At this moment, all the excitement and anticipation of the wedding had been completely replaced by worry for their son.
Nolan Dongling entered the hall and saw Serena Feng in blue robes, pacing back and forth with their little one in her arms, the child sobbing weakly. The baby's cries were faint, nothing like his usual strong voice. Serena herself had lost her composure, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Though she struggled to control herself, Nolan could still see the fear and fury in her eyes.
Something serious must have happened!
Nolan’s heart tightened, a wave of dread crashing over him. He hurried over in three quick strides and anxiously asked, “What’s wrong with the baby?”
“Your Majesty…” Spring and the wet nurse immediately knelt to greet him, but Nolan had no patience for formalities. He glanced at the crying baby, then fixed his gaze on Serena, waiting for her answer.
Serena’s eyes brimmed with tears, her gaze at Nolan filled with undisguised blame and dissatisfaction. That look made Nolan’s heart tremble, his little finger involuntarily twitching…
Realizing her loss of composure, Serena took a deep breath, swallowing the angry words on her tongue. She choked out, “The baby’s been poisoned!”
“Poisoned? How could he be poisoned inside the palace?” Nolan’s expression changed. His eyes swept the room, noticing that only one wet nurse was present—the other was missing. “Whose person is it?”
“Who else would try to kill your son?” Serena shouted at Nolan. She knew venting her anger on him wasn’t wise, but she was furious and heartbroken.
Her son was only a month old. If not for Spring and Mira Tang’s vigilance, the baby would already be dead!
She couldn’t even imagine what she would do if anything happened to the baby, but one thing was certain—she would never forgive Nolan, because the poisoner was his mother!
Even if Nolan himself was innocent, she couldn’t forgive him—just as she couldn’t forgive herself for failing to protect their son.
Nolan staggered back in shock. “His people?”
“Don’t believe me? The culprit is still alive—you can interrogate her yourself.” Serena sneered, a flash of mockery in her eyes.
At a time like this, did she need to play tricks or frame anyone?
“I don’t doubt you. Is the baby all right?” Nolan was both terrified and desperate, his mind in chaos; all he could think about was their son.
He, too, couldn’t imagine what would happen if the baby was lost—he and Serena… there would probably never be another chance for them.
“The poison’s been neutralized, but his body is still hurt.” Thinking of the suffering their son endured, Serena felt as if a knife had sliced through her heart. She turned away from Nolan, refusing to speak to him. Crystal tears slid down her cheeks, a few landing on the baby’s face.
The little one seemed to sense his mother’s sorrow and cried even harder, his tiny voice hoarse, sobbing like a kitten, with none of his usual spirit.
Serena’s heart ached unbearably. She hurriedly wiped away her tears and gently patted the baby’s back. “Don’t cry, sweetheart, don’t cry… Mommy’s here.”
“Mommy will protect you. I’ll never let anything happen to you again.” Serena held her son tightly, unwilling to trust anyone else. After nearly losing him, she couldn’t bear to let him out of her sight.
Nolan’s heart ached for his son too, but he couldn’t wedge himself between Serena and their child. Each time he tried to approach, Serena subtly avoided him. Nolan knew she was truly furious this time.
In fact, Nolan himself was also consumed by anger. He never imagined his own mother would poison his son. The baby might be his only child—how could she bring herself to do it?
Did she really think that if something happened to the baby, he’d hand the empire over to Jason Lan’s son? Ridiculous! Even if the world burned, he would never give it to Jason Lan’s bloodline.
“Serena, I promise I’ll give you an explanation for this.” Nolan gave the baby one last reluctant look, then strode out of the room.
“An explanation? Is the child only mine?” Serena struggled to suppress her resentment, quietly asking herself. She looked up at Nolan’s retreating figure, a flash of self-blame crossing her face, then broke down, sobbing over her child. “Baby… I don’t want to force your father, but I hate it, I really do! If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to go on—I’d drag everyone into the grave with us, mother and son both.”
No matter how ruthless Lady Min was, she was still Nolan’s mother. Serena had never wanted to force Nolan to treat her cruelly, but Lady Min’s repeated attacks had exhausted her tolerance.
This time they survived by luck—but what about next time? Would her son be so fortunate again?
Serena cried bitterly, while Nolan’s fury surged. The murderous aura around him was so intense that even the shadow guards shrank back. He didn’t go interrogate the wet nurse himself—instead, he ordered Lady Min, Clara Phoenixfield, and Jason Lan’s son to be brought to his study.
Lady Min and Clara Phoenixfield were locked in the palace dungeon; Jason Lan’s son was outside the palace. The Imperial Guard commander ordered his men to escort Lady Min and Clara over, while he personally went to fetch Jason’s son.
He knew how important this was and was terrified of making a mistake.
Lady Min and Clara Phoenixfield arrived first. After just half a day in the dungeon, both women looked much more haggard. Lady Min’s eyes were dull and lifeless, and even her carefully maintained face couldn’t hide the aura of age and death clinging to her.
Nolan glared at the woman before him, wishing he could slice her into a thousand pieces. But he wouldn’t kill her—death would be too easy.
The killing intent in Nolan’s eyes was overwhelming, his aura so fierce that Lady Min couldn’t help but tremble inside. She hadn’t intended to speak, but now she had to force herself to ask, “Nolan Dongling, what are you planning? Matricide?”
“Kill you? That’s far too kind.” Nolan’s face was cruel. “I’ll make you wish you were dead, and regret it for the rest of your life.”
Lady Min’s heart skipped a beat, instantly sensing something was wrong. “What happened?” she asked. Everything had been fine during the day, and tonight was his wedding night with Serena—why would he waste time on her unless something serious had happened?
Nolan didn’t answer. Instead, he countered, “Have you planted any of your people among my son’s wet nurses?”
“Something happened to your son?” Lady Min immediately understood from Nolan’s question, but she suppressed her inner delight and replied calmly, “I haven’t done anything. Ever since I fell into your hands, I haven’t contacted anyone. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t do anything.” In other words, whether your son lives or dies has nothing to do with me.
“Whether you gave the order or not doesn’t matter—I just want to know if you secretly placed anyone at my son’s side.” Nolan’s voice was solemn and unwavering as he stared at Lady Min, giving her no chance to evade.
This matter will not be settled peacefully!