Worshiping Buddha, Never Leaving for a Lifetime

It's not that Serena Feng is clueless—the map is just too abstract. Even Prince Nolan, who's used to rough maps, couldn't immediately tell what area this map is pointing to.

"This map only seems to show the routes around where the treasure is buried, not a direct way for us to find it." Prince Nolan studied it for a long time, then quietly flipped the map in Serena's hands right side up.

...Serena had been looking at the map upside down.

Uh... Serena glanced at Prince Nolan: Could you maybe be a little less blunt?

I've already been quite tactful. Prince Nolan patted Serena's head, "It's fine to be a little slow, I don't mind."

"Should I say thank you for that?" Prince Nolan's words were ice-cold.

"I don't mind," Prince Nolan replied matter-of-factly, ignoring Serena's awkward look. He pointed at the now upright map: "This place looks very familiar."

From the map, it looked like the Former Dynasty's treasure was buried at the foot of a mountain. The mountain itself wasn't special—just the route to get there was a bit tricky.

"Do you know which mountain it is?" Serena looked up at Prince Nolan.

She couldn't make sense of it at all, so now she could only rely on Prince Nolan. If even he couldn't figure it out, they'd have to pull out the Nine Provinces map and compare it bit by bit.

Prince Nolan stared down at the map, rubbing his chin with his thumb, and slowly shook his head. "I must have seen this before, but I can't recall it right now."

"As long as you've seen it, that's enough. We can compare the maps slowly—eventually we'll find it." If Prince Nolan had seen it, that meant the place existed. Even if it took the dumbest method, they'd still be able to figure it out.

"Mm." Prince Nolan nodded absentmindedly, eyes never leaving the map. After a quarter of an hour, he spoke: "Bring a brazier."

"You're going to burn it?" So many lines, and he could remember all of them? Was his memory for real?

"There will never be another Nine Provinces Map in this world." He would never let the map leak into anyone else's hands. Whether Lady Min knew about the map or not, Prince Nolan had decided to keep it for himself.

Except for Serena, he never liked sharing the spoils of victory with anyone.

"Alright." Serena understood this was the safest way. She grabbed the copper basin, dried it off, tossed the nine map sheets in, and poured lamp oil from the candlestick over them.

Serena struck a fire starter, and with a whoosh, the Nine Provinces Map that people had fought and bled for turned to ash in an instant.

"It's gone." Now, except for Prince Nolan, no one in the world could find the Former Dynasty's treasure. Not even Serena, because she couldn't remember the pattern on the map.

"It's enough that it's here." Prince Nolan tapped his head, his deep eyes shining. Serena grinned knowingly and gave him a thumbs-up.

Prince Nolan's self-assured confidence was absolutely mesmerizing.

"By the way, where did you get those last two map pieces? How come there wasn't a single rumor about them before?" Once her excitement faded, Serena finally thought to ask.

For two map fragments to appear at the same time, there should've been some commotion. But she hadn't heard a single whisper.

"Lady Min." Even though he got the two map pieces from Lady Min, Prince Nolan still didn't call her 'mother.' The distance between them wasn't so easily erased.

"Your mother?" Serena was genuinely surprised by the answer.

"How could your mother have the Nine Provinces Map? Didn't she say she lost her memory and was cared for by the late emperor's people? How could she possibly have the Nine Provinces Map? Besides, the treasure belongs to the Former Dynasty—if Liancastle sent your mother over, would they really not know about this?" Even if she did have it, it should've ended up with the late emperor or been taken by Liancastle.

Prince Nolan's mother couldn't even protect herself—how could she possibly safeguard something so important?

"They were passed down as safety charms." The more details he gave, the more questions it raised. Prince Nolan couldn't tell Serena that his mother was a Former Dynasty princess.

Serena was already suspicious about Lance Quinn's death. If it hadn't been for Feng Jin's accident, she would've probably uncovered the connection between him and Lance Quinn by now.

If Serena ever learned his mother's true identity, she'd definitely realize that he was Lance Quinn. That was the last thing Prince Nolan wanted.

Prince Nolan had gone to great lengths to make sure Lance Quinn died. He didn't want that identity bringing him trouble ever again, so he had to cut off every possible clue in advance.

"So your mother doesn't even know the safety charm had a map inside?" Serena looked up at Prince Nolan, catching a flash of deep emotion in his eyes. She paused, "Did something happen?"

"It's nothing." Prince Nolan suppressed his unease and pulled Serena into his arms. "Serena, Lady Min was posthumously titled the Saint-Min Empress by my father. Once her identity is confirmed, I can't strip her of it. The edict to make her Grand Empress Dowager will arrive soon."

"...I understand." Serena's voice was tinged with bitterness.

Lady Min's rapid rise into the palace was entirely at Serena's expense. She'd never competed with Lady Min for anything, but to outsiders, it looked like she'd lost.

Prince Nolan understood exactly what Serena was thinking. He hugged her tighter: "I'll calm things down outside. None of it will touch you."

It already had.

Her reputation was already bad—now it was even worse. Once Lady Min was formally titled Grand Empress Dowager, Serena's name would be completely ruined.

"I don't care." Serena buried her face in Prince Nolan's chest. She could ignore what outsiders said, but she cared deeply about what Prince Nolan thought.

But she refused to explain herself. She hadn't done anything wrong—why should she have to explain? If she did, it would just end up being her fault anyway.

"Once the edict arrives, she'll be sent to a temple to worship Buddha and copy scriptures for the late emperor's merit. She won't appear in public again." Prince Nolan, worried Serena would be upset, told her the rest of his plan.

With Lady Min out of sight, the negative impact she brought would slowly fade over time. When Serena's true identity is revealed later, none of the old slander will matter.

"Sent to a temple to worship? Is that your idea or Lady Min's suggestion?" Serena was surprised; she didn't think Prince Nolan would do something like that.

That was way too much trouble. Prince Nolan's usual style would be to simply keep his mother in the inner palace under guard.

Sending her to a temple to pray for the late emperor was a win-win for status and reputation. In the future, Lady Min—or rather, Saint-Min Grand Empress Dowager—would have even more prestige and influence. At that point, even Prince Nolan might have to give way to her reputation.

"It was her own suggestion. But I won't let her have any chance of coming out again." Prince Nolan knew exactly what Serena was worried about. Since he already knew, he'd make sure to prevent it.

Temples aren't revolving doors—Lady Min won't be able to leave just because she wants to. Once she's in, she'll stay for life. Of course, if she truly devotes herself to worship, he'll make sure she gets the best treatment...