Secret Edict and the Emperor’s Final Arrangements

News that Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan and William Wang Jinling met at The Windchaser Inn spread quickly—anyone with even a sliver of influence in the Capital heard about it, and the Emperor himself learned of it immediately. He even knew most of what they discussed.

“Imperial Preceptor—what a fine Imperial Preceptor. So they’re planning for me to be dead, are they?” The Emperor, furious, swept the ink and brushes off his desk, smashing them to the floor. Staring at the intelligence report handed to him, he wished he could tear Nolan and William to pieces.

He wasn’t dead yet, and already those two were so brazen. If he died, would there even be a place for him in the Imperial Mausoleum?

Just thinking of the mausoleum made the Emperor’s anger surge uncontrollably. He’d spent decades building his own Imperial Mausoleum, only for it to be destroyed by some inexplicable natural disaster. To this day, the royal tomb still wasn’t rebuilt. If he died too soon, he wouldn’t even have a proper place to be buried.

He couldn’t die. He absolutely could not die now.

After venting, the Emperor gradually calmed down, crushing the paper in his hand into a ball and muttering bitterly, “Nolan Dongling, I will not die. Even if I do, I’ll drag you down with me.”

Smack—the Emperor hurled the crumpled paper hard at the wall. “Attend me!”

“Your Majesty.” The Chief Eunuch stepped forward, his trembling shoulders betraying his anxiety.

When the Emperor was angry, even his closest confidant couldn’t help but be afraid.

“Prepare the ink,” the Emperor commanded coldly, eyeing the chaos on his desk.

The Chief Eunuch hurriedly ordered the palace servants to bring fresh ink and paper, standing by with utmost caution. When the ink was ground and the paper laid out, he stepped back three paces, eyes lowered to his shoes, terrified of seeing anything he shouldn't.

The Emperor picked up his brush and wrote several secret letters. The Chief Eunuch couldn’t see most of the words, but he did catch sight of the characters for 'Nine' and 'kill.' His heart nearly stopped. He quickly steadied his breath, afraid the Emperor would notice his fear.

In one breath, the Emperor wrote three secret letters and sealed them himself. Then he commanded, "Summon the Three Dukes, the Grand Chancellor, and General Wen to the palace. I have an edict to prepare."

The Chief Eunuch’s pupils contracted sharply. He shot a quick glance at the Emperor, realizing his suspicions were correct, and rushed out to deliver the summons himself.

Half an hour later, five men who held great power and were closest to the Emperor arrived at the Imperial Study. The Emperor dismissed everyone else and personally wrote out the succession edict, repeating his instructions to the five confidants several times.

If he survived, the edict would be void. If he died, they were to execute its orders at once: escort the Former Crown Prince—now Prince of Jiangnan—back to the Capital to inherit the throne, and grant death decrees to Prince Nolan and the Eighth Prince.

As for the Wang Clan and William Wang Jinling, it wasn’t that the Emperor didn’t want to act against them, but he had no evidence. Just the conversation between Prince Nolan and William at The Windchaser Inn wasn’t enough to convict William.

If he lived, he would deal with the Wang Clan slowly. If he died, he would leave instructions for the new emperor to keep a close watch on the Wang Clan—and, if possible, eradicate them.

The Emperor was preparing for the worst. These five men were his most trusted confidants—even when the Hsieh Clan and Prince Nolan held power, they remained untouchable.

The five understood the gravity of the edict. They swore solemn oaths to the heavens: if anything happened to the Emperor, they would not let Prince Nolan live a single extra day.

Immediately, the Emperor acted with ruthless efficiency, replacing the entire Imperial Guard and installing his own men in every key position, making sure Prince Nolan couldn’t stage a coup or confine him while he was unconscious.

Beyond the Imperial Guard, the Emperor also redeployed his troops, calling his most trusted commanders into the Capital so they could rush to defend the throne if needed.

With all preparations complete, the Emperor finally spoke: he would allow Dr. Marcus Guile to treat him.

No one was surprised—after all, the Emperor had no other choice. Across the Nine Provinces Realm, only Dr. Marcus Guile dared claim he could draw out the Gu poison from the Emperor’s body.

The Hsieh Clan had already tried to manipulate the Gu worms; if Serena Feng hadn’t intervened, they could have suppressed the poison for a while longer. But once Serena took action, the Hsieh Clan was out of options. If the Emperor refused Dr. Marcus Guile’s treatment, he could only wait for the Gu to erupt and kill him.

Either way, death awaited. The Emperor could only gamble on survival.

When Dr. Marcus Guile received word, he told the Emperor to wait two more days. He’d exhausted himself drawing out the Gu for the Eighth Prince and needed time to recover.

The Emperor knew full well how drained Dr. Marcus Guile looked leaving the palace that day. For his own safety, he wouldn’t dare rush the doctor. Still, those two days felt like torture. He’d made all his arrangements, but who truly wants to die? Even if Prince Nolan were to die with him, the Emperor wasn’t willing to go to his grave.

Though the Emperor tried to keep everything secret, his moves were so sweeping that Prince Nolan quickly deduced his intent just from the people he summoned and the deployments he made.

Want me as your burial companion?

Prince Nolan sneered. The Emperor thought far too highly of himself, as if everyone wanted him dead.

Even the Hsieh Clan knew the Emperor’s temperament: he could be pressured, but never cornered. Push him too far, and he’d lash out with everything he had. Prince Nolan had no intention of driving the Emperor to that point.

The Emperor was judging a gentleman by a villain’s standards. Prince Nolan didn’t want him to die so soon—in fact, he wanted the Emperor alive and well, to watch as Eastlyn’s rivers and mountains slowly fell into Nolan’s hands.

Prince Nolan made no move at all, simply watching coldly as the Emperor scrambled like a madman to lay out defenses and contingency plans. Nolan had no interest in fighting for anything with him.

But in truth, Prince Nolan had already played his hand. Now, all he had to do was wait for the results…

With the Emperor’s affairs set aside, Prince Nolan could finally take a break for a couple of days. But his idea of rest was nothing like anyone else’s. Where others would recuperate at home, Prince Nolan chose to stir up trouble for Jason Lan.

Prince Nolan knew Serena Feng had been searching for Feng Li Zhi and Sixth Elder Leonard Phoenixfield. He’d been too busy to help before, but now that he had time, there was no way he’d let Serena handle it alone.

The highest level of searching isn’t to scour the world yourself—it’s to force your target to come out on their own. Prince Nolan spread word throughout Northern Lyn that Clara Phoenixfield had become Jason Lan’s sex slave.

Feng Li Zhi and Sixth Elder Leonard Phoenixfield had some skill, but their identities meant they couldn’t act rashly. Prince Nolan was certain Feng Li Zhi was still within Northern Lyn’s borders.

But Clara Phoenixfield’s humiliation was intolerable. No Phoenixfield father would watch his daughter degraded and do nothing. Prince Nolan calculated that Ezra Phoenixfield and Leonard Phoenixfield would be unable to endure it and would have to surface.

As expected, just three days after the rumors spread, Prince Nolan’s men caught sight of Feng Li Zhi and Leonard Phoenixfield sneaking into the Capital.