Negotiation, Even the Emperor Dares Not Provoke

Prince Nolan ordered Prince Nathan of Southlyn to seize Tyre City as quickly as possible before coming to the negotiating table. But while capturing Tyre City was easy, the negotiations themselves involved so many interests that they could never be settled in just a few words.

On the surface, it was Southlyn and the Third Prince who launched the war against Tyre City, so naturally, they should be the ones to reap the rewards when the fighting ended. But with Felix Fuller leading the massacre of the Third Prince's Shandong troops, there was no way that faction could share in the spoils. In the end, all the benefits fell into Prince Nathan's hands.

Negotiations are always a tug-of-war. Prince Nathan alone couldn't pressure Lord Tyre into backing down. Lord Tyre was stubborn as a mule, flat-out refusing to cede land or pay indemnities. The two sides were at a stalemate until Prince Nolan secretly took control of Shandong, and Nathan brought in Felix Fuller as an intermediary. Only then did the talks finally move forward.

In fact, Felix Fuller came to negotiate as well—he helped Prince Nathan bargain with Tyre City, but what he really wanted was for Nathan to hand over the Third Prince's rebel army so he could present them to the Emperor as a trophy.

It was a win-win deal, so of course Prince Nathan didn't refuse. Besides, before leaving, Prince Nolan had already said not to feel bad about those fifty thousand men—the Third Prince had always planned to sacrifice them from the start.

Those fifty thousand troops looked strong on paper, but they were actually of little real use. Even if they were handed over to the Emperor, Prince Nolan wouldn’t care—he already had the Third Prince’s true elite forces in his grasp.

And for those soldiers, returning to Eastlyn as surrendered men was actually a blessing. Killing surrendered troops is considered unlucky; no matter how much the Emperor hated the Third Prince, he wouldn’t execute ordinary soldiers who were just following orders.

As the defeated side, Lord Tyre felt bitter but didn’t collapse. He ignored Prince Nathan’s demands, knowing full well that Eastlyn would never let Tyre City fall into Southlyn’s hands. With Eastlyn’s army nearby, Nathan wouldn’t dare make a move. What he didn’t expect was that Nathan would secretly team up with Felix Fuller and immediately betray the allies who’d fought alongside him.

“Shameless, shameless, utterly shameless! Royals really are all the same—shameless to the core!” Lord Tyre cursed loudly. But so what? He couldn’t change a thing.

After this battle, Tyre City not only lost troops and generals, but also had to pay two million taels of silver and hand over several commercial towns. This wound wasn’t just a ten-year setback—even after thirty years, Tyre City might never recover its strength.

Land concessions and indemnities were standard fare in peace talks, and even if Lord Tyre was unhappy, he had no choice but to accept. What he couldn't understand was the other condition Prince Nathan put forward.

“Prince Nathan, are you out of your mind? I’m the City Lord of Tyre!” Lord Tyre ground his teeth in frustration.

If the people of Tyre City found out that their lord had been thrown into the Black Pit by Eastlyn and Southlyn, how could he ever show his face again? How could he continue ruling Tyre City?

“I know you’re the City Lord, but so what? Didn’t you know that Serena Feng is my elder sister? If you dared to lock up my sister in the Black Pit, you should’ve known there’d be consequences.” When Prince Nolan wrote to Prince Nathan, he deliberately mentioned that Lord Tyre had locked Serena Feng in the Black Pit for two days.

Although Prince Nolan never said anything about revenge, Prince Nathan understood perfectly well—Nolan brought up the incident so Nathan could help Serena get a little payback.

It really was just a small act of revenge.

“At the time...” Facing Prince Nathan’s icy stare, Lord Tyre swallowed his explanation and said weakly, “Prince Nathan, I truly didn’t know Serena was your sister. I meant no harm.”

“Doesn’t matter. Maybe you didn’t know Serena was my sister, but you definitely knew about her connection to Prince Nolan. If you dared to lock up someone under his protection, you should be ready to pay the price. Right, Felix?” Prince Nathan shamelessly dragged Felix Fuller into it.

With Eastlyn and Southlyn joining forces, there was nothing Lord Tyre could do but accept his fate.

“Prince Nathan is absolutely right. City Lord, pick a lucky day and spend three to five days in the Black Pit. If you refuse, no problem—I’m sure plenty of people in Tyre would be happy to take your place.” Felix Fuller’s words were a threat, pure and simple.

Worried about his reputation and refusing to go? Fine. If you won’t do it, someone else will—whoever spends three to five days in the Black Pit and comes out will become the new City Lord of Tyre.

What? You disagree? The people of Tyre City disagree.

No problem. If you refuse, I’ll kill you. If the people refuse, I’ll keep sending in troops and killing until everyone agrees. Eastlyn and Southlyn’s armies are right outside Tyre City—they can march in at any time. After the war, they can always demand more silver in compensation. Either way, they won’t lose.

Lord Tyre was furious, but that’s just how the world worked. Want dignity? Want pride? Sure—if you have the strength. If not, you either compromise or die.

Obviously, Lord Tyre didn’t want to die, but changing his tune immediately would be humiliating. His face flushed red as he stared down Felix Fuller and Prince Nathan.

Mr. Sage flashed a look of contempt in secret. Seeing things were about settled, he stepped forward to advise, "Young Master, if you can't endure the small stuff, you'll ruin the big picture. For the sake of the greater good, even if not for yourself, you should think of the people of Tyre City."

He was clearly just afraid of dying, but he wrapped himself in the flag of righteousness. With that excuse, Lord Tyre’s expression immediately improved, and he put on a look of noble self-sacrifice.

Prince Nathan and Felix Fuller were both unimpressed, but at least they could breathe easy—the Shandong and Tyre City mess was finally resolved, and they could expect promotions once they returned.

Prince Nathan used this opportunity to win over many in the army, and with this victory, he was one step closer to the Southlyn crown prince’s seat. Of course, Damien wouldn’t accept that, so Southlyn was in for another bloody struggle.

Likewise, Felix Fuller returned triumphant—most importantly, he hadn’t lost a single soldier, and even recouped the army’s expenses. Back in the capital, a promotion was sure to be waiting for him.

Prince Nathan was generous—Tyre City had paid two million taels, so he waved his hand and gave Felix Fuller fifty thousand. Later, Prince Nolan discovered that his own share of the silver was short by fifty thousand…

There hadn’t been a war in ten years, so Shandong’s victory was big news. Within days, word reached the capital, and the Emperor’s spirits lifted—his mood improved, and so did his health.

Once he recovered, the Emperor’s first order of business was to settle accounts with the Third Prince and Consort Su. But Prince Nolan had already cleaned up all the loose ends, leaving the Emperor with nothing to work with. He tried to go after Serena Feng, only to discover a strange group had arrived at Feng Manor. The Emperor wasn’t afraid of them, but he had no desire to provoke trouble…

Only a handful of people knew about these newcomers, but their arrival made the atmosphere in the capital tense and heavy—even Prince Nolan was uneasy.

Was their arrival a coincidence, or something more?