The Imperial Couple and the Vast Rivers and Mountains
As the highest sovereign of the Nine Provinces Realm, whenever Prince Nolan left the palace, the roads would be cleared in advance, troops would open the way, and thousands of palace maids and eunuchs would follow. Wherever he walked, the red carpet would be rolled out beneath his feet. The commoners would flock to see him, responding to his slightest gesture, and with a wave of his hand, countless voices would shout, “Long live the Emperor!”
After more than a decade in the palace, Serena Feng was tired of it—and so was he.
Ahem, all of the above is just fantasy—the reality is quite different...
Early morning, at a side gate of the imperial palace, a plainly dressed couple stepped out. They kept close to the palace walls, walking low-key and unnoticed. Every eunuch and maid they passed ignored them completely, striding right by without a glance—until...
When they reached the main gate, a palace guard stopped them. Then that handsome older man flicked a small token from his sleeve and flashed it before the guard’s eyes. The guard’s face changed instantly, his knees nearly buckling…
But he didn’t kneel, because the owner of the token pressed his foot against the guard’s knee: “Don’t make a scene.”
“Yes, sir.” The young guard’s face flushed red and purple, but he managed to hold himself together.
The couple slipped smoothly out the palace gate. Outside, shadow guards had already prepared a carriage. The carriage looked utterly ordinary—no one would ever guess that inside sat the imperial couple themselves.
Inside, though, it was its own little world—not luxurious, but comfortable and natural. At least Prince Nolan could stretch his legs without having to bend them, and Serena Feng could nap with her head on his lap.
Both of them were thoroughly satisfied with this carriage…
The carriage rolled steadily toward the city outskirts. At that moment, Felix Fuller and General Warren Yu, having just received word that the imperial couple had left the palace, rushed over on horseback. By the time they reached the city gate, they learned the imperial couple had already left the capital.
"Not even a single bodyguard—what if they run into danger?" Felix Fuller gritted his teeth. He'd never seen a couple as willful as Prince Nolan and Serena Feng.
They're not young anymore, but still act like children—is this really okay?
"If anyone tries something, they're the ones who'll regret it." General Warren Yu shrugged. He'd seen how ruthless that couple could be, and wasn't worried at all.
"Sure, two fists can't beat four hands. It's been over ten years, but those destroyed kingdoms still have forces lurking—if a riot breaks out, it'll be trouble." Felix worried more than Warren Yu, but Warren had his own ideas: "If you're scared, just block the news that the imperial couple left the palace—problem solved."
"His Majesty made a big show of announcing his trip in open court—how can we keep that secret?" Felix fumed.
Warren Yu made it sound easy—if he thinks it's so simple, why doesn't he do it himself?
"Perfect—this way we can check if any ministers are hiding Three Kingdoms remnants. If we find any, we can catch them all in one sweep." Warren Yu continued carelessly, but this time Felix took him seriously.
"Do you think His Majesty did this on purpose?" These years, things had been quiet everywhere, and the remnants of the Three Kingdoms were hard to find. But if you wanted them to show themselves, there was no better bait than the Emperor and Empress.
"Of course. His Majesty always thinks ten steps ahead—he never does anything pointless." Warren Yu didn't really get what Felix was saying, but agreeing couldn't go wrong.
Flattering the Emperor—now that, Warren Yu could do.