Purpose of His Visit, Ninth Royal Uncle Kneels

Seeing Serena Feng looking so clueless, Ninth Royal Uncle immediately knew that even if he sat here until nightfall, Serena still wouldn’t figure out why he’d come to Feng Manor. She might even think he was just passing by!

This woman is hopelessly dense when she ought to be smart, and way too clever when she shouldn’t be. She invented snow sleds for walking on snow, massively boosting their grain transport speed during blizzards, but when it comes to guessing his reason for visiting Feng Manor, she’s so clueless it makes him both exasperated and fond.

Why else would he come to Feng Manor so seriously? It certainly wasn’t to see Sean Xuan—Sean doesn’t have that much status, not enough for Nolan to make such a grand entrance.

Watching Serena’s tangled expression, Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t push her. He set down his teacup and solemnly declared, “I’m here today to pay respects to General Feng and Madame Feng.”

The last time he came, he’d secretly paid his respects to General Feng and Madame Feng, but no one knew—not even Serena.

Ninth Royal Uncle’s expression was solemn, dignified, and steady. He didn’t care at all what effect his words might have—he simply stood up and said to the stunned Serena, “Serena, lead the way.”

Even if he has no official status, he still counts as Feng Manor’s son-in-law. Sooner or later, a son-in-law has to meet his in-laws.

"You—you want to pay respects to my parents?" Just as Ninth Royal Uncle expected, Serena was completely shocked. She stood up, pointing at Nolan, unable to believe what she’d just heard.

“Why not?” Nolan’s question was rhetorical, but carried an undeniable authority.

He’d taken their daughter—of course he should openly meet her parents. General Feng and Madame Feng passed away early, so paying respects is the least he can do.

Although he’d already paid his respects before, that time was private and secret—this time is official, and he won’t neglect any of the proper rituals.

Strictly speaking, he should have come to pay his respects to General Feng and Madame Feng the day he left the palace, but his situation wasn’t good then. Ninth Prince Manor was in chaos and he couldn’t put on the proper ceremony, so out of respect for General Feng and Madame Feng, he waited two days.

With him making this gesture, when the snow stops and General Feng and Madame Feng are buried, all the civil and military officials will have to come and pay their respects. This is the honor General Feng truly deserves.

“Of course you can, Ninth Royal Uncle, please…” Serena sniffled and quickly answered, afraid he might change his mind if she hesitated.

That’s only natural.

Ninth Royal Uncle nodded in satisfaction and had all his guards stay behind. He didn’t want a huge group disturbing General Feng and Madame Feng’s peace.

Just as Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle were about to leave, Sean Xuan stood up too. He said nothing, but his actions made it clear he intended to join them.

Serena didn’t stop him, and of course Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t object either. As he passed by Sean, Nolan glanced at him; the two men’s eyes met, but there was no hostility—each simply looked away.

Sean Xuan followed closely behind Serena. The three of them headed for the mourning hall, walking in silence.

The mourning hall was simply arranged but solemn. Inside, the three remained silent, gazing at the two coffins placed in the center. Serena and Sean Xuan both looked grief-stricken; Serena’s eyes were red.

As for Ninth Royal Uncle? He showed no expression, but his deep eyes dimmed a little, making it clear he too regretted General Feng and Madame Feng’s passing. Still… the dead cannot return. No matter how much you grieve, it won’t change the fact that they’re gone. Better to live well than waste time mourning.

Serena stepped forward and offered incense to her parents, then handed the incense to Ninth Royal Uncle. She thought he would just bow three times before her parents’ spirits and be done, but unexpectedly…

Thud… Ninth Royal Uncle gathered his robes and knelt solemnly before her parents’ spirits.

He’d done it once before, so this time there was no awkwardness—he knelt down smoothly and naturally.

To kneel to Heaven, to Earth, to one’s parents—Serena’s parents were his parents too. For him, kneeling here was only natural. Ninth Royal Uncle knelt as if it were the most normal thing in the world, but he didn’t realize how much he’d shocked the two people behind him.

"Ah…" Serena quickly covered her mouth to keep from crying out in surprise.

It’s normal to kneel before the departed in the mourning hall, but Serena never expected Ninth Royal Uncle would kneel too—kneeling before her parents’ spirits.

After all, this man would never kneel—not even to the Emperor—unless it was a formal occasion. But now he was kneeling before her parents’ spirits. How could she possibly stay calm? How could she not be shocked…

Thud, thud, thud…

It seemed Ninth Royal Uncle had come just to shock Serena today. Not only did he kneel, he also sincerely bowed three times to General Feng and Madame Feng.

When the bows were done, Ninth Royal Uncle rose. He didn’t hand the incense back to Serena, but stepped forward himself and placed the three sticks into the censer, his practiced movements suggesting he’d done this many times before.

