Sowing Discord, Refusing to Marry Serena
Prince Nolan emerged from the palace, his entire presence radiating an icy chill. He boarded the carriage with a stern face, never uttering a single word from start to finish.
The coachman was so frightened by Prince Nolan's cold aura that he shrank into a corner, not daring to ask where to go—he simply drove Nolan straight to Feng Manor.
Only after getting off the carriage did Prince Nolan realize the coachman had brought him to Feng Manor. Nolan paused for a moment but said nothing more; the chill around him faded a little, and by the time he stepped inside, he was back to his usual self.
Upon learning of the plan Serena and the two elders had devised, Prince Nolan set aside his own worries and generously complimented them: "Not bad."
Dr. Marcus Guile remained reserved, but the Valley Master was far less polite and immediately claimed the credit: "With us taking the lead, how could anything go wrong?"
"The sooner, the better. I don't have time to waste on him," Prince Nolan said coolly, his tone icy. Everyone assumed he was simply dissatisfied with the Emperor and didn't think deeper.
"If we want to do it quickly and without leaving any traces, that's not easy," the Valley Master noted. After all, even overindulgence takes time before it causes real trouble.
"How about we let the Hsieh Clan take the blame?" Dr. Marcus Guile suggested tentatively.
If something goes wrong during treatment, claiming the Hsieh Clan drove the Gu would be a plausible explanation. But if the Emperor investigates, they'll all be exposed.
"No." Serena was the first to object. "We can't exploit that loophole with the Hsieh Clan. If I were the Emperor, I'd approach the Hsiehs right now, offer them a small favor, and persuade them to stop driving the Gu. And if I were the Hsieh Clan, I'd definitely agree. In this situation, the Emperor isn't under their control at all, and if he dies, the Hsiehs are finished too. It's better to accept his terms and try to gain some benefit."
"Serena's right," Prince Nolan said, quickly claiming the credit for her idea. "Since there's no better plan, we'll stick to the original. Leave the rest to me."
Prince Nolan tapped lightly on the table and flashed a confident smile. Serena considered for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Are you going to start with the harem?"
"Yes." Prince Nolan nodded gently. "Imperial Noble Consort Helena Hsieh is a clever woman."
"Then it’s settled. With Imperial Noble Consort Helena adding fuel to the fire, things will move much quicker." Previously, many concubines were pregnant, but when the palace was under Hsieh Clan control, not a single child survived.
At this point, the concubines must be desperate. If Helena gives them another chance, they’ll do everything possible to win the Emperor’s favor.
"Should I make another trip to the palace and visit the various consorts?" Serena asked with a smile.
In fact, she rather enjoyed going to the harem; just one round through the place and she could pocket a fortune. No one ever complains about too much silver—only too little.
"No need. If you go, it’ll only make the Emperor suspicious." Prince Nolan refused outright, then discussed further details with Dr. Marcus Guile and the Valley Master. Once they confirmed the plan was flawless, Nolan took Serena back to her room.
Lately, Prince Nolan had practically made Feng Manor his home, spending day and night there and rarely visiting his own estate.
Some censors even impeached him, saying Nolan was acting like a live-in son-in-law and disgracing the royal family. The Emperor rebuked him lightly, then probed by suggesting he could grant a marriage decree between Prince Nolan and Serena.
Prince Nolan didn’t care about the imperial marriage decree, but he worried Serena might. If she found out the Emperor approved their marriage and he refused, would she be angry?
He gazed at Serena’s delicate profile, lost in thought.
Should he tell her, or not?
"What’s wrong?" Prince Nolan was so distracted that Serena couldn’t even pretend not to notice.
"Serena..." Prince Nolan’s eyes were deep, a trace of struggle flickering within. He looked as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.
Serena rarely saw Prince Nolan like this and asked worriedly, "Did something happen?"
"Serena..." Prince Nolan took a deep breath. After thinking it over, he decided to explain—better she hear it from him than from someone else and get even angrier.
"Today, the Emperor said he wanted to grant us a marriage decree."
He’d expected Serena to be delighted by the news, but instead she was shocked and confused: "A marriage decree? Why would he grant us one? What’s his scheme?"
You couldn’t blame Serena for thinking that way—she never believed the Emperor’s move was for their benefit. As long as he didn’t sabotage them, that was good enough; there was no way he’d ever help them out of kindness.
"The Emperor definitely didn’t make this decision on a whim. I just can’t figure out exactly what he’s planning." Whether he marries Serena or not, it doesn’t affect his power. Even if he married her, his status in Eastlyn would remain unchanged.
"Could the Emperor be trying to buy time—to disrupt your arrangements with the Former Dynasty? Planning a royal wedding takes a lot of time," Serena speculated.
"It’s possible. The Emperor’s move was so sudden—I sensed a trap and refused."
"You did the right thing. We don’t need the Emperor interfering in our affairs." Serena suspected the Emperor was deliberately trying to drive a wedge between her and Prince Nolan, and that he’d already predicted Nolan would refuse.
"Exactly. We don’t need the Emperor meddling." Prince Nolan kept watching Serena, worried she’d be upset. Fortunately, she showed no sign of dissatisfaction, and Nolan finally relaxed.
Whatever the Emperor’s scheme, it won’t succeed. What he and Serena share isn’t defined by a piece of imperial paper.
That night, the two of them slept soundly in each other’s arms. In the palace, though, the Emperor couldn’t sleep at all—his mind was filled with countless worries.
The Hsieh Clan, Eastlyn Nine, and the arrangement of court officials...
The Hsieh Clan was no longer a threat. He’d already sent trusted agents to secretly negotiate with them—he could spare those who’d fled, but the clan had to hand over the Gu-caster and swear never to drive the Gu again.
As for Eastlyn Nine? The Emperor didn’t believe Serena would still devote herself to Nolan after learning he’d refused to marry her, or continue working for him wholeheartedly.
As long as a rift opened between Eastlyn Nine and Serena, things would get much easier. Serena wasn’t alone—she had William Wang, who admired her deeply, and Sean Xuan, far away at Skyvault Palace.
Given William Wang’s devotion and Sean Xuan’s regard for Serena, if they learned Eastlyn Nine refused to marry her, they’d surely take her side and challenge Nolan. At that point, the Emperor wouldn’t need to do anything—Nolan would be overwhelmed on his own.
What troubled the Emperor most, though, was the arrangement of officials. The court was nothing like it had been half a year ago—even now, there were many officials he didn’t recognize.
During the time when the Hsieh Clan and Eastlyn Nine controlled the government, they purged dissenters and promoted their own people. Now that the Emperor had recovered, his first task was to reshuffle the ranks—kick out the traitors and put his own men in key positions.
The Emperor ran through the names and posts of all the officials in his mind, thinking up reasons to dismiss those who didn’t belong to him.
The more he thought about it, the worse his headache grew. Purging too many officials at once could easily spark internal chaos—and Eastlyn couldn’t survive another shock like that.