Imperial Examinations and Ninth Royal Uncle’s Low-Key Departure from the Capital

April 15th was the day of the Eastlyn Empire’s Imperial Examinations, and also the day Prince Nolan chose to depart for Shandong.

Whether by design or coincidence, Prince Nolan picked a day just like the Crown Prince—one when no one would come to see him off.

When the Crown Prince left the Capital, it was Prince Chase’s wedding day—everyone with any status was busy currying favor with him. As for Prince Nolan, he chose to leave on the very day of Eastlyn’s first-ever Imperial Examinations. Not only the commoners, but even the Emperor and all the officials had their eyes glued to the Imperial Examination Compound, terrified that something might go wrong.

Prince Nolan left the Capital almost without a sound—there hadn’t even been any word beforehand that he was planning to go to Shandong.

The day after Prince Chase’s wedding, when the Emperor hinted that Prince Nolan had sabotaged relations between Eastlyn and Westlyn, he requested permission to travel to Shandong to purchase stone for rebuilding the imperial mausoleum.

The Emperor rejected him on the spot, saying such errands should be left to subordinates. But Prince Nolan argued back, insisting that for something as important as building the imperial mausoleum for the late emperor, he had to personally oversee the materials—otherwise, someone might use inferior goods again, and the disaster of the mausoleum being blown up could repeat itself.

The Emperor’s face turned green with anger and he rejected the request again, mocking Prince Nolan for being ridiculous—after all, stone for the mausoleum had never been bought from Shandong before, and there was nothing special about Shandong stone.

Prince Nolan just smiled and said, “The Lu Clan in Shandong owns a granite mine—their stone is excellent.”

The Emperor fell silent, then after a long pause, agreed to let Prince Nolan go to Shandong. Prince Nolan immediately proposed to depart two days later. The Emperor gave him a deep look and nodded.

So, while the scholars were filing into the Imperial Examination Compound to prepare for their exams, Prince Nolan and Serena Feng set out for Shandong with only a few guards, traveling light. Other than Prince Nathan of Southlyn, no one came to see them off—which was exactly what Nolan wanted. After all, unlike the Crown Prince, he wasn’t leaving for good.

Few people left the city today, and no one dared to stop Prince Nolan’s carriage. His party quickly exited the gates, and as soon as they did, the covert watchers trailing them sent word back to the palace.

“Lord Fuller, do you really think Prince Nolan is going to Shandong just to vent Serena Feng’s anger and avenge Feng Zhan?” The Emperor couldn’t reconcile Prince Nolan’s quiet departure with his usual image of careful planning.

His ninth brother never did anything without preparation, yet this trip to Shandong was so rushed, with no groundwork at all. Was he really planning to personally take on the Lu Clan, using his royal status to fight a single family? That would be beneath him.

“Your Majesty, no matter what Prince Nolan intends to do in Shandong, all we can do is let him deal with the Lu Clan. Nothing more—absolutely nothing else.”

Felix Fuller’s words struck a chord with the Emperor, who immediately asked, “Lord Fuller, do you have a strategy?”

“I’m afraid I’m not clever enough to offer a strategy, Your Majesty. But in my humble opinion, having no strategy is the best strategy.” Felix Fuller’s knack for making simple things sound profound left everyone baffled, giving him an air of mystery.

Fortunately, the Emperor was patient. Instead of getting angry, he asked with interest, “How can having no strategy be the best strategy?”

Felix Fuller didn’t dare show off any further and explained directly: “Your Majesty, the Lu Clan has been entrenched in Shandong for over a century. Their people have infiltrated every industry, and every official in Shandong has to give them face. In Shandong, they have status, connections, and money.”

Prince Nolan, by contrast, has nothing in Shandong. If he recklessly moves against the Lu Clan, they’ll strike back. All the Emperor has to do is instruct the local officials to act as if they know nothing and let the two sides fight it out. No matter who wins, the Emperor comes out ahead.

Felix Fuller left the rest unsaid, but the Emperor understood: if Prince Nolan won, the Emperor could use the incident to hold him accountable and conveniently seize the Lu Clan’s assets.

If Prince Nolan lost, the Emperor could use it as a pretext to suppress him and punish the Lu Clan as well—meaning the Lu Clan would be finished either way.

“Excellent! No strategy is the best strategy—well done, my good minister! You truly are a pillar of the state, a talent for troubled times.” The Emperor was delighted, growing ever more convinced that Prince Nolan’s trip to Shandong could only benefit him.

The officials in Shandong were all his trusted men—he didn’t believe Prince Nolan could do anything under his nose.

“Your Majesty flatters me. I don’t deserve such praise—it’s all thanks to your wisdom. If you hadn’t left the Lu Clan as a chess piece in Shandong, none of this would be possible.” Felix Fuller naturally flattered the Emperor, spinning his past mistakes as foresight. The Emperor, pleased, let Felix Fuller report on the Blood‑Soaked Night case.

Felix Fuller’s report was masterful: some progress, some breakthroughs, and under the Emperor’s enlightened leadership, they would soon catch the culprits. He even staked his own head on there being no repeat of the Blood‑Soaked Night during the exams.

The Emperor was very pleased, convinced that Felix Fuller was a capable and loyal official. As emperor, he prided himself on recognizing and using such young talent.

Felix Fuller kept insisting it was all thanks to the Emperor’s brilliance that they’d achieved these results.

The Emperor and Felix Fuller chatted happily, and the Emperor, in a great mood, decided to bring Felix Fuller along to inspect the exam site. To see the real situation, Felix Fuller suggested the Emperor go in person, and the Emperor agreed.

That day, as the Emperor toured the grounds, he saw that most of the candidates were poor scholars. He was greatly relieved—his biggest fear was that the sons of noble families would take too many spots, leaving no chance for the poor.

He also saw the chief examiners and proctors fulfilling their duties with diligence and care, which reassured him even more. He believed this round of Imperial Examinations would yield a crop of talent for Eastlyn—men who would be loyal to him alone.

Satisfied, the Emperor returned to the palace, already pondering what posts to assign these new ‘sons of the Son of Heaven,’ and how to train them up quickly to become loyal tools like Felix Fuller.

As for Prince Nolan’s trip to Shandong, the Emperor only told the secret service to keep watch. If needed, he’d have the Shandong officials quietly stoke the conflict between the Lu Clan and Prince Nolan, but otherwise, he wouldn’t interfere.

Just as Felix Fuller said: let Prince Nolan go clean up the Lu Clan, and after both sides are wounded, the Emperor can step in and finish the job.

That very night, William Wang Jinling heard the Emperor was pleased with the exams, but only smiled, his gentle eyes glinting with amusement.

If the Emperor knew that most of those rough-clothed scholars were actually sons of noble families, would he cough up blood in rage...?

Serena Feng once said: if you want to make someone truly miserable, first give them hope, then take it away.

Emperor, when your hopes are dashed, will you suffer too?