Second Madam Hsieh had barely left when General Warren Yu arrived. Spotting Serena Feng, he immediately called out, "Serena Feng, what did you do to Second Madam Hsieh?"
Whenever he was with Serena Feng, General Warren Yu never worried that she would be taken advantage of.
"What do you mean, what did I do?" Serena Feng looked up, puzzled.
"I just saw Second Madam Hsieh practically flying out of here. Did you have another falling out with the Hsieh family? If so, that could be trouble."
Hmm... Serena Feng felt a wave of exasperation. She understood now—Second Madam Hsieh really was too high-strung. Pretending not to care, Serena said, "What could I possibly do to Second Madam Hsieh? She came to me for a consultation, and I agreed to treat her."
"You agreed? How is that possible? I thought you hated the Hsieh family." General Warren Yu just couldn't figure it out. How could the Hsieh clan send Second Madam to seek treatment while also moving against Ninth Royal Uncle? Didn't they know Serena Feng risked her life for Ninth Royal Uncle in the forest yesterday?
Serena Feng finished tidying up, clapped her hands, and stood up, speaking with conviction: "General Warren Yu, my dislike for the Hsieh family is personal. As a doctor, I have no right to pick and choose my patients. Second Madam Hsieh is just a patient to me, and one I promised to treat early on. No matter how much I dislike the Hsieh family, once I agree to treat Second Madam Hsieh, I will see it through. That's a matter of principle."
General Warren Yu nodded, though he was clearly skeptical. "Looks like you haven't heard about Ninth Royal Uncle being thrown into the Sky Prison, then." If Serena knew the Hsieh family was behind this, she probably wouldn't have agreed to treat Second Madam.
"What?"
Clang—
Serena Feng stumbled backward and crashed into the shelf behind her, sending jars and bottles from the treasure rack tumbling to the floor. She didn't even glance at the mess. "General Warren Yu, say that again—who did you say was locked up in the Sky Prison?"
"Ninth Royal Uncle. Yesterday, when I escorted him home, we ran into Imperial Guards carrying an imperial edict. Ninth Royal Uncle didn't even set foot in his own manor before they threw him straight into the Sky Prison." That was exactly why General Warren Yu had come to find Serena Feng.
"Damn it." Ninth Royal Uncle is allergic to fragrances—those rashes all over him...
Damn!
Serena Feng hated herself for being petty. Ninth Royal Uncle must be miserable in that cell, and if those rashes break open without proper cleaning, an infection could be disastrous.
A place like the Sky Prison is filthy and chaotic—the risk of infection is even higher.
Serena Feng was so regretful, it felt like her guts were turning green with frustration.
Ninth Royal Uncle is going to suffer terribly in that dungeon.
"It's bad, all right. This time, Ninth Royal Uncle can't escape disaster. For years, the emperor has watched him, waiting for a single mistake. But Ninth Royal Uncle never meddles in politics—he's always stayed above it all. Yet this time, he went hunting with Prince Adrian, and look what happened." General Warren Yu's worries were completely different from Serena Feng's, but that didn't make either of them less anxious.
"What exactly happened? General Warren Yu, tell me in detail." Serena Feng snapped back to reality, forcing herself to stop worrying about Nolan's rash for the moment.
Getting him out of prison is the real priority right now.
Seeing Serena Feng's anxious expression, General Warren Yu immediately explained how the Hsieh clan and several other noble families had jointly submitted a memorial accusing Ninth Royal Uncle.
"It's completely baseless!" Serena Feng was burning with anger—the Hsieh clan had gone too far.
General Warren Yu gave a cold, noncommittal laugh. "Baseless or not, if the emperor believes it, that's all that matters."
"The emperor..." Serena Feng thought of that imposing but cold-hearted man.
He could sit there, using even his own son's life as a bargaining chip. Now that such a perfect opportunity had landed in his lap, there was no way he'd let Ninth Royal Uncle off easily.
