Quarrel, Husband and Wife as a Community of Interests

Just as Prince Nolan predicted, the Emperor didn’t get to enjoy his happiness for long. No sooner had Charlotte Chu and Prince Jason’s engagement been finalized than news arrived that Liancastle was surrounded by a massive Lyndarian army.

The Emperor was furious and immediately issued an edict condemning Lyndaria’s brutality and lack of virtue, accusing them of ignoring the people’s welfare and starting a war for selfish gain. All the officials loudly praised the Emperor’s wisdom—except for Prince Nolan, whose expression remained blank, as if none of it concerned him.

In truth, as officials and citizens of Eastlyn, there was no real need to treat Liancastle’s crisis as their own. Even hypocrisy has its limits.

The news of Liancastle’s siege reached Eastlyn first, and almost immediately, Liancastle’s pleas for help were sent to both Eastlyn and the Southern Lyn Kingdom, begging for military support.

No one knew what was happening in Southlyn, but it was sure to be a lively mess over there too. In Eastlyn, the question was already causing endless debate: Should we send troops? If so, who should we fight?

“Liancastle is rich, but they’ve never shown a shred of loyalty to Eastlyn. Now that trouble’s come, they want our help? Shameless. In my view, we should join forces with Lyndaria and strike Liancastle hard—scare them into submission.” The newly appointed Minister of Revenue, eyeing the mountains of gold and silver seized at Tyre City, was itching for another campaign to squeeze a fat sum from Liancastle and refill the treasury.

Eastlyn may be prosperous, but the treasury is desperately short of silver—especially since the previous Minister of Revenue died in disgrace. The new minister is bad at managing money, and now the treasury’s emptier than ever.

If not for the spoils from Tyre City, they wouldn’t even have enough funds to cover this year’s military expenses.

“Lord Xiao is absolutely right. Liancastle sits near the ports and is rich in seafood. If we cooperate with Lyndaria in this war, we can definitely make Liancastle submit.” A white-bearded old official stroked his whiskers, looking smug.

A dark-faced military general couldn’t stand the civil officials’ greed and immediately fired back, “Cooperate with Lyndaria? Lord Zhao, that’s some clever scheming, but it depends on whether they’ll play along. Lyndaria’s army is already at Liancastle’s gates—do you really think they’ll let us share the spoils?”

Lyndaria could easily swallow Liancastle whole. They know a good thing when they see it—why would they let Eastlyn profit? The victory at Tyre City can’t be repeated.

“I agree with General Si. Lyndaria’s ambitions are huge—they don’t just want Liancastle’s Snowbrew, they want Liancastle itself, to annex it into their territory. Even if we help Lyndaria attack, they won’t share Liancastle with us afterwards. And if we destroy Liancastle, the other eight legacy cities will be furious.” The generals clearly did not support helping Lyndaria.

If Liancastle falls, it will trigger chaos across the realm. Eastlyn isn’t afraid of war, but the reins should be in Eastlyn’s hands—not Lyndaria’s.

Eastlyn is completely unprepared. If they rush into war, it will only hurt Eastlyn.

“Liancastle is just a tiny place—why would Lyndaria care about it? They said themselves, all they want is Snowbrew. As long as the lord of Liancastle hands over the Snowbrew, the war can be avoided. If the lord insists on fighting, let Liancastle’s own soldiers defend it. Why should Eastlyn’s sons die for nothing?” One white-bearded official played the benevolent sage, making the generals want to gag.

“Snowbrew? Lord Li, stop fooling yourself. Do you know how much it costs Lyndaria to move three hundred thousand troops every day? There’s no way they’d do all this for a few hundred jars of wine. If they really wanted Snowbrew, they’d send envoys—not an army to Liancastle’s gates.”

“Your Majesty, Lyndaria is greedy and ruthless. Eastlyn must not help them grow stronger. This time, we should send troops to help Liancastle. It may be small, but everyone knows Liancastle is rich. If Lyndaria gets its hands on it, their national power will soar.”

The generals all knelt, demanding that the Emperor send troops to aid Liancastle and keep it out of Lyndaria’s hands. The proposal matched the Emperor’s own thinking, and he agreed on the spot. But...

Who should lead the troops?

The Emperor favored Felix Fuller, but Felix had only just returned to the capital, and his promotions had already been rapid. Neither the civil nor military officials agreed.

This was clearly a golden chance to earn merit. Every faction wanted to grab it—just look at Felix Fuller. If he comes back from this campaign, he’ll definitely be promoted and rewarded.

The Wang and Hsieh clan retainers all put forward their own sons; the noble houses and marquisates nominated their favorite allies.

Prince Rowan’s faction was desperate to get their own general chosen. Besides Felix Fuller, the Emperor also considered a few lesser-born men who understood strategy, but none had battlefield experience. Neither the civil nor military officials agreed.

The throne hall was like a marketplace—every time someone nominated a candidate, another would immediately shoot them down. The bickering lasted all day; nobody would compromise.

In the end, even the Emperor couldn’t decide, so he sent everyone home and postponed the matter until tomorrow.

The Emperor left, but the ministers weren’t in any rush. They clustered together in small groups, bargaining and strategizing. Everyone understood that no single faction would get all the credit; the only way forward was to split it.

Prince Nolan had his own power base, but he always kept to himself and never meddled in these scrambles. Ignoring the huddled negotiations and the officials trying to chat him up, he simply walked away.

“You really don’t care who gets the command?” Serena wrung out a towel and handed it to Prince Nolan so he could wipe his face.

There were only maidservants, no young men, in the rear courtyard of Feng Manor. Prince Nolan disliked close service from maids, so Serena had to handle these chores herself.

“Does it even matter? In the end, the commander will either be Prince Jason or someone under his banner.” Prince Nolan wiped his face, then his hands, before returning the towel to Serena.

Prince Nolan seemed to stay out of everything, but in truth, everything was unfolding exactly as he wished.

“Prince Jason? Is Chu City really so easy to sway? I thought Lord Harold Chase would wait for the Emperor to speak and bargain for terms.” Serena placed the towel in a copper basin and carried the water out.

Outside the door, a maidservant took the water away to pour it out.

“Eastlyn will send troops sooner or later. If they act first, they can claim more rewards. Whether it’s Prince Jason or Charlotte Chu, both know how to work the system. No matter what deals they make with the Emperor, nothing beats giving Prince Jason a military victory—it’ll boost his claim to the throne. By tying Charlotte Chu and Prince Jason together, Eastlyn doesn’t even need the Emperor to speak; Chu City will send troops to support Eastlyn regardless.”

Serena nodded, understanding: “That’s true. Charlotte Chu and Prince Jason are already bound together. Whether Charlotte likes it or not, she has to help Prince Jason win the throne. Only if he succeeds will she gain more.”

“Exactly. Husband and wife are a team. Being the lord of Chu City is impressive, but if Charlotte Chu becomes Eastlyn’s Empress and bears the next Emperor, she and Lord Harold Chase will do anything to put Prince Jason on the throne. Otherwise, Prince Nolan would never have matched Charlotte Chu with Prince Jason.”

A little chaos in Eastlyn means the Emperor won’t have time to meddle with him.

“Looks like everyone fought for nothing this time.” Poor Prince Rowan—he’ll probably be furious tomorrow. Serena couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased at the thought.

“It really was all for nothing. Neither Prince Jason nor Charlotte Chu will let this chance slip away.” Prince Nolan was sure that, given their cunning, those two would reach an agreement soon.

If nothing unexpected happens, Prince Jason will lead the army into battle by the day after tomorrow. As long as Lyndaria pushes a little harder, Terrence is sure to lose this war!