Paternity Verification, the Ruler No Longer Attends Morning Court

After nearly a month apart, there was naturally much to say between them. Once Prince Nolan escorted Serena back to Feng Manor, he didn't return to his own estate, but stayed the night at Feng Manor instead.

Feng Jin had been traveling for days and was already exhausted. By the time Serena and Prince Nolan returned, Feng Jin was fast asleep—he had no energy left to play the little third wheel.

Of course, Prince Nolan never told Serena that he had chosen this timing on purpose—he was truly wary of that little troublemaker, Feng Jin.

When the two of them were together, they didn't need to do anything special. As long as he could look up and see her, reach out and hold her, Prince Nolan was content.

Serena knew that Prince Nolan felt nothing but rejection toward this mother who had suddenly appeared. Sensing his sour mood, she deliberately picked some lighthearted stories to share.

Although she had encountered a rebellion in Jiangnan, Serena hadn't actually been in real danger. The ones who truly faced peril were the soldiers on the front lines, so she still had plenty of cheerful stories to tell.

Sure enough, Prince Nolan's brows relaxed a lot. He gently wrapped his arms around Serena, breathing in her fresh, sunlit scent with satisfaction. Seeing her look tired, he patted her back and said, "Go to sleep. Tomorrow will be another busy day."

Early the next morning, servants from Ninth Prince Manor arrived at Feng Manor with a handkerchief stained with Lady Min's blood, as well as Prince Nolan's court robes.

Besides those, the butler was also carrying something quite out of place. Serena raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's this?"

Wearing a bitter expression, the butler whispered, "Th-this is a breakfast Lady Min personally made for His Highness. She kept it warm and insisted I bring it for Prince Nolan."

He hadn't wanted to, but Lady Min gave him no chance to refuse—she stood in front of him with gentle insistence, blocking his way. If he didn't agree to deliver it, she'd come to Feng Manor herself.

"A heartfelt breakfast?" Serena glanced meaningfully at Prince Nolan. Without looking up, he straightened his sleeves and replied, "Give it to Snow as an extra meal."

"I'll thank you on Snow's behalf," Serena said with a wave, signaling the butler to leave.

Before leaving, the butler sneaked a look at Prince Nolan. Seeing Nolan's expressionless face, he felt a chill down his spine, convinced he'd somehow made a misstep.

Sweating... Being a butler is tough. It's even tougher being caught between Prince Nolan and his mother.

Once the servants left, only Serena and Prince Nolan remained in the room. Serena stepped forward and helped him change into his court robes. Prince Nolan naturally spread his arms, even bending slightly so she could fix his collar more easily.

When she was finished, Serena stepped back three paces, looked him up and down, and said with satisfaction, "I really am quite virtuous."

"Who says you're not?" Prince Nolan patted Serena's head as a reward.

It was the kind of gesture you'd use to reward a puppy. Serena was momentarily speechless, then complained openly, "If I weren't worried about you going hungry, your mother wouldn't have sent breakfast—and it's only enough for one person."

If Lady Min really is Prince Nolan's mother, Serena could tell just by instinct that Lady Min doesn't like her.

Honestly, in this era, it's hard to imagine any mother liking a daughter-in-law like her. A strong-willed wife is always seen as a challenge to a mother-in-law's authority.

"You're overthinking it." Prince Nolan continued to mess up Serena's hair—her neat bun ended up looking like a bird's nest, forcing her to redo it.

After all that fuss, Prince Nolan ended up leaving late. In the grand hall, all the ministers were waiting for him to preside over the morning assembly.

"Is this how the legend of 'from now on the ruler never attends morning court' begins?" Those in the know were well aware that Serena had returned to the city yesterday.

The moment Serena came back, Prince Nolan was late for the grand assembly—a rare occurrence. No one believed the two events were unrelated.

"Careful what you say." The Grand Heir, William Wang Jinling, glanced coolly at the speaker. Though he didn't sound angry, everyone else fell silent, not daring to joke about Serena anymore.

Everyone knew the Grand Heir always shielded Serena.

When Prince Nolan entered the hall, silence fell. He didn't care at all, simply took his seat below the empty imperial throne.

At morning court, only the emperor is supposed to be seated, but in Eastlyn, Prince Nolan is the only one who sits.

Once Prince Nolan was seated, the eunuch announced the start of the grand assembly.

Recently, Eastlyn's grand assemblies had all revolved around the wars with Northlyn and Chu City, but today the focus was on the Jiangnan rebellion.

News that the Jiangnan conflict had been quelled had reached the capital. This year, the region's tax silver and grain had even increased by ten percent, reportedly from crushing the rebels. Still, the court decided to reshuffle Jiangnan's officials to prevent future unrest.

As for Shandong, the war between the Phoenixfield Clan and Tyre City was completely under Prince Nolan's lock and key. Except for a handful of insiders, none of the officials in court knew what was happening there.

With people in high places, things get done. Serena's operatives in Shandong were on the verge of flipping the whole region, but those in the capital hadn't heard a word about it.

As soon as Serena returned, her loyal aides Autumn and Wanqing brought her a mountain of intelligence reports, ready to brief her on everything that had happened.

"We'll talk about that later. I'm heading to the clinic cabin—no one is to disturb me." Learning the capital's situation was important, but running the parentage test for Prince Nolan took priority.

Lady Min hadn't even been acknowledged by Prince Nolan yet, but she was already making waves in the capital. Before Nolan returned, she had been escorted straight into the city by Liancastle's people.

Liancastle's envoy presented Lady Min before the entire court. She answered every question smoothly, and with several senior ministers confirming her identity, it was almost settled even before Prince Nolan arrived.

If not for William Wang Jinling's firm opposition, insisting they wait for Prince Nolan's return, Lady Min might already have been granted the title of Grand Empress Dowager.

Whether Lady Min was being used or not, confirming her identity was crucial.

If she wasn't his mother, Prince Nolan would show no mercy—and it would even give him grounds to go to war with Liancastle.

But if Lady Min truly was his birth mother, no matter how ruthless Prince Nolan was, he could never harm her. At the very least, he'd fulfill his filial duties, and as long as she didn't cause trouble, her later years would be secure.

Serena understood the gravity of the situation and took it seriously. DNA parentage testing was the most accurate method available, and she was now conducting one for Prince Nolan and Lady Min.

Usually, parentage tests are done to confirm the father's side, rarely the mother's. After all, a father might not be the biological parent, but a mother knows if a child came from her own body.

This was Serena's first time running a DNA parentage test. To ensure accuracy, she performed it three times in a row, and each result was...