Want Nolan Dongling and Serena Feng Dead
Those who follow me may prosper; those who defy me must perish.
Anyone William Wang Jinling wants removed will always be dismissed for one reason or another. The clever ones resign on their own, and William never hunts them down. But if anyone insists on fighting him to the end, William won’t back down either. They’ll just have to battle it out and see whose move is sharper.
William isn’t someone obsessed with power. Even now, at the peak of his influence—able to decide life and death—he’s never thought of clinging to authority for its own sake.
He does all this out of necessity. Some of these officials really do have divided loyalties, which destabilizes the court, but he’s also making sure the Wang clan has a way out if things go south.
This purge left many key positions vacant. William didn’t promote anyone connected to himself or the Wang clan—instead, he raised quite a few former Crown Prince faction officials.
Those officials used to serve the Prince of Jiangnan. Most were implicated by his troubles—not enough to lose their posts or lives, but they’ve been sidelined for years, some even stuck at home with nothing to do.
William picked out a few useful ones and put them in important posts, giving plenty of face to the Prince of Jiangnan. If, six months from now, the prince returns to lead, William can hand over power smoothly without making him feel threatened.
Of course, even if there’s no hope of the prince returning, it doesn’t matter. Imperial politics is all about balance—if one faction gets too strong and threatens the throne, it’s practically a death sentence.
William knows his own power is overwhelming. Now, instead of building up his own strength, he has to shrink it. If he suppresses one faction, he must boost another so all sides keep each other in check. That way, no matter who ends up emperor, William can step away safely and the Wang clan won’t get dragged down.
To be at the heart of power and still see things so clearly, and be able to let go—William truly lives up to his reputation as a gentleman. Lady Min, hearing news from the court through the palace women, can’t help but praise him in her heart: Eastlyn’s Ninth has really picked a good partner. With William by his side, what realm could Nolan not win?
The palace consorts treat William’s actions as idle gossip, missing their deeper meaning. But Lady Min sees through it all.
Lady Min has never been a simple woman. Her gaze isn’t limited to the inner palace—her grasp of the larger situation surpasses most men.
From William’s move to support the former Crown Prince’s officials, Lady Min keenly senses that Uncle Nolan is in danger!
Two tigers can’t share one mountain. If Uncle Nolan weren’t at risk, William would never be boosting the Prince of Jiangnan’s people so much.
Even if she can’t be sure, it’s still a golden opportunity—one Lady Min has no intention of missing. And right then, more good news arrives: Liancastle’s agents have found Clara Phoenixfield’s whereabouts.
Clara has given birth to a son, but she’s being secretly protected and they can’t get close. All they can do is estimate the child’s father by the birth date—and it’s almost certainly Jason Lan’s.
“Good, good, good.” If not for all the women watching, Lady Min would have cheered out loud.
“Since the Lan Clan has an heir, Serena Phoenixfield is no longer necessary.” Lady Min gripped her prayer beads tightly...
Whether or not Uncle Nolan is in danger, Lady Min intends to make sure he is. Even if nothing happens to him, Serena cannot be allowed to live.
Without the Phoenixfield Heiress, the clan will turn to Clara and her child. If Serena dies because of Uncle Nolan, the Phoenixfield Clan will become his enemy.
The Phoenixfield King is dead—so there’s no reason for the Phoenixfield Heiress to go on living, either!
Unaware of any of this, Nolan and Serena—already inside the imperial mausoleum—have no idea that far away in the capital, Lady Min is secretly plotting to take their lives...
Nolan and Serena have reached the mausoleum marked on the Nine Provinces map.
The mausoleum looms like a mountain. Standing before it, you can’t see the end. Even with a map, getting inside isn’t easy—two massive stone gates, as tall as city walls, block every path.
Nolan and Serena looked up. Serena quietly stepped back: “With just a few of us, there’s no way we’re pushing these open.”
Each stone gate weighs at least a thousand pounds. If not for the narrow seam in the middle, you’d think it was a single slab of rock set into the mountain, fused as one.
“No blasting.” Nolan stepped back, studied the mausoleum’s structure, and silently scratched the idea of using thunder-blast grenades.
Imperial mausoleums from the Former Dynasty are built like palaces, hollowed out inside. If the grenades are too weak, they won’t break through; if too strong, they might blow the whole place apart and trigger a collapse—then they’d be buried with the old emperors.
“Let’s look for another way.” Sean stepped forward, slipped on a pair of gloves as thin as cicada wings, and started feeling along the stone gates for any hidden mechanism.
“Everyone, help search.” Serena pulled two dozen medical gloves from her Smart Med-Pack and handed them to Nolan and the Eighteen Riders: “Be careful—these aren’t Sean’s silk gloves, they tear easily.”
This place is crawling with Ancient Corpse Poison and venomous bugs. After a month in the mausoleum, they’re used to touching everything directly—but anyone with wounds avoids contact, terrified of dying without even knowing how.
The stone gates are smooth, flawless—except for the seam in the middle, there’s not a single groove or bump, no hint of any mechanism. Sean and the Eighteen Riders give up and turn to the stones beside the gates.
“Let’s split up.” Sean tapped his toes and leapt to the top of the mausoleum.
Nolan glanced up and jumped too; he and Sean searched left and right, while the Eighteen Riders combed the stone gates. Everyone was thorough, inch by inch, missing nothing.
Serena thought for a moment, then chose to wait quietly below with the Snow Wolf.
The mausoleum is huge—searching it can’t be done in an hour or two. Standing silently with the Snow Wolf felt awkward, so Serena began circling the mausoleum, hoping to help.
Of course, Serena’s help was limited—it was the Snow Wolf who mattered. Not a dog, but a wolf’s nose is sharp. The Snow Wolf sniffed here and there, and sure enough, it found something odd...
“Awooo... awooo!” The Snow Wolf howled, tail raised, baring its teeth, fierce as if it had met a deadly enemy.
“What did you find?” Serena asked. The Snow Wolf barked twice more, but wouldn’t move forward until Nolan, Sean, and the Eighteen Riders arrived. Then it dashed ahead.
The Snow Wolf is getting smarter—Serena will have to reward it properly when they get back.
Nolan gave the Snow Wolf an approving look and said to the Eighteen Riders, “Follow and see.”
Led by the Snow Wolf, the group ran to a small corner on the southwest side of the mausoleum.
It was an unremarkable spot—a pile of stones left over from construction, or so it seemed. Serena and Nolan saw nothing odd, but the Snow Wolf barked furiously at the corner. When Nolan tried to check, the wolf bit his pant leg...