Sharing Burdens, I Want to Know the Whole Story

Serena Feng spent a full month on the road, traveling from early autumn into late autumn. Her belly grew more and more prominent, and even the autumn clothes could no longer conceal it.

On the day Serena entered the city, she kept a low profile. Like any ordinary citizen, she queued at the city gate, overhearing the constant chatter of commoners around her.

"There's fighting every day. Who knows when it will finally end?"

"This damned weather is still so hot. I heard that in several small border towns, entire villages of people have suddenly died, and then the whole village was wiped out."

"They say the harvests have been getting better these years, but why does life feel harder and harder? There's not a single young man left in my family, and no one to gather the crops in the fields."

......

Serena had been resting in the carriage, but when she heard the conversations outside, her eyes snapped open and she looked at Simon Sun, meeting his gaze.

"Master, is there a plague at the front because the corpses weren't handled in time and started to rot?" The doctor's vigilance allowed Simon Sun to catch the truth from those idle chats.

"Yes." Serena had received some information, but military news was always tightly controlled. When Victor Phoenixfield commanded the troops, he recognized no kin; even with Serena's status, confidential army news would never be passed to her.

Of course, Serena wouldn't ask. She believed that if she did, Victor Phoenixfield would answer, but she couldn't guarantee that nothing would leak in the process.

Military secrets concern the lives of thousands, even tens of thousands of soldiers. Serena would never risk their lives for her own personal gain.

Simon Sun looked worried, wanting to say more, but just then it was their turn to enter the city. Serena told him not to worry and to wait until they were inside to discuss things further.

Zuo An stepped forward and presented Ninth Royal Uncle’s Command Medallion. The city gate guard’s eyes widened in shock, his knees buckling as if about to kneel, but Zuo An blocked him with his sword: "No need to make a scene."

"Yes, yes, of course. Please, sir..." The guard nodded repeatedly, stepping back to let Serena and her group pass. The others nearby understood immediately that these people were not ordinary, and quickly moved aside, not daring to block their way.

Privilege isn’t something you can just ignore and have it disappear. With Serena’s current status, she didn’t need to queue like commoners—she could enter whenever she wanted.

Power and status truly are wonderful things. She remembered the days when she stood at this very gate, unable to enter; now, if she wished, Ninth Royal Uncle could bring the entire court to greet her and even close the city gates in her honor.

Of course, Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t come to greet Serena at the city gate—not because he didn’t know when she’d arrive, but because he hadn’t figured out how to earn her forgiveness. Until he did, he restrained himself, afraid of provoking her.

Still, while Nolan himself didn’t appear, gifts from the palace flowed steadily to Feng Manor. Serena had barely set foot inside before the first wave of rewards arrived.

Food, clothing, accommodation, transportation, daily necessities—anything Serena could possibly need, Nolan had sent. Embroiderers from the wardrobe bureau, midwives from the palace, imperial physicians specializing in gynecology, and even several wet nurses were all prepared.

On top of that, boxes and boxes of things for the child—clothes, toys, food—were carried into Feng Manor. The first shipment had already been stored, while the next was still in the palace, waiting to be sent.

So, on this day, the citizens of the Capital once again witnessed a grand spectacle: from the palace to Feng Manor, the road was lined with Imperial Guards, and box after box of rewards flowed into Feng Manor, dazzling the eyes of the entire city and captivating the hearts of every unmarried girl.

To win Ninth Royal Uncle’s favor—even for just a single day—would make life worth living.

Those noble young ladies who were still unmarried and eligible to enter the palace were all overjoyed, waiting for Ninth Royal Uncle’s enthronement ceremony, hoping for the day he would choose an empress and expand the harem.

When that day comes, they’ll finally have their chance.

Even if they couldn’t be as favored as Serena, it didn’t matter. As long as they received a little of Ninth Royal Uncle’s affection, they’d be satisfied.

Ninth Royal Uncle had no idea that his ostentatious display of affection didn’t move Serena at all—instead, it attracted swarms of eager suitors. Before, he could refuse to marry or take concubines, but now, as Emperor, he couldn’t be so willful.

An emperor’s affairs are matters of state. His marriage and harem are also matters of state. As sovereign, he could love whomever he wished, but expanding the harem and producing heirs was equally important.

So, while the civil and military officials urged Ninth Royal Uncle to ascend the throne, they also pressed him to choose an empress and take concubines, to ensure the royal line would continue.

"Serena is back now. This time, you have no reason to refuse the enthronement, do you?" William Wang Jinling asked, though even he didn’t quite believe it. Sure enough, Ninth Royal Uncle replied with another condition: "Hold the enthronement and the empress selection ceremonies together."

"Empress selection? Who do you want as empress?" William asked knowingly. Ninth Royal Uncle ignored him, shooting him a glare.

"Alright, maybe I asked the wrong question. What I should be asking is, will Serena actually marry you?" William Wang Jinling pressed again, hitting Nolan right where it hurt. Nolan shot back coldly, "Does an emperor need to ask a woman’s permission to make her empress?"

In this world, only Serena refuses to marry him as empress. Now, there isn’t a woman he couldn’t marry—except Serena.

"He doesn’t need to, but are you really going to ignore Serena’s wishes? She’s not like other women. No matter how sensible she is, if you push her now, she might openly defy the imperial decree. Are you sure you can handle the fallout?" Even if Nolan could, Eastlyn couldn’t—and it would make everything more complicated.

Defying an imperial decree is a capital crime. Could Nolan really bear to punish Serena?

If not, how would he explain it to the people? Would everyone start defying imperial orders like Serena, without consequence?

"As a minister, aren’t you supposed to help your emperor solve problems? Is this really something I should have to worry about myself?" Unable to persuade Serena, Nolan pushed the problem onto William.

William’s smile froze: "Are you serious? What minister gets dragged into their ruler’s personal affairs like this?"

"I am." If William could pull it off, Nolan wouldn’t mind owing him a favor. But in his desperation, Nolan forgot that William wasn’t one of those blindly loyal old officials—he wouldn’t let Nolan use him so easily.

"If you want me to persuade Serena, fine. But tell me everything that happened—I need to know why you two argued. No... actually, I need to know why Serena chose to leave you. And don’t tell me it’s just because of your identity as Lance Quinn; Serena isn’t that narrow-minded."

William finished in one breath, then looked at Nolan with a gentle expression, waiting for his answer...