When Serena Feng returned to Feng Manor, the whole household was more jubilant than at New Year—her arrival restored their backbone, and with her present, they dared to straighten their spines and argue back against anyone who tried to insult them.
Their young mistress was certainly not some vain, shallow woman. She went to Ninth Prince Manor to treat patients, not for the reasons the outside world claimed—she wasn't shamelessly clinging to Ninth Royal Uncle, nor did she disgrace herself as a woman by refusing to let go of him.
A woman like their young mistress could marry anyone she wished. The Young family even sent matchmakers before, but she refused. If she truly coveted wealth and power, she could have married the Young family’s eldest son and become their matriarch—far better than being some invisible Ninth Prince Consort.
The butler looked at Serena Feng with pride. What’s wrong with Feng Manor being led by a woman? Even with just one woman, they were no less than any great clan.
As for Zed, who had thrown Feng Manor into chaos before, the entire household now ignored him—their eyes were all on Serena Feng.
"Miss, it's wonderful that you're back. Your room has already been tidied up, and everything inside is new. If you’re not satisfied with anything, just let me know and I’ll change it," Jada Tang and Mira Tang surrounded Serena in the center. Spring and the other injured maids were still recovering, so they didn’t come out.
As the group chatted and walked inside, Jada Tang watched Serena’s faint smile, unsure if she knew what had happened recently. After some thought, she quietly said, "Miss, a lot has happened lately. If you’re not busy, I’d like to report some things to you first."
"You mean the rumors about Charlotte Chu and Ninth Royal Uncle’s marriage? And the gossip about me staying at Ninth Prince Manor?" Serena countered. Jada Tang froze, then quickly nodded. She wanted to comfort Serena, but seeing her calm face, the words stuck in her throat.
"You don’t need to chase after these things. I’ll find a way to handle it. Ignore the Capital’s rumors." Serena strode toward the inner courtyard, then halfway there remembered: "By the way, Young Master Zed is back. Please arrange lodging for him."
"Ah... Miss, how could you..." Jada Tang and Mira Tang turned pale with fright, backing away repeatedly—a testament to Zed’s terrifying reputation.
"Don’t worry. Young Master Zed doesn’t have any guards protecting him; he’s only a bit stronger than an ordinary child, and he’s covered in wounds right now. Even if he wanted to hurt someone, he wouldn’t have the strength." Serena tried to reassure them, but she still couldn’t dispel Jada Tang and Mira Tang’s fear.
Zed’s violent methods were burned into their memories—they feared him from the bottom of their hearts. Mira Tang pleaded pitifully, "Miss, can you please send him away?"
"I’d like to, but it’s not possible. You don’t need to be afraid—if Zed does something wrong, let the guards step in. Just don’t kill him." Serena knew gentle methods alone wouldn’t work; she didn’t mind using force, but there had to be limits. If Zed hadn’t done anything wrong, he shouldn’t be beaten, or his personality would twist even further.
But Jada Tang and Mira Tang’s hearts softened. "Isn’t that too cruel? He’s still just a child."
"As long as he doesn’t make mistakes, I won’t punish him. He may be a child, but his actions are nothing like a child’s. He must take responsibility for what he’s done." By the logic of life-for-a-life, Zed deserved to die a hundred times over. If every wrong required a life in payment, there was no telling how many deaths would be enough.
"Understood, Miss." Jada Tang and Mira Tang finally relaxed. This way, they didn’t have to worry about Zed attacking them, nor would they feel guilty about hurting a child without cause.
These days, people believed that only strict discipline produced filial children.
Seeing that Serena wasn’t troubled by the rumors and that Zed posed no threat, Jada Tang and Mira Tang let go of their worries and returned to their excitement over Serena’s homecoming. "Miss, I’ve prepared hot water for you. Would you like to bathe and change clothes first? While Spring and the others were recovering, they made several new outfits for you—all in your favorite colors and styles. I even made you a few pairs of shoes myself..."
Jada Tang and Mira Tang clustered around Serena, chattering about household details. Serena smiled and nodded, occasionally adding a few words to show she was listening closely.
The three of them got along harmoniously. Hidden guards watched and took note: Miss Feng seemed far more at ease and relaxed at Feng Manor. Judging by the situation, she probably wouldn’t want to return to Ninth Prince Manor anytime soon. Who knew how angry the prince would be when he came back.
Would Ninth Royal Uncle be angry?
Of course he would be angry. Serena Feng left without a word, no warning at all—if Ninth Royal Uncle wasn’t furious, that would be a miracle.
"You told me there was nothing unusual, so why would Serena Feng just up and leave?" Ninth Royal Uncle stood in the main hall—within a ten-mile radius, there was no one else but the butler, and the butler...
...wished he could disappear too.
"Your Highness, I truly don’t know. The Grand Heir came to see Miss Feng during the day; they chatted in the flower hall for a while. About an hour later, Miss Feng said she wanted to go out. I didn’t think much of it at the time—she only said she was going out, and I didn’t dare stop her, just ordered the guards to protect her." The butler nearly buried his head in his chest, his legs trembling nonstop. If Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t rein in his aura soon, the butler would collapse on the spot.
"You’re telling me you didn’t know Serena Feng was going back to Feng Manor? If she hadn’t made up her mind to return, why would she take Zed with her? How could you miss that? Were you even paying attention? Did you ever treat Serena Feng as the true master here?"
Those words cut deep—Ninth Royal Uncle rarely spoke so harshly. The butler collapsed to his knees with a thud. "Your Highness, I know I was wrong. I truly didn’t know Miss Feng was going back to Feng Manor!"
"Hmph..." Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t even look at the butler, striding out with long steps.
He’d given the butler far too many privileges. In the past, the butler always knew his place, but now...
If the butler had truly treated Serena Feng as the master, today’s events wouldn’t have happened.
Ninth Royal Uncle was seething with anger, but instead of heading straight for Feng Manor, he summoned his dark guards and questioned them closely about the day’s events. He’d already heard from the butler about Charlotte Chu’s conversation with Serena, but that wasn’t the reason she left—Serena had decided to go while still at Ninth Prince Manor; meeting Charlotte was just a coincidence.
Unfortunately, although Nolan’s dark guards were skilled, William Wang’s people were no pushovers either. The dark guards knew nothing about Serena’s conversation with William Wang.
Useless.
Ninth Royal Uncle shot the dark guards a cold glance, making them freeze in terror. Just as they thought disaster was coming, he waved them away and sat alone in his study.
In truth, he more or less knew why Serena had gone back—he just didn’t want to face it.
"William Wang, I never expected this from you. I always thought you were a gentleman, not one to play tricks behind people’s backs. So you’re capable of gossip too."
He knew this secret couldn’t be kept from Serena forever, but this wasn’t the time for it to come out. Who knew how Serena would react once she found out.
He’d already taken steps to resolve the issue—he didn’t believe William Wang hadn’t noticed. The rumors in the Capital would soon die down, but William Wang chose this moment to tell Serena. If that wasn’t undermining him, what was?
It was truly headache-inducing.
Ninth Royal Uncle rubbed his aching temples, took a deep breath, and calmly stood up. He retrieved a set of night clothes from behind the bookshelf and changed.
With a snap, the candle in the room went out. In the next instant, a shadow flashed by, and Ninth Prince Manor returned to its usual tranquility...