Taking a Master, Major Trouble Strikes

During Zuo An's time at Mystic Healer Valley, he demolished sixteen buildings, left the Valley Master covered in wounds, and put half the medicine boys and guards out of commission for half a month, with a third of the medicine puppets crippled. The Valley Master became so terrified of Zuo An's name that for a long time, he didn't dare touch Simon Sun, afraid Zuo An might suddenly appear.

Thanks to Zuo An's iron-fisted methods, Simon Sun finally gained a safe place to recover. The Valley Master no longer dared to lay a finger on Simon, and after Simon began to recover, the Valley Master even devoted himself to teaching him for a while.

At first, it was only because Zuo An had forced him, but after seeing Simon Sun's medical talent, the Valley Master couldn't stay calm—he shamelessly begged Simon to formally acknowledge him as his teacher.

Simon Sun refused, saying he had already apprenticed himself to Serena Feng. The Valley Master flew into a rage: "There are so many people in the world begging to be my disciple, and I've never agreed. I'm willing to take you in, that's your honor! How dare you keep making excuses? Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and acknowledge me as your teacher!"

"Then go let someone else be your disciple. I already have a teacher." Simon Sun kept backing away, making his position clear again and again.

The Valley Master simply couldn't accept rejection and pressed closer: "Simon Sun, be reasonable! I don't need you to do the full three kneelings and nine bows—just perform the disciple's salute. I won't ask you to renounce Serena Feng, just call me 'Master' once. What's wrong with having one more teacher? If you accept me, I promise to pass down my legacy to you and take no more disciples. You'll be my final, closed-door apprentice."

A child with both talent and dedication to medicine was so hard to find—the Valley Master was wildly jealous of Serena Feng. How could she have stolen away his beloved disciple?

Simon had nowhere left to retreat; his round face scrunched up like a bun. "Valley Master, I already have a teacher. How could I take another? No, absolutely not!"

To Simon Sun, the hierarchy of Heaven, Earth, Emperor, and Teacher was sacred. Apprenticing oneself was no trivial matter—he had already acknowledged Serena Feng as his teacher. If he accepted the Valley Master too, wouldn't that be betraying his own master?

No matter how much he respected the Valley Master, he couldn't become someone who disregarded his teacher or elders. For Simon, right and wrong were absolute—black or white. That was his principle.

The Valley Master wouldn't give up. Day after day, he chased Simon Sun around, demanding to be called 'Master.' Terrified, Simon ran every time he saw him, wailing, "Teacher, where are you? Why haven't you come to take me back? Everyone in Mystic Healer Valley is crazy—I don't want to stay here, I want to go home, I want to go home..."

While Simon Sun was suffering psychological torment in Mystic Healer Valley, Serena Feng was busy in the Capital. The Young Family Pharmacies gradually reduced the sale of her prenatal tonic. Even though Victor Yun never explained, anyone smart could see the connection with recent events—people kept coming to Feng Manor to ask questions.

Serena never offered any explanations. She simply said the next batch of medicine would be ready in three months—she couldn't produce more right now. In the end, everyone who had planned to plead for Adrian Dongling after the New Year swallowed their words.

There was no way around it—collective anger was dangerous. These days, any household wealthy enough to afford a box of prenatal tonic at a hundred taels was either rich or noble. Normally, they wouldn't dare offend the princes, but the princes also wouldn't risk antagonizing them and pushing them into the rival camp.

Furious that Adrian Dongling gave no one room to retreat, the officials who had planned to intercede went silent. The Empress was driven mad with anxiety, summoning ministers' wives to the palace every few days, hinting that they should beg the Emperor to lift Adrian's confinement.

But no court minister would risk his own interests over such a 'small' matter. After the Lantern Festival, they began sending memorials to the Emperor, praising Adrian Dongling and urging leniency. Unexpectedly, the Emperor didn't lift Adrian's confinement—instead, he put the Crown Prince under house arrest as well.

Serena Feng heard about the shifting political winds and couldn't help but laugh: "Is the Emperor planning to sideline both Prince Rowan and the Crown Prince, and let Prince Jason and the others fight it out?"

"Prince Rowan botched his last assignment and the Emperor's disappointed in him. Lately, His Highness Prince Jason keeps approaching me, even promising the Walker family an empress's seat." After the New Year's Eve incident, William Wang Jinling hadn't stopped for a moment—he was busy straight through the Lantern Festival, barely pausing before rushing to Feng Manor to check on Caleb Wang Jinhan.

In just half a month, William Wang Jinling had ruthlessly expelled nineteen direct-line Walker households from the clan, replaced all key positions in their businesses with loyalists, and—with Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan's help—thrown Uncle Sean and several others into prison for life, with no hope of ever turning things around.

Serena Feng already knew the gist of William's recent moves—after all, when Nolan had free time, he often visited her. Every time, she just listened and secretly admired William: he never made a move unless it was decisive, and when he did, he left his enemies with no way out.

Hearing Prince Jason's attempt to recruit allies, Serena Feng couldn't help but laugh: "Offering the empress's throne right off the bat—Prince Jason really doesn't hold back. But doesn't he realize how reckless that is? The Walker family has never shown loyalty to anyone but the Emperor."

Even William Walker's Uncle Sean was just the Emperor's lapdog, always obeying imperial orders. The Emperor tolerated the Walker family for so long precisely because they never meddled in the struggle for the throne—they were loyal only to the royal house.

"Even I don't believe Prince Jason's promises, and neither does he. It's just a test—the Emperor is testing the Walkers, and testing Prince Jason too."

No one said it outright last time, but everyone knew the royal family played a pretty ugly part in the Walker clan's power struggle.

Of course, it's not all just a test. The Emperor is also trying to reassure the Walkers—using Prince Jason's words to tell me that if the Walker family keeps its head down, the next empress might be chosen from among us." William Wang Jinling smiled, the hollows under his eyes softening with a gentle grin that swept away his exhaustion, making him seem like a breath of spring.

No matter what happened, no matter what he'd been through, William Wang Jinling was always the same—full of passion for life. Seeing that he wasn't weighed down by family affairs, Serena Feng felt reassured.

"I don't get all your political maneuvering, and I don't care to. Caleb's recovery is going well—he's already finished his first round of rehab. Let's go check on him together." Nolan had analyzed all this for her before; Serena just listened and laughed it off.

Anyone can make empty promises. If the Emperor thinks he can pacify the Walkers with words alone, he's dreaming. He must think William Wang Jinling is easy to fool.

"All right." William Wang Jinling rose calmly. If not for the worry and urgency in his eyes, Serena Feng might have thought he didn't care about anything at all.

"Don't worry, Caleb's recovery is going great. Soon he'll be riding across the Capital just like before." Serena Feng admired Caleb's determination—his progress and results had far exceeded her expectations.

William Wang Jinling finally had a rare moment of free time and wanted to spend it with Caleb. But before he could, a servant rushed in with urgent news—something big had happened!