The Banquet, This Prince Waits for You Here

After Serena Feng matched the lower line, she finally let out a long breath and, when nobody was looking, quietly wiped the sweat from her brow. At least she hadn’t lost face—being a so-called 'talented woman' was way tougher than it looked.

They were supposed to match just one couplet, but Mr. Simon Shu suddenly played dirty, tossing out five fiendishly tricky lines in a row. When the server brought them over, he looked clearly anxious and worried.

He might only be a server, but he was sharper than most scholars—he’d matched every one of these couplets himself. Still, in the entire Windchaser Inn, probably not a single person could answer even one, yet Mr. Simon Shu had thrown out five at once. Wasn’t he just trying to embarrass the Grand Heir?

As the five upper lines were hung up, the Windchaser Inn went dead silent. Everyone’s eyes glued themselves to the couplets, and then the whispering started.

"How could anyone match these? It’s impossible!"

"This is way too hard. I’m just glad Mr. Simon Shu doesn’t write the entrance couplets for Windchaser Inn—otherwise I’d never get in my whole life!"

"Only one incense stick’s time for five upper lines? Mr. Simon Shu is clearly trying to make things hard for the Grand Heir."

Everyone was worried for William Wang Jinling, except Serena Feng, who looked totally at ease, a faint smile on her face, not the least bit concerned.

"Miss, aren’t you worried about the Grand Heir?" one of the little maids whispered behind her.

"What’s there to worry about?" Serena Feng shrugged. She was only worried about the couplet for the private room—could she match it or not?

"These upper lines are so tough. What if the Grand Heir can’t match them? There’s only one incense stick’s time!" The urgency was written all over the maid’s face.

Serena Feng shook her head and glanced at William Wang Jinling, who was deep in thought. "I might worry about other people, but not the Grand Heir. Mr. Simon Shu can’t win against him."

"You trust me that much?" William Wang Jinling paused mid-stroke, turned, and looked at Serena Feng, his eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Because you’re William Wang Jinling," Serena replied with a smile.

Their eyes met—trust and admiration flickered between them, with no trace of romance, or maybe it was buried too deep to show.

William Wang Jinling laughed heartily. "That’s right, I am William Wang Jinling." His easygoing smile was bold but never crude—just a different kind of charm.

William’s calligraphy was famous. The moment his first stroke fell, everyone—whether they saw it or not—cried out, "Beautiful writing!"

When William finished the first lower line, the whole crowd echoed, "Brilliant match!"

A few young lords immediately sent their servants off to buy paper and ink, eager to copy down all five sets of couplets.

After finishing the first lower line, William barely had to think—he picked up the brush and wrote the second, third... all the way to the last one.

"Quick-witted and learned—no wonder he’s qualified to lecture at Jixia Academy." Mira’s brother was genuinely impressed. "Only someone like that could coax Mr. Simon Shu out of seclusion. I know I couldn’t."

"The Grand Heir is amazing!" The two maids, usually so composed, clapped excitedly while Serena Feng just smiled quietly, saying nothing.

William Wang Jinling was truly remarkable, but no one knew how much effort it had taken for him to get here.

He couldn’t see—his eyes were blind. Studying without sight was a thousand times harder than most could imagine. People only saw the dazzling, cultured Grand Heir, but who knew that under the sunlight, he lived in endless darkness and solitude?

After matching all five couplets, even Mr. Simon Shu couldn’t make things difficult for William anymore. By the rules, Serena Feng had to supply an upper line—William could only act as her scribe, nothing more.

"Serena, you give the upper line—I’ll write it for you."

"Alright." Serena had already made up her mind. Without hesitation, she recited, "Reflection Moon Well, reflecting moon shadows; in the Reflection Moon Well are reflected moon shadows. The well for ten thousand years, the moon shadows for ten thousand years."

Serena finished the last word just as William completed the writing.

"Grand Heir, Miss Feng, this way please." Once the ink dried, the server respectfully collected the upper line.

This was the Grand Heir’s calligraphy—worth its weight in gold. Once these seven sets were hung up, Windchaser Inn’s reputation would soar even higher.

William Wang Jinling was Windchaser Inn’s living, breathing advertisement!

After William and Serena entered the Windchaser Inn, the crowd outside refused to leave. Instead, they pestered the server to hang up William’s calligraphy so they could admire it.

Buy it?

Ha! They wished. But everyone knew the Grand Heir’s calligraphy was never for sale—not even for ten thousand gold a character. The Wang Clan didn’t need the money.

Mira’s brother watched William and Serena’s backs until they disappeared, then finally looked away. "Here in Eastlyn, I could skip meeting anyone else, but those two—I have to know them."

"Mira, let’s go. Time to enter the palace and pay respects to Eastlyn’s Emperor." Mira’s brother snapped her out of her daze and led her away.

...

Nolan Dongling didn’t return to Ninth Prince Manor. Instead, he went straight to his villa outside the city. As soon as he arrived, he waved the servants away, slipped into his study, and triggered the hidden mechanism to open the secret passage.

Following the narrow tunnel beneath his desk, Nolan reached the chamber crammed with thunder-blast grenades and gunpowder.

"Master." The secret room was pitch dark, and only a few shadowy figures could be seen.

"Did you get everything? How much is there?" Nolan Dongling asked, his voice crisp.

"Three hundred sixty-seven thunder-blast grenades in total, twenty-six set aside for the Emperor, and eighteen crates of something else. We don’t know what it is, only that it burns on contact with fire. We brought it back." The black-clad man answered respectfully, leading Nolan into the secret chamber and opening the crates.

The grenades only needed a glance, but Nolan’s real attention was on those eighteen mysterious crates.

Ten grenades per crate. The secret chamber was stacked full, but Nolan’s face stayed cold and unreadable.

If Liam Li had hurled all these grenades at the imperial capital, Eastlyn would be nothing but ruins. Almost nobody would have survived.

Nolan Dongling felt a bitter relief that Liam hadn’t gone that far, and an even deeper relief that the whole stockpile was now in his own hands.

No ruler could resist the thunder-blast grenades—they were almost unbeatable. But Nolan swore he’d never use them on ordinary people.

After checking the grenades, Nolan moved on to the eighteen crates. The black-clad men didn’t light any fires, but when they opened a box, a harsh, acrid smell blasted out—just like after a grenade exploded.

"We’re guessing these are the raw materials for making thunder-blast grenades, but we haven’t figured out how to use them or what the formula is. Some men even got hurt trying."

Nolan dipped his finger in the powder—it stung. There was a faint smell of flint and explosives. "Seal up the grenades. Leave these crates untouched. I’ll send someone to handle them."

Nolan already had the perfect candidate in mind.

That person might fool the Emperor, but not him.

Don’t know? If they really didn’t know, why go to such lengths to hide it?

He hadn’t planned to drag them in, but they’d barged in themselves.

Nolan left the secret chamber, returned to his study, ground his own ink, and wrote out an invitation. "Attend me," he called.

"My lord?" The eunuch entered, bowing respectfully.

When the ink dried, Nolan sealed the invitation. "Go, take this to Feng Manor. Make sure it’s delivered directly to Serena Feng. Tell her: ‘This prince is waiting for you.’"

"Yes, sir!" The eunuch replied, voice ringing with delight. Finally, no more vinegar-soaked banquets, no more cold, bitter nights.

Just as Serena Feng left the Windchaser Inn, she suddenly felt a chill. Instinctively, she hugged her arms tight and strode quickly toward her carriage...