Staring at the two coffins, Ninth Royal Uncle silently promised in his heart: "General Feng, Madame Feng, rest in peace. I will protect Serena for you, cherish her, and love her with all the love you would have given her."

Whoosh, whoosh… Cold wind swept through, making the white cloth in the mourning hall flutter, as if responding to Ninth Royal Uncle’s words.

……

After the ceremony, Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena didn’t linger in the mourning hall. They had long since said everything they needed to say to General Feng and Madame Feng.

The two returned to the main hall, but this time Sean Xuan did not follow. He remained in the mourning hall, staring blankly at the coffins until Serena noticed his absence and sent someone to fetch him.

This time, Ninth Royal Uncle truly had no ulterior motive—he’d simply come to pay his respects to General Feng and Madame Feng, and to quietly declare his place beside Serena. Once those two things were done, he chatted idly with Serena in the hall about trivial matters. After all, this was no time for serious business.

Only when Sean Xuan returned did Ninth Royal Uncle mention something important: “Serena, after your parents’ affairs are settled, you should make a trip to Skyvault Palace.”

He wasn’t asking for Serena’s opinion—he was informing her. Some things needed to be resolved; if they kept delaying, it would only harm them and give their enemies the upper hand.

The eye medicine at Skyvault Palace is nearly used up. Madame Skyvault is on the verge of collapse, and the Palace Master is starting to doubt his wife of more than twenty years.

If Serena appears now, she’ll be the last straw that breaks the camel’s back—both the Palace Master and Madame Skyvault will lose their composure, and Skyvault Palace Sect will no longer be a threat.

“Serena, you’re going to Skyvault Palace?” Sean Xuan had only just returned when he heard this shocking news, and immediately set aside the pressure he’d felt from Ninth Royal Uncle.

Yes, pressure.

Ninth Royal Uncle’s kneeling in the mourning hall had made Sean Xuan feel an unprecedented pressure. In that moment, Sean Xuan clearly sensed how possessive and protective Ninth Royal Uncle was toward Serena.

For most people, kneeling in the mourning hall isn’t unusual. But Ninth Royal Uncle isn’t most people—Sean Xuan had researched him. The fact that Nolan would humble himself to pay respects to General Feng and Madame Feng was shocking enough, let alone actually kneeling. If the Emperor found out, he’d probably cough up blood from sheer rage.

You have to understand—except for the grand New Year’s sacrifice before all the officials, Ninth Royal Uncle never kneels. He didn’t even kneel to the late Emperor or the Empress Dowager, just stood and saluted. (Of course, the Empress Dowager wasn’t his own mother.)

Serena nodded. “Some things have to be resolved. Sienna’s face, so like mine, couldn’t have appeared for no reason. I want to know about my mother’s past.”

Her mother, as Serena remembered her, was a noble and gracious woman—someone who could never have been a commoner. Just like Zhou Xing: even with the mark of ‘slave’ on him and all his efforts to hide it, nothing could erase his unique aura.

Innate pride and nobility aren’t so easily erased.

“It’s good to investigate. That woman lived under Aunt Mo’s name for more than twenty years, enjoying happiness that should have belonged to her. It’s time to give it back.” When Sean Xuan spoke of that woman, his face was full of disgust.

Anyone who knows Sean Xuan understands—what he hates isn’t that woman becoming his stepmother, but that she impersonated the Aunt Mo he respected most.

Sean Xuan wasn’t wrong, but Serena wasn’t satisfied. She retorted, “Young Palace Lord, that wasn’t my mother’s happiness. Only my father could give my mother true happiness. That woman used my mother’s identity to gain a false happiness—happiness my mother never wanted. She used my mother’s name to love a man my mother never loved. It disgusts me.” If her mother had truly loved the Palace Master, she wouldn’t have promised her daughter to Sean Xuan.

From beginning to end, her mother never saw the Palace Master of Skyvault as her true love.

Hearing Serena say this, Sean Xuan realized he’d misunderstood and immediately apologized. “Sorry, I was wrong. You’re right—that was happiness Aunt Mo never wanted. She never intended to stay at Skyvault Palace.”

“Exactly. My mother never wanted to stay at Skyvault Palace. If she had, that woman wouldn’t have survived—she never could have lived at Skyvault under my mother’s name. No matter how much she resembled my mother, it was all fake.” Serena spoke with pride.

She was certain her mother knew what that woman was up to and let things play out—otherwise, that woman could never have enjoyed twenty years of peace. If her mother had left even one trap, that woman’s true colors would have been exposed.

Her words sounded arrogant, but neither Nolan nor Sean Xuan could refute her. Both nodded at the same time, as if in agreement…

Emma Lu was never a woman who let herself be schemed against without fighting back. Back when she was alive, if she’d wanted revenge against Madame Skyvault, that woman never could have survived so long…