Ninth Royal Uncle hurried back to Ninth Prince Manor from Feng Manor after receiving word that the people who abducted Feng Jin were from Liancastle.
"Master, Liancastle has colluded with the Taishang Emperor. They sent a squad of deathsworn and abducted Young Master Feng Jin. His whereabouts are currently unknown." The black-clad agent reported in one breath, then bowed his head to await Ninth Royal Uncle's orders.
Ninth Royal Uncle stood with his back to the desk, silent for a moment before turning and saying, "Wipe out every Liancastle strongpoint in Eastlyn. Send their corpses back to Liancastle." If he didn’t retaliate, they’d think he was always soft.
"Understood."
Ninth Royal Uncle tapped the desk, thought for a moment, then added, "Deploy the Black Riders to Liancastle. Station them there."
"At your command." The black-clad agent looked up at Ninth Royal Uncle, saw him gesture to leave, and quietly withdrew.
Ninth Royal Uncle sat in his study, staring at the piles of official documents with no desire to deal with them. He just gazed at the desk, lost in thought for a long time before finally getting up and walking out with heavy steps…
At Feng Manor, even deep into the night, the lights blazed. Serena Feng sat in the flower hall, receiving Capital Prefect Yan.
Capital Prefect Yan looked at Serena Feng seated at the head table, secretly sighing at the twists of fate. The little girl who once knelt on the ground was now so honored.
But Capital Prefect Yan didn’t feel jealous or unbalanced. He was familiar with Serena Feng, and since she was willing to help him, he was sure he wouldn’t end up like Lucan Lu.
"For this, I truly must thank Miss Feng. If you hadn’t provided the tip, I never would have discovered that Black Ink Studio is tied to the Former Dynasty." Capital Prefect Yan’s words were polite and respectful, with no hint of bureaucratic airs. Serena Feng responded just as graciously: "You’re too kind, sir. I was only doing my duty. The credit for uncovering Black Ink Studio belongs entirely to your wisdom."
Serena Feng was happy to let Capital Prefect Yan take the credit: "But has anyone found out who’s really behind Black Ink Studio?"
"I regret to say, Miss Feng, the shopkeeper is extremely tight-lipped, and the errand boys know nothing. But please rest assured, give me a few more days and I’ll pry the truth from him." Capital Prefect Yan wanted to rise and apologize, but thought better of it and sat awkwardly in place.
"Thank you for your efforts, sir. I’m grateful." Serena Feng had no wish to make things difficult, so she stood and offered a polite bow, startling Capital Prefect Yan into quickly standing and turning aside, insisting, "Miss Feng, this is my duty—you needn’t thank me."
Serena Feng sat back down with easy grace. "You treat the people as your own children; it’s me who’s being excessive."
Capital Prefect Yan gave an embarrassed laugh.
Serena Feng continued, "Did you find out why Linden Ling keeps visiting Black Ink Studio?" Linden is ambitious; if he’s mixed up with Jason Lan, it wouldn’t be surprising.
"Every time Young Master Linden visits Black Ink Studio, the shopkeeper personally attends to him. They talk privately in the back hall, and the errand boys know nothing—just that Young Master Linden always buys a lot of ancient books, spending thousands of taels each time. I checked the shop’s accounts; he’s indeed bought many books lately." Capital Prefect Yan managed to learn all this in a single day, showing how seriously he took the case.
"Ancient books? Why would a martial arts heir buy so many old texts—he’s never been known for collecting rare books." Serena Feng clearly didn’t believe it. Capital Prefect Yan was quick-witted and replied, "Don’t worry, Miss Feng, I’ll head back to the yamen and make sure to get something out of that shopkeeper."
"Then I’ll leave it to you, sir." Serena Feng didn’t stand on ceremony. She clapped her hands, and a servant brought in a tray, covered with a black cloth so its contents couldn’t be seen.
"This is a hardship allowance for your men." Serena Feng motioned for the servant to present the tray to Capital Prefect Yan, startling him so much his face went pale. He hurriedly waved his hands, refusing to accept.
"Please accept it, sir. I’ll need your men’s help again soon, and it’s only right to buy them some good wine and meat. Sending food would be too conspicuous, so I’ve converted it to cash. Don’t tell me you’re refusing because it’s too little?" Serena Feng knew that, even with Ninth Royal Uncle backing her, if she wanted the men to really work hard, she couldn’t skimp on the rewards.
Seeing he couldn’t refuse and that Serena Feng was sincere, Capital Prefect Yan finally accepted.
On the tray were two pouches, one large and one small. Capital Prefect Yan felt a bit awkward—this was his first time accepting a bribe so directly. Serena Feng noticed and smiled: "The small one is a gift for your son. You can’t turn that down."
Capital Prefect Yan broke into a smile and cupped his hands to Serena Feng. "On behalf of my son, I thank you, Miss Feng."
"You're too polite. Lin Quan, see the gentleman out." Serena Feng instructed the servant with the tray, so Capital Prefect Yan wouldn’t have to accept the gifts in front of her, preserving his dignity.
Everyone was satisfied. Capital Prefect Yan boarded his carriage, opened the large pouch, and when he saw the banknotes inside, his eyes lit up: "Miss Feng is truly generous."
Five thousand taels, just like that—enough to grease the whole yamen. From now on, everyone would be eager to work for Serena Feng; not only would they earn merit, they’d get paid. Only a fool would pass up a deal like this.
As for the small pouch, Capital Prefect Yan was even more pleased. It held an unremarkable little jade pendant, but anyone with taste knew it was palace-issued. Wearing it signaled status.
He didn’t lack for money, and even if he did, he wouldn’t dare accept Serena Feng’s cash. The value wasn’t high, but the meaning was something else entirely.
With Capital Prefect Yan and the court constables properly rewarded, they became even more diligent about Serena Feng’s case—acting faster than even the Commander of the Nine Gates. That very night, they mobilized constables to search the entire capital for suspicious persons and checked every infant under one year old.
The city’s residents were highly sensitive to danger. Seeing the constables’ unusual actions, they knew something serious had happened, so everyone shut their doors and stayed home. Even Jason Lan, far out in the suburbs, sensed the threat and secretly cursed Ninth Royal Uncle as incompetent—for letting a woman mobilize so many constables for a private matter and disturb the whole capital.
Hearing his subordinates’ report that the constables were searching thoroughly, without any shirking or trickery, Jason Lan realized this was bad. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to go into the inner city to gather information.
"Guard the place—don’t let anyone in or out." Jason Lan ordered his men to watch the courtyard, then changed into coarse clothes, hitched up an ox cart loaded with firewood, and set off for the western city.
Clara Phoenixfield sat inside, holding Little Feng Jin. Hearing the commotion outside, her once-dead eyes lit up again. She gently kissed Feng Jin’s face, whispering, "Little darling, you really are your sister’s lucky star. Today’s our lucky day—the big brute is gone. If you behave, I’ll take you away when the time comes."
Little Feng Jin answered Clara Phoenixfield with a toothless, babbling laugh…