Serena Feng’s labor went remarkably smoothly—less than half an hour from start to finish, and the baby was delivered with barely any suffering on her part. The midwife was all smiles, except for one issue: once Prince Nolan entered the delivery room, he never came out again.
No matter how refined the household, childbirth for women is always messy and bloody—removing the placenta, cutting the umbilical cord. Any man who witnesses a birth ends up with at least some psychological trauma.
Serena had heard from her OB colleagues that some husbands who accompany their wives during labor end up with such severe trauma from witnessing the process that it affects their sex life. The truth is, childbirth really is a violent scene.
As a doctor, Serena herself didn’t find it disgusting, but for the sake of both sides, she still tried to persuade Prince Nolan to leave. Unfortunately, having just given birth, she had no strength to argue, and Prince Nolan was not someone easy to convince. Even with Empress Dowager Xie and the midwife trying every method, he simply stayed put in the delivery room.
Luckily, Prince Nolan’s eyes and mind were focused solely on Serena and not on the midwife’s actions; otherwise, the midwife couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t get nervous and make a mistake.
Empress Dowager Xie glanced at Prince Nolan, who was glued to Serena’s side, shook her head, and continued directing the maids to clean up Serena and the delivery room. She herself went with the midwife to bathe and dress the newborn.
Sean Xuan was pacing anxiously outside, wringing his hands. All he could hear was the baby’s cries—nothing else. He had no idea how Serena was doing.
But no matter how anxious he was, he could only wait outside. No matter what, he couldn’t just barge into the delivery room like Prince Nolan.
Still, Sean Xuan should count himself lucky—compared to William Wang and General Warren Yu, his situation was much better. William and Warren had started watching Feng Manor half a month ago; the moment Serena went into labor, they would drop everything and rush over. But—
This baby was truly a handful—neither early nor late, but born right on New Year’s Eve. And this New Year’s Eve happened to be Prince Nolan’s first since his enthronement. On top of that, they’d received the news of Southern Lyn’s surrender just that morning. By all rights, tonight was supposed to be a grand banquet for all the ministers.
On such an important night, they had to attend no matter what. With palace news unable to get out quickly, neither of them expected Serena would give birth tonight...
The banquet was grand and solemn. At the table, Prince Nolan was unusually generous, openly praising and rewarding many officials—both noble and humble—for their merits. Everything seemed perfectly normal, except...
Halfway through the banquet, a court beauty stepped forward to toast Prince Nolan. He kicked her away with a single blow, sending wine from her cup splashing onto the hem of his robe.
Impatient, Prince Nolan frowned and signaled everyone to continue, then got up to return to his palace and change clothes. Dirty clothes were no big deal, but why did changing take him half an hour with no sign of coming back?
'What’s going on?' William Wang couldn’t help but frown. He summoned a sharp-witted little eunuch to investigate. The news that came back nearly made William explode.
'His Majesty isn’t feeling well and asks Lord Wang to preside in his stead.'
Not feeling well? He was just full of energy, kicking someone down all ninety-nine steps, and now he’s suddenly unwell? Who would believe that?
William Wang arched an eyebrow, his voice turning icy: 'Go tell His Majesty that I am unwell as well and must excuse myself from the banquet.'
With that, he didn’t care if the eunuch dared to pass on the message—he got up and walked straight out.
General Warren Yu immediately stood up when he saw this. He didn’t know what was going on, but a year’s experience in court told him that following William Wang’s lead was the safest bet.
But before he could go, General Warren Yu was stopped by a colleague: 'Lord Yu, where are you and Lord Wang headed?'
'I have no idea,' General Warren Yu replied honestly—but not a single person believed him. After a few awkward laughs, they pressed, 'Come on, Lord Yu, don’t keep us guessing. We’re colleagues—can’t you tell us?'
It’s exactly because they’re colleagues that he couldn’t say. Colleagues are the ones who stab you in the back at critical moments. Of course, General Warren Yu didn’t say this aloud—he just gave a silly grin: 'I really don’t know what Lord Wang is up to. As for me? I just need the latrine.'
Amid their stunned silence, General Warren Yu made his escape, claiming he needed the restroom. Though he left two seconds after William Wang, he was quick enough to catch up before William exited the palace.
'Lord Wang, where are you headed?' General Warren Yu hustled up, shamelessly trying to get closer.
Fu Lin was right—dealing with William Wang required a thick skin. Anyway, William was a refined gentleman; even if he turned someone down, he did it gently. As for Warren, he just pretended not to notice and played dumb.
'And where are you headed, Lord Yu?' William Wang paused and asked with a smile.
Truthfully, they weren’t that close—just colleagues.
'Just going the same way as you, Lord Wang.' General Warren Yu scratched his thick head and gave a goofy grin. William Wang’s eyelid twitched; hadn’t anyone told Warren that an old fox like him shouldn’t try to look so innocent?
William Wang silently turned his face and body away. 'General Warren Yu, please—'
'After you, Lord Wang.' Of course Warren wanted William to go first—he had no idea where William was headed. William knew he couldn’t shake off this persistent shadow, so he could only sigh and head for the palace gates.
As soon as William Wang and General Warren Yu stepped outside, their attendants rushed up: 'Master (Lord), Miss Feng is about to give birth!'
'What?' William’s eyes lit up. 'Bring my horse!' That bastard Prince Nolan—Serena was giving birth and hadn’t told them, even blocking their people outside. Unbelievable!
The horses had been ready for ages. William Wang and General Warren Yu mounted almost simultaneously and rode side by side. William, the scholar, was not a bit slower than Warren, and after a few turns, he even pulled ahead.
It wasn’t that William’s riding skills were truly better than Warren’s—it was just that William was so anxious, focused only on reaching Feng Manor. Warren wasn’t quite as fixated...
Still, losing to a civil official left Warren pretty disgruntled: all-round prodigies like that are seriously annoying, born just to make others look bad.
Warren couldn’t help grumbling as he spurred his horse faster, determined to catch up with William...
William was totally unaware of Warren’s feelings. Hearing that Serena was about to give birth, he was overjoyed and only wanted to see Serena and the baby as soon as possible. As for Warren’s thoughts? There were plenty of people like Warren—why should he care?