Back Courtyard, Who Will the Wang Clan Daughter Marry

William Wang Jinling's proposal was something Serena Feng would never accept.

She wasn’t cut out for business, and Feng Manor no longer lacked silver. The profits from her partnership with the Young Clan were enough to support three generations of Feng descendants. Her comment about brewing wine for money was just a passing fancy, nothing more than a casual remark.

The two quickly moved on to other topics. Seeing that Serena spent her days at home and rarely interacted with noblewomen from other manors, William recalled that his sister would soon host a pre-wedding flower-viewing gathering for all the unmarried girls from noble families. He invited, "If you’re free, would you honor us with your presence? My sister has admired you for a long time."

"I’m afraid I can’t. I’ve already arranged with Imperial Noble Consort Helena Hsieh to treat the little prince in a few days, and I’ve been busy training Simon Sun for the surgery." Serena was drifting away from the circles of noblewomen in the capital, and though she knew William meant well, the timing was truly unfortunate.

"No problem, there’ll be other chances. But you’re only training Simon? Wait—are you letting him operate on the little prince?" William was puzzled; how could Imperial Noble Consort Helena possibly agree to that?

Serena flexed her wrist. "My hands were injured—I can’t hold a scalpel for now."

Although Dr. Redwater’s acupuncture and medicated baths had restored seventy to eighty percent of her strength, her hands couldn’t take any more strain for the time being.

"That injury from before?" William’s brows furrowed. Serena didn’t want to lie to him anymore, but it was hard to explain, so she could only vaguely agree.

William’s smile faded; his tone grew sharp. "Serena, I will find out who ambushed you that day—and avenge you."

Serena was at a loss for words. Once you tell one lie, you need a thousand more to cover it up—and right now, she was tangled in just such a web.

She couldn’t persuade William, so she could only say that her hands would recover soon and there was nothing serious—at that, William’s expression eased.

Serena let out a silent sigh of relief. The Grand Heir turning hostile was truly terrifying.

Afraid William would keep dwelling on her injury, Serena quickly brought up the Wang–Cui marriage alliance, asking about the wedding plans.

"The wedding is set for next year. The Cui side is in chaos—if they want to marry my sister, they’ll have to prove themselves." William was already unhappy about the match and would never let his sister be married off so carelessly.

Serena strongly agreed. "For a woman, marriage is a lifelong matter—it can’t be taken lightly." In an era without real divorce, a woman only had one chance to marry.

"You’re right, Serena. A woman’s marriage must be chosen with care—it shapes her whole life." William said this while gazing deeply at Serena.

He knew Serena didn’t care much about her own marriage prospects, but he still wanted to remind her—if possible, he wished Ninth Royal Uncle would marry her soon.

But when the words reached his lips, he still couldn’t say them aloud.

William sighed softly, then explained how the Emperor was forcing the Wang Clan to send a daughter into Prince Chase’s Manor as a side-consort.

Serena wasn’t Nolan, so William had no reason to beat around the bush—being direct was best.

"Send a Wang girl into Prince Chase’s Manor as a side-consort? Didn’t the Emperor already assign two side-consorts and four concubines to Prince Chase? Now he wants your family to send another girl—doesn’t he worry about chaos in that back courtyard?" Serena truly couldn’t fathom what the Emperor was thinking.

This wasn’t how you favored Prince Chase. After his marriage to Princess Yara, the Emperor kept assigning him high-status consorts and now wanted a Wang daughter in the mix—wasn’t he deliberately making the back courtyard even messier?

"The Emperor is punishing the Wang Clan. Prince Chase’s Manor is a madhouse—those concubines get pregnant, miscarry, and then it all starts again, with no order at all. The principal consort isn’t really in charge, and the side-consorts aren’t really side-consorts."

It was awkward for any man to talk about another household’s back courtyard, and William was no exception. If not for the Wang family’s reputation being at stake, he’d rather not get involved in such messy affairs.

Prince Chase was truly sheltered by the Emperor. After all these years of marriage, he’d lost several children yet remained as innocent as ever—William really didn’t know what to say.

Serena was even more at a loss. She had no interest in the chaos of Prince Chase’s back courtyard; she cared more about William’s real reason for coming.

"You don’t want a Wang girl sent to Prince Chase’s Manor?" Any responsible family would never send their daughter to such a dangerous place.

"Exactly. Even if a Wang girl were willing to be a concubine, you wouldn’t send her to Prince Chase’s Manor—surviving there is nearly impossible." William didn’t want the Wang daughters spending every day locked in endless infighting, always needing him to step in.

He was not good at handling back courtyard affairs.

"But the Emperor has spoken—your clan will have to marry a daughter into the imperial family." Serena looked genuinely worried.

"I know. The Wang–Cui marriage alliance has angered the Emperor, so the Wang Clan must make a sacrifice. Sending a Wang girl to the imperial family is fine—there are several unmarried princes, any of them would do, as long as it’s not Prince Chase." William came to see Serena not to use her, but simply to avoid negotiating with Ninth Royal Uncle.

Ninth Royal Uncle was far too cunning—William had no intention of walking into his trap.

"As long as you agree to the alliance, I’ll ask Ninth Royal Uncle and get back to you." Serena accepted the matter but didn’t give William a definite answer.

That was enough to satisfy William. With Ninth Royal Uncle involved, the Wang girls could only marry the Crown Prince or Prince Colin—any other prince would never get Nolan’s approval.

William had finished visiting Serena, chatting, and handling business. He was just about to take his leave when a commotion sounded outside the door.

William looked up and saw Sun Sixing, dressed in blue and covered in blood, staggering toward the main hall. A group of servants followed, watching him anxiously—whenever he was about to fall, they tried to help, but he shook them off.

"Sixing, what happened to you?" Serena was startled and rushed to Sun Sixing, grabbing him to check him over.

William was a step slower than Serena, but his face was serious as he asked, "What happened?"

Sun Sixing was in a daze, his eyes lifeless. Only when he saw Serena did his gaze shift—his eyelids fluttered and tears slipped down as he choked out, "Master, I..."

With a thud, Sun Sixing collapsed. Luckily, Serena reacted quickly and caught him. "Sixing..."

"Young Master Sun!" The servants hurried over, lifting Sun Sixing and carrying him inside. William couldn’t leave now—he stood by, watching Serena with concern.

He knew very well how much Serena cared about Sun Sixing. If anything happened to Sixing, Serena might risk everything.

After a brief moment of panic, Serena quickly regained her composure and began examining Sun Sixing’s condition.

"No external injuries—he fainted from grief." Serena turned to the servants who’d followed Sixing and asked, "What happened to Young Master Sixing?"

How could someone be so heartbroken? Sixing was never the sentimental type.