"Don't pin your hopes on the emperor. Ninth Royal Uncle couldn't have been imprisoned without his consent." General Warren Yu was more and more disappointed in the emperor.
To consolidate his power, the emperor would sacrifice anything. Anyone who threatened his authority would be eliminated, one by one.
General Warren Yu felt a pang of regret. If he hadn't asked Ninth Royal Uncle for help, maybe Nolan wouldn't be suffering in prison now—the emperor would still be wary, but not so quick to act.
"Is the emperor really trying to destroy Ninth Royal Uncle this time?" If so, Serena thought, she had overestimated him.
"The emperor would love to, but first he needs evidence. Ninth Royal Uncle claims the wolves and assassins were targeting him, and that he escaped into the forest and was rescued by Reid Yale from Night City. The emperor has already sent people to Night City to investigate. It all depends on what Reid says." General Warren Yu rubbed his tired eyes.
He hadn't slept all night, worrying himself sick, but now that it had come to this, he realized there was nothing he could do.
"Serena Feng, you were with Ninth Royal Uncle last night. Tell me, what exactly happened?" Everyone had ignored Serena Feng's involvement; Ninth Royal Uncle hadn't mentioned her, and the emperor and the Hsieh clan pretended not to know.
"Does it really matter what I say? What matters is how the emperor decides to spin it." Serena Feng knew full well—the emperor didn't care about the truth. He never had.
"Exactly. What matters is the emperor's narrative. With such a golden opportunity, neither the emperor nor the noble families will let it slip away." No one expected things to blow up so fast.
The Hundred-Herb Garden Poetry Salon, Prince Adrian's hunt—General Warren Yu refused to believe it was all just coincidence.
Targeting Ninth Royal Uncle benefited everyone. This was the emperor and the great clans joining forces for the first time—the clans pushed Ninth Royal Uncle forward, driving the crisis, helping the emperor bring him down, and grabbing enough profit for themselves.
The emperor was using this chance to openly investigate Ninth Royal Uncle, cut down his prestige, keep him from gaining ground at court or building alliances with the noble families. If things went badly, he could even be charged with treason.
Serena Feng nodded. "General Warren Yu, can you send someone to reach Reid Yale ahead of time? His testimony is crucial—there can't be any mistakes. Also, is there any way you can arrange for me to see Ninth Royal Uncle? If we can't see him, all we can do is worry from the outside."
"I've already sent people to find Reid Yale, but as for visiting Ninth Royal Uncle, I'm afraid I can't manage that." General Warren Yu gave a bitter, helpless smile—the emperor didn't trust him at all now.
A courtier who has lost the emperor's trust can barely take a step in the capital.
Thinking about his situation in the capital, General Warren Yu missed life at the frontier even more. It was tough, but at least he was free. Here in the capital, he was like a bird with clipped wings.
"If we can't see Ninth Royal Uncle, we shouldn't make any rash moves. If we end up causing him more trouble instead of helping, that would be awful." Serena Feng lowered her head, lost in thought.
She suspected Ninth Royal Uncle had known all along that Prince Adrian's invitation to hunt was a trap, but he went anyway.
And what was it, exactly, that mattered so much to Ninth Royal Uncle that he'd risk his own safety just to wait for Su Wan?
Most puzzling of all, why would he entrust everything to Reid Yale? Weren't they enemies? Why would Reid help him?
Ninth Royal Uncle was like a riddle—he carried far too many secrets.
Serena Feng finally understood why he avoided people. Someone with so many secrets couldn't afford friends or family.
Because once a second person knows, a secret is no longer a secret.
Serena Feng felt a wave of gloom. Maybe she should keep her distance from Ninth Royal Uncle in the future—just one encounter and she'd already uncovered two of his secrets, and that was hardly a good thing...
General Warren Yu thought Serena Feng was simply upset about not being able to see Ninth Royal Uncle. After hesitating, he finally said, "Serena Feng, if you really want to see Ninth Royal Uncle, there's someone who can help you."