After finishing the breakfast carefully prepared by Evan Zhou, Serena Feng glanced at the hourglass. By modern reckoning, it was about nine o'clock in the morning.
At this time, most doctors would be making their rounds, and naturally, she was headed to check on William Wang Jinling.
Actually, she had meant to apply William's eye medicine yesterday, but his sudden marriage proposal had so startled her that she accomplished nothing at all.
Today, no matter what, she couldn't delay any longer—William's eyes were too important.
Since the Emperor had confiscated her med-pack, Serena couldn't find a suitable replacement for the time being. She had to make do with a handkerchief, wrapping the necessary medicine and bandages inside.
William had been waiting for her for some time. After a few casual words, both tacitly agreed to put yesterday’s awkwardness behind them, and each felt a quiet relief.
Neither of them wanted to lose this friendship.
Serena carefully re-applied William’s medicine, patiently repeating her instructions for him to rest and recuperate.
William listened with a gentle smile, showing no trace of impatience.
It wasn’t until Serena finished tidying up and was about to leave that William spoke: "Serena, I heard the Hsieh Clan sent you an invitation post."
Serena paused, then immediately remembered that the Wang and Hsieh Clans were in-laws. If the Hsiehs were hosting a poetry salon, of course the Wangs would know about it.
"That's right, they did."
"You're not planning to go?" William asked, not prying into Serena's private affairs—just showing concern.
"No, I don't plan to. I can't handle that kind of event." Besides the Hsieh issue, she also had other reasons.
Serena was well aware of her own limits—she simply wasn’t good at socializing.
These so-called poetry salons were really just a form of elite socializing: a stage for the younger generation to show off, and for married women to conduct madam diplomacy. But she was hopeless at all of it.
If she were any good at networking, with her medical skills and looks in her previous life, she wouldn’t have had to run off and become a battlefield doctor.
Sure, she’d grown to like life as a battlefield doctor, but at first she’d only gone because hospital politics were exhausting—she was constantly ostracized and suppressed, and it got so bad she could hardly bear to stay. That’s why she headed for the front lines.
In the end, she never wanted to return to city life, and her social skills only got worse.
"Serena, you need to attend gatherings like this."
"William, do you want me to go?" Serena asked.
She really did care about William's opinion.
She trusted that William would never harm her.
"Serena, we’re just ordinary people. No one can truly stand apart from the world. As long as we’re alive, we have to deal with all kinds of people—those we like and those we don’t. There’s no escaping it.
Whatever you plan to do in the future, you’ll need the help of these noblewomen in the capital—and you’ll need a good reputation.
You should understand—even if your medical skills are superb, not many people will actually let you treat them. There are plenty of doctors in the world, and if you cured my eyes, most will say you just got lucky.
And to be blunt, you can’t cure every illness. If you keep your distance from these people, and they start calling you a miracle doctor who can heal anything, one day you’ll run into an incurable case and be ‘praised to death’ by their expectations. That would be a disaster."
For events like this, Serena could refuse once, but not twice.
She needed to learn how to build her own social capital.
William knew that even though Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan Eastlyn and General Warren Yu treated Serena unusually well, there were limits to their protection.
Women's tactics in the inner courtyards are no less ruthless than men's.
Especially now that Serena was openly at odds with Princess Serenity—if she could win the support of great-clan ladies like those of the Wang and Hsieh households, even the princess would have to think twice before moving against her.
In the future, even at palace banquets, Princess Serenity wouldn't be able to attack her openly—at the very least, she couldn't insult her without consequence.
For women, reputation is a vital armor.
Serena knew William's reasoning was sound, but...
"William, you know better than anyone how many times the Hsiehs have targeted me. I once swore that unless they came begging, I would never set foot across their threshold."
Some principles, some lines, she would never abandon.
William's logic was sound, but when it came to the Hsiehs, she wouldn't give in so easily...
"Serena, did you even read the invitation?" William asked.
"No." She hadn't, not after being infuriated by Lance Quinn so early in the morning. But she couldn't explain that to William, so she just smiled awkwardly.
William shook his head, smiling: "Serena, this time the poetry salon is at Hundred-Herb Garden, which belongs to Madam Hsieh's natal family and has nothing to do with the Hsieh Clan. So..."
This was Serena Feng's chance to restore her reputation.
Even if Serena never married, William didn't want her to carry a tarnished name for life.
"Serena, think not only for yourself, but for General Feng and Madame Feng. You can't let the world say they failed to raise their daughter."
William didn't say this last part aloud, but he knew Serena understood.
"I know what to do now. Since it's not at the Hsieh residence, I'll attend Madam Hsieh's poetry salon. If I can't be a model noble lady, then I'll be a free-spirited literary talent!"
A true literary talent is elegant, unrestrained by etiquette—real brilliance shines in freedom.
"Well said! I look forward to the day your name shines across the land, Serena."
William smiled.
He would attend the poetry salon that day as well.
He hoped that when the day of fame arrived, it wouldn't be just him—Serena Feng would be there too.
...
Poetry salons were nothing rare in the Dongling Dynasty; many talented young men and women became famous through them, and quite a few achieved instant renown.
Caleb Wang and Ethan Hsieh themselves became famous in the capital through poetry salons.
Previously, Serena Feng didn't even qualify to receive a poetry salon invitation.
Poetry salons are platforms created by great families and nobles to pave the way for their children. For a rootless woman like Serena, lacking recognized scholarly accomplishments, even if she had talent, who would give her a chance to show it?
The Hsiehs sent Serena a poetry salon invitation not because she cured William Wang Jinling, nor to embarrass her, but because...
The Hsiehs learned that Serena saved Adrian Dongling, and that when he woke, his first words were: "Where is Serena Feng? Where is she?"
It was easy to hide this from others, but hard to hide from the Hsiehs, since they have a Noble Consort in the palace.
The Hsiehs received news from the Noble Consort overnight, so Madam Hsieh had Ethan Hsieh deliver the invitation to Serena at dawn.
Of course, Madam Hsieh had her own motives for sending Ethan personally.
Madam Hsieh heard from Second Madam that Serena might be able to treat her infertility. She didn't take it seriously at first, but after seeing Serena cure William's blindness and heal Adrian's supposedly incurable injury, she became hopeful.
No matter what, she had to try. If it succeeded, the Hsieh Clan's rise would be just around the corner.