Fragrant Daughter, This Prince Does Not Mind Giving You a Push

Master Ian Reed was a true master of Go, and if you wanted to beat him, you had to play the odd move and take the unconventional path. Today, Prince Nolan used the very same strategy that Serena Feng had once employed against Su Wan.

The opening half of the game seemed bland and disordered, yet every move hid a secret—subtly unraveling the opponent’s setup and making it impossible for Master Ian to guess Prince Nolan’s true style.

It was a tricky, peculiar approach—completely at odds with Master Ian’s usual method. But against those who play by rote, it’s devastatingly effective. Of course, you can only use such a trick once; once your opponent sees through it, the magic is gone.

Prince Nolan’s play was all about novelty and surprise. In the end, he deliberately cut off his own retreat and bet everything on a last stand, using the rule that black has one more stone than white to steal the win.

Go has 361 stones: 180 white, 181 black. Prince Nolan let Master Ian have black and play first—not out of respect for age or virtue, but simply because he wasn’t the kind to show that courtesy.

By the end of their match, the words exchanged were few but the meaning profound. Drawing on everything he’d observed, Master Ian Reed could finally glimpse the true nature of Prince Nolan.

Dominance, pride, arrogance—these weren’t the main points. What mattered was that Prince Nolan had the talent and cunning to justify his confidence. A man like that was worth risking everything for.

Of course, whether he was truly worth it or not, Master Ian Reed had no choice. He had to take the gamble.

Master Ian Reed didn’t hide his admiration for Prince Nolan. If he was to put his talents to use, he’d rather work with this man. Dropping all pretense, he asked directly, “Prince Nolan, what do you want from me?”

Such directness was exactly what Prince Nolan had expected. After all, it was Prince Titus of Lyndaria who had arranged for them to meet.

Prince Nolan didn’t answer. Instead, he dipped his finger in water and wrote ‘Prime Minister’ on the tabletop.

“You want me to go up against Arthur Zane?” Arthur Zane, Lyndaria’s Prime Minister, was also the man beloved by the Princess Royal—the one whose affair had made Master Ian Reed a laughingstock for half his life.

“No. What I want, Master Ian, is for you to take his place.” There was no need for Master Ian to confront Arthur Zane head-on; anyone who’d climbed from scholar to Prime Minister had plenty of dirt.

As long as the Empress and Prince Titus are willing to act, even if the Emperor objects, he’ll have no choice but to replace his Prime Minister. Arthur Zane has held the post for years, and the Emperor’s patience is running out. Give him a reason, and he’ll gladly make the change.

A spark of understanding flashed in Master Ian Reed’s calm eyes.

No man can resist the temptation of power. But with his current circumstances, Master Ian Reed couldn’t even hope for a real position, let alone the Prime Ministership.

Suppressing his bitterness, Master Ian Reed said with a self-deprecating smile, “Your Highness must be joking. Surely you know how much the Emperor distrusts the Lynn family. How could he ever let me leap to the top of the bureaucracy?”

Prince Nolan could see Master Ian was tempted, and replied evenly, “Times change. The Lynn family has kept its head down for years. If you can show the Emperor your clan’s loyalty—and with some help from inside the palace—your revival isn’t impossible.”

As the saying goes, ‘thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west’—an emperor’s favor is the most unreliable thing in the world. For twenty years, the Emperor has only sidelined the Lynn family, never wiped them out. He even married his own sister into the clan. It was meant to humiliate Master Ian, but it also gave the Lynns a lifeline.

“Not impossible? If it’s so easy, why has my family declined year after year? Why have I spent my life in obscurity? Your Highness, at my age, rising to Prime Minister is no small feat.” Master Ian Reed wasn’t as optimistic as Prince Nolan. The wounds of the past had left him cautious, and he hoped Nolan would offer more support.

Prince Nolan let out a cold, short laugh. "If you think you can't do it, I don't mind giving you a hand."

If the Lynn family and Master Ian Reed couldn’t manage even that, they weren’t worth his personal attention. Nolan didn’t mind helping Ian up—but that would make Ian nothing but a puppet, entirely at his mercy.

Master Ian Reed drew in a sharp breath. He’d only meant to test the waters, hoping Prince Nolan would shoulder more of the burden. But Nolan’s readiness to do it all would make both him and the Lynn family look utterly incompetent. Would he ever have a voice in front of Nolan again?

He quickly said, "Your Highness, I appreciate your kindness. I was overthinking it. With your and Her Majesty’s planning, and with the Lynn family's full support, it isn't impossible for me to rise to office."

"I'm glad you see it that way, Master Ian." Wanting high office without effort was naive.

Still, Prince Nolan understood Ian’s mindset—who in this world doesn’t wish for something for nothing?

Their basic agreement was reached; as for the details, each side would handle their own part. Master Ian Reed wiped the sweat from his brow, gathered himself, and reclaimed his signature air of effortless grace.

Looking at the calm, poised young man before him, Ian couldn’t help but ask, "There’s something I don’t understand, Your Highness. Why help me?"

There were plenty of fallen talents in the world. Prince Nolan had many options, while Ian had no one but Nolan. The Emperor’s distrust meant no one else dared use him, no matter how gifted he was.

"I appreciate your talent, Master Ian. Someone like you shouldn't be left to rot." Even as he said it, Nolan himself didn’t quite believe it—but it was the only reason he could give.

The Lynn family was distrusted by the Lyndarian royal house because of their ties to the Former Dynasty—they were one of the few great clans in the Nine Provinces Realm who still honored the old regime. Prince Nolan was willing to take that risk.

Of course, even if it failed, Nolan would lose little. Lyndaria’s internal affairs were under Prince Titus’s control; Nolan had little to worry about.

It was just a Prime Minister. However great his power, it was all granted by the Emperor. With a single decree, the throne could strip him of everything.

"It’s an honor that Your Highness thinks so highly of me. After a lifetime of wandering in confusion, perhaps it’s time I woke up." Master Ian Reed’s eyes gleamed with renewed spirit and resolve.

The white-robed scholar might have kept his pride, but he’d never held real power. To finally put his ambitions to use—that was exhilarating.

It was as if Master Ian Reed had rediscovered the youthful passion and drive he’d once had—and it was all thanks to the young man before him.

The thought that his future was now in the hands of a much younger man was oddly unsettling. Ian felt a strange discomfort, but each time he weighed Nolan’s brilliance and cunning, it seemed only natural.

A worthy minister needs a wise sovereign. Perhaps this young man was his destined sovereign. Realizing this, Ian unconsciously showed Nolan more respect—and Nolan accepted it as his due, thinking it only natural.

It was midnight. Even on a pleasure boat, the festivities had to end. Prince Nolan remembered Serena Feng waiting for him at the inn and didn’t want to linger. He apologized to Master Ian Reed and took his leave early.

Just as when he’d arrived, Prince Nolan climbed alone from the lower deck. But as soon as he stepped onto the main level, a strange, heavy fragrance hit him. His expression turned cold, and he prepared to strike—until a voice from the shadows called out, "Please forgive me, sir. I mean no harm. I’m only following His Highness’s orders."

A hunched, white-haired old man stepped from the shadows and knelt at Prince Nolan’s feet, begging forgiveness…