As someone who doesn't meddle in decisions, Serena naturally accepted whatever Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan and William Wang Jinling decided. Besides, neither Nolan nor William had any intention of consulting Serena—they were simply informing her of the outcome.
Nolan and William discussed a few more details, while Serena obediently listened at the side. When the time came, she would just follow their instructions.
A craniotomy is unlike any other procedure, and Victor Yun is no ordinary patient. Serena herself wasn’t a hundred percent confident, so Nolan and William’s caution was understandable. If things weren’t so complicated, Serena wouldn’t have gone to Nolan for help in the first place.
Once everything was settled and it was time for a meal, Serena invited the two men to stay for dinner. She also called Victor Yun over and told him about the arrangement for doctors to observe the surgery, adding that the Young family would have one slot.
Victor Yun wasn’t surprised that so many doctors cared about his illness. The Young family dealt in medicinal herbs, and plenty of people in the medical world knew about his condition. Any doctor with a bit of reputation had already examined him, and every single one had been helpless, sending him home to wait for death.
Now, with Serena—a young female doctor—claiming she could cure him, it would be strange if those doctors weren’t paying close attention.
Victor Yun fully agreed with Serena’s treatment plan and was fine with Nolan and William’s arrangements. He only had one concern: “Serena, I don’t mind doctors watching, but is just one slot for the Young family really enough? I brought two doctors with me.”
The two doctors Victor Yun brought were top-notch from the Young family. Officially, they were there to take care of him, but in reality, they were also interested in Serena’s surgical techniques. Now that only one of them could go in, the two were bound to fight over it.
Serena didn’t dare shift the blame onto Nolan and William, so she explained, “This is for your own good. Too many people in the room would inevitably cause some disturbance, and I don’t want any interruptions during treatment.”
“I understand—I’m not asking you to let more people in. I just hope you’ll take away one slot from the Imperial Medical Directorate. After all, it’s my surgery; isn’t it reasonable for the Young family to have one more doctor present?” Victor Yun knew better than to challenge Nolan or William’s slots, so he targeted the Imperial Medical Directorate instead, since they had two slots anyway.
How could that work? The Imperial Medical Directorate has so many physicians—even two slots feels too few for them, and now Victor Yun wants to take one too...
Serena pulled a bitter face and looked to Nolan and William for help, but the two men turned away in perfect sync, making it clear they weren’t getting involved—after all, Victor Yun hadn’t tried to take their slots.
Left with no choice, Serena pushed the problem onto the Imperial Medical Directorate, letting Victor Yun negotiate with them. She was only accepting five doctors, period.
Seeing how firm Serena was, Victor Yun had no choice but to accept her proposal. But before he could even approach the Imperial Medical Directorate, their people came knocking, repeatedly begging Serena to let more of them in—two slots were simply not enough for them.
After Serena refused, citing that too many people would be disruptive, the Imperial Medical Directorate turned to Victor Yun, hoping to convince him to give up the Young family’s slot in favor of one of their own. As for Nolan and William?
Ahem, they didn’t dare try to snatch the slots from Nolan and William.
“I think it’s not enough, and now you want our Young family to give up our slot? Are you kidding me? I’m the patient, and you won’t even let my own family’s doctor in. If you want to observe, just find a few more patients and have Serena treat them.” Victor Yun was furious—he’d wanted to target the Imperial Medical Directorate’s slots, but now they were targeting his instead.
Is the Young family so easy to bully?
The Imperial Medical Directorate’s people were frustrated too—Victor Yun’s suggestion was good, but...
“Serena’s consultation fee is way too high. We can’t afford it.” A thousand taels of gold—the imperial physicians wanted to, but simply couldn’t.
“That’s your problem, not mine.” The Young family’s eldest son was usually a perfect gentleman—warm and gracious, making everyone feel at ease. But that was before. Now, with the surgery looming, Victor Yun was anxious and tense, and with the imperial physicians chattering all around him, his usual composure was nowhere to be found.
The imperial physicians had thought Victor Yun would be easy to talk to, but they hit a wall. With no other option, they tried going to Serena. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found. After much searching, they learned she was in the small cabin, but they couldn’t get in.
“Miss is preparing for tomorrow’s treatment of Young Master Yun. She has instructed that no one is to disturb her.” That ‘no one’ included Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan.
If even Nolan wasn’t allowed in, what chance did the imperial physicians have?
“Now what?” The physicians who’d come to beg for slots looked at each other, not daring to return to the Imperial Medical Directorate.
“What else can we do? Nolan and the Walker family are involved now—we just have to accept it.” One physician slumped his shoulders, utterly defeated.
Another physician held up two fingers, face full of misery: “Only two slots. We already fought over it earlier today, and if we don’t get a spot, we’ll probably end up fighting again.”
“Do you think Nolan and the Walkers have nothing better to do, getting mixed up in this?” The physicians grumbled through clenched teeth, but since they were at Feng Manor, they didn’t dare complain too loudly—just muttered under their breath.
If Nolan and William hadn’t gotten involved, the imperial physicians would have had four slots. It still wouldn’t be enough, but it was better than just two.
“We worked so hard to convince Serena to let us observe, and in the end, it’s all for someone else’s benefit. It’s just not fair.” The imperial physicians felt all kinds of frustration and resentment.
With dark faces, the group returned to the Imperial Medical Directorate. As soon as they stepped inside, the physicians waiting for news rushed out and grabbed them, asking eagerly, “Well? Well? Did you get us any more slots? How many of us can go in tomorrow?”
“Don’t try to fight me for it—if there’s an extra slot, I get it!” An old man with a white beard rushed out, grabbing the returning physicians. “Tell me, did Serena agree to let more people in?”
“O—” The physician who’d gone to Feng Manor had just opened his mouth when someone interrupted: “One? Miss Serena only agreed to add one? Then it definitely won’t be my turn. Sigh.”
“Hahaha, it’s mine, it’s mine!” The old man with the white beard was beside himself with glee, thrilled at the thought of witnessing the treatment for the Young family’s eldest son’s brain disease tomorrow.
“How could there be only one extra slot? That means I have no chance! No way, Old White, let’s talk. Haven’t you always wanted to see my family’s medical manual? I’ll have someone send it to you tonight—just give me your spot for tomorrow.” A physician in scholar’s robes grabbed the old man’s sleeve.
“Wait, wait, let’s trade! I’ll give you that set of golden needles for your slot!” A crowd of physicians surrounded the old man, each offering their treasured possessions and even their family’s secret techniques.
“No trades, no trades—there’s nothing you could give me to make me give up this slot. I’ve treated the Young family’s eldest son before and couldn’t do a thing for him. Now that Miss Serena has a way, being able to witness it in my lifetime means I’ll die with no regrets.”
Honestly, it wasn’t so much that the imperial physicians were curious about Serena’s skills—they were more concerned about Victor Yun’s condition. After all, his illness was a notorious medical mystery that had stumped countless doctors. To witness the treatment and learn the method would be more valuable than any secret technique.
The old man with the white beard was grinning from ear to ear, while the physicians who’d gone to Feng Manor looked ready to cry. They were afraid to say it out loud, worried Old White wouldn’t be able to handle the blow.
It wasn’t that they’d gotten one slot—they hadn’t gotten a single one...