Even when treating Nolan Dongling, Sun Zhengdao and Serena Feng couldn’t linger in the Sky Prison for long. After injecting Nolan, Serena handed him the ointment and the menthol sachet.
"How did you manage to bring these in?" Nolan Dongling looked in surprise at the items in his hand.
Imperial physicians are always searched when entering or leaving the palace, and Serena Feng should have gone through the same inspection. The Emperor would love nothing more than for Nolan to die here—why would he allow anything that could help him inside?
"A man has his methods, and so does a woman. Ninth Royal Uncle, are you looking down on me?" Serena Feng didn’t answer directly, then changed the subject: "General Warren Yu is very worried about you. Right now he’s running around like a headless fly, not knowing what to do or what he can do."
She was reminding Ninth Royal Uncle: if there’s anything he needs General Warren Yu to do, he should say so quickly; and if there’s anything Warren Yu shouldn’t touch, he’d better speak up now, lest they make things worse by trying to help.
Nolan Dongling touched the needle mark on his left wrist. Though he didn’t know exactly what Serena Feng had injected him with, he had to admit she was truly skilled.
Now, he felt much better overall. With the menthol masking the heavy fragrance, his allergy symptoms hadn’t subsided, but at least they hadn’t gotten worse.
Serena Feng, the fierce general’s daughter, might act a bit rashly, but she was no fool. Rather than risk everything, he decided to trust this woman for once.
Nolan Dongling closed his eyes and handed Serena the item he’d received from Su Wan the night before: "However you managed to bring those medicines in, use the same method to take this out. Give it to General Warren Yu—he’ll know what to do. Most importantly, don’t look at it."
He emphasized the last three words, making it clear this was a warning.
"I won’t let you down, Ninth Royal Uncle." Serena Feng promised, hiding the hurt in her eyes.
He doesn’t trust her!
This man still didn’t trust her—he was keeping her out of the real secret.
Serena Feng bit her lip, forcing down the bitterness in her heart.
Forget it. She’d already decided to keep her distance from this enigmatic man, so why bother thinking about it? Helping him this once would just be repaying that old favor for the palace clothes.
Serena Feng took the item, turned, and walked to the corner. Sun Zhengdao stepped forward and began discussing Nolan Dongling’s condition.
Using the blind spot, Serena turned her back to Ninth Royal Uncle, lifted her sleeve, and activated her Smart Med-Pack. The faint beeping sounded, but both Ninth Royal Uncle and Sun Zhengdao pretended not to notice.
Serena stashed the item inside, touched the Smart Med-Pack embedded in her arm, and thought to herself: without this device, so many things would be impossible.
Once the examination was over, Sun Zhengdao and Serena Feng prepared to leave. Before leaving, Serena looked at Nolan Dongling, hesitating to speak.
Nolan Dongling seemed to sense Serena’s concern. His thin lips parted: "I won’t die here."
For someone so cold and distant, he’d actually noticed Serena Feng’s worry—and said something like that.
As soon as he spoke, not only Serena, but even Nolan Dongling himself was startled.
When did he ever care about anyone else?
Nolan Dongling hadn’t figured out his own feelings yet, but Serena Feng quickly regained her composure and said, "Wishing Ninth Royal Uncle good health." Then she left with Sun Zhengdao.
As soon as they left the Sky Prison, a eunuch led them to a side hall, where their belongings were inspected before they could leave.
They’d been checked lightly upon entering the palace, but this time the search was extremely thorough. Serena Feng wore only her undergarments, letting the palace maids inspect her.
Seeing the palace maids’ cold, almost murderous faces, Serena sneered inwardly. Anything she wanted to take out, no one would ever find.
As expected, they found nothing.
After sizing up Serena Feng, the maids and eunuchs didn’t make things difficult. The two of them left the palace smoothly.
In the imperial study, the Emperor was reviewing memorials when a eunuch hurried in, stood beside him, took the finished documents, replaced them with new ones, and seized the moment to report: "Your Majesty, nothing. Imperial Physician Sun and Serena Feng didn’t bring anything out of the Sky Prison."
"Keep searching. What exactly is that thing from the Su Clan?" The Emperor didn’t even look up as he marked the memorial with red ink. "Send someone to watch Serena Feng and see who she meets after leaving."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The eunuch hurried off again.
After finishing the memorials, the Emperor put down his brush, rubbed his brow, and leaned back, looking exhausted.
"Ninth Brother, oh Ninth Brother, I really want to see how long you can endure."
With sharp eyes, he called toward the hall entrance: "Summon General Lin to see me."
General Lin, commander of the Imperial Forest Guards, was responsible for palace security—and, of course, the Sky Prison.
The Emperor used ruthless measures to isolate Nolan Dongling, determined to keep him from contacting the outside world or making any moves.
Letting Serena Feng in was meant to test Nolan Dongling—to see what he’d gotten from the Su Clan that was so valuable he’d risk everything for it.
In the end, Serena Feng turned out to be far less important as a pawn than he’d imagined.
Since that’s the case, he’d make sure tonight was tightly guarded. Given Ninth Brother’s allergy to heavy fragrance, he was sure Nolan would try to escape. He wanted to see just how Nolan planned to get out.
...
After leaving the palace, Serena Feng went straight back to the Sun residence with Sun Zhengdao. As soon as they arrived at the gate, they saw the Wang family’s carriage waiting outside.
"Miss Feng, the eldest young master requests your presence." The Wang family’s coachman stepped forward as soon as he saw Serena Feng.
Serena Feng knew that Wang Jinling must have important business with her, so she apologized to Sun Zhengdao.
"Go on, go on. Tomorrow I’ll have my unfilial son visit the Feng residence to ask you to be his teacher." For once, Sun Zhengdao’s stern face showed a rare smile.
Serena knew she couldn’t avoid Sun Sihang, and she did need help with surgery. She nodded, but added, "Also, find a couple of corpses from executed prisoners. I need to test your son."
Serena was getting back at Sun Zhengdao for testing her before.
"What do you need corpses for?" Sun Zhengdao glared at Serena Feng. This woman really didn’t know what was good for her. His son was such an excellent student, you couldn’t find one like him even with a lantern.
"I have my reasons. If you’re interested, Imperial Physician Sun, you can come along tomorrow." Serena said mysteriously, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Maybe it was because she knew Ninth Royal Uncle would be fine, but she was in a great mood. Still, no matter how good her mood, making Sun Sihang dissect a corpse was non-negotiable.
On the very first day, she had to show some skill and intimidate Sun Sihang. Otherwise, he’d never take her seriously, and that would be a disaster—Sun Sihang was the capable assistant she planned to train for herself.
With that, she ignored Sun Zhengdao and turned toward the Wang family’s carriage.
Serena Feng had assumed Wang Jinling would be waiting for her at home or somewhere else, but to her surprise...
"Eldest Young Master?"
Handsome and refined, elegant and gentle—after just one day apart, Serena Feng felt Wang Jinling seemed even more composed, more like a true gentleman.
Wang Jinling closed his book, looked up, and smiled before speaking. He gestured for Serena to sit, poured her a cup of tea, and finally asked, "How is Ninth Royal Uncle?"
Though he hadn’t investigated, Wang Jinling knew Serena Feng must have been running around for Nolan Dongling.
Back at the Herb Garden, he’d already noticed Serena Feng’s special feelings for Ninth Royal Uncle. His heart was sour, but he didn’t show it at all.
He wasn’t the right match for Serena Feng, but he hoped she’d find a good home. Ninth Royal Uncle, though, wasn’t suitable for her...