Plunging the World into Chaos, Hit While Lying Down

The shock was real, but as for fear and terror—that was all an act. As for the tears in her eyes, well, for realism’s sake, she’d taken that fall a bit too hard. It really hurt.

Seeing the object on the Emperor’s desk, Serena Feng’s face was streaked with tears—she was truly miserable!

Where did this transmigrator come from? Instead of a simple bomb, they managed to make a thunder-blast grenade—almost like a hand grenade.

The explosion happened so fast today that all she saw was a black blur. She thought it was just a basic bomb, but it turned out to be a thunder-blast grenade—this thing is far deadlier.

A thunder-blast grenade has a thick body and a small mouth, packed with gunpowder inside and encased in cast iron. There’s a fuse at the top, and the length is cut depending on how far the target is. When it explodes, the iron shell shatters into fragments that can pierce armor. Its killing power is much greater than a regular bomb.

Serena Feng cursed that suspected transmigrator half to death in her heart.

Damn it! Someone just had to invent a thunder-blast grenade, and now she’s caught in the crossfire—dragged into the palace by the Emperor for interrogation and testing. Thank goodness she reacted quickly, or she’d never have gotten out of this mess today.

Thunder-blast grenade—has the world really fallen into chaos?

A faint unease crept into Serena Feng’s heart. Her Smart Med-Pack held plenty of useful things, but except for saving lives, she never dared use them—afraid she’d break the world’s rules and become a historic sinner. Yet now, some fool had come along, not trying to adapt, but dreaming of changing the world. So naïve.

Anyone who can make a thunder-blast grenade cannot be used by an emperor—they’ll be killed by one. Who knows where this idiot transmigrator came from? Did they really think being a transmigrator made them special? Did they think a single thunder-blast grenade was enough to conquer the world? Ridiculous.

Serena Feng kept her head down, pretending to be terrified, not daring to meet the Emperor’s or anyone else’s gaze. Everyone present was sharp—if she slipped up even a little, she was done for.

But... after crying and wailing for ages, the Emperor still didn’t react. Serena Feng was so frustrated she could die. If she kept acting scared, she might mess up, and with no answer from the Emperor after so long, she didn’t dare look up at him. Thinking quickly, she rolled her eyes back and collapsed backward.

Thud—Serena Feng fell to her left, using her elbow to break the fall and avoid hurting herself. Inwardly, she thought: If you won’t ask, then I simply won’t answer.

"Your Majesty, Miss Feng has fainted." The eunuch stepped forward to check. As a doctor, Serena Feng couldn’t fake sleep convincingly, but feigning unconsciousness was a skill she’d mastered—at least well enough to fool the eunuch.

If Serena Feng could see Ninth Royal Uncle right now, she’d notice that his icy brows had softened just a touch, like spring snow melting. Deep in his eyes, a dazzling light flickered—a hint of a smile that no one else could detect.

"Summon the imperial physicians." Serena Feng had been happy for too long—the Emperor was not about to let her off the hook.

Serena Feng wasn’t worried. Her current condition was exactly what you’d expect: overworked, physically weak, emotionally wounded, and badly shaken.

Sure enough, several imperial physicians came forward in succession, and their diagnosis matched Serena Feng’s expectations.

It wasn’t that Serena Feng was some kind of genius—it’s just that traditional medicine’s "look, listen, ask, and feel" methods are easy to trick. She could adjust her breathing, change her pulse rate, make her complexion look bad and her expression haggard. Even a healthy person could fake a few symptoms this way.

Once the imperial physicians gave their verdict, Serena Feng relaxed. She thought the Emperor would finally let her go home, but instead he said coldly, "Find a way to wake Serena Feng up. I still have questions for her."

So cold-blooded!

Serena Feng cursed him in her heart, but didn’t dare make a move.

The imperial physicians came forward again—feeding her pills, giving her acupuncture, pouring water down her throat—tormenting Serena Feng until she was exhausted. Finally, one physician said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. Miss Feng will wake up soon."

With the imperial edict, everyone now called her Miss Feng. After all, Serena Feng was now the young lady of the Peacehaven Marquisate—not the bullied orphan she once was.

If you’re going to act, act all the way. Serena Feng played along, soon waking up with a faint flutter of her long lashes, looking utterly drained and weak.

Unfortunately, Serena Feng’s looks were striking and bold—not the delicate, pitiful kind that makes people want to protect her. But at least she wasn’t trying to play the fragile damsel.

Her body unsteady and struggling, Serena Feng managed to get up from the ground, then knelt again, biting her lip hard—doing her best to look strong, not letting anyone see just how weak she really was.

"Your Majesty, this commoner has been discourteous." She bowed shakily, clearly still shaken and physically spent.

Nolan Eastlyn and William Wang Jinling wore serious expressions, but their brows lifted ever so slightly. The others all looked genuinely concerned.

Sometimes, a woman who only acts weak doesn’t win sympathy. But Serena Feng, who was clearly frail yet stubbornly pretended to be strong, could easily soften people’s hearts.

