The shock in General Warren Yu and the others' eyes was oddly satisfying to Serena Feng.
Maybe she wasn't as useless as Ninth Royal Uncle said. At least she had the skill to walk out of the Bloodcloak Guard dungeon alive and unharmed, didn't she?
Serena Feng’s lips curled up, regaining a bit of confidence. She laughed, “Stop guessing. I’m Serena Feng, no impostor. As for escaping punishment, I guess I just got lucky.”
Yes, she was lucky—lucky to know medicine, lucky to have met Ninth Royal Uncle.
Under the expectant gazes of the three men, Serena Feng gave a brief account of what happened in the Bloodcloak Guard dungeon over the past few days.
She only mentioned treating Commander Lucan Lu’s hidden illness, without specifying the details. Because of that, Lucan Lu spared her from torture.
Later, Princess Serenity wanted her punished, but Ninth Royal Uncle happened to appear. In the end, with his help, she was released without charges.
Even though Serena Feng came out completely unharmed, the twists and turns of her prison story still made the three men wipe cold sweat from their brows.
She got out safely, yes, but those five days were anything but easy for Serena Feng.
"So it was Ninth Royal Uncle who saved you. No wonder—aside from His Majesty, only Ninth Royal Uncle could pull that off in the entire Eastlyn Empire. I thought about asking him for help before, but I couldn't find him anywhere."
General Warren Yu gazed thoughtfully at Serena Feng. Clearly, her backing was no small thing.
Of course, her own strength was nothing to scoff at. Otherwise, she wouldn't have survived long enough for Ninth Royal Uncle to intervene.
"But why would Ninth Royal Uncle step in to save you? Do you have some connection with him?" General Warren Yu was baffled. If that were true, why hadn't Ninth Royal Uncle helped her when she was kneeling outside the city gates that day?
Connection? In the palace, Ninth Royal Uncle once gave her a cloak—did that count?
No, that didn't count. Ninth Royal Uncle wouldn't save her just for that.
Serena Feng shook her head. "How could I have any connection with Ninth Royal Uncle? As for why he saved me, I have no idea."
She wanted to know, too. At least then she’d know if she could trust him—if she could dare to hope.
Everything Ninth Royal Uncle did for her in the Bloodcloak Guard sparked a dangerous hope inside her—a hope she knew she shouldn’t have.
General Warren Yu and Serena Feng both fell silent, lost in thought.
Why had he done it?
"Alright, alright. The important thing is that Serena Feng is safe. Who cares why Ninth Royal Uncle saved her? Maybe it's just royal infighting—none of that concerns us. What matters is Serena Feng came out alive, and that's a miracle. No one in the Eastlyn Empire has ever left the Bloodcloak Guard unharmed." Vincent Su laughed, steering the conversation away.
Serena Feng snapped back to reality and nodded in agreement. She didn't want to discuss Ninth Royal Uncle with others—he was her own private concern.
Was she really unharmed, though?
Not exactly. Her back was still injured, but she kept quiet about it—no need to make them worry.
Besides, there was something even more urgent right now.
"By the way, what were you talking about earlier? What happened with the Wang Clan? Does it involve me?"
"Speaking of that, Serena Feng, you really are a magnet for trouble." General Warren Yu couldn’t help getting annoyed again.
The name Serena Feng was fast becoming the talk of the Eastlyn Empire—one wave of drama after another, she was the center of every conversation.
"What happened exactly?" Serena Feng asked, unable to hide her worry.
After witnessing Ninth Royal Uncle’s methods in the Bloodcloak Guard, Serena Feng had a new understanding of imperial power—it could destroy anything.
General Warren Yu glanced at Vincent Su, signaling for him to explain. As a soldier, he wasn’t good with words.
Vincent Su nodded and began, "This afternoon, rumors about you using medicine as a front to swindle money spread through the capital like wildfire.
A lot of people came forward, saying you cheated them out of money under the guise of treating their illnesses. At first, no one believed it, but when the Wang Clan loudly claimed you could cure their young master’s eyes, everyone bought into it.
In just one afternoon, hundreds stood up saying you conned them, some even claimed your medicine made their conditions worse, and a few said people died because of it. The worst accusation comes from the Hsieh Clan..."
"The Hsieh Clan? What did they do?" Serena Feng’s frown deepened with every word.
Why did this tactic feel so familiar?
But this rumor was far more lethal than any before.
Her medical skill and ethics were instantly blackened.
If...
If she disappeared from the capital, the Wang Clan would be doomed—labeled as accomplices.
Even if she showed up in the capital, if she couldn't quash these rumors, she'd never regain her footing. The label of 'fraud' was branded on her now—she might never practice medicine again.
This move—she had to admit—was ruthless.
Vincent Su said irritably, "The Hsieh patriarch claims you know nothing of medicine. He says when you treated Second Madam Hsieh, you nearly killed her. If not for Physician Yuan, who was called in at the last minute, she would've died. Physician Yuan himself says, after examining her wounds, that you're just a fraud who pretends to know medicine. The Hsieh Clan is threatening to sue you."
Serena Feng let out a weary sigh. "What about Second Madam Hsieh herself?"
Only her actual patient had the right to speak.
"No idea. Second Madam Hsieh hasn't made any statement," Vincent Su replied honestly.
"At least my patient hasn't spoken against me. That's something." Serena Feng tried to find a shred of comfort in the mess.
She understood why the world doubted her skills. Outside of a few palace-trained women, no woman was supposed to know medicine, let alone claim to be skilled.
She just hadn’t expected someone to use this prejudice to spread rumors and label her a fraud.
Fraud—a serious accusation. Especially using medicine to deceive, that was as good as being accused of murder.
Was everyone really out to destroy her completely?
"Serena Feng, forget about Second Madam Hsieh. You need to leave the capital—there’s no place for you here. I’ll arrange for you to go to the frontier, where my brothers can protect you. You’ll be safe there." General Warren Yu looked at her, deeply worried.
Hearing these rumors, it wasn’t just Serena Feng who was furious—the others were, too.
"Leave? No, I can’t go. If I run, the Wang Clan will suffer. Jinling trusted me this far—I can’t let him down."
"But..." General Warren Yu and Vincent Su exchanged troubled glances.
"You don’t believe in me?"
No wonder the rumors spread so fast and convinced so many—
Even those closest to her didn’t believe.
She’d really failed as a person.
General Warren Yu and Vincent Su rushed to explain, "No, no, no—we do trust you. It’s just... Wang Jinling’s eyes aren’t an ordinary problem."
Even the greatest healers in the empire are helpless. Three days ago, the master of Mystic Healer Valley personally examined Wang Jinling’s eyes and told him to give up hope—his sight will never return.
Of course, only the Wang Clan and this small circle knew the truth. If word got out, it would ruin Serena Feng even more.
It wasn’t that they doubted Serena Feng—it was just... they were afraid she’d fail this time.
If she failed, there’d be no coming back for Serena Feng...