News, Are You Really Not Capable Anymore

Has Prince Nolan lost his mind? He actually declared in open court, right in front of all the officials, that he finds it difficult to have children. Doesn’t he realize what it means to say something like that?

This kind of thing is a matter of male dignity. Even an ordinary man wouldn’t admit it in public, let alone an emperor—so what on earth is Prince Nolan trying to do?

Forget about taking more concubines—they could think of other ways! But once word like this gets out, what are all the court officials supposed to think? What will the emperors of Southern Lyn, Northlyn, and Westlyn make of it?

Warren Jinling watched Prince Nolan from afar, but the distance between them was too great. His dissatisfaction was invisible to Prince Nolan—not that it would matter anyway. Even if he saw it, Prince Nolan wouldn’t care. Determined to make the ministers believe he really was injured, Prince Nolan summoned the imperial physicians into the hall and had them explain his condition.

The imperial physicians spoke with complete confidence, because it was the truth: when Prince Nolan was young, someone drugged him with medicine that damaged his body, and later he suffered serious injuries that harmed his vital energy.

No one dared ask about the medicine or who administered it. There were only a handful of people with both the motive and ability to drug Prince Nolan—and even with just a little thought, everyone in court could guess who they were.

Still, the ministers couldn’t help doubting Prince Nolan’s future prospects for heirs, and they were even more unwilling to accept it. Seeing that Prince Nolan wasn’t angry, a few plucked up the courage to ask, “What about Miss Feng’s child?”

“His Majesty only finds it difficult to have children, not impossible,” the imperial physician replied skillfully. “Besides, Miss Feng’s pregnancy began before His Majesty’s last injury.” He didn’t give a direct answer, but cleverly implied that Prince Nolan’s recent wounds were the cause of his current problem.

“Then can His Majesty still have children in the future?” the Prime Minister asked publicly. He had no eligible daughters, so his question was entirely out of concern for Eastlyn’s succession.

“It’s possible, but much harder than for most men.” Prince Nolan didn’t mind, and the imperial physician explained clearly, “Whether His Majesty can have more heirs in the future depends on Heaven’s will.”

But Heaven’s will is something no human can control.

As soon as those words were spoken, the officials who had been urging Prince Nolan to take more consorts for the sake of heirs fell silent. Those who had been secretly planning to send their daughters or relatives into the palace dared not make another sound.

They weren’t sending their beautiful daughters to the palace just to be playthings for the emperor—they wanted royal sons. Even if their daughters couldn’t become empress, a prince could still be born, and then the mother could rise in rank and her family would benefit.

But now, with Prince Nolan’s difficulty in producing heirs, sending their daughters into the palace would only mean suffering. It was better to arrange marriages with families of equal rank and gain more benefits.

As for the rumors outside that a favored consort’s family would be promoted if she won the emperor’s favor, that was just laughable. Unless you could become as favored as Serena Feng, dreaming of such benefits for your family was pure fantasy.

Even if Prince Nolan were obsessed with beauty, he wouldn’t lavish rewards on a consort’s family just because he liked her. The inner palace cannot interfere in politics. Since ancient times, the court could decide a woman’s rank, but whether she was favored or not had nothing to do with the government.

In fact, even someone as favored as Serena Feng couldn’t make Prince Nolan treat the Phoenixfield Clan any differently. When the Phoenixfield warriors went off to war, the clan members had to stay in the capital as hostages.

Once the ministers finished asking their questions, the hall fell silent. Everyone bowed their heads, lost in thought, no one knowing exactly what to think.

Prince Nolan didn’t care what they thought. Once he finished speaking, he announced the end of court. As for what consequences this news might bring, he paid it no mind.

They thought this matter would cause a stir for a while, but unexpectedly, that very afternoon, a battle report arrived from the Southern Lyn front. It turned out Southern Lyn’s granaries had been burned ten days ago; now, in midwinter, the soldiers had no food, not even wild grass to eat.

If you can’t eat, you can’t lift a sword. Victor Phoenixfield seized the opportunity to attack, and Eastlyn’s troops swept forward with unstoppable force. In just ten days, they took five cities. By the end, the defenders didn’t even fight—they opened the gates and surrendered, begging for a meal.

Eastlyn’s momentum was unstoppable, the army’s morale soared, and Southern Lyn’s collapse was imminent!

“At last, we’re about to take Southern Lyn.” Even Prince Nolan couldn’t help but feel pleased when he saw the battle report.

With Southern Lyn recovered, the next step was Westlyn. Then, with the strength of three kingdoms combined, conquering Northlyn would be a matter of moments.

“This world is finally united in my hands.” Prince Nolan let out a long breath. Only now did he dare to relax, no longer forcing himself so hard.

The news of Southern Lyn’s surrender instantly overshadowed the reports of Prince Nolan’s difficulty with heirs. As Serena’s due date approached, everyone at Feng Manor focused on her pregnancy and paid less attention to outside news. When Serena finally heard what Prince Nolan had said at court, she nearly dropped her bowl.

“Is that really what people are saying?” Serena Feng was stunned. Prince Nolan—impotent?

How could that be…

Jada Tang nodded repeatedly, looking nervous and awkward. After all, she was a woman—discussing such matters in public was beyond even her boldness.

Serena Feng’s mouth twitched in disbelief. “How could Prince Nolan allow such rumors to spread in the streets?”

Prince Nolan is now the emperor—controlling public opinion is easy. Could he have spread the rumors himself?

“I heard it was Prince Nolan who said it in court. All the ministers heard, and the imperial physicians testified.” Jada Tang steadied herself and explained everything.

So it really happened. Serena Feng nodded blankly, motioning for Jada Tang to withdraw.

Serena Feng now knew about Prince Nolan’s difficulty with heirs, but she hadn’t expected him to announce it publicly. Still, this meant no minister would urge him to take more consorts, and the value of her unborn child had risen even higher.

Given Prince Nolan’s health, her child might be his only heir. If all went well, the child would not only rule Eastlyn, but inherit everything of the Phoenixfield Clan.

Such a child—even if born out of wedlock—would not be criticized.

Serena Feng herself didn’t know whether to feel happy or uneasy. Prince Nolan’s move had completely exceeded her expectations—she never imagined he would use this method to silence the court and smooth the way for her and the baby…

Serena Feng patted her belly with a sigh. “People really do have different fates. The moment you’re born, you’ll be the sole heir to the Nine Provinces Realm. Others could struggle for ten generations and never reach your height.”