Although Prince Nolan had long planned to set Little Dumpling up and abdicate when the boy turned ten, William Wang Jinling never imagined Little Dumpling would actually ascend the throne at that age...
Before Little Dumpling turned ten, William only taught him what any ordinary boy ought to know. The real lessons for an emperor—like how to manage subordinates—were meant to start after age ten.
You can't just learn how to manage people from lectures; Little Dumpling needs hands-on practice, to try it himself and slowly correct his mistakes.
Sean Xuan offers Skyvault Palace Sect as a training ground for Little Dumpling, while William brings Zed over for him to practice on.
The more capable a person is, the prouder they become. Zed would never betray or sell out Little Dumpling. But for someone like Zed to willingly dedicate his life to Little Dumpling—that depends on the heir’s own skill.
“Since I’m free at Skyvault Palace, I can help you train Zed as well. That way, it’ll be easier for you to use him in the future.” William spoke lazily, his tone as warm as a July breeze, but...
But Little Dumpling and Sean both shivered. Training someone like that is truly ruthless. Zed may be clever, but in front of his adoptive father William, he’s not even in the same league. They could already imagine Zed’s miserable future.
"Can you call Snow Wolf over too?" Little Dumpling asked timidly.
Snow Wolf and Zed are still in Northlyn. The two finished their business but couldn’t bear to return, so Little Dumpling hasn’t seen Snow Wolf in ages and really does miss him a bit.
"You miss that wolf?" William asked.
Little Dumpling nodded enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling...
William gave a gentle nod and, together with Sean, silently mourned for Snow Wolf.
Missing Snow Wolf is never a good thing for the wolf itself. Hopefully this time he can keep his teeth—if he loses two more, he might not even be able to chew meat anymore.
Making a wolf eat vegetables—now that’s truly inhumane...
Prince Nolan had originally suspected that William was hiding out at Skyvault Palace Sect. When he got word that Zed was being sent there, he could be sure: William was definitely holed up at Skyvault.
“Aren’t you supposed to be a gentleman? When did you get so cunning?” Prince Nolan’s opinion of William was never high, and now it dropped even lower.
“All’s fair in war,” Serena quietly defended William. Prince Nolan snorted, “A true gentleman should act with integrity. If Little Dumpling stays by his side, sooner or later he’ll be led astray.”
Little Dumpling is already just like William: all sorts of schemes hidden in his belly, yet on the surface, he looks pure and innocent.
Don’t think he doesn’t know why his son sought out William and Sean.
That scheming brat—plotting against his own adoptive father and uncle, and not even being discreet about it. Flaunting it like this, he’s practically announcing to the world that he’s up to no good.
Serena just smiled and stayed silent. Prince Nolan needed to vent—once he finished, he’d be fine.
"Serena, do you think I should issue a decree asking Sean to send Little Dumpling back? I’ll teach him myself." As for William, forget it—he still knew William’s whereabouts for now, but if William really vanished, finding him would be no easy task.
"No rush. Let him learn at Sean and William’s side for two years. Life in the palace is too peaceful—everything comes too easily. Little Dumpling has no sense of danger at all."
In history, almost no prince has ever ascended the throne without first fighting through blood and fire. For someone like Little Dumpling, born with everything handed to him, it’s extremely rare...
"You’re right," Prince Nolan nodded. "Looks like William intends to help Little Dumpling cultivate his future ministers. With Zed at Skyvault, William will probably train him personally. In that case, let’s send a few more—William’s got time to spare."
Whether it’s one sheep or a whole flock, you might as well let them all loose.
"I remember Felix Fuller’s son is only two years younger than Little Dumpling; he’s a good candidate. Also, the Wang Clan has a very talented child they’re grooming as their future Head of House—if we send him over, the clan will be thrilled." Serena didn’t interfere in politics, but she knew the major officials well.
The Wang Clan had always hoped to place their chosen heir at William’s side—not to be taught directly, but just to learn by following him. But William never gave the clan any face and always refused.
Now that the opportunity’s here, the Wang Clan won’t let it slip by.
"Send a Cui child too, and the sons of General Warren Yu, Colin Si, and Dominic Zhai. With Sean present, he can give them some pointers in martial arts and leadership." Prince Nolan added more names, turning Skyvault into a nursery for political seedlings. Serena could already imagine how overwhelmed Sean would be when he saw this batch.
"It’s best to make it clear to these families—their children aren’t going to Skyvault to be pampered young masters, and they’re not allowed to bring servants." Serena tried to make things easier for Sean. "Also, warn them not to scheme against each other. If anyone causes death or crippling, the punishment will extend to their family."
Children from these great families are all shrewd; in the future, they’ll enter the court or the military. They’ll be both colleagues and rivals, and if anyone gets malicious ideas and tries to cripple or kill a competitor while they’re young, it’s not impossible.
"Mm. I’ll have the messengers make it clear." Internal killings are something Prince Nolan will never allow.
Once the list was nearly settled, Prince Nolan asked, "We’ve talked about all these children—should the Phoenixfield Clan send one or two as well?"
Serena shook her head without hesitation. "No. Phoenixfield kids already trained with Little Dumpling when they were young, and they’re on friendly terms."
Too much is as bad as too little. Serena had learned from the Phoenixfield Clan’s downfall in the previous dynasty—not to let the clan get too close to Little Dumpling.
Prince Nolan didn’t press her. Even though Little Dumpling now held the Phoenixfield King title, the only true leader of the clan was Serena. She had set the clan’s future path, and not even the Emperor could interfere.
After finishing business, the imperial couple walked hand in hand back to their sleeping palace. Seeing the empty, lifeless halls, Prince Nolan suddenly missed Little Dumpling and Sweet Dumpling.
When those two were in the palace, every time they came back, they’d see Little Dumpling and Sweet Dumpling playing or reading as they waited. But now?
"Serena, do you think we should try for another child?" Once children grow up, they all leave their parents, and parents get lonely too.
"I’m not young anymore—having another child is too risky." Serena shook her head without even thinking. The experience of giving birth to Sweet Dumpling still haunted her.
If something like that happened again, she couldn’t guarantee she’d wake up, or that her Smart Med-Pack wouldn’t malfunction again.
"Then we won’t." Remembering that time, Prince Nolan’s heart clenched. He gripped Serena’s hand tightly.
Back then, he’d thought Serena just fainted from pain. Only later did he realize how close she came to real danger. If she hadn’t woken up, he...
He would never have seen Serena again!