But men who play at politics have hard hearts. The Emperor saw her like this but had no intention of letting Serena Feng go home, nor did he tell her to rise—he just left her kneeling.

"Qingchen, according to the Crown Prince’s report, it was thanks to you that the Wang clan’s Grand Heir was unharmed today. The chaos at the city gate was quelled because of you. The Crown Prince said you immediately reacted at the first moment of the explosion to save the Grand Heir and told him to get down instead of standing up.

After the explosion ended, you were also the first to help the Crown Prince calm the people and treat the wounded in an orderly fashion. When Imperial Physician Sun returned, he told me your bandaging skills were superb and your wound care was flawless—he praised you to my face. Hearing all this made me happy. The Marquis Feng was a tiger of a father, and his daughter is no lesser breed. Qingchen, you truly take after your father."

The Emperor showered her with compliments, sounding so warm and kind—there wasn’t a trace of accusation or blame.

The Crown Prince stood off to the side, staring at his toes. He hadn’t reported it like this, but once it passed through the Emperor’s mouth, it turned into this version. He really didn’t know what to do, but he couldn’t contradict his father—he just had to accept it.

Luckily, William Wang Jinling had been there when he made his report—otherwise, he really would’ve lost out.

Serena Feng felt secretly frustrated. If the Emperor asked her questions directly, she could handle it. But this roundabout approach—she really didn’t know how to answer.

"Your Majesty flatters me—I’m terrified," Serena replied. "It was His Highness the Crown Prince who remained calm in crisis, directing the soldiers to comfort the people. I only did as His Highness instructed; I don’t deserve the Emperor’s praise." Such credit would only add fuel to the fire for her, a woman with no official post. What use did she have for glory like this?

"As for saving the Grand Heir, that was pure coincidence. I was about to toss a pouch to him when the blast hit, and I fell out the window from shock. Luckily, the Grand Heir caught me—otherwise, I’d be dead or crippled." As she spoke, Serena Feng made sure to pull the pouch from her sleeve to prove she wasn’t lying, her face showing shyness, unease, and a touch of lingering fear.

If she had a mirror, Serena Feng would have complimented herself: Great acting—even she could fool herself.

Serena Feng’s words were flawless, and with the pouch as proof, the Emperor couldn’t tell if she was lying. Things had been so chaotic at the time—no one expected such an incident, and everyone’s attention was on William Wang Jinling. Who had time to notice Serena Feng?

Nolan Eastlyn remained cold and noble, but the trace of a smile in his eyes vanished the moment Serena Feng produced the pouch.

William Wang Jinling, however, brightened instantly upon seeing the pouch—his mood lifted for the first time all day.

Prince Adrian Dongling parted his lips, about to step forward, when an elderly man across from him stopped him—the Empress’s father, Adrian’s maternal grandfather.

After kneeling so long, Serena Feng didn’t even need to act—she genuinely looked unsteady. The Emperor scrutinized her repeatedly, but couldn’t spot anything suspicious or any sign of lying, so he asked bluntly: "Serena Feng, do you know what this is?"

He pointed to the thunder-blast grenade on the desk, his tone as harsh as if interrogating a criminal.

Serena Feng had considered feigning total ignorance, but that would be too fake—and less interesting. She nodded, "In reply to Your Majesty, I do know."

"You know? You know what this is?" The Emperor was delighted, his eyes lighting up. Serena Feng, however, looked puzzled: "Your Majesty, isn’t this just the thing that exploded at the city gate today?

I only caught a glimpse, so I probably didn’t mistake it. Seeing it here just now scared me half to death, but then I realized it wouldn’t explode here, so I calmed down. I apologize for losing composure before the throne."

She timidly added, "Your Majesty, things happened so fast—I was terrified and didn’t get a good look. Maybe you should ask the Crown Prince; His Highness probably saw it more clearly."

Talk about going from hope to despair—Serena Feng’s answer instantly extinguished all the Emperor’s enthusiasm, his face growing colder. "Serena Feng, didn’t you say you knew? Is this all you know?"

Smack—the Emperor slammed the inkstone on his desk.

Serena Feng’s face was deathly pale, trembling as she kowtowed and pleaded, "Your Majesty, spare me! I know I was wrong!"

When the Emperor was angry, the whole court was terrified. Officials on both sides knelt, just as shaken as Serena Feng: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. We are afraid!"

"Serena Feng, since you admit your mistake, tell me everything you know." From his tone, it was clear the Emperor believed she knew more than she let on.

If Serena Feng hadn’t been trained in counter-interrogation, she’d have panicked and answered every question. But as it happened...

The Emperor’s luck was just bad!

"Your Majesty, all I know is that this is the thing that hurt people today—I don’t know anything else." Tears streamed down her face, mixing with blood from her forehead, which she’d split from kowtowing too hard. She looked utterly miserable.

She sobbed—she’d really gone all in today, not even caring about her looks. If she couldn’t move the Emperor, she’d just have to accept it...

In any case, there was no way she’d become a tool for making thunder-blast grenades. Serena Feng wasn’t exactly virtuous, but she’d never harm innocents or bring chaos to the world.