Passing the Buck, Forcing Serena Feng to Treat Herself

Serena Feng was gravely injured, especially her legs—there wasn’t a single patch left unscathed. The imperial physicians could hardly believe that she’d managed to walk so far with legs like that, and even kneel before the Emperor.

What kind of willpower did it take to endure all that?

Sympathy was one thing, but they still did their jobs as usual. None of them would treat Serena Feng any better just because they felt sorry for her. Faced with her leg wounds, the imperial physicians exchanged uneasy glances, and no one wanted to step forward.

The inner thigh—such an awkward spot. No matter how ruined Serena Feng’s reputation was, she was still a woman. How could this group of imperial physicians dare to touch her?

Normally, wounds like these would be treated by a female medical attendant, but the area of Serena Feng’s injury was just too large. The wounds were caked with dust and dead tissue, all of which needed to be cleaned out, or else the wounds would become infected.

Cleaning wounds was delicate work—something a female attendant simply couldn’t handle. And if Serena Feng’s leg injuries weren’t treated properly, she could end up crippled for life.

"Imperial Physician Lin, what do you think?" The Emperor had sent three imperial physicians, with Lin, nearly fifty years old, as their leader. After Imperial Physician Zhou finished checking the pulse, he turned to Lin for his opinion.

"Why are you looking at me? Imperial Physician Wang, you’re the most skilled at treating external injuries, and your Wang family has a good relationship with Serena Feng. You should clean up her leg wounds. I’m sure she’ll be grateful when she wakes up." Imperial Physician Lin pointed to a younger physician as he spoke.

"Imperial Physician Lin, I’m just a distant branch of the Wang family. The one who’s close to Serena Feng is the eldest son." Imperial Physician Wang stepped back three paces, making it clear he wanted no part of it.

Are you kidding? He was so young to have made it into the Imperial Medical Bureau—if Serena Feng latched onto him over this and wanted to marry him, what then? Imperial Physician Wang hesitated, then suggested:

"Imperial Physician Lin, Serena Feng is an expert at treating arrow and blade wounds. Why don’t we wake her up and let her clean the wounds herself?"

Dominic Zhai heard this from outside the door and was so furious he could kill someone. He shoved Simon Sun aside and stormed in: "Let Serena Feng treat herself? Are you blind? Can’t you see how badly she’s hurt—and you expect her to work on herself? Do you even have a heart?"

"Is this how the Emperor told you to treat Serena Feng? Is this how you deal with the nation’s heroes? Imperial Physician Zhou, Imperial Physician Lin—Serena Feng is younger than your daughters, but look at what your daughters do, and look at what she does! After she brought glory to the country, how can you say something like that?"

Dominic Zhai had already been dissatisfied with the Emperor over Serena Feng’s situation. Seeing the imperial physicians treat her injuries so carelessly, as if her life didn’t matter, made him even angrier.

If General Feng were still alive, he would never stand by and watch his daughter suffer like this. Even if it cost him his life, he’d step up to shield Serena Feng.

No—that’s not right. If General Feng were here, Su Wan and Princess Yara would never dare treat Serena Feng this way. They only bully her because she’s alone and easy to target.

"Your Grace, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that Miss Feng’s injuries are truly difficult to handle." Imperial Physician Lin was inwardly cursing his luck.

Oh, heavens—wasn’t this demon supposed to have left? Why did he come back again?

From the palace to Feng Manor, the journey wasn’t long, but Dominic Zhai was frantic the whole way, urging them on, seething with anger. The physicians were terrified, worried that if he lost his temper, he’d kill them on the spot.

"Just because it’s difficult, you think you can ignore it? If Princess Anping were injured today, would you tell her to wake up and treat herself?" Dominic Zhai was stubborn—he believed Serena Feng was suffering all these wounds in Princess Anping’s place.

Princess Anping was such a fool. She had the nerve to accept the challenge, but when danger appeared, she ran away. As a soldier, Dominic Zhai despised anyone who fled the battlefield. If she weren’t a princess, he would’ve taught her a lesson himself.

Imperial Physician Lin was drenched in sweat but didn’t dare wipe his brow. "Your Grace, I’ll clean Miss Feng’s wounds right away."

He shot a glance at Imperial Physician Wang, who, though reluctant, obediently stepped forward.

"No need. I’ll handle my master’s wounds myself." Simon Sun, clutching his medical kit, leaned against the doorframe, panting.

He’d just run back from the Sun family estate, dragged all the way by Dominic Zhai—almost died from exhaustion. No wonder his master said doctors needed to be physically fit.

Those two idiots were so anxious they forgot they could’ve ridden horses.

"So it’s you, Simon. Perfect timing. I’ll leave your master in your hands." Imperial Physician Lin was a colleague of Simon’s father, Sun Zhengdao, and knew Simon had apprenticed under Serena Feng. He’d teased Sun Zhengdao plenty about it.

Simon Sun had spent time in the Imperial Medical Bureau and had seen plenty of irresponsible physicians. He’d left precisely because he couldn’t stand their cowardice.

The imperial physicians treated royalty and nobles, so their caution grew with their patients’ status. They always chose the safest, most conservative treatments.

It didn’t matter if they couldn’t cure the illness, as long as the patient didn’t die. Slow progress was fine, so long as there was some improvement.

Of course, you couldn’t really blame the physicians. In a place like the Imperial Medical Bureau, one mistake could mean losing your head. No one dared take risks.

Simon Sun didn’t make things difficult for the three imperial physicians. He politely saw them out: "Thank you for coming, gentlemen. Forgive me for not escorting you."

"No worries—saving lives comes first." The physicians didn’t linger a second longer; they grabbed their medical kits and hurried out.

"Your Grace, could you help me carry my master to the cabin?" After checking Serena Feng’s condition, Simon Sun’s heart ached, but he also felt relieved.

It wasn’t as bad as the imperial physicians claimed. Serena was suffering, but with rest, she’d recover. The physicians always exaggerated, afraid people wouldn’t notice their efforts.

Dominic Zhai trusted Simon Sun far more than the imperial physicians. As Sun Zhengdao’s disciple, Simon’s skills were at least as good as those three.

It was Dominic Zhai’s first time in Serena Feng’s little cabin, but he had no time to look around. Simon Sun didn’t mind Dominic’s presence. He put on a white coat and medical gloves, then took out disinfectant, medicine, and bandages from the cabinet.

Dominic Zhai was usually calm, but seeing Simon Sun produce all sorts of strange tools, he knew saving Serena was the priority and didn’t ask questions.

"Master, your wounds cover a huge area. Cleaning them will hurt a lot, so I’ll give you a local anesthetic."

With a crisp pop, Simon Sun expertly cracked open a glass vial and drew the liquid out with a syringe.

"No, Simon... No anesthesia. I can handle it." Serena Feng hadn’t lost consciousness—she just didn’t have the strength to open her eyes. Hearing Simon’s words, she immediately objected.

Her wounds were so extensive that suturing wasn’t possible; cleaning and dressing them would be enough. Anesthesia was useful, but it could slow healing—and besides, she hated the numb, helpless feeling it left behind.

Her mind would be clear, but her whole body unable to move. It made Serena feel like a lab rat on an operating table, completely powerless.

She hated that—being at someone else’s mercy was the worst feeling in the world.