Conscience, Doing Wrong Even When You Know It Is Wrong

Imperial Noble Consort Helena Hsieh was no ordinary woman like Serena Feng; even the Empress had to show her respect, so how could Princess Serenity dare defy her? After being rebuked by Helena, Princess Serenity stood frozen, caught between retreat and advance, biting her lip in grievance.

The Empress’s displeasure was obvious, her tone full of blame. Serena Feng thought Helena would stop there, but Helena suddenly slapped the table and barked, “Impudent servants! What kind of duty is this? The princess entered and you didn’t announce her at all!”

The cups on the table shuddered, tea splashing everywhere. Tension filled the hall. The maid behind Helena dropped to her knees with a thud, crying, “Please forgive us, Your Grace!”

“Forgive you? How can I possibly forgive this? The princess entered and you dared not announce her—have you eaten a leopard’s gall? If word gets out, it’ll harm the princess’s reputation. She’s about to marry into Northlyn; if their emperor hears of this, even dying a hundred times won’t be enough!”

On the surface, Helena was scolding her own servants, but in reality she was humiliating the Empress and leaving Princess Serenity no dignity.

Princess Serenity’s pretty face flushed red and pale by turns. She stood motionless for a long time—if she performed the formal salute now, it would only make her look weak.

Serena Feng was genuinely impressed. The women of the harem killed without spilling blood. Still, Serena couldn’t understand why Helena was so intent on offending both the Empress and Princess Serenity to the bitter end.

In the harem, the Empress held the greatest power and resources. Even if Helena had the backing of the Hsieh clan and carried a ‘dragon seed’ in her belly, as Princess Serenity said, no one could be sure yet if it was a prince or a princess—and even if it was a prince, who knew if he’d live to adulthood?

Of course, these weren’t problems Serena cared about. She would never let herself end up in the Empress’s or Helena’s position—far too exhausting.

“It’s just a few servants. Helena, you’re pregnant—please take care of yourself.” The Empress was clearly unhappy with Helena’s relentless pursuit, her smile stiff. But since Princess Serenity was at fault first, all she could do was keep smiling.

“Thank you for your concern, Elder Sister Empress. I truly haven’t been feeling well these past few days, and you’re right—I should take care of myself. So I won’t trouble you further. I’ll take Serena with me now and have her check my pulse thoroughly. As for the match with Su Wan of the Southern Lyn Su Clan in five days, I trust that with you here, Serena won’t lose.”

As soon as Helena said she was leaving, her maids rushed forward to support her, treating her as if she were made of tofu—fragile and precious. Of course, even if Helena were tofu, she’d be the most expensive in the world, since she was carrying the Emperor’s child.

“Serena, let’s go.” Helena glanced at Serena Feng with a gentle smile, but it sent a chill down Serena’s spine.

“Yes, Your Grace. Empress, Princess Serenity, I take my leave.” Serena Feng bowed respectfully. She wasn’t particularly pleased to be leaving the Empress’s palace so quickly—she knew Helena never did anything without expecting a reward.

Helena had walked all the way from Radiant Hall to the Empress’s palace with her big belly—not for Serena’s sake. Serena wasn’t that important.

Sure enough, Helena never did a good deed without expecting something in return. As soon as they reached Radiant Hall, she dismissed everyone except her confidantes and stated her true purpose.

The Imperial Noble Consort wanted Serena Feng to determine the sex of the child in her womb.

“Your Grace, I’m sure the imperial physicians have already told you.” Serena wasn’t surprised. Even in modern times, many parents tried to determine the sex of their unborn child—and if it was a girl, they’d abort early.

Preference for sons over daughters had existed since ancient times, but it was even worse in this era. Even the orphanage where she grew up had more abandoned girls than boys.

“Serena, I’ll be honest—I don’t trust those imperial physicians. And Imperial Physician Sun isn’t skilled in gynecology. I trust only you.” Helena’s casual use of Serena’s name suddenly made the distance between them seem much smaller.

“Your Grace, that trust of yours weighs a thousand pounds on me—I’m overwhelmed.” When facing the Empress, Serena had to be humble to avoid unnecessary punishment, but with Helena, she could be more casual. Helena was smarter than the Empress.

With the Hsieh clan, Serena always operated on a principle of mutual benefit. She never intended to tie herself to them or take the initiative for their sake, but Helena’s words had just bound her to the Hsieh family’s ship.

But... today’s matter was clearly not something she could refuse. Helena had gone to the Empress with her pregnant belly to ‘save’ Serena, even offending the Empress and Princess Serenity for her sake—though Serena hadn’t needed saving at all.

