Now that Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan has entered the palace, he won't be back anytime soon. Even if he does return, the previous matters can't be discussed further—road construction is a major national project, and at this point, Serena Feng isn't qualified to participate.
Serena Feng stood up and gathered the scattered documents from the table, packing them into a small box. She planned to give them to Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan later for his reference.
After collecting the maps and documents, Serena Feng noticed it was still early and decided to check on Feng Jin and Ling Mo. But before she could go out, she was stopped by Spring, who came rushing over in a panic.
"Miss, Miss..." Spring's voice arrived before she did, full of urgency. Serena Feng was startled and quickly opened the door to step outside. "What happened?" she asked.
"Miss, Young Master Feng Jin, Young Master Feng Jin..." Spring was out of breath, leaning on a little maid as she panted, "Miss, Young Master Feng Jin has a fever and just vomited what he ate. Please come quickly!"
"What? Feng Jin has a fever again?" Serena Feng's expression changed, and she hurried outside. "Seal the study. No one is allowed to enter."
"Yes." The guards stepped forward, taking position on either side outside the study. Serena Feng returned to her room to grab her medicine chest and ran straight to the clinic cabin.
Feng Jin had been frail since birth, weaker than most children. Although it wasn't obvious day-to-day, whenever he fell ill, it became painfully clear—his immunity was much lower than other kids, and if not handled well, his illness would keep coming back.
Before leaving, Serena Feng had checked on Feng Jin—he seemed fine at the time, his little face flushed but breathing steady. But now, Feng Jin was crying so hard he could barely catch his breath, his face an alarming shade of red, making Serena Feng's heart ache.
Little Feng Jin was miserable, crying nonstop no matter how Summer and the others tried to soothe him. When Serena Feng entered, Feng Jin was nearly sobbing himself breathless.
"Little master, be good. Let me blow on it—it won't hurt..." Qiu Hui carefully held Little Feng Jin, keeping his hands still so he wouldn’t scratch his pox. Worried about his discomfort, she gently blew on his skin to soothe him.
Feng Jin couldn’t move or say how uncomfortable he felt, so he could only cry at the top of his lungs—his wailing was heartbreaking. When Serena Feng entered, Qiu Hui and Summer both breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Miss, you’re finally here." If Feng Jin kept crying, they’d probably start crying too.
"Ah, ah..." When Feng Jin saw Serena Feng, his cries became even more aggrieved. He reached out for her, wanting her to hold him.
Afraid of hurting Feng Jin, Qiu Hui didn’t dare use force. She carefully carried Feng Jin over to Serena Feng. "Miss."
"Ah, ah..." As he got closer to Serena Feng, Feng Jin stopped crying. His tear-streaked little face was full of grievance as he looked at her, making Serena’s heart ache. She picked him up and kissed him. "Little fool, don’t cry. If you keep crying, even your sister will start crying."
Feng Jin obediently nestled in Serena Feng’s arms, his small body soft and still. His lips quivered, and he whimpered from time to time to show he was still uncomfortable.
Once Feng Jin finally quieted down, Serena Feng didn’t rush to treat him. Instead, she held him gently and soothed him, humming a children’s song from her previous life.
Whether he was tired from crying or feeling a bit better, Feng Jin stopped crying in Serena Feng’s arms—just whimpered now and then to show he was still uncomfortable.
Serena Feng kept a close eye on Feng Jin’s condition. When she saw signs he was drifting off to sleep, she softened her movements and gestured for Qiu Hui and Summer to quietly leave.
The two maids nodded gently and quietly withdrew, instructing the little maid outside the door before heading to their own quarters.
"Young Master Feng Jin is really clever," Summer said, yawning as she walked alongside Qiu Hui.
Thinking about how close Feng Jin was to Serena Feng, Qiu Hui couldn’t help but smile. "Little master is smart; he knows who truly cares for him. He’ll have great fortune in the future."
As long as nothing happens to Serena Feng, Feng Jin’s future wealth and status are assured.
"Miss really likes Young Master Feng Jin. Judging by her manner, she must love children. I wonder when we’ll have a little young master." Summer pictured Serena Feng holding a child, finding the image charming no matter how she imagined it.
"Probably soon," Qiu Hui muttered, her eyes full of anticipation.
Summer nodded, pointed to her courtyard gate, and said, "I’m here. Tell Winter for me—I won’t go over tonight. Let her and Spring keep watch instead."
"Alright, go rest. Later I’ll help tidy Miss’s courtyard." Qiu Hui remembered that Summer hadn’t slept properly for two days and reminded her to rest well. If anything came up, she and Spring would handle it.
After seeing Summer off, Qiu Hui returned to her own room, changed into clean clothes, and then took a junior maid to tidy Serena Feng’s courtyard.
No matter how busy the four senior maids were, they always personally handled matters concerning Serena Feng and Feng Jin—especially when Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan was present.
But Qiu Hui didn’t know that as she led the junior maid into the room to clean, a black-clad man who had been following her also found his way to Serena Feng’s courtyard.
Shortly after Qiu Hui left with the junior maid, the black-clad man slipped past the guards and quietly entered Serena Feng’s room.
The room was spotless, but the intruder found nothing of interest. Undeterred, he moved on to the study after finding no clues in the bedroom.
Serena Feng’s study contained many confidential documents. Although they were put away, because of Feng Jin’s sudden illness, she hadn’t locked them up—making things much easier for the intruder.
Maps of Shandong, Shandong’s defensive positions, lists of officials…
The intruder didn’t dare make any obvious moves—he just pulled out a few pages, quickly skimmed them, and put them back as they were.
“Why is it all about Shandong?” the man thought, puzzled. He memorized a few names and shop fronts before continuing his search.
Northlyn?
Night City?
Why would a woman be concerned with so much?
Could these belong to Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan? The intruder recalled earlier events, eyes flashing with insight. After quickly restoring the study to its original state, he slipped away without alerting anyone, just as he had arrived.
After leaving Feng Manor, the black-clad man circled the streets several times, confirming no one was following him before heading toward the Westside Villa. He didn’t know that, not long after he left, a shadow beneath a distant tree stirred…
The shadowed figure followed the old alleys to a coffin shop, bought a stack of paper there, and then strolled leisurely out of the city.
The coffin shop looked completely ordinary—one of many such places in the small lanes of the Capital, without any distinguishing features. Yet in this unremarkable little store lived the very man Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan and Serena Feng had searched the whole city for: Jason Lan.
In the back of the coffin shop, Jason Lan and Clara Phoenixfield were inside, listening to the shop assistant report on movements at Feng Manor.
"Young master, our man followed the target and found he went to the Westside Villa. Judging by his figure and martial skills, it should be Ling Tian. He must have found something at Feng Manor."
"Keep watching Ling Tian. Send Lily Li to contact Sean Xuan—I want to know Ling Tian’s and Nolan Dongling’s movements." Jason Lan gave a swift order, his usually gentle features showing a hint of urgency. Thinking about the situation at Skyvault Fortress, Jason forced down his irritation and asked, "What about Skyvault’s Ling Mo? He still hasn’t responded."
"Ling Mo has disappeared. Our people lost track of him." The assistant lowered his head, a flicker of fear in his eyes.
"Ungrateful." Jason Lan shot the assistant a cold look. "Get out."
...