Six royal princes from three kingdoms, plus the top clans like Cui, Wang, and Hsieh—never mind Lord Chu of Chu City, even Ninth Royal Uncle would have to praise: What a grand maneuver!
Does Serena Feng really not know how to control things, or has the situation spun out of her grasp?
It looks like some things need to be discussed with Serena Feng in advance. Otherwise, if each of them acts on their own and things spiral out of control, it’ll be a real mess.
Ninth Royal Uncle picked a bright and sunny day and came openly to Feng Manor. The first thing he said upon seeing Serena Feng was, "Serena Feng, your move is just too big."
"Huh? What move?" Serena Feng didn’t get it at first. When she finally caught on, she spread her hands, looking completely innocent: "Ninth Royal Uncle, you’ve got it wrong. It’s not my grand move, it’s Chu City’s. I haven’t done anything at all."
"You haven’t done anything?" Ninth Royal Uncle looked at Serena Feng with a half-smile, full of threat. Serena mumbled under her breath, barely audible: "I really didn’t do much. I just had someone spread the word about the benefits of marrying Charlotte Chu. Besides, those people weren’t brought in by me."
Those heavyweight admirers, and the ones who chased Charlotte Chu before, were all brought in by Ninth Royal Uncle. What does that have to do with her?
Serena Feng does have some influence, but it’s limited to the Imperial Capital and Night City. Her reach hasn’t spread elsewhere yet—she’s not powerful enough to pull off such a huge spectacle.
"So you’re blaming me, then?" Ninth Royal Uncle pushed the teacup away and tapped his fingers on the table, each tap clear and slow, as if knocking on her heart—adding pressure for no reason at all.
"I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. I absolutely wouldn’t blame Ninth Royal Uncle. It’s just that Charlotte Chu’s situation really isn’t my fault." Serena Feng noticed her own heartbeat slowing, unconsciously matching his rhythm, her voice growing softer and softer.
"If it’s not you, then who? Tell me—who incited the Empress? Who stirred up Prince Nathan of Southlyn? Who provoked Prince Terrence of Lyndaria? Who set off the Cui, Wang, and Hsieh clans? Don’t think I’m too busy lately to know what you’ve been up to behind the scenes."
Uh... Serena Feng had no way to refute him, but she had no intention of admitting guilt either. She lifted her chin, full of pride: "So what if it was me? Do you have any proof?"
"Do I need proof?" No one could find evidence of this, because Serena Feng wasn’t playing at schemes—she was playing with people’s hearts, manipulating them to the extreme.
Prince Rowan, Crown Prince Terrence, Prince Damien—they never planned to marry Charlotte Chu, but once their rivals made a move, they had no choice but to act too.
Serena Feng didn’t use any hidden plots or tricks; everything she did was out in the open. Prince Terrence and Prince Nathan knew it was a trap but jumped in anyway, because neither could stand the idea of Charlotte Chu marrying Prince Titus or Prince Damien.
The Cui and Hsieh clans felt the same way. After William Wang hinted that a Wang clansman admired Charlotte Chu, the Cui and Hsieh families had to strike back—they couldn’t let Charlotte marry into the Wang family and strengthen their position.
Looking at the whole situation, Serena Feng really hadn’t done much. This was all the result of each faction struggling for advantage, so she wasn’t worried about the Emperor or Charlotte Chu coming after her.
Serena Feng didn’t have the power to stir things up this much; it was all because Charlotte Chu herself was so valuable. If she weren’t, none of these big players would bother to get involved.
Faced with Ninth Royal Uncle’s faintly scolding tone, Serena Feng wasn’t afraid at all. She smiled and said, "Without proof, you can’t say I did all this. I’m not that capable, so don’t go blaming me for things I didn’t do."
Serena Feng copied Ninth Royal Uncle, tapping on the table—sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, a chaotic rhythm with no pattern at all. She was clearly trying to throw him off his pace.
She really doesn’t suffer even the slightest loss.
