Plundering Every Exam Quota and Smuggling Line

As if they had made an appointment, William Wang Jinling had already prepared wine and dishes, dismissed all the servants, and showed no surprise at Prince Nolan Dongling and Serena Feng's uninvited arrival—leaving only the three of them in the courtyard.

William looked much thinner after these hard days. Up close, his clothes hung on him, and his eyes seemed almost too large.

Serena was still angry with William. When she entered, she said nothing, just stood aside and watched William and Prince Nolan discuss matters she couldn’t understand.

William kept talking to Prince Nolan, but his eyes always drifted to Serena. Seeing her face so tense, he felt a twist of emotion—not sure if he should be glad she cared or hurt that she didn't care enough.

He was glad Serena cared, but it stung that she didn't care the way she did about Prince Nolan. If Nolan had acted like this, Serena would have scolded him, but with William, she wouldn't.

William’s composure slipped. He was usually calm, but Nolan’s demand caught him off guard. For once, William felt the sting of being on the losing end.

"Serena, I’m sorry about the Walker clan troubles. I dragged you into this, and I’m grateful for what you did for Caleb. Thank you." William raised his cup and drained it in one harsh swallow—the wine tasted bitter.

Serena hesitated, then swallowed her words and drained her cup. "Forget about dragging me in. I'm just glad you're alive. As for Caleb—his injuries are bad, and he still hasn't woken up. I've done all I can, but his chances aren't good. If you can, go see him often."

Even if Caleb isn't paralyzed, he'll never be the same. If he wants to walk again, it'll take a long, tough rehab.

"I'll visit him soon. Caleb's recovery will keep troubling you. You saw the clan's mess—today I only dealt with the core. There are more to purge. I won't let Caleb suffer for nothing." William had risked everything. He wouldn't give up or show mercy.

Seeing the exhaustion and bitterness in William’s eyes, Serena’s anger faded. He’d paid the highest price—he wouldn’t have gambled everything if there was any other way.

"Don't talk about trouble. I know Caleb, and you acting so formal feels weird to me." Serena poured William a drink this time.

The Walker clan isn’t the Feng clan. Their power struggles are as bloody as the imperial court—life and death are normal. Every family has its own way of survival, and William’s approach is what the Walker clan needs.

"You planned this from the start, didn’t you? Fine, ten it is." Nolan was robbing him blind, but acted like he was doing William a favor. It was infuriating.

Serena muffled a laugh, shelling peanuts and playing the perfect audience. This was the real drama Nolan wanted her to see: William forced to swallow his pride.

With Serena’s understanding, William finally turned to Prince Nolan. "Thank you for your help this time. I’ll toast you as well."

William had predicted the Walker clan would poison him and had prepared antidotes in advance. But he hadn’t expected them to use Slumber—a poison only Prince Nolan had the cure for.

This time, Prince Nolan truly saved his life. If Prince Nolan had been ruthless and let him die, none of what happened afterwards would have mattered.

"It’s just mutual benefit. If you really want to thank me, Prince Nolan, give me something substantial." Prince Nolan drained his cup, getting to the heart of the matter.

Watching the show was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but negotiating for benefits had been planned long in advance.

William nodded in understanding. "You want the Imperial Examination quotas?"

The Walker clan had them, and what Prince Nolan wanted—William thought about it and realized this must be it.

"Ten." After the New Year, it would be Eastlyn’s first Imperial Examination. Aside from scholars who advanced through county-level exams, noble houses had special quotas. Their sons could use these quotas to directly enter the exam, skipping all preliminary rounds.

The Emperor wanted to promote poor scholars, but couldn’t push noble sons out all at once. So he gave each house some direct-entry quotas for the Capital exam, and also gave the ‘clean stream’ scholars a single recommendation slot. This was meant to appease the aristocrats and win over those scholars.

"Ten? Do you know how many quotas the Walker clan has in total?" Even William, usually calm, was startled by Prince Nolan’s bold demand.

The Walker clan had over ten thousand members and thousands of young scholars, but only thirty quotas in total. Ten of those, William had personally obtained from Jixia Academy scholars. Prince Nolan was asking for a full third, taking every quota William had worked so hard to secure. Ruthless indeed.

"All I know is that the Walker clan has the most quotas." Prince Nolan made it clear he was here to loot the biggest house.

The Cui clan missed out, and the Emperor didn’t dare use their people—so they got no quotas. The Walker and Hsieh clans were the biggest; the Hsiehs followed the Emperor’s lead and got ten quotas, not daring to ask for more.

