Serena, let’s have a child!
Serena knew that Nolan wasn’t just saying it—he truly wanted a child. Or rather, Nolan now needed a child.
Nolan wasn’t young anymore; men his age usually had children old enough to attend the academy, but Nolan hadn’t even seen the shadow of a child yet.
Nolan hadn’t been in a hurry before because there were too many dangers around; even if he had a child, he might not have been able to protect them. But things are different now. Eastlyn is stable, and Nolan holds absolute power here. Now is the right time to have a child.
After all, Nolan isn’t just anyone—he needs an heir, someone who can reassure his followers. He can’t wait until he’s forty or fifty and his child is just one or two years old; by then, he wouldn’t have the energy to teach his successor.
Serena only thought for a moment before nodding solemnly. 'Alright, let’s prepare to have a child.'
It wasn’t just about having a child—it was about preparing for an heir. Nolan needed a successor, and so did Serena. She could suppress the Phoenixfield clan for now, but if a distant branch inherited the throne, what about the future?
So, she needed a child too—someone she could raise and guide for over a decade, ensuring that while she still had strength, she could help this child ascend the Phoenixfield throne.
Though both of them had practical reasons for wanting a child, it didn’t lessen their anticipation or affection. They simply wanted to give their child the very best of everything.
With Serena’s personal promise, Nolan’s mood instantly improved. No matter what those people in Liancastle did, they were destined to fail. Everything Nolan had built in Eastlyn over half his life would only be left to his own descendants. If he was fated to have no heir, he’d rather destroy it all than let other Lan clan members profit from it.
But having a child isn’t something that happens overnight. Nolan and Serena were both mentally prepared for this—they didn’t mind waiting a year or two. As long as they wanted it, a child would come sooner or later.
With this major worry off his mind, Nolan devoted more energy to handling state affairs and cleaning up court personnel. Eastlyn was never meant to be his final destination—he’d never planned to stay here forever, bound by Eastlyn’s politics.
Nolan planned to use this time to tidy up Eastlyn’s bureaucracy, then delegate routine affairs to the five regent-ministers. He’d only intervene in matters of military or political power; otherwise, Nolan wouldn’t interfere with the normal running of Eastlyn’s government.
To outsiders, Nolan’s delegation of power looked noble and selfless, as if he wasn’t competing with the young Emperor for control. But those in the know understood that, even if Nolan didn’t manage daily affairs, everything in Eastlyn was still under his command.
The Three Excellencies were appointed by the late Emperor and loyal to his chosen successor—Nolan. The other two regents, William Wang Jinling and Felix Fuller, were outwardly split—one for Nolan, one for the Emperor—but in reality, both were Nolan’s men. They also served to check and balance each other’s power.
The envoys from the Three Kingdoms and Nine Cities only stayed in Eastlyn for three days before realizing they couldn’t gain any advantage. Under Nolan’s iron rule, Eastlyn might have internal strife, but externally it was united—no matter what they tried, they couldn’t bribe anyone in the palace or get near the Taishang Emperor.
The Taishang Emperor was now completely under Nolan’s house arrest. Even though he still held some power, he couldn’t contact the outside world—he had no way to use it.
More importantly, now that the Eighth Prince had ascended the throne, Nolan could use the new Emperor’s authority to suppress the Taishang Emperor’s remaining power, gradually eroding his influence.
The envoys from the Three Kingdoms and Nine Cities could see it clearly, and so could Eastlyn’s ministers: with a new Emperor comes new officials. Now that the young Emperor was on the throne, anyone who didn’t want to be swept out had to follow his orders seriously—and forget about overthrowing his regime.
As for princes like the King of Yong and King of Zhou, far away in their own fiefdoms and Chu City, they might have ideas, but when they considered Eastlyn’s military power and General Warren Yu’s fearsome reputation, they had to think twice before rebelling. Besides, the Eighth Prince’s succession was legitimate—if they raised troops now, it would be outright treason.
The envoys from the Three Kingdoms and Nine Cities stayed in Eastlyn for ten days. Once the enthronement ceremony was over, they had no reason to linger. Before they could even ask to leave, Nolan—acting in the new Emperor’s name—personally invited them to a farewell banquet.
With that, even if the envoys didn’t want to leave, they had no choice. For most, leaving Eastlyn without gaining anything wasn’t a big deal—they might as well go home early. But for the Liancastle delegation, it was another story.
Jason Lan was still hesitating and hadn’t agreed to leave with them. Now that Nolan was openly sending the guests away, they had no way to stay in Eastlyn any longer. Even leaving quietly was impossible—taking Jason Lan out of Eastlyn would be very difficult indeed.
The Liancastle envoy was practically sick with worry. As they watched Nolan, seated in the place of honor and accepting congratulations, their eyes grew dim. In their heart, they couldn’t help but wish their Young Master could trade places with Nolan.
Compared to Nolan, their Young Master was just a sheltered young lord, still believing that Nolan couldn’t do without Liancastle. He didn’t realize that, years ago, Liancastle survived only thanks to Nolan’s support.
Liancastle’s ties to the former dynasty were no secret—every emperor of the four kingdoms knew it. They couldn’t openly destroy Liancastle, but they suppressed it in secret. If not for Nolan’s generous support, Liancastle would have fallen long ago.
Liancastle depended on Nolan for survival, yet they never gave him their full loyalty. Their Young Master, in whom they placed all their hopes, acted like a child—never taking responsibility, always trying to outdo Nolan, as if beating him would prove his own strength.
The envoys from every kingdom and city wore polite smiles, but each harbored their own agenda. Just as everyone thought the farewell banquet would end with a round of drinks, an unexpected voice interrupted the proceedings.
A pale-faced eunuch whispered something in Nolan’s ear. Nolan suddenly set down his wine cup and said, 'Summon them to the hall.'
The pale-faced eunuch hesitated for a moment, but when he met Nolan’s icy gaze, he trembled and hurried off to personally invite the guest inside.
What’s going on?
What now? Has something gone wrong?
The envoys whispered nervously among themselves, none more anxious than the Liancastle envoy. He stole a glance at Nolan, whose face was cold and sharp as ice, and his heart pounded, terrified that his worst fears might be realized.
They knew Nolan had been searching for their Young Master, Jason Lan. Could it be that Nolan had found him and was about to reveal his true identity?
If Nolan really found Jason Lan, should they step forward to plead for him?
If they did, Liancastle—and the entire Lan-line Old Guard—would have to break with Nolan completely. They could forget about borrowing his power; if Nolan didn’t crush them, they’d be lucky.
But if they didn’t step in, and let their Young Master die at Nolan’s hands—that was out of the question.
As time dragged on and no one came in, the Liancastle envoy grew more anxious, his heart thumping wildly. He didn’t even dare meet Nolan’s eyes, terrified Nolan would see right through him.
Fortunately, the guest didn’t linger outside. Under the envoys’ expectant gazes, they walked step by step into the hall…