All Gone Mad, One by One They Are Dealt With

Serena Feng faced Prince Nolan with complete composure—she wasn’t afraid at all, nor did she care that Nolan could see through her little schemes. She simply despised Lady Min, and had no intention of hiding it. The charge of murdering her own grandson—whether Lady Min wanted it or not, she’d have to bear it.

"You..." Prince Nolan could only sigh helplessly, a faint trace of indulgence in his eyes. Faced with the bold and lively Serena, he simply couldn’t get angry.

"What about me?" Serena knew Nolan didn’t mind at all. She stepped forward, grabbed his sleeve, and pretended to be stubborn.

Nolan was both amused and exasperated. He kissed her lightly on the forehead: "Of course... If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you!" Whatever Serena wanted to do, let her do it. So what if she played a little rough—he could handle it!

Resigned, Nolan said goodbye to his lovely wife and gathered his trusted men to clean up after Serena’s handiwork. Fortunately, even though she’d worked behind the scenes, Serena handled the details impeccably. At least there were no obvious flaws. Now that the witnesses were dead, pinning the crime on the Three Excellencies and the prime minister wouldn’t be hard at all.

"Serena did a beautiful job—clean and decisive. Even if everyone knows it’s a setup, so what? With all those eyes watching, those old geezers can only swallow their losses." General Warren Yu gave a thumbs-up, cheering for Serena.

He just liked Serena’s straightforward style. All those intricate schemes from Prince Nolan and William Wang Jinling gave him a headache.

"Her Majesty the Empress is truly brilliant." For the first time, William Wang Jinling called her Empress—and did so with genuine delight.

When Prince Nolan was unhappy, he was all the happier.

"Hmph..." Prince Nolan snorted coldly, his face dark as charcoal. He issued a sharp order: "I trust Lord Wang already has a plan. I’m leaving this matter to you—make sure there are no mistakes."

"I accept, Your Majesty." William Wang Jinling didn’t hesitate for a moment as he took on the toughest job, knowing that Prince Nolan was even busier.

With the Southlyn King killed at Eastlyn’s city gate, Eastlyn had no choice but to pacify the Southlyn people, lest fear and agitation lead to rebellion under the instigation of troublemakers.

Besides, with the fall of the Three Excellencies and the prime minister, many officials would be implicated. To prevent turmoil at court and a shortage of capable hands, Prince Nolan needed to quickly draft a new roster and arrange replacements.

Felix Fuller had also submitted a memorial from Southlyn, asking Prince Nolan to arrange posts for the surrendered Southlyn officials, and even consider allowing Southlyn commoners to serve as officials.

Now that Southlyn belonged entirely to Eastlyn, should Southlyn’s people enjoy the same rights as Eastlyn’s citizens, or would they remain a step below?

One matter after another, though each had someone in charge, still required Prince Nolan’s decision. These days, he was so busy he barely had time to fight Little Dumpling for Serena’s attention.

Compared to Nolan’s frantic schedule, Serena’s days were almost leisurely. Jada Tang and Mira Tang came to the palace every other day to report on outside affairs, but most things no longer required Serena’s personal involvement. The Phoenixfield Clan elders handled the trivial matters; she only needed to review them. As for major decisions, plans would be drafted and brought to Serena for approval.

On this day, after Jada finished her report, she didn’t leave right away. Instead, she quietly stood before Serena, who immediately understood and signaled for everyone in the hall to withdraw, leaving only Jada behind.

Jada took a deep breath, suppressing her worry, and reported everything to Serena without hiding a thing: "Miss, before I left, Lady Min had already gone mad. I’ve kept people watching her in secret—she’ll never regain her senses. Before she lost her mind, Lady Min, afraid I’d harm that child, revealed the secret of the Former Dynasty Imperial Mausoleum. She said... she said..."

Jada paused, uneasily watching Serena, a flicker of fear in her eyes—she was afraid of being silenced.

“Speak. After all these years at my side, do you really think I’d silence you to protect myself?” Serena gave a cool, almost teasing smile, her gaze radiating absolute trust toward Jada.

Entrusting Jada with this matter was a sign of Serena’s unreserved faith in her.

After all, to lay hands on Prince Nolan’s mother was no trivial affair. No matter how bitterly Prince Nolan and Lady Min opposed each other, blood ties still bound them as mother and son. Serena had wrestled with the decision for ages before finally acting, but—

She was afraid—truly afraid—that Lady Min’s obsession would never die. Maybe this time the poisoning of Little Dumpling wasn’t Lady Min’s handiwork, but what about next time?

She refused to spend her days and nights on edge, nerves wound tight by endless vigilance. So she cut off Lady Min’s path to scheming for good. For Prince Nolan’s sake, she spared Lady Min’s life—but shattered her sanity.

For a woman so consumed by ambition, losing everything in a single stroke—wasn’t madness the only fate left?

Relieved by Serena’s assurance, Jada finally let herself breathe. "Miss, Lady Min said the Former Dynasty Imperial Mausoleum can only be opened by pure Lan clan blood. That child is the last true Lan heir. To claim the Former Dynasty treasure, it’s not enough to have the legendary map—you must wait until he comes of age. Only he can unseal it."

"The Former Dynasty treasure? Understood." Serena’s eyes dropped, masking the disdain within. Did Lady Min really think everyone would trade their soul for a pile of gold?

Serena had never once considered laying a hand on Jason Lan’s son. Call her soft-hearted, call her hypocritical—she simply couldn’t bring herself to harm a child. Besides, after Prince Nolan forced poison down his throat, the boy’s body was ruined, doomed to a life confined to bed. There was no need to add cruelty to misery.

Jada, uncertain of Serena’s intent, ventured carefully, "Miss, I took it upon myself to arrange someone to watch over the child—to ensure he survives. Do you approve...?"

"No objection. Let it be so." With Lady Min mad, Clara Phoenixfield half-crazed, and the wet nurse disfigured and mute, there was no one left to teach the boy. He would grow up untouched by the palace’s power games, his heart untainted by ambition.

This outcome pleased Serena. She dismissed Jada with a wave, then, once the hall was empty, finally let herself unwind—leaning back on the low couch and letting out a long, weary sigh...

Prince Nolan had been run ragged lately. Thanks to William Wang Jinling’s maneuvering, the case against the Three Excellencies and the prime minister was inching forward, but bringing them down was no matter of days. The case sprawled through the court—every detail needed time to ‘investigate’ before evidence could be conjured. Months would pass before the matter was settled.

At such a critical moment, when his shadow guards reported Lady Min had gone mad, Prince Nolan barely spared it a thought. He simply replied, “I see,” and tossed the matter aside without another word.

Even later, when a flicker of suspicion crossed Prince Nolan’s mind, there was nothing left to investigate—and truthfully, Lady Min’s fate no longer mattered to him.

Lady Min’s madness or sanity made no difference to him. He’d spared her not out of mercy, but for his own sake.

He’d always known that the blood-soaked slaughter years ago had cast a long, dark shadow over his heart. The eruption atop Destiny Cliff made it undeniable—a demon lived within him. If he ever let himself kill unchecked, one day he’d lose all reason, and the blade would fall on anyone in his path, kin or stranger alike...