Receiving Gifts and Building Local Power
After settling the affairs on the island, Ninth Royal Uncle made no further stops. He took Serena Feng and Zuo An back to the mainland. At the same time, the "Ninth Royal Uncle" who had been recuperating in a small county town also announced his recovery and officially set out for Shandong.
Once he was recovered, Ninth Royal Uncle completely abandoned his former low profile. At every town they passed, he accepted the local officials’ hospitality. When presented with lavish gifts, he accepted them all without hesitation. Serena quietly asked, "Is it really impossible not to take these gifts?"
"No, refusing gifts creates a lot of trouble. I don’t want unnecessary complications." In this world, turning down gifts doesn’t mark you as upright—it signals dissatisfaction with someone. Even as a royal prince, he couldn’t afford to offend the officials of the bureaucracy.
"What kind of trouble?" As a commoner, Serena understood how dark officialdom could be and adapted well, but she deeply hated this gift-giving custom. She hadn’t expected Ninth Royal Uncle to be one of those people too.
After all, these gifts were incredibly expensive. There was no way officials could afford them on their salaries—they were all bought with embezzled money, the people's fat and blood.
"When we reach Liaosburg, I’ll refuse the local circuit governor’s gifts—you’ll see for yourself." Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t explain the unspoken rules of officialdom; he wanted Serena to witness it firsthand.
It’s good to have upright officials, but in such a vast empire—so far from the capital—not everyone can be so clean. If water is too clear, there are no fish. Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t mind a little corruption, as long as officials did their jobs and didn’t make the people suffer.
Serena vaguely sensed that Ninth Royal Uncle was up to something, but seeing his open, honest expression, she didn’t press. Besides, she was genuinely curious what trouble would come from refusing gifts.
As they traveled, stopping at every city, the gifts they received were almost enough to fill a ship. Serena even joked to herself that if they ever ran out of money, Ninth Royal Uncle could just tour the provinces once—the silver they’d collect would last them decades.
After resting at the circuit governor’s residence for a day, Ninth Royal Uncle left early in the morning. The governor presented a thick list of gifts, wearing a humble smile as he respectfully saw Ninth Royal Uncle off.
Nolan Doyle never gave the circuit governor the time of day, yet the man was delighted, as if he'd snagged a windfall. Serena understood this was the chronic disease of officialdom—if your superior accepts your gift, it's a sign of approval.
The three of them, flanked by a grand escort of royal guards, advanced once more. Traveling out in the open had its perks: they never saw a single soldier or bandit, and even merchant caravans would clear the road for them. No one dared stir up trouble—so forget about roadside petitioners; there weren't any.
Serena had once asked Nolan why they had to parade around so obviously—wouldn't it be better to keep things low-key like before? All these stops and ceremonies just slowed them down.
Nolan answered her with a proverb: "A gentleman doesn't stand beneath a crumbling wall; the cherished son of a noble house doesn't sit beneath a dangling beam." Sure, hiding their identities was convenient, but it came with unknown risks—and only made the Emperor more suspicious.
By laying everything bare under the sun, they denied the Emperor any excuse to move against them and kept themselves safe. With Nolan's rank in Eastlyn, no one would dare lay a finger on him—not even the Emperor would send troops.
If Prince Nolan, protected by his own elite guards, were killed within Eastlyn's borders, no official would ever survive the fallout—and the empire itself couldn't stomach that kind of disgrace.
Just as Nolan predicted, once they traveled under their true identities, not only did trouble vanish, but every stop brought feasts and fine hospitality. Compared to the nerve-wracking days of constant vigilance, this was paradise.
Enjoying the easy pace, Serena found she rather liked this arrangement. Lavished with luxury all the way, she finally had time to plot how Nolan should strike once they reached Shandong.
After all, Shandong wasn't just a showdown between Nolan and the Lu clan—it was a power struggle between Nolan and the Emperor himself.
After two days on the road, with a night spent at a mountain manor, Serena and Nolan arrived in Liaosburg by mid-afternoon.
The Liaosburg circuit governor had been waiting outside the city gate since dawn. When Nolan's carriage arrived, he ignored his own exhaustion and hurried forward with a crowd of officials to kneel and welcome him.
Your humble servant welcomes Prince Nolan. May you live a thousand years, ten thousand years!
As Serena stepped out of the carriage, she saw a line of people kneeling on the ground—not just officials, but also guards.
After so many journeys, Serena was already used to these ceremonial welcomes. Though it was all for show, she had to admit—without such displays, she’d suspect the local officials had a problem with Nolan.
"You may rise." Nolan didn’t put on airs, but he still let them kneel for a while before speaking.
"Thank you, Your Highness. May you live a thousand years, ten thousand years!" The Liaosburg governor, standing at the front, snuck a quick glance at Nolan before lowering his head again, looking too nervous to meet his eyes.
"Your Highness, I have prepared a banquet at my residence to welcome you. Please honor us with your presence," the governor said obsequiously.
Nolan had accepted such invitations all along the way, eating and accepting gifts as expected. The Liaosburg governor assumed he would do the same, but Nolan simply waved his hand: "I’m tired. We’ll go straight to the posthouse."
The governor froze, his face turning pale. He couldn’t figure out what he’d done wrong and repeatedly apologized, blaming himself for not considering Nolan’s fatigue. He kept babbling until Nolan impatiently cut him off.
"To the posthouse." Short and to the point, but with an unmistakable air of authority.
"Y-yes, of course! This way, Your Highness." The Liaosburg governor was so terrified his legs were shaking, his head nearly buried in his chest.
Inside the city, the governor had a sedan chair ready, but Nolan refused to sit in it, turning back to his own carriage instead.
The man who could make Liaosburg tremble with a stomp was now like a puppet, utterly at a loss for how to handle the situation.
As she climbed into the carriage, Serena caught sight of the governor’s chalk-white face and anxious demeanor, and couldn’t help feeling a touch of sympathy.
At the posthouse, Nolan dismissed all the officials and ate a simple dinner. As soon as he finished, attendants reported that the governor and local officials had brought gifts. Nolan ordered every gift refused—he wouldn’t accept a single one.
The gift-bearers broke out in cold sweat, trying every flattering word they could think of to get their offerings accepted.
Nolan had Serena stand with him outside the posthouse to watch the spectacle. Squeezing her hand, he said quietly, "Now do you see why I don’t usually refuse their banquets and gifts?"
Refusing gifts was even more troublesome than accepting them, and Nolan hated unnecessary complications. Of course, he had his own reasons too...
Serena sighed and stammered, "If you ever—what I mean is, if one day you stand at the very top, will you let your officials keep doing this?"
Gift-giving was a deeply rooted custom. Serena knew she couldn’t change it alone, but...
Knowing it was wrong and just letting it slide—she couldn’t do that.
"If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass. The habit of gift-giving in officialdom isn’t something you can stamp out overnight. But I’ll do my best. Come on, let’s go visit the governor’s residence."
Nolan knew Serena still struggled to accept it, but he didn’t want to explain further—some things he simply couldn’t change, at least not yet...