Formidable and Petty Ninth Royal Uncle

To be doubted by a little kid about his capability—this kind of thing is truly enough to make anyone depressed. But...

Could he just come out and explain himself directly?

Forget about whether he could—even if he could, Ninth Royal Uncle would never actually explain himself. That would be far too humiliating.

Now, he can only hope those troublemakers are tough enough to take a beating. Otherwise, if he really ends up with a reputation for being 'incapable,' as emperor, he'd be laughed to death. You know...

To this day, he still has only one son and one daughter. Compared to those emperors who can still make their concubines pregnant at sixty, he truly does seem incapable.

As for why no one ever suspects whether Serena Feng is fertile...

Is that even something to doubt?

Serena Feng has already given birth to two children, and most importantly, she's a doctor herself. Back in the day, she treated countless women for infertility—how could she possibly have a problem herself? So...

The root of the problem must be with Ninth Royal Uncle!

In this matter, Ninth Royal Uncle doesn't even have a chance to explain. No one would ever bring it up in front of him. If he tried to explain, he'd only end up looking guilty.

Just one comment from Jamie Zhou was enough to remind Ninth Royal Uncle of this matter, and every time he thought about it, he couldn't help but feel frustrated...

So, with Ninth Royal Uncle looking thoroughly dejected, they finally arrived at the scene of the fight...

Fighting on the grasslands is just so convenient—the place is huge, plenty of space to move around. Aside from worrying about damaging the flowers and grass, there’s nothing else to fret about.

By the time Serena Feng and Ninth Royal Uncle arrived, the two sides were already locked in a fierce brawl. Many people lay sprawled on the ground—no deaths yet, just injuries.

At first, neither Ninth Royal Uncle nor Serena Feng could tell who was who. Only after Jamie Zhou pointed out the differences in clothing did they realize that the Zhouxing Tribe seemed to be taking a serious beating.

The other side had the numbers, surrounding the Zhouxing Tribe. Thanks to Evan Zhou’s training, the tribe’s people were skilled fighters, but in the end, two fists can’t beat four hands. Faced with overwhelming numbers, they could only suffer losses.

Here, fighting isn’t just about fists. Iron weapons are tightly controlled by the court, but who doesn’t have a kitchen knife or an axe at home? And...

Sharpened wooden sticks can be just as deadly as iron weapons. When the fight breaks out, it’s truly blood and chaos—violent to the extreme...

As both sides fought, curses flew back and forth. The Zhouxing Tribe’s people, especially, had eyes red with fury.

To be bullied right at your doorstep—how could anyone not be angry?

But the fact that they couldn’t beat the invaders only made them angrier. Everyone fought desperately against the outsiders—even the elders, women, and children grabbed whatever weapons they could to help the men drive the intruders away...

But with such a huge gap in fighting power, their efforts were really just like 'a mantis trying to stop a chariot'—utterly outmatched...

"Jamie, what are you doing here? Quick, go back!" An elder from the tribe spotted Jamie Zhou, his face changing instantly, and immediately had people step in front of Jamie to protect him.

As for Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena Feng? Sorry, at this moment, nobody was paying them any attention.

"Jamie, hurry back. Don’t worry, your uncles won’t let these people break in. We’ll defend our land to the death."

"Jamie, get back—it's dangerous here."

...

The herders spoke in the local dialect, which Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena Feng couldn’t really understand, but from their expressions, it was obvious how much they cared about Jamie Zhou.

Clearly, Evan Zhou was deeply respected here. Otherwise, these people wouldn’t be risking their lives to protect his son while he was away.

Well, with the skills of a prince from a great nation, winning over a few herders is hardly a challenge. If Evan Zhou didn’t trust them, he wouldn’t have left Jamie Zhou here alone.

"Get out, get out of here! This is our home, you bunch of thieves!"

"Leave this place, or we'll wipe you out. Otherwise, we'll destroy your whole tribe."

"Wipe us out? Aren't you afraid we'll report you to the imperial court? We're not outside the court's authority anymore..."

...

Ninth Royal Uncle asked Jamie Zhou to translate their shouting. Hearing this, both Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena Feng were puzzled: "Jamie, doesn't the court manage this place?"

The grasslands haven't been a lawless zone for a long time—Ninth Royal Uncle sent troops to take over here and made arrangements with the tribes. But...

Nomads migrate with water and grass, always moving their camps. It's really hard to manage them. Only a few towns can be properly governed, but herders who follow the water and pitch tents are nearly impossible to control.

"The court does manage it, but... even they have no solution. The grasslands are so vast—by the time the troops arrive, the people have already fled." Jamie Zhou’s face was full of frustration. Seeing tribe members fall one after another, his eyes turned red—if Serena Feng hadn’t held him back, the silly kid would’ve rushed forward.

Ninth Royal Uncle watched for a while, got the general idea, and figured out who was friend and foe. He shot a look at the shadow guards behind him, signaling them to step in and end the fight...

Seeing the shadow guards move, Jamie Zhou’s mouth formed a perfect 'O': These people are so fast!

But what shocked Jamie Zhou even more was what happened next: after the shadow guards charged into the melee, just a light touch or a gentle push, and the fighters fell to the ground, unable to get up.

"So awesome!" Jamie Zhou’s eyes sparkled—he wished he could do that too.

Every little boy dreams of being a hero. The shadow guards’ display fit Jamie’s fantasy perfectly, and he couldn’t help but imagine himself with those same skills.

"Aunt, Uncle, you’re amazing—so strong!" Jamie Zhou couldn’t help but praise them, though Ninth Royal Uncle still refused to give him so much as a glance.

Ninth Royal Uncle still remembered—this little brat doubted his ability!

Ahem... Clearly, Ninth Royal Uncle really is quite petty.

"No need to worry now, right?" Seeing the chaos settle down, Serena Feng smiled and called over a shadow guard who hadn’t joined the fight, instructing him to fetch medicine from the carriage.

With so many injured, the tribe’s herbs definitely wouldn’t be enough. Luckily, they’d brought some medicine along in the carriage for emergencies—just what was needed now.

Serena Feng admitted she was a bit meddlesome, but as a doctor, she was used to helping out. Ninth Royal Uncle tolerated all her whims.

As long as she was happy, rules or not, Ninth Royal Uncle would never stop her. Even if officials criticized her, he’d step in to defend her, creating a peaceful world where she could work without interference...

Honestly, even here, she’d been happy these past years—truly happy, except for those first few years...

Ninth Royal Uncle did everything he could to give her the very best.

Without a doubt, she was the most honored woman in the world—and the happiest!