Rumors and Ninth Royal Uncle’s High-Profile Departure with Serena Feng
As the contest approached, anyone with a bit of sense knew not to disturb Serena Feng at this time. But... there was one exception.
It wasn't that he lacked sense—he simply knew Serena Feng too well. He understood that coming to see her now wasn't a disruption, because Serena had no intention of preparing for the contest at all.
At dusk, Ninth Royal Uncle appeared at the West District courtyard. Fifteen minutes later, Serena Feng boarded a carriage with him, and under the escort of guards, they ostentatiously headed out of the city.
Wherever the carriage passed, crowds gathered to watch, but no one dared to block Ninth Royal Uncle’s path—they only whispered among themselves from the sidelines.
“Did you see that? That’s Ninth Royal Uncle’s carriage. I just heard from my cousin that Ninth Royal Uncle personally went to the West District to fetch Serena Feng, and the two of them are heading out of the city together.” Someone who fancied himself well-informed was showing off the news he’d just heard.
“You’re saying the people in the carriage are Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena Feng? Does that mean the censors’ impeachment was true, that Ninth Royal Uncle defiled his niece-in-law?” A middle-aged man dressed as a scholar gaped, mouth wide open and unable to close for ages.
"Whack..." His companion smacked him hard with a fan. "What nonsense are you spouting? A gentleman pursues a fair lady—Serena Feng isn’t even married, she was just rejected." After this righteous retort, the man dragged the stunned scholar aside and warned in a low voice, "Yu Meng, are you tired of living? You dare to speak ill of Ninth Royal Uncle? Don’t you know what happened to those censors who accused him of defiling his niece-in-law?"
The middle-aged scholar turned pale at once. "What do I do, what do I do? Will I end up like those censors, my reputation ruined and my dignity lost?" Yu Meng was nearly in tears.
"Don’t worry, Ninth Royal Uncle is a big shot—he won’t bother with nobodies like us. Just watch your mouth from now on, this is the Imperial Capital." Yu Meng’s friend warned him again, knocking some sense into him.
Yu Meng nodded repeatedly, not daring to utter a single word of protest.
On both sides of the street, the common folk chattered away, and the teahouses and taverns were no different—everyone was talking about Ninth Royal Uncle taking Serena Feng out of the city.
With the contest so close, Ninth Royal Uncle taking Serena Feng out of the city was bound to spark speculation. In the teahouse at the city gate, Prince Terrence of Lyndaria watched the carriage heading out, then turned to Reid Yale and asked, "Guess why Ninth Royal Uncle is taking Serena Feng out of the city?"
Yes, Young City Lord Reid Yale of Night City had rushed to the Eastlyn Capital as soon as he heard about the contest between Serena Feng and Su Wan, and just happened to run into Prince Terrence. That 'just happened' was no ordinary coincidence.
"Is it for the contest?" Reid Yale lifted his wine cup, leaned against the railing with his back to Prince Terrence, and drank to the empty air—carefree, wild, and utterly flamboyant, the very picture of a rakish gentleman.
There weren’t many people drinking in the teahouse, and even fewer who struck such a showy pose while doing so. Unsurprisingly, Reid Yale became the center of attention.
Dressed in fine brocade, a flawless white jade at his waist, and radiating noble bearing, Reid Yale drew many admiring glances. Of course, no one dared do more than watch from afar.
Prince Terrence was quite displeased. He blended into the crowd specifically to avoid revealing his identity, while Reid’s actions were the exact opposite. Still, since Reid was someone he wanted to win over, Prince Terrence suppressed his annoyance.
"I don’t think so." Prince Terrence beckoned the waiter to swap his tea for wine.
"Oh? Then what for?" Reid seemed interested, turning to ask. Maybe it was the wine, but his eyes looked a bit hazy.
Prince Terrence played coy, giving a mysterious smile. When the waiter brought the wine, he picked up the jar and drank straight from it. "Good wine," he declared.