“Serena, I believe you can do it.” Helena herself was anxious, but with Sun Zhengdao’s assurance, she trusted Serena to determine the baby’s sex.

Three months into pregnancy, it was indeed possible to determine the fetus’s sex. But... if it was just about knowing the sex, that was fine. Serena knew that if Helena was carrying a boy, all would be well; but if it was a girl, that child would definitely ‘accidentally’ be lost.

In the modern era, fetal sex determination was forbidden. But from a doctor’s perspective, knowing whether it was a boy or girl wasn’t against law or ethics—parents had the right to know, and it helped them prepare. After all, boys and girls needed different things.

The only truly wrong thing was making the wrong decision after learning the baby’s sex—like aborting a girl just because she was a girl.

Clearly, that was exactly what Helena intended. If her child was a girl, she wouldn’t allow it to be born—not even Helena herself would permit it.

Serena knew there were skilled traditional doctors who could tell a baby’s sex just from the pulse, though mistakes happened. If she did the diagnosis, she’d be certain—but her conscience would suffer.

If it was a girl, she’d be an indirect murderer. Serena’s hands were already stained with blood, but never with that of an innocent infant.

Her conscience would not rest easy!

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Helena’s elegant brows furrowed. If she didn’t need something from Serena, she wouldn’t be so polite.

In Helena’s eyes, Serena was someone dependent on the Hsieh clan. If Helena did well, Serena would benefit too. If Helena bore a prince, Serena would certainly profit from it.

“No problem.” Serena quietly exhaled. Even if her conscience was uneasy, she had to do it. Doctors couldn’t always act on their own wishes; most of the time, they could only advise their patients. The final decision belonged to the patient or their family. Even if she knew what was best, if the family disagreed, her hands were tied.

Besides, if the mother herself didn’t care, what use was Serena’s concern? If Helena’s baby turned out to be a girl, she’d be unloved from birth—Helena wouldn’t even try to keep her safe.

Serena knew she was just trying to hypnotize herself. It was the only way she could feel a little better.

Helena nodded in satisfaction. “Serena, see what you need to prepare. I’ll have it sent at once.”

“No need, Your Grace. Just lie down and let me check your pulse.” Sigh. The high-tech devices in her Smart Med-Pack, used for palace pregnancy exams—what a waste.

She was becoming more and more like a gynecologist. But in this era, only women used female doctors—they had no other choice. Most of her patients were women. William Wang Jinling and Lance Quinn were exceptions; they had no options, or other doctors couldn’t help them. Same with Prince Titus of Lyndaria.

People like Sun Zhengdao, who could recognize true talent, were rare in this world.

In the eyes of the world, medicine was a profession that valued seniority and experience—the older, the better. Serena had cured several difficult cases, but that wasn’t enough to convince everyone.

People said, ‘No beard, no reliability.’ If it were her, she wouldn’t believe a fifteen-year-old girl could possess such skill. Besides, Serena had cured Second Madam Hsieh’s infertility and saved both mother and child for Lady Ning, Heir’s Consort. Her reputation for gynecology had spread far and wide.

Helena nodded and signaled for her maids to help her onto the bed. She acknowledged Serena’s ability—confident, composed, clearly someone with real skill.

Besides, she wasn’t afraid of Serena playing tricks. Even with Nolan Dongling’s protection, if the Hsieh clan was determined, killing Serena wouldn’t be impossible. As for Nolan’s revenge afterwards?

If Serena was dead, what could he do—just vent his anger. The Hsieh clan could pay a small price and Nolan would be satisfied. At least, that’s what Helena thought. Only those censors who had provoked Nolan truly understood how terrifying his revenge could be.

“Your Grace, allow me to wash my hands first.” After Helena lay down, Serena used the opportunity to activate her Smart Med-Pack.

She truly wasn’t a gynecologist. Even during her internship, she’d never worked in gynecology—her mentor said her hands were born for surgery, and that she was best suited to be a surgeon.

Serena’s pulse-taking was growing ever more accurate. The Smart Med-Pack’s diagnosis was always flawless, but it was wise to have a backup—what if the device failed someday? It was better to know how to check a pulse than not; more skills never hurt, and combining Eastern and Western medicine was the true path.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Serena withdrew her hand. She didn’t speak, but bowed her head in thought. Helena had been calm, but Serena’s grave expression made her nervous. She had her maids help her sit up, wanting to ask several times, but managed to hold back.

Every imperial physician who had diagnosed her said she was carrying a prince—the child was healthy. But Helena was still uneasy, and didn’t trust the imperial physicians. That’s why she wanted Serena to check. Seeing Serena like this, she feared for her baby...

Helena’s right hand gently stroked her belly, a cold glint in her eyes—there was no maternal warmth at all...