Seizing Her Away, Who Is True and Who Is False

Inside and outside the palace, Helena Shaw’s own family and husband all wanted her dead. The only one who reached out to save her was Serena, a woman with no ties to her at all.

Thinking of her cold-hearted relatives and of Serena, who helped her, Imperial Noble Consort Helena realized she was both pitiful and lucky.

The more they wanted her dead, the more Helena Shaw was determined to live—and to live so well that everyone would envy her. From now on, she would live not for her clan or the Emperor, but only for herself and the child in her womb.

To repay the Hsieh family for raising her, she would, for the last time as a Hsieh daughter, give them one chance—to resolve their feud with Serena. After this, whether it worked or not, Helena Shaw would owe the Hsieh clan nothing.

Imperial Noble Consort Helena closed her eyes and leaned back against the headboard. Her personal maid stood in place, quietly wiping away tears. No one knew what her mistress had gone through that day, or how deep the wounds were.

Wounds to the body could be healed, but wounds to the heart would never truly mend. If not for Serena, her mistress would be nothing but a pile of yellow earth by now.

The personal maid silently vowed that, once the young prince was old enough, she would tell him everything that happened that day—so he would remember Serena’s kindness. Without Serena, the prince would not even have been born.

Whatever Imperial Noble Consort Helena was thinking, whether her change was real or fake, it had nothing to do with Serena. To her, Helena was just another patient—a passerby in her life. No matter how noble her status, she wasn’t worth Serena’s extra attention.

As a doctor, if she kept every patient in her heart and tried to figure out what each one was thinking, she’d die of exhaustion. She’d never have time for anything else but managing her patients’ personal drama.

Serena returned to her own courtyard, packed up her things, and realized that although she’d arrived with just one medical kit, she was now leaving the palace with so much stuff that even two carriages couldn’t hold it all.

All these things had been sent by the beauties and consorts of the harem. Though not imperial gifts, their value was high—some items were even quite old. Serena couldn’t help but feel she’d struck it rich.

Being a doctor really was a great profession—these 'red envelopes' were worth a whole year’s income. Serena had the young eunuch pack everything up for her. She didn’t care about the gifts’ value; what mattered was the connections behind them. Each gift represented a family backing her.

What interested Serena most was the lavish gift from the Shandong Provincial Commissioner’s daughter. With a subtle hint, Serena got her to promise that if she ever went to Shandong, she’d get green lights all the way.

As for what Serena wanted to do, or what help she’d need from the Shandong Provincial Commissioner, that would be a matter for Serena and her father to discuss. The daughter couldn’t make those promises herself.

Serena understood this perfectly well. Just having the opportunity was enough. Once in Shandong, she could always come up with a gift that would tempt them. And even if they didn’t help her, at least they wouldn’t help the Shandong Lu Clan.

So, never underestimate women. Serena had just made a round of the harem, and already she’d gained so much and made such big breakthroughs.

Of course, these gifts weren’t free. If you accepted a gift, you had to do something in return—she’d have to give them what they wanted. Luckily, those women were clever; they only asked for medicine and never questioned whether she gave it to anyone else, nor did they tell her whom not to help.

The harem really was a training ground—those fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girls were just as deep and calculating as a woman who’d lived two lifetimes.

Once everything was packed, Serena couldn’t wait to leave the palace. She only reported briefly to the Emperor and said farewell to Imperial Noble Consort Helena, without disturbing anyone else—not even stopping by to see the Empress.

It wasn’t that she didn’t respect the Empress; she simply couldn’t afford to cross her. If Serena went to the Empress to say goodbye, leaving wouldn’t be so easy. As for whether the Empress would blame her later, Serena wasn’t worried at all.

When Imperial Noble Consort Helena said she would live for herself, that didn’t mean she’d let anyone bully her. To survive in the harem, you had to be even more forceful. Whatever Helena decided to do, she would always protect the woman who saved her life.

Just outside the palace gates, Serena saw William Wang Jinling in black robes, standing by a carriage and looking toward the palace as if waiting for someone.

"Stop the carriage." No matter who William was waiting for, Serena wouldn’t just walk by. As soon as the carriage stopped, she jumped out.

She could have descended gracefully and elegantly—but honestly, that was just too much trouble.

"Serena..." William’s eyes lit up when he saw her jump out of the carriage. He strode toward her in excitement.

He’d finally caught her—he thought he’d arrived too late.

After finally recovering his health, he’d wanted to visit Serena. But when he got to Feng Manor, the servants told him she had entered the palace and hadn’t returned.

Serena had spent seven days in the palace, and William had worried the entire time. Today, as soon as he heard she was leaving, he rushed over and waited outside the palace gate, afraid he’d miss her.

William watched Serena approach with greedy eyes, trying hard to hide his feelings as he waited for her to come closer.

He loved seeing Serena walk toward him, step by step. At that moment, she had eyes only for him.

"William, are you waiting for someone here?" Serena hadn’t seen William Wang Jinling in days, so of course she was in a good mood to run into him now.

"Waiting for you." As he drew closer, the affection in William’s eyes faded, replaced by gentle calm.

"Waiting for me?" Serena pointed at her own nose, puzzled. "Is there something urgent?"

"No, I just came out of the palace and heard you were leaving today, so I thought I’d wait for you here. Come on, I’ll take you home." William didn’t dare admit he’d been waiting on purpose, just to catch a glimpse of her sooner.

Liar!

He was obviously waiting just for Serena. To make sure he didn’t miss her, he’d stubbornly waited outside the carriage despite not being fully recovered, yet still claimed he’d just come from the palace. William’s driver grumbled to himself, deeply dissatisfied with his master’s pretense.

"So it’s just on your way, huh? Well, in that case, let’s..."—walk together.

But before she could finish, a new voice cut her off: "Thank you, Young Master, but Serena won’t need your escort. I’ve been waiting here all morning just to take her home myself. Since you’ve just come from the palace, I’m sure you have official business to attend to. I won’t keep you any longer."

Prince Nolan’s carriage rolled out from the palace gates. Even before he appeared, his voice had already claimed Serena, naturally blocking William’s chance.

Liar!

What do you mean, you waited all morning for Serena? Prince Nolan, you were in the palace the whole time! Only when you heard William was waiting at the gate did you rush out to steal her away. Nolan’s driver muttered, deeply resentful of his master’s shamelessness.

With a flick of the whip, Nolan’s driver stopped the carriage in the middle of the road, making sure that as soon as Prince Nolan got out, he could walk right up to Serena.

At the very least, he couldn’t let Young Master William steal all the glory. Otherwise, when he got back to Prince Nolan’s manor, he’d end up just as unlucky as the old steward...