Prince Nolan was never someone who could be easily moved. Even though Lady Min's actions were admirable, his attitude toward her remained as cold and distant as ever, unchanged from before.
If there was any difference at all, it was that Prince Nolan hadn't thrown away the peace amulet. Of course, he didn't wear it on his person either—he just kept it in a box in his study. Once, when Serena happened to visit the study and saw it by chance, she asked about it.
When she found out it was from Lady Min, Serena was momentarily stunned. Instinctively, she glanced at Prince Nolan to see his reaction, but he simply lowered his head and continued writing as if nothing had happened.
Serena gave a wry smile and didn't ask any more. She just quietly reminded herself to keep her distance from Lady Min in the future. No matter what, Lady Min was still Prince Nolan's mother. No matter how cold-blooded or ruthless he might be, he could never truly treat his own mother as if she didn't exist.
What Serena didn't know was that, as she lowered her head in thought, Prince Nolan happened to look up at her, a faint, almost imperceptible smile rippling through his deep eyes...
After the Lantern Festival, all the affairs that had been put on hold were brought back onto the agenda: how to deal with Prince Jason and Charlotte Chu; what stance to take toward Liancastle and Ghost Hall; how to govern Tyre City and Chu City; and the constant provocations and complaints from the other three kingdoms...
One issue after another required Prince Nolan's personal attention. He had no time for romance, throwing himself completely into the heavy burden of government, hoping to get everything in order before his trip to the Imperial Mausoleum.
That way, once he secured the Former Dynasty Imperial Hoard, he could ascend the throne without any worries and begin his plan to unify the Four Kingdoms and Nine Cities...
Serena knew that after spring, they would set out for the Former Dynasty, so she had to make sure all her affairs were settled before leaving the Capital City.
Most of the Phoenixfield Clan had already been brought into the Capital City; only the young men remained on the frontier, training day and night in preparation for the coming war.
Serena knew it was time to call Jada Tang and Mira Tang back.
However, most of the affairs of Feng Manor were already being handled by the Four Seasons Beauties, and they were doing an excellent job. Serena had no intention of replacing them, so when Jada and Mira returned, they would continue to follow the Phoenixfield Clan and manage internal and external affairs for the clan.
The Phoenixfield Clan was poor, with almost no industries of their own. They survived mainly on the stipends and rewards given by Prince Nolan. Other than not starving, the clan members could hardly save anything, and it was nearly impossible for them to live with the dignity of high nobility.
Serena knew she had to build a financial foundation for the Phoenixfield Clan. She’d always been afraid to use the stash of gold she’d acquired before, but now she wasn’t worried anymore.
"No one will believe the Phoenixfield Clan has nothing, so... use this gold boldly. Buy as many properties and businesses as you can for the clan. I don’t want Phoenixfield men to die, not on the battlefield, but because of money." Money isn’t everything, but without it, nothing can be done.
Serena didn’t want her clansmen to resort to unscrupulous means for money. To prevent corruption, she was determined to build a wealth empire for the Phoenixfield Clan. Times of chaos were the perfect opportunity...
Profiting from chaos isn’t noble, but that’s how the world works—if you don’t profit, someone else will, and only the common people suffer. The only promise she could make was that after making money in troubled times, she would give part of it back to the poor.
Jada and Mira had been with Serena from nothing to a vast estate network, and they preferred pioneering to mere stewardship. Hearing Serena’s plan, they swept aside the fatigue of travel and promised energetically, “Don’t worry, Miss Serena. Now that we have both money and manpower, we won’t let you down.”
Heaven is fair. The Phoenixfield Clan are born warriors, but apart from fighting, they know little else. In the Former Dynasty, they had many skilled people like Sun Zhengdao serving them in all fields, but now, those days are gone...
To ensure Phoenixfield men could go to war without worries, Serena could only take on logistics herself—protecting the elderly and women who couldn’t fight, and shielding the children who were still growing up.
Everything Serena did, the whole Phoenixfield Clan saw clearly. The elders were moved to tears, blaming themselves: "It's our fault. Not only can we not help you, Miss Serena, but we make you worry about us. When did the Phoenixfield heiress ever have to deal with such mundane affairs, or work so hard…"
The more they spoke, the sadder some of the older clan members became, and tears fell uncontrollably…
Take Clara Phoenixfield, for example—once raised as the Phoenixfield heiress during the clan’s hardest times, even she was never allowed to suffer. The best food and clothing always went to her first.
It wasn’t just the heiress—even any legitimate daughter was pampered in the Phoenixfield Clan. Only the men were strictly trained, since they had to fight on the front lines and protect their families.
But now?
Now they had to rely on Serena—a woman who should have been honored and protected above all—to stand at the front and shield them. For the men, it was a bitter pill to swallow.
Serena, however, didn’t see it that way. Because—
"Protecting the clan was my father's duty. Everything I've done is simply what I ought to do." She had stopped Ezra Phoenixfield from becoming King of Phoenixfield, so she naturally had to shoulder the king’s responsibilities.
"But…" Victor Phoenixfield’s father tried to protest, but Serena cut him off: "No buts. Phoenixfield men don’t need to force themselves into things they’re not suited for. Don’t overthink it. Sometimes, just teach and guide the clan’s children so they can grow up quickly and serve the family."
Family is everything in this world. Children protected by their clan are a hundred times stronger than ordinary people. Likewise, any family with foresight will strictly educate their young, because those children are the future—the rise and fall of the clan depends on them.
The Phoenixfield Clan raised their sons with ruthless discipline. Unless a boy was born physically weak, once he turned seven, regardless of status, he had to undergo unified training by the clan elders.
The training process allowed for a certain number of deaths.
The Phoenixfield Clan truly believed in survival of the fittest. From childhood, they used military methods to train their children—sometimes, failure meant death.
This beast-like way of growing up didn’t always teach good character, but in terms of strength, their children easily outshone their peers.
Phoenixfield men could dominate their enemies on the battlefield not just because they carried the blood of the War King, but because they had shed so much blood and tears while growing up where no one could see…
Serena never believed her own little bit of wisdom could compare to the centuries of experience the Phoenixfield Clan had accumulated. So she never talked about reforms—she just tried to perfect the details and reduce the children’s mortality rate as much as possible.
Serena had no right to judge whether this cruel upbringing was good or bad. In such a power-concentrated age, if a family didn’t have outstanding children or heirs, it would quickly decline.
Most small clans in this era don’t last past three generations. The Phoenixfield Clan’s continued survival proves that, even with flaws, this method has ensured their legacy—and their honor.