This is what you call hitting it off instantly—Serena, Dr. Marcus Guile, and Dr. Redwater made up their minds to found a Medical Academy together in less than a quarter of an hour.
Dr. Guile and Dr. Redwater were refreshingly straightforward; aside from the site selection and organizational details, they took charge of everything else.
They would invite renowned physicians to lecture and handle compiling the teaching materials themselves—though they insisted Simon join them in these tasks.
So long as they didn’t bother her, Serena was easy to negotiate with. She promptly ‘sold off’ Simon for the project, and the three agreed to begin after the Crown Prince’s surgery was finished.
Serena did a quick calculation—by the time she returned from Shandong, the textbooks probably wouldn’t be ready yet. They could regroup and move forward then.
With just a few words, everything was settled. Like Prince Nolan, neither doctor cared whether the Academy would turn a profit—they only wanted to raise medical standards and prevent needless deaths from minor illnesses.
Still, Serena was nothing if not fair. She refused Prince Nolan’s investment, took on all the risk herself, and offered generous salaries to Dr. Redwater, Dr. Guile, and every physician they recruited.
Any famous physician willing to stay long-term would get, free of charge, a courtyard large enough for ten people, servants included, plus a salary of five hundred taels a year.
“Isn’t that a bit much? Can you really afford it? This isn’t a short-term thing,” Dr. Guile and Dr. Redwater exclaimed, startled by Serena’s offer.
They had no idea being a doctor could be so profitable. A reputable physician might make a hundred taels a year at best; as for doctors of their caliber, there were only a handful across the entire Nine Provinces Realm, and reaching that level was anything but easy.
“Relax, I can afford it. High pay is a must—we need to show the world that being a doctor is no worse than being an official. Besides, if we want people to teach their best skills, we have to offer them real incentives.
Only good pay and a stable, comfortable life can attract truly capable doctors to teach, and draw more students to study medicine. I want every medical student to be literate—if you can’t read at all, you’re not getting in.”
Doctors only keep their secrets because they fear losing their livelihood, or that their descendants won’t have a future. If I guarantee them and their families a secure life, why would they keep anything back?
“That actually makes sense.” Dr. Guile and Dr. Redwater couldn’t argue—these days, most doctors chase silver just to get by. If they weren’t financially secure, they wouldn’t have time to write medical texts either.
“It’s settled, then. You can work out the details, and don’t worry about the money—just focus on finding good doctors.” Serena wrapped up the Medical Academy discussion quickly.
Founding an academy isn’t a short-term project. For now, the Crown Prince’s condition took priority: “I’ve already examined him. The surgery is tomorrow. You both need to sleep well tonight and be sharp, or you’ll be useless in the operating room. We’ll be busy all day.”
A surgery lasting over ten hours—Serena was honestly worried these two wouldn’t last. Anyone not used to standing that long simply couldn’t handle it.
“Don’t worry, we’re ready. We’ve been following Simon around and training for days. We promise we’ll help, not get in your way—just leave it to us.” Dr. Redwater’s eyes sparkled so brightly that Serena had to block them with her hand, sighing inwardly.
Honestly, was she dealing with another Master of the Mystic Healer Valley? Did every medical oddball have a masochistic streak at heart?
No, that’s unfair—not everyone’s like that. At least Dr. Guile still had some class. Serena didn’t linger; after giving her instructions, she left. With surgery tomorrow, she had a mountain of work to do.
The next day, before dawn, Serena arrived at the Crown Prince’s temporary sickroom. She’d thought she was early—but someone had beaten her to it.
“Prince Qing? What are you doing here?” Serena was already dressed as a doctor—a white coat, hair wrapped up, looking rather intimidating from a distance.
“I wanted to see my royal brother.” Maybe for the last time.
Serena nodded, signaling Felix Dongling to enter with her. She couldn’t promise Prince Qing that the Crown Prince would survive the operation.
Inside, the Crown Prince was already dressed in patient clothes. When Serena and Felix Dongling came in, he gave a faint smile and dismissed his attendants with a wave, saying nothing.
Prince Qing stood at the door, silent. Serena waited, but when no one spoke, she opened her medicine chest. “If neither of you has anything to say, let’s get started.”
Serena took out the anesthetic and walked to the Crown Prince’s bedside, motioning for him to lie down.
She planned to use intravenous compound anesthesia, fentanyl, and hypothermia.
The Crown Prince cooperated, though his face was stiff. His eyes were fixed on the syringe in Serena’s hand, his heart pounding in his chest.
When Serena’s needle pierced his vein, the Crown Prince’s body went rigid. He grabbed Serena’s sleeve, forcing a strained smile. “Serena…” He was afraid, but couldn’t say it aloud.
“Your Highness, trust me—Serena will cure your heart,” Serena said firmly, holding the Crown Prince’s hand after the injection.
No matter how confident she really felt, Serena had to give the Crown Prince absolute faith. Only then would he have the courage to face the surgery.
“I trust you, Serena. I… leave myself in your hands.” The Crown Prince knew Serena disliked having her hand held, so he quickly let go.
Facing life and death, he was afraid, uneasy. But Serena’s words gave him peace—she’d saved so many who should have died, surely he’d be fine too.
He didn’t want to die. He really, truly didn’t want to die.
Serena, you have to cure me—I’m not ready to die…
In the operating room, Simon Sun, Dr. Guile, and Dr. Redwater were already waiting. They’d prepped everything early—ice, blood bags, the temperature steady at about 25°C. The room was almost up to sterile standards, though it could only be used once.
As soon as the Crown Prince was wheeled in, Simon Sun took over. Serena, meanwhile, went to the outer room, changed into a fresh surgical gown, then entered.
Dr. Guile and Dr. Redwater lifted the Crown Prince onto the operating table, placing small shards of ice beneath his head. Everything was ready—now all that remained was for Serena to pick up the scalpel…