The next morning, Serena Feng hadn’t even finished her breakfast when palace servants arrived, bearing an urgent summons from Imperial Noble Consort Helena Hsieh. Serena knew Helena was anxious, but hadn’t expected her to be so desperate as to not even let her finish her meal.
Faced with the servants’ apologetic looks and repeated words of regret, Serena couldn’t say much. She simply told them to wait a moment while she changed and prepared to enter the palace.
Serena returned to her room, changed into fresh clothes, opened her Smart Med-Pack, and selected the medicines and tools she’d need for the day. By chance, her eyes fell on the Phoenix Empress Hairpin, and after a moment’s thought, she decided to bring it along.
With so many high-ranking nobles in the palace—and even more troublemakers—it was only wise to carry the Phoenix Empress Hairpin as a safeguard.
Bringing the Phoenix Empress Hairpin to the palace was purely a precaution—Serena hadn’t expected it would actually come in handy. She couldn’t help admiring her own foresight: if she hadn’t brought the hairpin, she’d be in for a world of trouble.
Even with Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan’s overwhelming power, he couldn’t just barge into the imperial harem in broad daylight. Even if he knew Serena was being bullied, he’d be helpless for a while.
Serena really was just a lonely orphan girl with no family background—but luck was on her side. She’d caught Ninth Royal Uncle’s eye, and her status had skyrocketed overnight. In the Capital, hardly anyone dared mess with her now.
Even in the harem, without Nolan’s protection, the concubines weren’t foolish enough to offend Serena. With her medical skills, they were all eager to curry favor with her. But...
There was one exception: Concubine Summers, sent into the palace by the Summers family.
After the Serena–Summers Clan Grand Contest, the Summers family was forced to take down their shop plaque and could no longer call themselves the Southern Lyn Summers Clan—a humiliation they’d never live down.
After entering the palace, Concubine Summers quickly became the Emperor’s favorite, making all the other consorts jealous. They never missed a chance to needle her about it, and Concubine Summers seethed with hatred, wishing she could tear Serena Feng apart—the true cause of her humiliation.
As a palace consort, Concubine Summers couldn’t leave the harem, and her family was far away in Southlyn. Making trouble for Serena was nearly impossible—so now that Serena had come to her, Concubine Summers wouldn’t let the chance slip by.
“Concubine Summers, you’re blocking my way. Would you please move aside?” Serena asked politely, her tone measured and dignified.
Her feud with the Summers family was set in stone—thanks to her, their daughters’ value had plummeted. It was only natural for Concubine Summers to hate her. Still, Serena didn’t take her seriously; unless Concubine Summers became Empress or one of the Four Great Consorts, she had no real power to make trouble.
But Concubine Summers acted as if she hadn’t heard, standing right in front of Serena and fiddling with her long, sharp nails. Her eyes, limpid as spring water, shimmered with seductive charm as she sized Serena up with open contempt.
Compared to Su Wan and Su Rou, Concubine Summers had a sultriness the other two lacked—but she was also missing the poise of a true noblewoman. Serena had no interest in judging her; she just hoped Concubine Summers had enough sense to let them both go their separate ways.
After looking Serena up and down—again and again, at least ten times—Concubine Summers finally spoke: “Not much to look at. No chest, no waist. Sure, you’re a bit fuller than most girls, but you’re still so raw and unripe. And yet men actually want you? I really wonder what kind of taste that man must have.”
With one sentence, she insulted both Serena and her man, Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan. Concubine Summers’s words were sharp as a blade—but still...
Serena stared at Concubine Summers in disbelief. Even a girl from a humble family wouldn’t say something so vulgar—this sounded more like the talk of a brothel girl. Serena suspected the Summers family had raised Concubine Summers as a ‘Yangzhou Thin Horse,’ trained more like a courtesan than a lady.
Serena kept silent, and Concubine Summers took it as a sign of fear. She shook her head and sighed, "Still, that face of yours is dazzling—enough to make anyone jealous..."
Concubine Summers leaned forward, reaching out to touch Serena’s face. Serena instinctively stepped back, but when she saw those sharp nails coming at her, she didn’t hesitate—she slapped Concubine Summers’s hand away.
With a crisp smack, Concubine Summers’s hand instantly reddened and swelled. Stunned by the pain, she couldn’t believe Serena actually dared fight back, and for a moment she just stood there, frozen.
Serena didn’t apologize for hitting her. Instead, she stepped back and said coldly, “Concubine Summers, you belong to the Emperor. I’m an unmarried girl. Physical contact between men and women is improper—please show some restraint.”
No matter what, it was true Serena hadn’t married. By invoking ‘improper contact,’ she was really mocking Concubine Summers’s crude behavior—acting worse than a man.
Enraged, Concubine Summers lost all reason and swung back at Serena: “Serena Feng, how dare you! Not only do you insult me, you dare to hit me?”
But Serena wasn’t one to back down. She grabbed Concubine Summers’s wrist and flung it aside. “Next time you want to hit someone, look carefully. Not just anyone is yours to slap.”
“Serena Feng, you’re outrageous! Today I’ll make sure you’re punished for disrespect.” That grab and fling left Concubine Summers’s wrist red and swollen, and she began to cry from the pain.
Striking a palace consort was a serious crime, and with her injured hand as proof, Concubine Summers was certain the Emperor would take her side. She signaled to her maid, who immediately slipped away—obviously to go report the incident.
Serena just sneered. She’d dared to hit Concubine Summers, and she wasn’t afraid of the consequences. Did they really think she was still that bullied orphan girl from the past?
Serena wasn’t worried, but the eunuch leading her to Radiant Hall was near tears. “Miss Feng, what are we going to do now?”
“What’s there to worry about? Her Ladyship Noble Consort Helena is waiting for me—let’s go. We shouldn’t keep her waiting.” Serena ignored Concubine Summers entirely, stepping around her and heading forward.
“Stop her!” Concubine Summers had suffered too much to let Serena go—she was already calling for reinforcements.
Concubine Summers had seven or eight maids and five or six eunuchs with her—over a dozen people blocked Serena’s way. She really couldn’t get through.
“Concubine Summers, only a dog blocks the way.” Serena said impatiently.
She’d already wasted two quarters of an hour with Concubine Summers. While Concubine Summers had nothing better to do, Serena was busy...
“Who are you calling a dog?” Concubine Summers trembled with rage.
Serena didn’t even bother to acknowledge her. “Whoever blocks the way is a dog.”
“Serena Feng, you—” Concubine Summers was so furious she started to cry. Forgetting her own authority, she pointed and ordered, “Guards! Serena Feng has shown me disrespect—drag her out and give her fifty strokes!”
"Yes, madam."
“How dare you.” Serena’s gaze was sharp as a blade as she glared at Concubine Summers.
Her shout was so commanding that even Concubine Summers and the eunuchs hesitated. But most palace people were used to trouble—they quickly regained their composure and grew even angrier.
“Serena Feng, how dare you! What right do you have to say ‘how dare you’ in front of me? Guards, slap her!” Concubine Summers was determined to punish Serena until she was satisfied.
“Slap me? Concubine Summers, what do you amount to? You dare slap me?” Serena sneered, spotting the imperial procession in bright yellow not far away—her eyes flashed coldly.
Perfect. Everyone who needed to be here had arrived!