So Naive, Do You Really Think I Am That Petty

Prince Nolan had prepared for this moment for so long—he would never allow the Third Prince to refuse him. The instant he got the Third Prince’s agreement, Nolan struck without hesitation, killing the Blue-robed Scholar in a flash—a brutal, decisive act that left no room for doubt.

Blood sprayed across the wall, and the Blue-robed Scholar crashed to the ground with a heavy thud. Even as death claimed him, bewilderment filled his eyes—he couldn’t fathom why Nolan had killed him, especially since he’d felt no hint of murderous intent until the very end.

“Nolan, you...” The Third Prince stared in disbelief. The Blue-robed Scholar had been his right-hand man, and now he lay dead at his feet. The Third Prince’s voice trembled, caught between shock and rage.

Prince Nolan reversed his sword and set it on the stone table with icy calm. "Brother, didn’t I say I wanted to speak with you alone? This man was just excess baggage." His tone was tranquil, but the threat beneath was unmistakable.

This secret chamber could communicate with outsiders. Nolan could block trouble once, but not twice—so he killed the man, coldly and efficiently, to cut off any future threat.

"You’re right, Nolan. I was overthinking it." The Third Prince forced a smile, his anger simmering beneath the surface—pretending he hadn’t just ordered Nolan burned alive, and Nolan, for now, let it slide.

"We haven’t seen each other since Shandong, Brother. You’ve lost weight. I suppose you’ve been living in constant terror, unable to eat or sleep, hiding in the dark until you’ve wasted away." Nolan’s voice dripped with sarcasm, every word a pointed jab at the Third Prince’s cowardice.

"Not like you, Nolan—your face is ashen. What’s the matter? Did your precious Emperor brother chew you out again?" The Third Prince shot back, his words sharp and mocking, refusing to be outdone.

Even without seeing it himself, the Third Prince was sure the Emperor had made things hell for Nolan. After all, it was Nolan who had snatched him away—there was no way the Emperor wouldn’t want payback. The Third Prince felt the weight of inevitability and frustration pressing in.

"Thank you for your concern, Brother. I’m doing just fine. You haven’t seen the Emperor in ages, so you probably don’t know—his beloved consort died yesterday. He’s consumed with mourning her, so he has no time to bother with me." Nolan’s tone was cool, his confidence and defiance shining through as he made it clear the Emperor couldn’t touch him right now.

Nolan’s absolute confidence and arrogance in his words shocked the Third Prince. He had always known that, though Nolan was just a prince, he could stand toe-to-toe with the Emperor. The Third Prince had thought they were evenly matched, but now he realized that, behind closed doors, Nolan was the one with the real upper hand.

With each exchange, Nolan’s edge became more pronounced. Unlike back in Shandong, here in the Third Prince’s stronghold, he remained forceful and unyielding, never retreating even half a step, his strength on full display without leaving any trace of weakness.

Cold sweat broke out on the Third Prince’s forehead. The Capital was Nolan’s battlefield, and the Third Prince’s greatest advantage had always been lurking in the shadows. Now that his base was exposed, he realized he had no way to compete with Nolan or the Emperor in the Capital.

He knew all too well how shameless Nolan could be—if he didn’t compromise, Nolan would turn around and sell him out to the Emperor, just like he had once done in Shandong.

Driven into a corner by Nolan, the Third Prince finally had no choice but to speak up: “Ninth Brother, what do you want from your royal brother? Back in Shandong, I already handed my troops over to you—won’t you let me go?”

With those words, the Third Prince was admitting defeat to Nolan.

But Nolan was completely unmoved. He sneered, “Third Brother, I know you’re clever, but don’t take me for a fool. Do you think I’m so petty? You want to buy me off with a measly fifty thousand men? You’re far too naive.”

After scheming for over thirty years and with House Lewis backing you, do you really expect me to believe you only have fifty thousand men?

Since the Third Prince was as good as dead, as his younger brother, it was only right for Nolan to dig out every ounce of power he still held and make the most of it.

Nolan’s appetite was immense—fifty thousand men wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gap between his teeth.

“Ninth Brother, you’re giving your royal brother too much credit. I’m just a commoner—after thirty years of effort, all I have is these fifty thousand men.” The Third Prince would sooner die than reveal his true trump card.

If he handed everything over, he’d be left with nothing—and Nolan would surely kill him to silence him.

“In that case, there’s nothing left for us brothers to discuss. Royal Brother, you may leave...” Nolan stood, his deep gaze flashing with icy killing intent—a silent warning that whatever he couldn’t obtain, he would destroy.

“Ninth Brother...” The Third Prince gritted his teeth, remaining motionless.

If he fell into the Emperor’s hands, his fate would be even worse—his power would be rendered useless.

“What are you waiting for, Third Brother? The Emperor has been waiting for you for quite some time.” Nolan’s words were half-smile, half-threat.

It was a naked threat, and yet the Third Prince couldn’t help but fall for it. He slumped into his chair, seeming to age five or six years in an instant. Defeated, he muttered, “Ninth Brother, you’ve won. Tell me—what do you want?”

“So straightforward, Third Brother. I must say, I’m impressed.” Nolan’s praise was utterly insincere. The Third Prince managed a bitter smile, waiting for Nolan to speak.

He was the fish, Nolan the knife—what choice did he have?

“Third Brother, I won’t beat around the bush. I don’t ask for much—just the one hundred thousand troops you still hold in Shandong, and the ledgers for Prosperity Bank.” Nolan knew the Third Prince had more power than that, but these were the real prizes. Once he had them, the rest would be easy.

“You—you... you know about Prosperity Bank?” The Third Prince looked utterly shocked, his sunken eyes wide with terror.

Prosperity Bank was the Third Prince’s greatest asset—so secret, even House Lewis didn’t know about it.

“Just consider me lucky,” Nolan replied, his tone unfathomable, making it clear he wasn’t about to explain how he knew.

“Old... I’m getting old.” The Third Prince sighed heavily, switching to the family card: “Ninth Brother, I never misjudged you. You truly are capable. You know my days are numbered. In Shandong, I was ready to hand all my power to you, but... you’re cautious. You had me seized right away. If not for that, you’d already have everything—there’d be no need for all this trouble.”

“Third Brother, spare me. Hearing you talk like that makes me sick.” Nolan cut through the pretense without mercy.

“Third Brother, let’s not pretend. There’s no such thing as true brotherly affection in the imperial family. Even if there were, it doesn’t exist between us. When you disappeared, I was still in swaddling clothes. The first time we met was in Shandong—how could I possibly believe you’d hand over decades of hard-won power to someone you’d just met?”

Especially since that person is a half-brother who’ll compete for the throne. Nolan would never believe the Third Prince was so noble—none of the brothers in their family had ever possessed such virtue. All they had was shamelessness and cunning.

“Ninth Brother, you’ve really misunderstood your royal brother. I truly considered handing all my power to you. My days are numbered, and those men are useless to me. We share a common enemy. I believe you’d make the best use of my forces and bring down the Emperor.” The Third Prince tried to sound sincere, hoping to move Nolan.

From watching how Nolan treated Serena Feng, the Third Prince was sure that Nolan was a man of deep feeling. He didn’t ask for much—just a flicker of emotion from Nolan would be enough...

After this escape, even if it meant certain death, he’d rather face the Emperor head-on than fall into Nolan’s hands again.

He knew he didn’t have much left to bargain with. If he ever ended up in Nolan’s grasp again, he’d have to use his biggest secret to try and save himself...