As soon as Feng Jin was snatched away, the black-clad assassins who had tried to kill Ethan Su Wenhang stopped fighting and immediately withdrew. Those who failed to escape bit down on hidden poison, dying instantly—giving Serena Feng no chance to interrogate them.
At this point, it was obvious—the attack on Ethan Su Wenhang was just a diversion. Their real target had always been Feng Jin.
"Bastards." Serena Feng rushed to Feng Jin's room. Seeing the empty little bed, her eyes reddened, fists clenched, and she slammed the bedframe hard. Furious, she ordered, "Go, report this to the authorities."
"Yes, Miss." The steward hurried over, then dashed away again at her command. Spring, Autumn, and Winter, the three season maids, knelt before Serena, faces ashen. "Miss, we failed in our duty. Please punish us."
"I don't have time to deal with you now. You'd better pray Young Master Feng Jin is safe—otherwise... you'll all be buried with him." Serena shot them a cold glare, then strode out. The Eighteen Riders followed, and as she walked, Serena ordered: "Leave four to guard Young Master Su. Two come with me. The rest, go out and search."
"Yes." The Eighteen Riders, knowing Serena's fury was at its peak, dared not say a word and moved out swiftly.
Before leaving, Serena went to check on Ethan Su Wenhang. After confirming his injuries weren't serious, she offered a few words of comfort and explained the urgent situation—she had no time to bandage him herself and told him to wait for the doctor.
"Go tell Ling Mo to stay put and rest in his room for now." Serena didn't have time to see Ling Mo herself, so she instructed the servants to pass on the message. After quickly arranging Feng Manor's affairs, she hurried out.
Her first stop was the Commander of the Nine Gates. She ordered him to keep a close watch on the city gates and look for any suspicious people, and to monitor everyone entering or leaving the city—making sure Feng Jin couldn't be smuggled out.
After leaving the Capital Gate Command, Serena went straight to the Capital Prefecture Court, putting pressure on them to escalate their search and comb the city for any trace of Feng Jin.
By the time she finished her rounds, Serena was exhausted. She glanced up at the sky, her vision blurring, rubbed her brow, and kept moving forward.
This time, Serena went straight out of the city, heading for the Cui residence in Eastlyn. She hadn’t sent a formal visiting card, so she could only ask the coachman to knock at the gate.
At first, the Cui gatekeeper didn’t react much to news of a visitor. Only when the coachman mentioned wanting to see Holden Cui did he finally realize who it was, gave the carriage a meaningful look, then slammed the door shut. "Wait here..." he said.
High noble households are just as hard to approach as government offices. Serena knew she wouldn’t see Holden Cui right away after such a sudden visit, so she wasn’t impatient—she simply leaned against the carriage and closed her eyes to rest.
Given the current situation, the only people who might have taken Feng Jin were the Princess Royal of Lyndaria, Third Young Master Cui, and Jason Lan. Lyndaria was too far—she couldn’t reach them. Jason Lan’s whereabouts were unknown. The Cui family was the only one she could find.
But this Cui family...
As time passed, Serena realized she wouldn’t see anyone from the Cui clan today.
Sighing, Serena gave up waiting and told the coachman to head back home.
If they’d gone to such lengths to kidnap Feng Jin, it was clearly not to kill him. For now, Feng Jin was safe. She couldn’t afford to panic or act rashly.
Back at Feng Manor, Serena immediately sent word to the palace, hoping Ninth Royal Uncle would come out. But before he returned, she received news from the palace first.
The summons came from Empress Dowager Xie, asking Serena to enter the palace. She knew exactly what Serena was worried about—and claimed she could ease her concerns.
"Empress Dowager Xie? The Retired Emperor?" Serena murmured, then rose from her chair, changed clothes, and walked toward the palace in the glow of sunset.
At the same time, Ninth Royal Uncle received news and left the palace as well. Unfortunately, they took different routes and missed each other completely.
It had only been a few days, but Empress Dowager Xie seemed like a different person—no longer regal, now aged and anxious, her whole bearing ordinary and restless, like any worried woman.
Serena withdrew her searching gaze and bowed silently. "Your servant greets the Empress Dowager. Long life to Your Majesty."
Empress Dowager Xie said nothing, staring at Serena for a long moment before finally speaking in a weary voice: "Serena, you may rise."
Serena straightened and looked at Empress Dowager Xie without a word. The Empress Dowager gave a bitter smile and said, "Serena, don’t look at me like that. I wasn’t behind Feng Jin’s abduction. I’m just someone with an empty title."
"I know," Serena replied. "You don’t have that kind of power. I appreciate Your Majesty’s concern, but what exactly do you want from me?"
Serena’s question was blunt. Empress Dowager Xie was taken aback, but didn’t bother with pretense. "I just want things to go back to how they were. I want to personally care for the Little Prince again."
Serena shook her head without hesitation. "Your Majesty, you should understand—authority cannot be challenged, and power cannot be undermined. Ninth Royal Uncle gave the order, and he won’t take it back. You’ll have to ask for something else."
"Aren’t you worried about Feng Jin?" Empress Dowager Xie pressed. She could see how much Serena cared—how could she refuse without even thinking?
"Of course I’m worried. If I weren’t, you wouldn’t even see me here." Serena knew she couldn’t let her fear override her judgment. The Empress Dowager only had one piece of news—she couldn’t expect too much in return.
"Serena, you know this is my only request." Empress Dowager Xie refused to back down. She knew this was her last chance. After this...
Who could say what would happen next?
"If that’s the case, Your Majesty, let’s negotiate. You know my character—I won’t promise what I can’t deliver, but if I give my word, I’ll keep it. You can’t have daily care of the Emperor, but I’ll allow you to see him twice a month." Ninth Royal Uncle doesn’t want the Little Prince and Empress Dowager Xie together, and Serena can’t interfere. She had to draw the line—crossing it would cause trouble for them both.
Empress Dowager Xie knew this was Serena’s final concession. But...
"Serena, is it really impossible? You know I’d never harm the Little Prince." Tears glistened in Empress Dowager Xie’s eyes as she pleaded.
Serena sighed softly. "Your Majesty, we’ve known each other a long time. You know my character. This is all I can do."
"I understand." Empress Dowager Xie closed her eyes, blinking away tears, and said quietly, "Serena, thank you."
"No need to thank me, Your Majesty. It’s just a matter of mutual need." Serena reminded her—it was time to share the promised news.
"You really never lose out, do you?" Empress Dowager Xie gave a wry laugh and finally shared the news she’d heard...