Seeking Praise, Even the Hsieh Clan Wouldn’t Dare

Any objections?

At this point, what opinions could they possibly have?

This was truly a dilemma—Prince Nolan had thrown them a real problem. If the Cui Clan accepted this marriage, they could no longer make trouble for Prince Nolan. After all, it was he who brokered the match; accepting meant owing him a favor.

But if they refused, the Cui Clan would suffer even greater losses. They’d have no hope of intervening in Westlyn’s power structure again. Weighing the pros and cons, they had no choice but to compromise.

Though the Cui Clan’s ambitions were vast, they weren’t fools. Raising the Lan clan to supremacy wasn’t something that could be done overnight—it would require the strength of many parties, and maybe not even a century would be enough.

They hoped to see the Lan clan unite the realm, but at the same time, they weren’t willing to give up the benefits right in front of them.

In the end, the entire Cui Clan unanimously agreed to accept Prince Titus’s marriage proposal. As for Prince Nolan’s killing of their trusted retainers to vent his anger—that matter would be set aside for now.

Some were dissatisfied, but in the face of clan interests, all complaints had to be suppressed. The family’s benefit came first; everything else had to wait.

“Prince Nolan’s luck really is something else,” one young master of the Cui Clan muttered.

Holden Cui just laughed and said nothing…

Luck? This wasn’t luck at all—everything had been calculated by Prince Nolan. Why else would Prince Titus choose to propose not before or after, but right after Prince Nolan’s bloody retaliation?

This was forcing the Cui Clan to bow their heads to him. He slapped them across the face, then handed them a sweet date—no matter how bitter they felt, there was nowhere to vent it.

If his guess was right, it wasn’t just the Cui Clan—even the Wang–Hsieh Alliance must have received Prince Nolan’s 'sweet date' too, and would give up any thought of striking back.

Prince Nolan really left no loose ends. Even after being beaten, all you could do was swallow it. Holden Cui sighed inwardly, wondering if he needed to rethink his approach to Prince Nolan.

Nolan Dongling really left no loose ends. Even after being beaten, all you could do was swallow it. Holden Cui sighed inwardly, wondering if he needed to rethink his approach to Nolan Dongling.

One move after another—everyone who attended the Windchaser Inn banquet was now scrambling. Felix Fuller had vanished from court completely; rumor had it the Emperor sent him on a secret mission.

The Crown Prince’s voluntary abdication was probably also Nolan Dongling’s handiwork. With a gift like that, could Prince Rowan or Prince Jason really still care about the Windchaser Inn affair?

Prince Nolan, knowing about Serena’s connection with Lance Quinn, naturally said nothing more. He just claimed Felix Fuller was carrying out the Emperor’s orders, and wouldn’t be back anytime soon.

One move after another—everyone who attended the Windchaser Inn banquet was now scrambling. Felix Fuller had vanished from court completely; rumor had it the Emperor sent him on a secret mission.

On the surface, no one could trouble Prince Nolan for it, but in private, who knew? His methods of revenge were so direct and brutal, he’d humiliated those people badly. If they were provoked into retaliating the same way, things could get ugly.

“Relax. They’re either too busy or too scared. The rest simply don’t dare.” Prince Nolan was completely confident—and he was right.

Prince Rowan, Prince Jason, the Wang Clan, and the Cui Clan were all clearly done with the Windchaser Inn business. As for the Hsieh Clan—they wouldn’t dare do a thing.

Prince Nolan knew all about Serena’s history with the Hsieh Clan. He could have easily smoothed things over, but deliberately did nothing. He wanted to see just what the Hsieh Clan would gain by clinging to the Emperor’s side.

Hearing Prince Nolan’s series of arrangements, Serena was honestly impressed—though…

“Are you really planning to make an enemy of the Hsieh Clan for life?” He’d handed out benefits to everyone but them.

“The Hsieh Clan’s at odds with you. I have no reason to show them any kindness.” After that, Prince Nolan just stared at Serena, waiting for a reaction.

Look how considerate he was—knowing Serena and the Hsieh Clan were enemies, he’d made sure to leave them out when handing out benefits. He’d left them with no way out, no face to save.

And just one Hsieh Clan? They wouldn’t dare touch him.

Seeing Prince Nolan practically begging for praise, Serena almost burst out laughing.

Could she tell him that a cold-faced ice king really wasn’t cut out for acting cute? If she weren’t so sharp, she’d never have noticed.

Laughing aside, not wanting to dampen Prince Nolan’s enthusiasm, Serena still gave him full face—she praised him and, bold as ever, stepped forward and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Keep it up. Anyone who’s ever bullied me—you have to make sure you pay them back.”

Prince Nolan nodded, satisfied, and left…

He couldn’t help it—he wanted to stay, but he’d been too busy lately. Just finding time to visit Serena was already a feat.

Though he’d used all sorts of tactics to keep these people from striking back, that didn’t mean he was free. During his disappearance, his influence in every sphere had suffered—and crushing a few families wouldn’t fix it.

He could still manage the political scene bit by bit, but in the business world, there was no time left. The moment trouble hit, Vincent Su’s business took a huge blow. Several big players tried to force Vincent to sell his shops; if William Wang hadn’t helped behind the scenes, this month alone would have been enough to bankrupt him.

Since returning, Prince Nolan had been busy punishing the great clans, reining in Prince Rowan and Prince Jason, and overturning demotions for loyal officials so they could be restored to office. He simply hadn’t had a moment to help Vincent Su.

Vincent Su understood, so he kept waiting. But those watching from the sidelines saw that Prince Nolan hadn’t stepped in, assumed he’d given up on Vincent, and pressed him even harder.

Vincent Su had no choice but to go personally to Prince Nolan’s manor to seek an audience.

For a merchant, it was a matter of life and death; for an official, it could be settled with a wave of the hand. Vincent Su wouldn’t have stormed straight to Ninth Prince Manor if he hadn’t been truly desperate.

With Vincent Su coming to his door, Prince Nolan had to make time to meet him, no matter how busy he was. Otherwise, those circling sharks would never let Vincent go.

While Prince Nolan met with Vincent Su at Ninth Prince Manor, William Wang came to see Serena.

For some things, going to Serena was easier than going straight to Prince Nolan. That sly fox was just too cunning—William Wang had no desire to get skinned by him again.

Others might not know, but he did: Prince Nolan’s killing of the Wang Clan’s trusted retainers had actually cleared obstacles for him. If he went to Prince Nolan now, asking for help with the imperial edict forcing a Wang daughter to serve as a concubine, he’d be walking right into the lion’s den.

Hearing that William Wang had arrived, Serena was delighted and went out to greet him herself.

Aside from their brief encounter at the gate of the Feng residence, the two hadn’t met again until now. With William Wang’s arrival, how could Serena not be delighted?

As soon as William Wang stepped through the door and saw Serena approaching, his smile grew even warmer. Gently, he said, “Why come out yourself? The sun’s so strong—you’ll get burned.”

It felt just like a husband returning home, greeted by his wife’s smiling face. He knew it was only his own little fantasy, but William Wang was still happy.

In this life, this small, wistful imagining was all he had left—and having even that, he felt satisfied enough…