"It’s almost midnight. Can’t you stay and see the year out with me?" William rose, his gaze lingering on Serena—hoping for just a moment more.

William smiled helplessly. "I need those quotas to buy loyalty."

"After all this, the Walker clan is weakened. If you give ten quotas to talented poor scholars, they’ll be grateful to the Walker clan, and the Emperor will go easy on you for now. You know well the Emperor doesn’t want aristocratic sons winning." The Walker clan had lost more than ten direct branches; those branches controlled thousands of shops. With new people suddenly in charge, chaos was inevitable. To recover, the Walker clan had to please the Emperor.

William stood alone in the courtyard, staring after Serena as she vanished into the night.

Not even willing to spare me two quarter-hours—Nolan was getting stingier, but his appetite was growing. He wanted the Walker clan’s fattest business and didn’t care who knew it.

"You had this all worked out from the start. What can I say? Ten it is." Prince Nolan was blatantly taking advantage of the chaos, but acted as if it was all for William’s own good. Truly infuriating.

Serena stifled a laugh, obediently shelling and eating peanuts—playing the perfect spectator. This was the real show Prince Nolan wanted her to watch: seeing William forced to swallow his losses.

Decisions made in the ancestral hall were final. This time, William wouldn’t hold back—mercy was out of the question.

The other expelled Walker clan members would be easy for William to deal with. But there was one person he couldn’t touch—the uncle backed by the Emperor, along with the men he brought.

No one dared lay hands on the Emperor’s people.

"The shops they control make up nearly half of the Walker clan’s wealth." William wasn’t surprised at all—Prince Nolan was clearly here to bleed the Walkers, and they’d have to pay dearly.

"Losing money to avert disaster. I want their hidden smuggling lines. If you like the shops, keep them." For a clan spread across the Nine Provinces, smuggling was the easiest business. Sean Walker and the other two controlled the route from Eastlyn to Northlyn.

Northlyn is barren, but Prince Nolan values it highly. Northlyn’s people are fierce and warlike, thriving in ice and snow, yet still able to stand alongside Eastlyn, Southlyn, and Westlyn. That says a lot about Northlyn’s strength.

"Those shops lose money every year." William was warning Prince Nolan not to expect to pocket all the profits.

"In your hands, you’ll turn losses into gains." Prince Nolan made it clear—he was determined to take that smuggling line.

He had considered having Bu Jingyun build a new route, but after Bu Fan went to Northlyn, it was clear Northlyn’s people were fiercely xenophobic and deeply distrustful of outsiders. Small trades were possible, but building ties with Northlyn’s elite would take decades.

"What’s the difference if the Walker clan ends up in your hands or the Emperor’s?" William understood why Prince Nolan wanted the route, but it was the clan’s most lucrative line—losing it would hurt their income.

"The Emperor would grind the Walker clan into the mud, never letting them rise again. If I break the clan up, I’ll let them rebuild." Prince Nolan made no secret of his attitude toward the Walkers.

"I need to think it over." William knew the Walker clan’s situation was like oil boiling over a raging fire—glorious on the surface, perilous underneath. Every step had to be careful; one mistake could mean ruin.

"No rush. With the New Year approaching, I won’t disturb the Grand Heir. Serena, let’s go." Prince Nolan laid out his terms and didn’t linger, simply taking Serena and leaving.

"It’s almost midnight. Can’t you stay and see the year out with me?" William stood to detain them, his gaze falling on Serena.

Serena was about to reply, but Prince Nolan cut in first: "There are so many Walker people outside waiting for the Grand Heir. Serena and I won’t keep you any longer."

Prince Nolan gave Serena no chance to speak. He picked her up and leapt onto the roof.

William stood in the courtyard, staring blankly in the direction Serena had left.

Not even willing to stay two quarter-hours—Prince Nolan was getting stingier by the day. Of course, his appetite was growing too: he demanded the Walker clan’s most profitable business, and he wasn’t shy about it.

"Young master, the elders have been waiting in the main hall for a long time. When will you join them?" William’s personal guard had waited outside for ages and finally plucked up the courage to come in.

William straightened his robes, his face still wearing a gentle, refined smile. "Tell the elders we’ll open the ancestral hall. If they have anything to say, let them say it before the ancestors."

Once a decision is made in the ancestral hall, it cannot be changed. This time, William would show no mercy…