Even If the Sky Falls, This Prince Will Hold It Up

It’s no easy thing for Prince Nolan to move against the officials of Jiangnan.

Merchants may have low status, but dealing with them is never simple. Every successful merchant has a group of officials behind him—collusion between merchants and officials is a problem that never goes away.

Eastlyn’s richest merchant, Vincent Su, is backed by Prince Nolan. Squeezing a bit of silver from Vincent Su is one thing, but taking him down completely would mean facing fierce political retaliation from Prince Nolan’s camp. Similarly...

If Prince Nolan touches the interests of certain officials, those people will unite and become a powerful force. If he targets the Jiangnan merchants, he’ll surely offend many officials.

Serena Feng looked at Prince Nolan with some concern. “Are you heading to Jiangnan?”

“No.” Prince Nolan knew exactly what Serena Feng was worried about. He was well aware that Serena wasn’t like the usual ladies of the inner chambers—she saw through power struggles more clearly than most men.

“The Crown Prince is going to Jiangnan.” Prince Nolan had long wanted to make a move there, but the merchants were united, and behind them stood Dongling Ziluo and the Prime Minister’s circle of civil officials. Prince Nolan hadn’t dared act until now.

If the move is too bold, it’ll provoke a fierce backlash. If it’s too weak, it won’t shake things up enough—and that’s not satisfying. So he’s waited until now for the right opportunity and the right person.

“The Crown Prince still wants to fight?” Serena thought of the Crown Prince’s carefree, unrestrained face and couldn’t help feeling regret.

The Crown Prince finally let go, only to get dragged back in again—it’s really not worth it.

"Unless he dies, as long as he’s alive, he has to fight. Not fighting is death." Prince Nolan was talking about the Crown Prince, but in his heart, he was speaking about himself too.

Serena understood this logic, but still felt sorry for the Crown Prince. She knew she couldn’t interfere in these matters, so she just sighed softly: "Such is life in the imperial family."

The Crown Prince and Prince Nolan—both men of extraordinary status. Even if they don’t want to fight, they have no choice.

"Where there are people, there’s conflict. The imperial family has its own battles; ordinary families have their own troubles." Prince Nolan rubbed Serena’s head, trying to comfort her.

Serena thought about it and realized he was right, so she obediently shut her mouth. She hadn’t forgotten the Wang family’s struggles—their ferocity was no less than the imperial family’s. Wang Jinhan was still recovering in the villa and hadn’t returned to the Wang household yet.

Seeing Serena’s subdued mood, Prince Nolan comforted her: "Don’t worry about these things. This is a man’s battlefield, and your man isn’t a weakling. Even if he doesn’t win, he won’t lose badly. Now, tell me—why did you come to see me today?"

When it came to business, Serena quickly composed herself and explained how the imperial physicians wanted to observe her treating Yun Xiao. She finished with a pitiful look: "If they act like last time and try to use their rank to pressure me, I’ll ignore them. But this time they came to discuss it with me, and their reasoning makes sense. I really don’t know how to refuse—medicine should be about sharing and learning from each other."

"Then let them watch." Prince Nolan, busy as he was, still kept an eye on Serena’s affairs. He knew that Fu Lin had already woken up and was out of danger, knew Serena was getting along well with the imperial physicians, and understood her little schemes—he just didn’t say it out loud.

"But..." Serena looked troubled. "You know my methods are a bit bizarre. I’m afraid..."

"Afraid of what?" Prince Nolan raised an eyebrow. He’d seen Serena treat Westlyn’s Prince Terrence’s crippled legs in person; apart from that strange thing in her hand, he didn’t find her methods unacceptable.

"I’m afraid people will call me a demon girl, accuse me of witchcraft, and burn me alive." Serena blurted out all her worries, then blinked at Prince Nolan.

She was seeking comfort.

Prince Nolan didn’t let her down. He reached out and gently patted Serena’s head twice. "With me here, what are you afraid of? Your medical methods are just a bit unusual—if they can’t accept it, that’s their problem, not yours."

"I’m just worried it’ll cause trouble." Yes, Serena mainly feared trouble. But she wasn’t willing to shut herself away just to avoid it.

Medicine was her true arena!

"Then refuse the imperial physicians’ request to observe." Prince Nolan knew exactly what Serena wanted, but deliberately teased her.

Serena gave a bitter smile. "If I refuse and keep hiding, it’ll only make people more curious."

"Then go ahead and do it. Leave the rest to me. Even if the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you." Prince Nolan spoke calmly, not raising his voice or stressing the words, but it was a promise that inspired absolute confidence.

Serena knew perfectly well that Prince Nolan’s words were a true commitment—if he said it, he’d do it. Her worries faded and she broke into a radiant smile. "Then I’ll leave everything to you."

Mission accomplished!

"Alright, I’ll take care of everything." Prince Nolan replied dotingly.

Serena’s little scheme was no secret to Prince Nolan. She wanted more people to recognize and accept her medical skills and techniques. Getting the imperial physicians on board was the first step—once they accepted her methods, they’d learn and use them on patients, and patients would eventually accept them too.

If not for this, Serena could have just refused the imperial physicians outright. There’d be no need to come to him for help—she was really here to find backup. If things went south, at least he could speak up for her.

Serena never thought she could hide her intentions from Prince Nolan. Seeing that he didn’t call her out, she felt even happier. She hugged his waist, rested her head on his chest, closed her eyes, and whispered, "It’s really good to have you."

She had no parents, no siblings—she could only rely on herself. Everyone called her strong and independent, but no one saw how bitter the price of strength could be.

If she had a choice, no woman would want to be so strong. Having someone to lean on, someone who truly cherishes you, feels so much better.

"Then stay tonight." Prince Nolan smiled and hugged her tightly. If Serena looked up, she’d see his face full of delight.

Uh...

Serena’s head filled with exasperated lines; all her tender feelings instantly vanished thanks to that one remark. Her apricot eyes widened, and she jabbed Prince Nolan’s chest, huffing, "You shameless rogue! Is that all you ever think about—those things you want and don’t have?"

"What am I thinking about?" Prince Nolan looked aggrieved, his chest sore from her poking.

Go ahead and act innocent! Hmph... If you weren’t thinking about it, why ask me to stay the night?" Serena’s cheeks flushed a deep red, her gaze growing even more alluring.

Prince Nolan got the hint right away. Smiling, he caught her hand and gently traced her fingertip, teasing her as he leaned close and murmured in her ear, "I want you... Don’t you want me too? Stay with me tonight—please?"

To the readers: Should she stay or not? Will Serena give Prince Nolan a New Year’s treat?