Serena Feng had no idea what the eunuch said to Wendy Wen, nor did she care to know.
Wendy Wen was stunned at first, then her face shifted through disbelief before she nodded vigorously, her expression changing so fast that if Serena Feng had seen it, she would have said this palace maid could flip faces faster than flipping pages in a book.
Once the eunuch finished speaking, he withdrew without bothering to greet Serena Feng, and Serena didn’t care about such minor details—so long as the outcome was in her favor, that was enough.
Wendy Wen immediately dropped her previous arrogance and stepped forward respectfully: "Miss Feng, these two palace maids were ignorant and offended you. I will have them beaten to death right now."
With that, she ordered the rough eunuchs to seize the two palace maids and press them onto the long bench.
"Auntie, spare us! Auntie, please spare us!" Only now did the two maids realize they were really about to be beaten to death, and they began wailing and clawing at the air in desperation.
Wendy Wen acted as if she hadn’t heard them, but she shot a meaningful look at the execution eunuchs.
"Miss Feng, please spare us! Miss Feng, have mercy and forgive us, we’ll never dare again. Miss Feng, please, you’re a doctor with a healer’s heart—please show mercy!"
The two maids broke free from the rough eunuchs and crawled to Serena Feng’s feet, kowtowing desperately, their faces smeared with tears and blood—just as disheveled as Serena herself had been before.
To say she wasn’t moved would be a lie; though her hands were stained with blood, she had never killed the innocent. But even now, the people of Radiant Hall were still scheming against her, and she absolutely could not relent.
Would the rough eunuchs in charge of executions in the palace really be unable to restrain two maids? Unable to silence their cries?
Do they really think Serena Feng is an idiot, someone to be manipulated at Noble Consort Helena Hsieh’s whim?
Serena Feng remained perfectly calm, completely ignoring the cries for help and focusing intently on the floral patterns painted on the screen.
Killing someone over a few words was indeed a bit excessive, but Serena Feng understood: the real issue wasn’t these two maids or their insults—it was Noble Consort Helena Hsieh’s attitude.
Maybe the two maids were innocent, but they were still pawns of Radiant Hall, pieces Noble Consort Helena Hsieh had chosen to sacrifice. Their lives and deaths had nothing to do with Serena Feng.
After brushing with death so many times in the palace, Serena Feng understood one thing: you may not want to kill your enemy, but your enemy won’t necessarily spare you. If you show softness, your enemy never will.
Mercy toward an enemy is the most foolish thing you can do.
If she spared these two maids today, she might earn a reputation for kindness, but it would also mark her as weak and incompetent. No matter what, these two maids had to die today; if they didn’t, next time the one killed might be her.
Seeing that Serena Feng showed not the slightest sign of softening, Wendy Wen grew more and more uneasy. At such a young age, to be so ruthless and cold-blooded—so decisive in life and death—that even most men couldn’t compare.
She remembered when Noble Consort Helena Hsieh first entered the palace—she couldn’t even bear to punish a maid, let alone kill one. Whenever a maid pleaded, Helena would soften and let her go. It was only after being framed by maids and nearly cast into the Cold Palace that Helena realized: in the imperial harem, there are no innocents—only people to be killed, people to be used, and useless people.
Wendy Wen knew that Radiant Hall had lost this round of testing: "What are you all standing around for? Drag these two criminal maids away and beat them hard."
"Yes, Auntie." The rough eunuchs quickly stepped forward, dragged the maids away in a few swift motions, and pressed them onto the bench.
"Spare us, spare us! Miss Feng, please forgive us, we’ll never dare again!" The two maids sobbed and screamed, struggling desperately but unable to break free.
Serena Feng’s face was expressionless, but her eyes grew colder by the second.
Smack, smack, smack...
As the paddles landed, the two maids howled in pain, their cries utterly miserable. Serena Feng felt her heart ache and her scalp prickle; countless times she wanted to tell them to stop, but each time she forced herself to hold back.
In a place as hellish as the palace, kindness is the last thing you need. Even if she spared these two maids, they wouldn’t spare her. Here, self-preservation comes first; if she didn’t have her current status and power, she’d be the one beaten to death.
Serena Feng quietly relaxed her grip, making sure Wendy Wen couldn’t see her true feelings. Her face remained serenely indifferent, as if she hadn’t heard the rising, then gradually weakening screams.
Heart as hard as iron!
That was Wendy Wen’s judgment of Serena Feng. Even Wendy, who was used to palace punishments, felt her heart soften at the gradually fading cries of the two maids. But Serena Feng showed not the slightest reaction.
She must report to Noble Consort Helena: with someone like Serena Feng, if you cannot kill her in a single strike, you must never make her your enemy. Such a foe is terrifying.
The canes cracked down relentlessly. The two palace maids no longer had the strength to scream. Serena Feng knew they were close to death.
Two living souls, gone in the blink of an eye right before her eyes—anyone who claimed not to feel guilty would be lying. But this is the law of survival in this world.
Just because you've transmigrated here doesn't mean you're special. You can't stand here shouting about human rights, equality, or denouncing torture.
The caning continued, but Serena's thoughts drifted to the Throne Hall. She wondered: if the person Duke Zhen brings truly knows how to make thunder-blast grenades, what will His Majesty do? What about Eastlyn, Lyndaria, Southern Lyn, and Northlyn?
Envoys from all three kingdoms are in Eastlyn now. Today's city gate bombing clearly wasn't their doing—if they had such weapons, they'd use them on the battlefield, not in a public terror attack.
News that Duke Zhen is bringing someone into the palace will reach the foreign delegations for sure. Serena wondered how they would handle it.
A talent who can make thunder-blast grenades—if you can't use him for yourself, you can't let him help your enemies either. If she were Prince Terrence Valen, Su Wan, or Prince Quentin Northlyn, she'd kill him to keep Eastlyn from gaining power.
With that thought, Serena felt a strange sense of relief. The other transmigrator probably wouldn't live long—too many people want him dead.
Someone who can make thunder-blast grenades is a coveted prize, but also a curse. Four kingdoms, nine cities—everyone dreams of unification. Everyone wants that talent, but there's only one. If the spoils can't be divided, the only fair outcome is death.
'Miss Feng.' The two maids were already dead. Wendy Wen stepped forward and reported to Serena, 'The two criminal servants who offended you have been beaten to death. Would you like to inspect them?'
Serena quickly collected herself, her expression cool and unreadable. 'Aunt Wen, what do you mean? I don't understand. Whether these two maids are beaten to death has nothing to do with me. Didn't they break palace rules, and you punished them accordingly? How is this related to me?'
That's right—she'd never once said they should die. The order to beat them to death came from Wendy Wen. In the palace, killing two maids isn't a crime, but Serena refused to let the label of murderer stick to her.
Her reputation may already be bad, but she's not about to make it worse. She refuses to be known as a violent, maid-beating shrew.
Wendy Wen's face turned green with anger, but remembering the eunuch's warning and Serena's terrifying composure, she swallowed it and forced a humble smile. 'Yes, Miss Feng, you are absolutely right. It was my mistake. Miss Feng, Noble Consort Helena has been waiting for you for some time. Please…'