Reason, Ninth Royal Uncle Feels Great Pressure

Serena Feng had no idea why Ninth Royal Uncle was doing all this, but the Emperor could guess at least part of his reasoning.

Ninth Royal Uncle was merely planning ahead, using this opportunity to shake off a potential marriage alliance.

What the Emperor didn’t understand was why Ninth Royal Uncle wanted to sabotage this marriage, especially since it would bring him enormous benefits—far more than marrying Su Wan. The dowry on offer was none other than Chu City itself.

Across the Nine Provinces Realm, there are Four Kingdoms and Nine Great Cities. Though each city’s territory is small, their military might is so formidable that even the Emperor dares not underestimate them. Each city governs itself and trades with the Four Kingdoms—calling them cities is almost misleading; they’re more like independent small nations.

Lord Chu Zhao, City Lord of Chu City, is sixty-three years old and has only one daughter, Charlotte Chu. Charlotte has just come of age, and her father intends to find her a husband—whoever marries Charlotte will become the next City Lord of Chu City.

But somehow, after Charlotte Chu happened to see Ninth Royal Uncle’s portrait, she became infatuated and swore to marry him, offering all of Chu City as her dowry.

Charlotte declared that as long as Ninth Royal Uncle married her, she would hand over Chu City with both hands.

Of course, at present only Lord Chu Zhao and a handful of people know about this. The Emperor himself only received word two days ago.

The Emperor is certain that Ninth Royal Uncle knows about it too. Charlotte Chu is nothing like Su Wan—Su Wan’s family is just a clan attached to power, with some connections and money at best. But Chu City has people, money, and an army.

If Ninth Royal Uncle married Charlotte Chu and gained everything Chu City had to offer, with his skill and power, it wouldn’t take ten years for him to raise Chu City above the other eight cities and even challenge the Four Kingdoms.

When the Emperor learned that Charlotte Chu was determined to marry Ninth Royal Uncle, he was so anxious he couldn’t sleep. If not for this, he wouldn’t have forced Prince Damien of Southlyn to back down yesterday, letting Serena Feng win.

Only by defeating Su Wan did Serena Feng gain the leverage to marry Ninth Royal Uncle, tying their names together in the public eye.

No matter what, the Emperor would never allow Charlotte Chu to marry Ninth Royal Uncle.

But unexpectedly, before he could act, Ninth Royal Uncle made his move first—using a full ceremonial procession and the official princess-consort court dress to declare to the world that the seat of Ninth Prince’s Princess Consort was already taken. Though the woman’s status was not worthy, Ninth Royal Uncle acknowledged her anyway—and let it be known that they were already husband and wife in all but name.

For noble sons, having affairs before marriage is hardly unusual. But what Ninth Royal Uncle did was rare—he hadn’t formally married her, yet treated her as his legal wife. This forced many people to reevaluate both his relationship with Serena Feng and the true purpose behind his actions.

Whether Ninth Royal Uncle did it intentionally or not, after such a scandal, Lord Chu Zhao would never let his only beloved daughter marry him. Of course, other families considering marriage alliances with Ninth Royal Uncle also had to think twice—about that special existence, Serena Feng, the woman he broke all the rules for.

"The princess-consort court dress—Ninth Brother, you’re really willing to give it away." The Emperor looked regretful, but those who knew him well understood he was actually pleased. By giving the formal consort’s attire to Serena Feng, Ninth Royal Uncle made it clear whom he intended to marry.

But after all this, why didn’t Ninth Royal Uncle simply force the marriage? No one could figure it out, and since they couldn’t, they stopped trying—ordinary people could never understand the affairs of the truly powerful.

Inside the study at Ninth Prince Manor, a man in black stood respectfully below, awaiting Ninth Royal Uncle’s orders.

"Keep an eye on Chu City and find out who Charlotte has been meeting with lately. I want to know why she’s so determined to marry me. As for the Young Clan, keep watching them—report to me the moment anyone from Young sets foot in Eastlyn."

By making his relationship with Serena Feng so public, Ninth Royal Uncle was only partly aiming to reject Charlotte Chu’s marriage proposal—it was also a way to block other ambitious women.

His situation was complicated. He was long past the age for marriage, but right now, he couldn’t take a wife. He needed someone to shield him from women and families seeking alliances—Serena Feng was the perfect choice, and she would cooperate.

As for Charlotte Chu, Ninth Royal Uncle wouldn’t dare marry her. He didn’t believe for a second that she’d offer up all of Chu City just because she saw his portrait.

Charlotte Chu wasn’t some naive, sheltered girl. She was Lord Chu Zhao’s only direct heir, and there was no way her father would raise her in ignorance—that would only harm her.

To the Emperor, Chu City looked like a huge prize. But Ninth Royal Uncle knew better—there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and even if one fell from the sky, it wouldn’t be easy to swallow.

Of course, there was another main reason: more and more people were eyeing Serena Feng, and many wanted to marry her. Ninth Royal Uncle had no choice but to act outrageously, crushing any such hopes.

Not everyone was as blind as Prince Rowan, nor was Ninth Royal Uncle the only one with good taste. After Serena Feng’s duel with Su Wan, her fame soared—and so did the number of suitors.

Owen Yuan was one of them. Given his wild ways, he just might actually marry Serena Feng—and after investigating Owen’s background, Ninth Royal Uncle realized he couldn’t simply kill him.

To keep Owen Yuan from causing trouble and actually marrying Serena Feng, Ninth Royal Uncle had to act first—creating the illusion that he and Serena were already husband and wife, ruining her reputation so no one else would dare marry her.

But Owen Yuan wasn’t even Ninth Royal Uncle’s biggest worry. What truly concerned him was the Young Clan, who wanted Victor Yun to marry Serena Feng.