Concubine Su is dead!
"How is that possible? Her injuries were serious, but not fatal. Her Majesty the Empress wouldn’t let her die—if she died, who would go to the Emperor and make trouble for me?" Serena’s beautiful eyes fixed on Ninth Royal Uncle, but seeing his calm and composed expression, she immediately understood.
"You did it, didn’t you?" Serena jumped in front of Ninth Royal Uncle to confirm.
If no one had intervened, Concubine Su would never have died so quickly.
"If you don’t kill the snake, it’ll bite you. If you hadn’t been so soft-hearted, I wouldn’t have had to step in again." Ninth Royal Uncle shot Serena a sidelong glance, looking as if she was hopeless.
"Uh..." Killing someone with such confidence—Serena pursed her lips.
But Ninth Royal Uncle wasn’t wrong. She really hadn’t finished things cleanly after the fact, and shouldn’t have given Concubine Su a chance to strike back. It’s just...
"I’m worried Concubine Su died too quickly. The Summers family might come after me." Anything you do leaves traces; if the Summers family clings to Concubine Su’s death and investigates, the Emperor will probably hand her over to them to appease their anger.
"She died in the palace—what trouble could the Summers family give you? It’s not like you ordered the beating." Ninth Royal Uncle lightly knocked Serena on the head, annoyed: "You keep imagining problems that aren’t yours. Concubine Su’s death has nothing to do with you. If the Summers family wants trouble, they’ll go after the Emperor, not you. You’re not in that position, so don’t take on those worries. Let the Emperor deal with the Summers family."
"Fine... I was wrong. Next time, I’ll make sure to finish the job." Serena didn’t argue with Ninth Royal Uncle.
Whether Concubine Su lived or died didn’t really affect the bigger picture. Still, it was better that she died—leaving a woman like that in the palace would only bring disaster. With the Emperor doting on her, if she whispered in his ear enough times, he might actually take someone’s head just to please her.
"You’re quick to admit you’re wrong, but you never actually change." Ninth Royal Uncle looked at Serena squatting in front of him, trying to win favor, and couldn’t help being both annoyed and amused. "All for Concubine Su, you even brought out the Phoenix Empress Hairpin, but she didn’t die then. I’ve never seen anyone so foolish."
"About that... the Phoenix Empress Hairpin." Just mentioning it made Serena feel guilty. She hurried to Ninth Royal Uncle’s side, tugged at his sleeve and gently shook it: "A man’s wealth is his own undoing. If I kept the Phoenix Empress Hairpin, the Emperor would be unhappy and would eventually find a way to take it back. Instead of waiting for him to make a move, I turned it in myself, so he’d have nothing to complain about."
The one in power now is the current Emperor. The late Emperor’s influence can only be used so many times.
"Stop shaking me, or I’ll get dizzy." Ninth Royal Uncle enjoyed Serena’s affectionate coaxing, but for the sake of tonight’s benefit, he decided to keep a stern face.
"Then let me give you a massage." Serena, ever the flatterer, let go and stood behind Ninth Royal Uncle, pounding his back with just the right pressure.
With a beauty fawning over him, Ninth Royal Uncle closed his eyes to enjoy it: "Hmm, you’ve got talent."
"As long as you like it, Ninth Royal Uncle." Serena just wanted to move past the hairpin issue, but Nolan refused to let it go, mentioning exactly what she dreaded: "I like the Phoenix Empress Hairpin even more."
"You can’t blame me for the hairpin. You know I couldn’t keep it." The Phoenix Empress Hairpin meant too much—even the Emperor had to tread carefully around it. There was no way he’d let Serena hold onto it.
"Tell me, of all the things I’ve given you, what have you actually managed to keep? You couldn’t keep the Phoenix Empress Hairpin, and you lost the Ninth Prince’s Princess Consort formal regalia too. What have you kept?" Ninth Royal Uncle hadn’t cared much about the hairpin at first, but now that he mentioned it, he really was frustrated.
Everything he gave Serena was the very best. Sure, the status symbol mattered more than practical use, but each item was one of a kind—and Serena never seemed to treasure them.
Still, at least she hadn’t wasted them.
"I’ve kept you. Having you is enough for me." Hearing Nolan’s sour tone, Serena knew he wasn’t truly angry. She hugged him from behind, resting her head on his shoulder and grinning like a fool.
"You... you always use that trick. Aren’t you tired of it yet?" Ninth Royal Uncle tried to sound annoyed, but he couldn’t hide the laughter in his eyes.
But you always fall for it—what can I do?
Serena giggled and stopped joking around, her head rubbing against Nolan’s back like a child. Nolan couldn’t stay annoyed at all; seeing her so pleased, he patted her hand: "Alright, enough. You’re pressing on my wound."
"No way, absolutely not!" Serena immediately jumped in front of Nolan, protesting indignantly: "Don’t accuse me—I was careful, I definitely didn’t press on your wound."
"You totally did, and now you’re arguing." Ninth Royal Uncle poked Serena’s soft, round cheeks, enjoying the feel so much that he couldn’t resist pinching them again.
"Ouch..." Serena quickly slapped his hand away.
She was sure her cheeks had turned red.
"It hurts me too," Ninth Royal Uncle said. He knew Serena was exaggerating—he’d been careful not to hurt her.
"Where does it hurt?"
Ninth Royal Uncle lied with a straight face: "My wound hurts."
"Your wound hurts? Really? You’re not lying to me?" Serena stopped smiling and asked anxiously.
Ninth Royal Uncle loved seeing Serena so focused on him, worried about him. He nodded calmly: "I’m not lying." Not lying, my foot...
"Let me see." Serena dropped the playful act. She knew how deep his wound was and immediately moved to strip off his clothes, exposing his lean upper body.
Still not in the mood to admire his body, Serena unwrapped the bandages, and then...
"You lied to me!" Serena, annoyed, bit Nolan’s shoulder.
Thanks to the Master of the Mystic Healer Valley’s medicine, Nolan’s wound had healed beautifully, with no sign of inflammation. There was no way it still hurt.
Nolan didn’t even flinch. After Serena finished biting him, he said, "I really wasn’t lying."
"You’re still insisting? There’s nothing wrong with your wound—it’d be a miracle if it hurt." As if she didn’t know how tough he was; he didn’t even flinch at stitches, so how could this wound hurt?
"It really hurts," Ninth Royal Uncle said, dead serious, refusing to let go of the story.
He’d never admit he was lying. It didn’t matter—just stick to the story and Serena couldn’t prove otherwise.
"Serves you right if it hurts." Serena poked Nolan’s back hard—careful to avoid his wound, of course.
Well, seeing how Nolan acted, Serena started to wonder if his wound really did hurt—it was pretty deep, after all.
"Ow..." Nolan played along, yelping in pain. Serena quickly pulled her hand back and asked, "Does it really hurt? Want me to blow on it? They say that kind of suggestion helps with pain."
"Yes." Nolan was secretly delighted, sitting there shirtless. He was sure he’d win Serena over tonight...
Outside, with nothing to do thanks to Ninth Royal Uncle’s visit, the hidden guards got bored and started chatting in code with each other.
"Do you think Ninth Royal Uncle will get kicked out tonight?"
"Hard to say."
"So do you think Ninth Royal Uncle can win over Miss Feng tonight? He’s still injured, you know."
"So what if he’s injured? Are you worried he won’t be able to satisfy Miss Feng?"
"Uh..."
Bro, you nailed it.