The Southlyn King, seeing that even after issuing an edict to appease them, Ninth Royal Uncle showed him no respect, grew angry and simply abandoned Nolan's party in a remote mountain village, ignoring them completely.
"Your Highness, Southlyn's actions are clearly meant to wear us down. Are we just going to keep waiting here forever?" The advisor had held his patience at first, but after seven or eight days with no word from Southlyn, he realized the king was deliberately trying to embarrass them.
"What's the rush?" Ninth Royal Uncle replied calmly, not bothered by Southlyn's tactics at all.
Now that they're in Southlyn, going back won't be easy. Besides, the war between Eastlyn and Westlyn is already underway—there's nothing he could do even if he returned to Eastlyn.
"Your Highness, we can't afford this stalemate. If this drags on, who knows what could happen?" The advisor wore a bitter expression, secretly wondering: Weren't you and Miss Feng at odds before? Why aren't you in a hurry to go back and explain things to her?
Ninth Royal Uncle ignored the advisor's words and instead asked, "Where are the Black Riders now?"
"Just three days until they reach the Eastlyn–Southlyn border." The advisor perked up at the mention of the Black Riders.
How could he have forgotten? With the Black Riders on their side, their lives were never truly at risk.
"Take my personal name card and go see Prince Nathan of Southlyn. Tell him to find a way to bring the Black Riders into Southlyn." Ninth Royal Uncle closed his eyes briefly, looking somewhat weary—clearly, these seven or eight days in the village had been anything but restful for him.
Since he was already in Southlyn and had a reason to stay, he naturally wanted to get a clear picture of the situation here. Southlyn was not like Westlyn; in Westlyn, he had not only the Commander of the Embroidered Guard but also allies like Tianyu and Mr. Yinli.
In Southlyn, he only had a few ordinary spies left; most of his old contacts had been handed over to Prince Nathan of Southlyn, and over the years, Nathan had absorbed them all. Even if he hadn't, they wouldn't be of use now.
Of course, the people Ninth Royal Uncle gave to Prince Nathan back then were just some local officials he’d bought off in Southlyn—his true confidants were never handed over.
The advisor knew Ninth Royal Uncle had his own plans and stopped asking questions. He took the name card and left to handle things, silently praying that Nolan would resolve the Southlyn situation soon so they could return to Eastlyn.
Staying in a foreign land—even with fierce guards by his side—he was always on edge. Life here was truly difficult.
The advisor wanted to return to the imperial capital as soon as possible, but Ninth Royal Uncle was no different. He still hadn’t figured out what Serena Feng had crossed out in her letter, and the spies he’d sent to investigate hadn’t come back.
Thinking of this, Ninth Royal Uncle grew restless. He turned and went back to his study, spread out a large sheet of paper, and with a few casual strokes, quickly sketched the figure of a woman. With a few more lines, Serena Feng’s posture and aura emerged.
There was no detailed rendering, just a few rough strokes, yet Serena Feng’s likeness came alive on the paper—a sign of how deeply she was etched in Ninth Royal Uncle’s heart.
After finishing, Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t put down his brush. Instead, he wrote a poem beside the sketch. After some thought, he took out his private seal and stamped it on the paper.
Ninth Royal Uncle stared at the drawing for a long time before reluctantly putting it away.
At that very moment, Serena Feng sat by her window, lost in the moonlight, her gaze distant and melancholy—no one knew what she was thinking.
The hidden guards watched silently, saying nothing, but inwardly they were growing anxious.
When will Ninth Royal Uncle's letter arrive?
At the Wang Clan, Caleb Walker once again tried to persuade William Wang: "Big Brother, are you still investigating that child's identity?"
"I've got some leads." William Wang put down his pen and looked up. "What, Caleb, are you worried about this too?"
Caleb Walker sighed in frustration. "Who cares about that child's identity? I'm worried about you! Serena Feng is unhappy with Ninth Royal Uncle right now—you shouldn't be holed up at home investigating some child's background. You should be at Feng Manor, by Serena's side, so you can win her heart while you have the chance."
"If I really did that, could I still call myself your big brother?" William Wang chuckled and stood up from his desk, walking to the window to gaze into the distance. "Caleb, I promised Serena Feng that we'd only ever be friends. Friends are enough."
"But... Big Brother, you might fool others, but can you really fool yourself?" Caleb's nose stung with emotion.
How many times had he seen his big brother looking lonely and desolate? How many times had he seen him heartbroken and lost? If he could truly let go, he wouldn't keep rejecting marriage proposals despite all the pressure.
"Caleb, the Wang Clan isn't right for her." William Wang was trying to convince Caleb, but also himself.
The Wang Clan wasn't right for her, and neither was William Wang.
"Big Brother, what are you worried about? Are you afraid the Wang Clan won't accept her? Do you still care about being clan head? If you don't want that position, who would dare interfere?" Caleb was still unwilling to give up. Serena Feng was the first woman his brother had ever truly wanted—how could he let go so easily?
If he missed his chance with Serena Feng, his big brother would never love anyone else again.
"But I'm still a son of the Wang Clan." William Wang closed his eyes, hiding the deep emotion within, and changed the subject: "What's going on in Southlyn? Why hasn't Ninth Royal Uncle returned yet?"
Caleb could only sigh—his brother clearly didn't want to talk about it anymore. He kept his thoughts to himself and dutifully reported the situation in Southlyn to William Wang.
"No matter where he is, he's always so bold—threatening the Southlyn prince right at the city gates. That's classic Nolan. Since he's not in a hurry, we shouldn't interfere. Just have our people keep an eye out, and if necessary, speak up for him so Palace Master Felix doesn't make things difficult. Nolan's destined for the throne—I don't want him burdened with a bad reputation." William Wang didn't want Nolan to be slandered.
"I'll make sure they're careful. As for those scholars who came because of his reputation, I've sent people to guide them to Eastlyn—they won't cause Nolan any trouble. Protecting Palace Master Felix is hard enough; if we had to deal with a bunch of scholars who only know how to talk, Nolan would probably lose his temper."
Dealing with famous scholars was exhausting work. Even if Nolan was good at it, he wouldn't enjoy it—most scholars with a bit of fame were proud and aloof, looking down on everyone else. Nolan could treat it as a sideshow once or twice, but after that, he'd just give them the cold shoulder.
William Wang nodded. "You've done well on this. Leave the rest to others—start getting ready. In a few days, the Valley Master and his group will head to Jiangnan. You should go with them."
Leaving the capital for Jiangnan—maybe he wouldn't achieve great things, but at least he'd be far away from all this scheming and intrigue.
"I understand, Big Brother. You take care of yourself too." Caleb looked reluctant to leave. Once he was gone... and with his sister married, the Wang Clan would be cold and empty, with nothing left.
Caleb Walker had a big brother who could do anything and had paved his way to Jiangnan. Victor Yun wasn't so lucky—if he wanted something, he had to fight for it himself. But things weren't going well for him.
It wasn't that the Yun family couldn't bear to let Victor go, but after he handed over the family's business, it had only been a month and their profits had plummeted. The officials who once treated them with respect now kept their distance.
The Yun family was back to where they'd started. Once again, their eyes were on Serena Feng—they wanted Victor Yun to act as their go-between...