With Felix Fuller's signed statement now in hand, his life and death are no longer Serena Feng's responsibility. If Felix dies, even the Emperor can't punish Serena for it—if he wants to vent his anger, he'll have to find another excuse.
Prince Colin returned to the palace to report, recounting everything that had happened at the Fuller estate to the Emperor. The Emperor, furious, smashed another inkstone: "Useless! How did I end up with such a worthless son as you?"
Prince Colin was not Adrian Dongling; he wasn't stupid enough to kneel there and let the Emperor smash things at him. The instant the Emperor raised his hand, Colin shifted his body in advance and just managed to dodge.
The heavy inkstone grazed Colin's forehead as it flew past, landing with a crash on the floor and shattering into countless pieces. That showed just how hard the Emperor had thrown it—if it had hit Colin's head, blood would have spilled instantly.
Colin's movement was quick, just a slight shift, and the Emperor didn't notice—he simply assumed he'd missed his mark. After all, the Emperor hadn't won his throne on horseback, nor was he a master of both pen and sword.
That one act of smashing something vented most of the Emperor's anger. Since he hadn't hit anyone, he couldn't keep throwing things, so he settled for cursing Colin out, then fined him three years' salary before finally letting him leave.
Colin retreated with a look of terror, trembling as if scared out of his wits. But the moment he got into his carriage, all that cautious fear vanished from his face.
"To the Crown Prince's Manor," Colin ordered coldly.
There were things he needed to discuss with the Crown Prince ahead of time. The Crown Prince could choose not to compete, could choose not to get involved, but he couldn't be completely carefree—he had to remember that there was still a group of officials at court relying on him. If the Crown Prince ignored everything, what would happen to those officials?
Today, the Emperor singled him out for this task purely as a show for the officials—to let them see that the Emperor hadn't abandoned the Crown Prince's faction. It was a signal for the Crown Prince's supporters not to panic, not to stir up trouble, and especially not to start attacking Prince Rowan and other officials for no reason, which would throw the whole court into chaos and make everyone feel unsafe.
The Emperor’s actions today made Prince Colin realize that, though his royal father is dissatisfied with the Crown Prince, he fears even more the chaos that would come from a destabilized court and anxious officials. Whether the Crown Prince likes it or not, he must do something to reassure the ministers.
The Crown Prince is formally confined, guarded by the Imperial Bodyguards. In the past, this would have terrified him, making him afraid to make the slightest mistake. But now?
To the Crown Prince, the Imperial Bodyguards are nothing but decoration. If anyone dares to trouble him, he’ll make sure they regret it for life. Faced with such a bold, fearless prince, the bodyguards have no choice but to play deaf and dumb.
So when Prince Colin arrived at the Crown Prince’s Manor, no one stopped him. The bodyguards truly were just for show; when they saw Prince Colin’s carriage approach, they simply looked up at the sky, pretending not to see a thing.
“At last, Royal Brother has the bearing of a true Crown Prince—but it’s only now, when he no longer wants the position.” Prince Colin couldn’t tell whether he felt happy or disappointed.
To outsiders, the Crown Prince has countless flaws. But to Prince Colin, he’s first and foremost his elder brother. Without the Crown Prince’s protection, Colin wouldn’t have made it this far. All his achievements are thanks to his royal brother.
“Sixth Brother.” The Crown Prince knew Colin Dongling had arrived and happily came out to greet him. Seeing Colin about to bow, he slapped him on the shoulder. “We’re brothers—no need for all that ceremony. Come on, a few days ago Serena Feng sent me two jars of excellent wine. I’ve been saving them, and now you’re here, you can drink with me.”
The Crown Prince truly had let everything go, embracing a ‘drink today, forget tomorrow’ attitude.
“Royal Brother, you’re like this now…” Prince Colin’s worried face stood in stark contrast to the Crown Prince’s cheerful smile.
“What’s wrong? Has someone bullied you?” The Crown Prince’s tone was full of care—a big brother ready to stand up for his little brother.
Prince Colin gave a bitter smile. It had always been this way since childhood: though the Crown Prince’s health was poor, he protected Colin in everything. Shaking his head, Colin recounted everything that had happened today, including his own analysis.
After hearing him out, the Crown Prince patted Colin’s shoulder and comforted him. "Sixth Brother, you don’t need to worry about this. Even if I don’t want the throne, I’m not irresponsible. The people who’ve followed me all these years—I’ll make sure they have a good place to go. I won’t let anyone kick them out or leave them trembling with no one to protect them. I may not be a great prince, but I’m not selfish."
"Royal Brother, why do you say such things? You’re doing well now, and that position isn’t out of reach." To Colin, his brother had the talent and bearing of a true Crown Prince—if only not for his health.
The Crown Prince smiled, a flicker of sadness passing through his eyes before vanishing, leaving only a bright, determined gaze. Seeing Colin’s worry, he smiled gently: "Don’t worry about me, Sixth Brother. I’ll be fine, and I won’t let anything happen to you either. When early summer comes, I’ll take you to Jiangnan to enjoy the scenery, the rivers, and the beauties."
"Alright, I’ll hold you to that." Prince Colin relaxed, knowing his brother intended to retreat to Jiangnan and avoid provoking their ruthless father further.
After all, if they ever truly angered their petty-minded royal father, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill his own sons. He had more than just the two of them.
No family is as ruthless as the imperial one. Their father had killed his own brothers before; killing his sons wouldn’t be much harder…
Serena Feng put away the invitation Vincent Su had sent, then let Spring and Autumn help her bathe and enjoy a maid’s massage, relaxing her sore muscles.
Feeling refreshed, Serena couldn’t help but sigh: It’s true—once you get used to luxury, it’s hard to go back. Decadence is far too easy to get addicted to.
With hot water for bathing and maids to massage her, Serena’s energy returned. She changed into simple clothes and headed to her study to meet Jada Tang and Mira Tang.
Jada and Mira had been working nonstop these past few days on the Night City situation. They were so exhausted, standing in the study waiting for Serena, they nearly dozed off on their feet.
"Sit down and talk." Serena gestured to some seats. Seeing the dark circles under their eyes, she felt a pang of sympathy.
"Thank you, Miss." Jada and Mira sat down, and Mira began reporting on the Night City intelligence.
From various clues, they’d learned that the late City Lord of Night City had signed a vassalage treaty with the Emperor, allowing Eastlyn’s troops, merchants, and citizens to enter Night City. The city would formally submit to Eastlyn. The details weren’t clear yet, but this much was known.
"So that’s it. The City Lord was forced into a corner and signed an unfair treaty just to protect Night City—never realizing he’d signed his own death warrant." Only now did Serena learn of the vassalage contract between Eastlyn and Night City, and suddenly understood why the Emperor targeted the City Lord at this moment.
Jada and Mira were startled. "Miss?" Was that really what Serena meant? That the Emperor was behind the City Lord’s death—not Lyndaria?
Serena trusted Jada and Mira. Seeing their questioning looks, she nodded slowly. "Just keep it to yourselves."
"Don’t worry, Miss. We understand." Jada and Mira quickly promised. They knew exactly what this news meant.
One wrong move, and the border could erupt into chaos.
Jada and Mira quickly steadied themselves and continued reporting the useful intelligence they’d gleaned…