” Spring, seeing Serena’s utter lack of joy, was scared into silence and withdrew meekly.
Jada and Mira Tang saw Serena’s low spirits and didn’t dare speak recklessly. Exchanging glances, they softly asked, “Miss?”
“You may go. We’ll talk about the rest next time. Handle anything unimportant as you see fit.” Serena waved them off, exhausted.
Ever since Ninth Royal Uncle told her Prince Nathan would be coming to Eastlyn, Serena had been restless, unsure if she wanted to see him. Now, well...
It didn’t matter whether she wanted to see him or not—she had to. Prince Nathan left her no room to refuse, wielding his princely authority to the fullest.
Still, no matter how unhappy Serena felt, she had to pull herself together the next morning, preparing to receive Prince Nathan’s party and reinforcing Feng Manor’s security.
A prince’s incognito visit was one thing, but a formal visit had to follow strict ceremony. Any slip in etiquette, and the Ministry of Rites—never mind the Emperor—would be on her case.
Prince Nathan’s special status meant that if anything happened to him in Eastlyn, or at Feng Manor, the entire Feng household would be doomed.
Because Serena was in a low mood, the staff at Feng Manor were extra cautious, not daring a single mistake. Everyone was tense as if facing a major enemy. Spring, Autumn, Summer, and Winter Tang didn’t know Prince Nathan’s true identity; Jada and Mira Tang knew a bit, but unless Serena herself spoke, even if asked, they wouldn’t reveal a word.
Shortly after noon, just as Serena was about to rest up for the reception, a servant rushed in: “Miss, Prince Nathan’s party has arrived—they’re in the city and will reach us in a quarter of an hour!”
“Understood.” Serena straightened her clothes, walked out, and ordered all Feng Manor staff to gather at the gate to welcome Prince Nathan.
How ironic. The boy who used to trail after her, calling her ‘Sister’—now, just because his status had changed, she had to lead the whole household to kneel at the gate for his arrival.
The snow had melted, but the wind was still biting cold. Serena didn’t know how long she’d been standing outside—she only knew she was freezing...
From afar, Serena finally saw the vanguard approaching. As Prince Nathan’s grand procession came into view, everyone at Feng Manor—except Sun Sihang—knelt on the icy ground under Serena’s lead to greet him.
Nathan’s mood right now could only be described as longing for home. To him, Feng Manor was another family, and Serena his only true kin without blood ties. He had waited a very, very long time for this moment...
Today’s procession was deliberately grand—over a thousand palace attendants and soldiers, stretching for miles. For Serena, it meant kneeling outside for a painfully long time before Nathan’s carriage reached the gate.
Nathan came to Feng Manor today with the pride of returning home in glory. He wanted Serena to see that he was no longer the despised outcast who had to hide under her protection to survive.
Now, he not only had the power to protect himself—he could protect Serena too.
From a distance, seeing Serena kneeling at the front, Nathan’s eyes flashed with anger. He immediately called over his deputy: “Who gave the order for everyone at Feng Manor to kneel? I told you to keep things simple! Go, tell them to stand.”
“Yes, yes!” The deputy broke out in a sweat, quickly dismounted, ran to the front, and personally told Serena to stand up.
Serena was briefly surprised, then shook her head. “Etiquette can’t be ignored. Your Highness is nearly here.”
Hmph, after kneeling so long, if she stood up now, the Eastlyn censors would surely accuse her of arrogance and disrespect toward a foreign prince.
“But, but, Your Highness...” The deputy was nearly in tears, wanting to pull Serena up, but propriety between men and women held him back.
“I’ll explain to His Highness myself. Don’t worry about it.” Serena remained kneeling, with no intention of rising.
Nathan had been watching Serena closely. Seeing she still hadn’t stood, he immediately understood her reason. Ignoring his guards’ shock, Nathan urged his horse forward toward the gate...
“Your Highness, Your Highness...”