Treatment and Dominic Zhai’s Tragic Life

Early the next morning, Imperial Noble Consort Helena Hsieh and the Eighth Prince arrived at Feng Manor under Dominic Zhai's escort. The procession and guard detail stretched for miles, giving Serena Feng a headache. Between all the kneeling and bowing, she was busy until noon just to welcome them in, and by then Serena was dizzy with exhaustion.

This was hardly a medical visit—it was more like inviting two living Buddhas into her home. If she weren’t desperate for a period of quiet, Serena would never have let Imperial Noble Consort Helena Hsieh and the Eighth Prince come to Feng Manor.

Helena was overjoyed; for a palace consort, leaving the palace even once was rare. She’d lived there for decades—this was her first time stepping outside.

As for the Eighth Prince, he was so delighted by the lively scene that he waved his hands and kicked his feet, his wet little eyes full of laughter. Serena’s heart itched to scoop him up and kiss him, but—

When Serena spotted two unfamiliar palace maids at Helena’s side, she said nothing. She settled Helena in and told her to rest for the day—the surgery would be tomorrow.

After Serena left the courtyard, Dominic Zhai stopped her. He pulled her into a corner and quietly asked about his medical problem.

Serena slapped her forehead—damn, she’d remembered to write to the Valley Master but had forgotten to tell Dominic about it.

"Young Lord, I’ve examined you. The problem is definitely on your end—it’s extremely difficult for any woman to conceive your child." Saying 'extremely difficult' was being polite; in Dominic’s case, conception was basically impossible.

Dominic had braced himself, but hearing Serena say it so bluntly still stung. He asked gloomily, "Is it curable?"

A man who can’t leave an heir—what kind of man is he, really?

Serena would have liked to say yes—but...

"I'm not good at treating this kind of illness. I've already written about your case to the Master of Mystic Healer Valley. Dr. Elliot Redwater and Poison Doctor Marcus Guile are both there too. With all three of them together, there should be hope." With that lineup, if they couldn’t solve Dominic’s problem, then he really was beyond saving. Serena herself was out of options.

"Let's hope so." Dominic’s expression eased a little, but his voice was still gloomy.

Serena sighed inwardly. She honestly didn’t know how to comfort Dominic about something like this—male dignity was at stake, and she couldn’t bear to see him stay so down. So she changed the subject.

"Young Lord, aren’t you supposed to be dealing with the brawl between the Imperial Guards and the Bloodcloak Guard? How do you have time to escort Her Ladyship Noble Consort Helena?" Dominic was the Capital Garrison General—this was hardly a fitting job for him.

"Don’t even ask." The topic made Dominic even more frustrated. "Old General An’s grandson and the heir to Marquis Valorwing both died. Each family only had one male heir—now that both are gone, their lines are cut off. The two families nearly tore up the main hall demanding the Emperor give them justice.

The Bloodcloak Guard and Imperial Guard commanders were all held responsible—every one of them was demoted or dismissed, and those who took part in the fight were thrown in prison. I got dragged in too.

The safety of the capital is my responsibility. With something like this happening and people dying, I can’t dodge blame. My grandfather told me to hand over my military command and request a demotion. So... Old General An and Marquis Valorwing aren’t coming after me, but the Emperor kicked me over here to protect Imperial Noble Consort Helena Hsieh instead."

"It’s fine. Guarding that city gate was boring anyway—this is better." It had taken real effort for Dominic to win his command, so Serena knew he couldn’t be happy about giving it up. But...

If he hadn’t surrendered his command, the Emperor could easily use this as an excuse to target him. With the Emperor in a foul mood, nobody could predict what he might do next.

"Grandfather said the same thing—told me to take a break for a while. Things aren’t peaceful right now. If I get dragged into Prince Chase or Prince Rowan’s business, it’ll be even messier." Dominic spoke in a near whisper.

"Your grandfather’s advice is right." Serena nodded repeatedly, showing she understood.

They chatted a bit more, and at the end Dominic apologized to Serena about the Marquis Valorwing incident. He’d asked William Wang to bring Serena to save the heir, but the marquis had snubbed her—Dominic felt deeply embarrassed.

"Don’t worry about it. I know you meant well." Serena wasn’t angry at all. Dominic was just too honest—he genuinely cared about people, but that didn’t mean others would believe him.

"Grandfather says I always mess up good intentions. The Marquis and his wife are eating themselves alive with regret now—they keep saying they killed their own son." It was true: if Serena hadn’t gone to Valorwing Manor, the marquis might never have known his son could’ve been saved, and wouldn’t be suffering so much now.

Once, there’d been a chance to save their son, right in front of them. But they hadn’t cherished it. Now that it’s gone, all that’s left for them is lifelong regret.

"Sigh... What’s done is done—no point dwelling on it. Even if they’d let me operate, I couldn’t guarantee I’d save him. The dagger’s position made survival uncertain." Serena knew the marquis wouldn’t listen to this now, but she wasn’t a saint. She didn’t need to shoulder their burdens.

"Enough about that. If Imperial Noble Consort Helena hears us talking about the Valorwing heir’s death right before the Eighth Prince’s surgery, she’ll be upset." Dominic was still gloomy and didn’t want to bring up such heavy topics.

Serena nodded. "No more talk—go do your rounds. I’ll get ready with Simon Sun. We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow. By the way, Simon’s found a few other kids with the same cleft lip as the Eighth Prince. They’re a bit older, but still treatable. I’d like to set up a courtyard for their surgeries—can I count on you to help keep an eye on things?"

Simon Sun wasn’t just kind—he’d spent days searching for children with cleft lips, persuading their parents to let them be treated. And of course... all for free!

"No problem. Just keep the commotion down. If word reaches the Emperor, he’ll be annoyed." The Emperor’s temper had been terrible lately, and Dominic was nervous just thinking about it.

"Don’t worry—I’ve discussed it with Imperial Noble Consort Helena. She agreed and said it’s a blessing ritual for the Eighth Prince." Otherwise, Serena wouldn’t have scheduled the surgeries now.

That settled it; Dominic dropped the subject. The two parted ways. Dominic did a patrol and found Feng Manor’s security was solid—he finally relaxed a little.

If anything happened to Imperial Noble Consort Helena or the Eighth Prince here, Dominic would be ruined.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter were serving Helena directly. Most attendants behaved normally, but the two unfamiliar palace maids at Helena’s side reacted to Summer as if seeing a ghost—even if only for a second, Helena noticed.

Helena knew the Emperor had sent those two maids with her for a reason. She couldn’t refuse them, so she could only try to discreetly warn Serena to be careful. Luckily, Serena was smart—after spotting the two, she kept her distance.

Now that Helena saw what was going on, she was even more cautious. She didn’t want her presence to cause trouble for Serena. Helena quietly considered how to warn Serena without tipping her hand...