Bargains and a Man’s Unfathomable Heart

Serena Feng was escorted into the palace by the Imperial Guards!

In just one morning, the news seemed to sprout wings—thanks to certain people stirring the pot, everyone who should know and even those who shouldn’t all knew.

William Warren tapped lightly on the table, his eyes clear as glass but tightly shut. No one could guess what he was thinking—only his firmly pressed lips betrayed a hint of his mood.

Lately, he’d been busy straightening out the Wang family’s internal affairs and coordinating with Ninth Royal Uncle, so he’d paid a little less attention to Serena Feng. He never expected that this moment of distraction would give others a chance to strike.

He seized power in the Wang clan with ruthless methods, all to protect Serena and himself—yet that very pursuit of power made him neglect Serena.

What am I even doing?

William asked himself.

Killing a National Duke—unless you’re imperial kin—means certain death. The Duke’s estate won’t let it go, and once someone dies, even if it wasn’t Serena’s fault, it’ll still be pinned on her. The Emperor won’t miss this chance—an opportunity to force Ninth Royal Uncle to bow his head.

The love of the powerful is both honey and poison—it brings you supreme honor, but also immense danger.

Holden Cui breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the news. Today was the three-day deadline between him and Serena, but now that Serena had been arrested, he didn’t have to rush to give her an answer.

After all, accepting Serena’s outlandish treatment plan required not just trust, but tremendous courage. Having lived so many years, often teetering on the edge of death, he truly didn’t want to die—and feared that feeling of death looming even more.

Victor Yun had originally planned to use this matter as an excuse to visit the West District courtyard and tell Serena his handling strategy and follow-up arrangements. But before he could even leave, he heard the news and froze for a moment—then his eyes turned cold.

“Looks like Serena’s fallen right into their trap. I just hope she sees through it—otherwise, not only can’t I help, I’ll end up covered in trouble myself.”

Victor Yun cursed his luck. He hadn’t run into anything this messy in years, but the facts were right in front of him—like it or not, he couldn’t deny it. It wasn’t just Serena getting played; he’d been set up too.

“Go find the two physicians who treated the National Duke yesterday, and also bring out a few of the people who were present.” Whether it would help or not, he was going to prepare both witness and material evidence.

Yesterday’s incident was a huge commotion—lots of people knew the details, and plenty would use it to stir up trouble. But none of that mattered to him; he didn’t care who was behind it. All he knew was that because of this mess, he’d ended up with a black mark. If he didn’t get to the bottom of it, never mind Serena being angry—he wouldn’t be able to face himself. He’d handled every step of the aftermath himself.

Anyone who dares to make a move now, knowing I’m already involved, is declaring open war against the Yun family and Cloud City!

This bitter cold—trekking for hours against icy wind and light snow, not even grown men could take it. The Imperial Guards’ noses were red and frozen, their boots soaked, their clothes wet from snowflakes, shivering and cursing their luck. They hadn’t managed to break Serena, but ended up breaking themselves.

Serena herself had no idea what she was wearing. Her clothes looked thin, but she didn’t seem cold at all. Even when snowflakes drifted down, none stuck to her—her clothes were still dry.

Her boots were the same—silent as she walked, perfectly dry. Her already striking beauty was even more radiant now; her cheeks were rosy as apples, making people want to take a bite. And with those bright, confident eyes, not a hint of panic—only dazzling brilliance, her charm in full bloom.

Noticing the Imperial Guards’ scrutinizing gazes, Serena sneered, her posture even more composed.

Serena was deeply grateful she’d changed clothes last night. Otherwise, when the Imperial Guards barged in at dawn like wolves and dragged her away, there’d be no time to change—she’d be forced to walk through the cold in thin underclothes, half-dead before she even reached the palace.

“Weren’t they supposed to catch Serena off guard and teach her a lesson? Why does it look more like the Imperial Guards are protecting her, not escorting a prisoner? Where are the shackles and chains?” Prince Terrence of Lyndaria, Reid Yale, and Prince Damien of Southlyn sat in a teahouse along Serena’s route, hoping to witness her humiliation—but instead…

Serena remained as proud as ever, her phoenix hairpin gleaming in her hair—impossible to ignore.

“Serena’s never been easy to deal with. You and I have both suffered losses at her hands. These Imperial Guards are no match for her.” There are no eternal enemies or friends—just recently, Prince Damien had embarrassed Prince Terrence at the Eastlyn banquet, but now, for the sake of profit, they’d joined forces again.

“So what if she’s tough? This time, fortune favors me. With the National Duke dead, Serena can’t clear her name. Ninth Royal Uncle is in prison—he couldn’t help her even if he wanted to.” Reid Yale toyed with his cup, eyes full of malice.

Su Wan’s facial injury still hadn’t healed—there was no way he could be happy.

Prince Terrence disagreed. “Don’t forget, there’s still William Warren, head of the Wang family. Lately, the Wang family’s been making big moves, and William’s power is greater than ever—he’s more forceful than any previous clan leader. If he’s determined to protect Serena, there’ll be no problem at all.”

“Don’t overestimate the Wang family. William’s too aggressive—his hold on power isn’t stable yet, and internal strife continues. Right now, his Eastlyn faction is just barely suppressing the Westwind branch. If we make a move from the shadows, William will be too busy to help anyone.” Prince Damien silently calculated—if William lost his position as clan head, maybe his branch could win the Wang family’s favor. If so, he wouldn’t mind helping another Wang up to power.

As long as the Wang clan’s ancestral hall recognized his branch, he could take the throne of Southlyn without shedding a drop of blood—even his own father would have to step down and hand over the crown.

“You want to meddle in Wang family affairs? Aren’t you afraid of backlash? The Wang clan is old-fashioned—no matter how much they fight among themselves, when outsiders interfere, they always unite. That’s how they’ve survived so long.”

“I’m Wang too—how is that meddling? I just think William is too young for the role; the elder branch is better suited to lead.”

Prince Damien’s words sounded noble, but his ambition was plain. Seeing Prince Terrence hesitate, Damien dangled another lure: “Your Highness, if we resolve this, we might get extra help against Skyvault Palace Sect. I remember the Wang family has some old grievances with them—if the elders take charge, persuading them to strike Skyvault shouldn’t be hard.”

His meaning was clear—he agreed to join forces with Prince Terrence against Skyvault Palace Sect, but only if the Wang family was brought in. That was his condition.

A classic two-birds-with-one-stone scheme. Prince Damien’s intentions were obvious, and Prince Terrence saw right through him. Terrence smiled faintly: “Third Prince, don’t you think you’re asking for too much?”

In other words: you’re not worth that price.

Helping Damien solve the Wang family problem and handing over half of Skyvault’s wealth—did he really think Terrence was an idiot, just begging to be played?