Of course there was nothing wrong with the prescription—not only was it flawless, but its effects were outstanding. Once this prescription was handed in, the Ancient Corpse Poison in the imperial city could finally be brought under control.
"Wonderful, wonderful! The poisoned people will be saved. I'll submit the prescription right away." Several imperial physicians were overjoyed when they heard this, clutching the prescription as if it were a treasure and hurrying out. The rest immediately followed, afraid that if they were a step behind, they'd miss out on credit for the achievement.
The ward quickly emptied, leaving only the white-bearded imperial physician and Serena. The old doctor glanced at Serena's calm face and couldn't help asking, "Miss Feng, aren't you going? You created this prescription yourself."
Although they’d contributed, compared to Serena, everything they’d done wasn’t even a tenth of her work.
Serena shook her head. "I'm not doing this for recognition. As long as the prescription helps the people, that's enough. Aren't you going, Elder?"
Such credit was just icing on the cake for her—whether she got it or not didn’t matter. If the prescription was reported under her name, she might even be criticized, accused of Prince Nolan abusing his power and using the Imperial Medical Directorate’s achievements to promote her.
Prince Nolan’s power was a double-edged sword for her—good and bad mixed together. People always resent those in power, since they can use their authority to benefit themselves and those around them. She didn’t deny it; she too used influence to secure advantages for herself.
The old physician chuckled, picking up his medicine chest and strolling out unhurriedly. "I'm old, with no sons or daughters—what do I need with all that credit? But you, Miss Feng, are impressive. So young, yet neither arrogant nor impatient. Very good, very good…"
From a distance, Serena could still hear the elder repeating, "Very good." She smiled self‑deprecatingly—she didn’t deserve his praise; she had her own selfish motives too.
Not only did the Imperial Medical Directorate complete the prescription within five days, but its effects were excellent. In just three days, the symptoms of those poisoned had eased considerably, and the whole imperial city was swept up in joy.
This move wasn’t really the Imperial Medical Directorate slapping down the troublemakers—it was Prince Nolan himself delivering the blow. At morning court, Prince Nolan was almost vicious as he lashed into the officials, dragging out every recent scandal one by one.
“You let your clan’s youths bully and prey on others—some Minister of Rites you are.”
“You released your nephew who committed murder without punishment. Minister Chi, you certainly know your law inside out.”
“I hear your precious daughter loves beating her maids half to death. Minister Shi, you’re a real role model for passing on the family tradition.”
...
Whenever Prince Nolan’s gaze landed on someone, their dirty secrets were sure to be dragged out. The officials he named dropped to their knees with a thud, desperate to bury their heads in their chests, not daring to meet his eyes.
After listing everyone’s wrongs, Prince Nolan snorted and stalked straight out of the hall, leaving the civil and military officials staring at each other, unsure what to do next.
Stunned, everyone turned to William Wang Jinling and Felix Fuller.
The Three Excellencies have stopped managing court affairs lately. Now, aside from Prince Nolan as Regent, only William Wang Jinling, the Imperial Preceptor, and Felix Fuller, the co-regent minister appointed by the retired emperor, hold real power.
“What does Prince Nolan mean by this?” The Minister of Justice pointed at the dozens of officials kneeling in the hall, smacking his lips.
Are these people supposed to be taken away now?
William Wang Jinling just smiled and said nothing, stepping out of the hall first to show he wouldn’t get involved. Prince Nolan was giving everyone a last warning before leaving the Capital, making sure no one tried anything reckless while he was gone.
William left so quickly that before anyone could react, he was already gone. Only Felix Fuller, the co-regent minister, remained in the hall. Naturally, the officials wouldn’t let Felix slip away; they surrounded him, trying every trick to pry some information out of him.
Felix hadn’t been in office long, but he was born for bureaucracy—smooth, worldly, and composed. Even surrounded by a crowd of ministers, he handled them with ease. After a long round of questioning, they still couldn’t get a single useful word out of him.
Both William and Felix fully understood Prince Nolan’s intent. Until Nolan returned to oversee the Capital in person, he wouldn’t move against these officials.
The scandals now hung over everyone like a sword, forcing them to rein in their schemes.
Until Prince Nolan decided what to do, the named officials could only wait in dread, and no one else dared act rashly—after all, every family has a few relatives who’ve made mistakes…
Under Prince Nolan’s intimidation, the court regained superficial calm, even as hidden currents continued to swirl beneath. For now, moves by Chu City and other power blocs could be ignored—Nolan calculated he still had time before any open conflict.
With the crisis settled for now, both Prince Nolan and Serena could finally rest a little. Serena’s first act after returning from the Capital Prefecture Court was to bathe, change, and check on baby Feng Jin.
Even though she knew Feng Jin was under the care of imperial physicians, Serena still worried. Only when she saw him awake—big black-grape eyes blinking at her, little arms waving as he reached out to be held—did she truly relax.
“My little treasure, you’re finally awake.” Serena scooped up Feng Jin and showered his face with kisses.
Feng Jin giggled with delight, his little hands clutching Serena’s hair and refusing to let go. Serena let him be, hugging him for ages, reluctant to put him down. The siblings played together for a long while until Spring, her maid, couldn’t bear it and gently reminded her, “Miss, the young master’s just recovered from a serious illness—he needs plenty of rest.”
Judging by Serena’s exhausted face, she needed rest even more than Feng Jin did. Spring truly worried Serena might collapse at any moment—her face was so drawn, who knew how many days and nights she’d gone without sleep.
Spring’s words made Serena feel her own fatigue; she yawned and tried to pass Feng Jin to Spring, but the baby protested, clutching Serena’s hair like a kitten and refusing to let go.
“Ah, ah, ah...” As soon as Spring approached, Feng Jin struggled in protest, kicking at her with all his might—bad person, bad person, trying to steal my sister.
Serena had no choice but to lie down with Feng Jin in her arms; if she didn’t, she’d probably fall asleep standing.
“Miss...” Spring started, hesitated, then stopped. Serena paused and turned around, “What is it?”
Spring looked troubled, but nervously pressed on, “Miss, your sleeping posture...” She immediately dropped her head, not daring to meet Serena’s eyes.
Uh... Serena froze, staring silently at the baby in her arms. Feng Jin thought she was playing, and flashed a toothless smile at her.
That pure, innocent smile instantly melted Serena’s heart.
“I’ll take good care of Feng Jin,” Serena promised, but knowing her own limits, she added, “When it’s about time, come in and check. If he’s fallen asleep, you can carry him out.”
She’d need at least a day and night’s sleep to recover, and Feng Jin couldn’t be stuck napping with her all that time.
Spring breathed a silent sigh of relief and quickly agreed. Serena carried Feng Jin onward, with Spring following behind, quietly reporting the latest movements in the Capital as they walked…