Taking Action, Even the Landlord Has No Extra Grain

The best cure for heartbreak is to keep someone so busy they don't even have time to be sad, let alone daydream about romance.

To keep Simon Sun from drowning in heartbreak, Serena Feng loaded him with task after task, keeping him running nonstop and filling his mind with medical terms—he had no time to think about Bella Qin at all.

Serena Feng saw that Simon Sun, though busy, was in high spirits. She breathed a huge sigh of relief: her disciple was truly extraordinary, bouncing back from heartbreak so quickly.

In fact, Serena was overthinking. She acted so quickly that Simon Sun hadn’t even had time to fall deeply for Bella Qin. At most, he had a little crush—nowhere near real love or obsession.

Simon Sun, raised on classic Confucian ideals, wasn’t as rigid or old-fashioned as most men thanks to his medical work, but he’d never go to extremes for a woman without a proper relationship—unlike some modern men.

Simon Sun did like Bella Qin, and was hurt to learn she had a fiancé. But what upset him more was that, knowing she was engaged, she still treated him so kindly—giving him the wrong idea and nearly dragging him into a mess with a married woman, something he despised.

Even without Serena Feng assigning him work, Simon Sun would have found plenty to do himself, just to move on from the whole affair.

Just like Left Shore said, Simon Sun was clueless about women—he couldn’t even tell real feelings from fake ones. To avoid trouble in the future, he decided to let his master choose his wife for him; Serena Feng’s judgment was never wrong.

Noticing Serena Feng’s extra attention lately, Simon Sun—prompted by Left Shore—found a chance to explain his thoughts to her. Serena was deeply relieved and finally stopped hovering, turning back to the mountain of invitations and Feng Manor’s external business.

All the snow-viewing, flower parties, and wedding invitations were tossed aside—she’d send gifts but skip the events. For formal calls, Serena Feng sorted through a batch, and when she saw the Lord of Liancastle’s invitation, she deliberately picked it out, glanced at it, then tossed it back.

Lord of Liancastle couldn’t find another way in, so he set his sights on her. But is Serena really so easy to deal with? After all, Jason Lan hurt her brother and her clansmen.

Even if she and Clara Phoenixfield are at odds, that’s an internal Phoenixfield matter. Jason Lan humiliating a Phoenixfield noblewoman is a direct insult to her as acting Phoenixfield King.

Serena Feng sorted out the invitations for appointments and had the steward make arrangements.

First, Serena Feng entered the palace to pay respects to Empress Dowager Xie, then began making rounds at the major mansions—letting everyone in the Capital know that although Prince Nolan hadn’t returned, Serena Feng was back.

After three or four days of running around, Serena Feng finally found time to meet William Wang Jinling. The moment she saw him, she was shocked: "What happened to you?"

He was still as elegant as ever, but the bloodshot eyes gave him away. "How many days have you gone without sleep?"

"I do sleep every day," William said, dropping formalities with Serena Feng as he slouched and rubbed his brow. "But it’s never more than an hour a night."

"So busy?" Only then did Serena Feng realize William’s letters urging Prince Nolan to return hadn’t exaggerated.

William nodded: "With the year’s end approaching, official business is already a headache. Prince Jason is making moves and could send troops north at any time. Northlyn, seeing Yu Wen Yuanhua attacking Night City, might join forces with Prince Jason for a joint offensive this winter. If that happens, they’ll gather their armies and attack Eastlyn—it’ll be chaos, and we have to prepare in advance."

While Prince Nolan dreams of unifying the Nine Provinces, he’s not the only one with such ambitions. Northlyn, for example—even if they can’t conquer everything, they’d love to bite off a piece of Eastlyn.

Neither Lyndaria nor Westlyn are staying quiet. Westlyn suffered heavy losses in the last war, so they can’t launch another campaign soon, but if desperation sets in, they might still harass Eastlyn’s borders or seize resources while Eastlyn is distracted.

Eastlyn is strong, but not strong enough to fight three realms at once. That’s why Prince Nolan is so cautious, never daring to attack a city or kingdom outright—he fears the others will strike while Eastlyn is busy.

As William Wang Jinling laid out the moves of each realm, Serena Feng frowned. "Is the situation really this dire?"

Compared to Prince Nolan, Serena Feng’s intelligence network was still incomplete. She could pick up minor news, but her people couldn’t uncover such hidden state secrets.

No wonder Prince Nolan didn’t act against Princess Royal Helena, but sent her home instead—he must have feared Westlyn would exploit the situation. After all, Westlyn isn’t fully under Emperor Titus’s control yet.

William Wang Jinling nodded. "To be honest, if Prince Nolan doesn’t come back soon, with all this pressure from Liancastle and the others, I might have to send Jason Lan home unharmed."

Liancastle’s diplomatic clout is formidable. While Prince Nolan is out of the Capital, Lord of Liancastle has joined forces with other city lords to pressure Eastlyn—if Eastlyn doesn’t release Jason Lan, they’ll send troops to “rescue Night City.”

Eastlyn was already humiliated in the war with Night City—if more cities send troops, Eastlyn is sure to lose. In such a situation, it’s normal for William Wang Jinling to be unable to hold out.

“Jixia Academy also sent envoys to plead for Jason Lan,” William Wang Jinling added. That one sentence made it clear just how much pressure he was under.

He had to handle everything himself. Whether it was Lord of Liancastle or Jixia Academy, none of them would approach Felix Fuller—they only put pressure on William Wang Jinling.

Liancastle was manageable—William Wang Jinling could handle official matters even under pressure. But Jixia Academy was different. It was his alma mater, and he couldn’t use bureaucratic tricks with his own school, or he’d be condemned by his peers.

“Jason Lan…” Serena Feng sighed, gazing out the window. “Arrange for me to see him.” If she had to let him go, he’d pay a personal price—she wouldn’t feel right unless he learned a lesson.

“Okay,” William Wang Jinling nodded bitterly. More than anyone, he knew how much Serena Feng wanted to kill Jason Lan, but he had to persuade her to let him go.

“I can hold out for another three to five days. After that, you’ll meet Lord of Liancastle and settle things.” William Wang Jinling endured immense pressure, only relaxing when Serena Feng returned—he wanted her to handle the negotiations with Liancastle.

If Liancastle wants their man back, they’ll have to pay dearly. How much she can squeeze out of them depends on Serena Feng’s skill.

After settling the Jason Lan issue with William Wang Jinling, Serena Feng went to see Chief Musa—the tribal leader who’d been supplying her with beef and mutton.

Serena Feng was in a hurry to meet him because his supplies had run into trouble—she was about to run out of food…