Ninth Royal Uncle sighed and withdrew his hand from the table. Seeing Serena Feng looking so pleased with herself, he almost couldn’t resist pinching her cheek.
Ahem... Ninth Royal Uncle cleared his throat and said, "I don’t care whether you did it or not. Now the Northlyn Imperial Uncle, princes from three kingdoms, and the Cui, Wang, and Hsieh clans are all seeking to marry Charlotte Chu. Aren’t you worried that if Charlotte gets desperate, she’ll just marry the Emperor?"
"Not worried. She won’t marry him." Charlotte Chu’s marriage is a political issue, not a personal one. Whoever she marries decides where Chu City stands, and Charlotte would never marry the Emperor.
"Hmph..." Ninth Royal Uncle snorted. "Where does your confidence come from, to be so sure Charlotte Chu won’t marry the Emperor? Aren’t you afraid she’ll go down with the ship?"
He truly wasn’t interested in marrying Charlotte Chu, but he couldn’t let his rivals marry her either.
"She won’t." Serena Feng said this with absolute certainty. Ninth Royal Uncle, annoyed by her confidence, asked with amusement, "What makes you so sure? Don’t forget, she’s Lord Chu’s only daughter. Marrying an emperor is her best option."
"That’s true, but all four kingdoms already have empresses. Even if she enters the palace, she’d only be a consort. Charlotte Chu isn’t someone who’d settle for that." If she could fall for Simon Sun, it shows she still has a young girl’s dreams.
If Charlotte Chu had any sense, she wouldn’t fall for Simon Sun, since he offers her no advantage at all—it only brings her heartbreak.
"Since you know Charlotte Chu so well, tell me—who do you think she’ll marry?" Ninth Royal Uncle asked.
"How should I know who she’ll marry? I’m not her mother." Serena Feng was only stirring things up to quell the rumors, not to meddle in Charlotte Chu’s marriage.
Seeing Ninth Royal Uncle so concerned about Charlotte Chu’s marriage, Serena Feng realized he had designs on Chu City. She quickly said, "As long as she doesn’t marry my disciple, I don’t care who she marries."
"How do you know I want Simon Sun to marry her?" Ninth Royal Uncle teased, seeing Serena Feng’s worried look. Her face changed instantly: "You want Simon Sun to marry her? Ninth Royal Uncle, you can’t be serious!"
"What if I am serious?" Just one mention and she exploded—anyone would think Serena Feng was protecting a son, not a disciple.
Hmph. Ninth Royal Uncle would never admit he was jealous.
"No way. I absolutely won’t let Charlotte Chu ruin my disciple." Serena Feng stood up and slammed her hand on the table.
She’d thought about this possibility these past two days. She was afraid Charlotte Chu would propose marrying Simon Sun, but she hadn’t expected Ninth Royal Uncle to bring it up.
No matter what, she couldn’t let Simon Sun get dragged into this mess.
"No way? What gives you the right to say no? Who are you to Simon Sun? His teacher? Which is greater—his teacher’s orders or the Emperor’s commands?" Ninth Royal Uncle retorted coldly, reminding Serena Feng that imperial will cannot be defied.
"You..." Serena Feng ground her teeth in anger. "Did you come here just to argue with me today? Does causing me trouble make you happy?"
"You’re the one causing trouble, not me. Think about my proposal seriously: if Simon Sun marries Charlotte Chu, I’ll handle any fallout." What started as a joke, Ninth Royal Uncle was now seriously considering.
If Simon Sun marries Charlotte Chu, a lot of problems could be solved.
"No need to consider it. I won’t agree. Scheme all you want with Chu City—I won’t let you use my disciple as a bargaining chip." Serena Feng said angrily, waving her hand toward the door. "Ninth Royal Uncle, forgive me, but..." She was about to send him out.
Before she could finish, the butler interrupted: "Ninth Royal Uncle, Miss, Lord Chu of Chu City is here to visit."