While chaos reigned outside, Serena Feng found rare peace in Feng Manor. No one came to bother her, no petty distractions, and in just ten days, she was already able to get out of bed and walk.
But to keep up the act of being ill, she still lay in bed 'growing mushrooms'—a Chinese slang for idling so long in bed you become like a mushroom—her feet rarely touching the floor.
With nothing else to do, Serena reviewed the medical ethics system in her Smart Med-Pack and discovered her medical ethics points had increased to five.
These points weren’t easy to earn. She’d saved plenty of people before, but her medical ethics barely budged. Yet after helping deliver the Grand Heir’s wife’s baby, she’d gained three points at once. Serena found this genuinely amusing.
Even a mosquito’s leg is still meat—a Chinese idiom meaning every little bit helps. These points might seem small, but every little bit adds up over time. Unless there’s a massive viral outbreak, doctors can only save people one at a time—so dreaming of racking up thousands of ethics points overnight is pretty unrealistic.
Serena didn’t know that soon, this very wish would come true—her medical ethics points would skyrocket to levels even she couldn’t believe.
For these ten days, Serena enjoyed her carefree time indoors, but the Emperor and Adrian Eastlyn’s entire circle suffered. Some hoped Ninth Royal Uncle would intervene, others waited for news of Serena’s death—but all ended up disappointed.
The Emperor stayed at Mapleview Ridge Royal Villa for three days before returning to the palace. He knew Serena’s condition—three days of fever and she’d be lucid, but also a fool. What he regretted most was wasting a chess piece like Serena, only to catch nothing, not even a small fish.
The day after the Emperor returned, Commander Leon Li personally went to the palace to request an audience. This time, the Emperor didn’t make things difficult and generously sent an imperial physician to Feng Manor.
After his diagnosis, the imperial physician looked grave, wrote out a useless prescription, and trudged back to the palace to report. He quietly hinted to the Feng Manor staff that Serena’s condition was dire—they should prepare for the worst.
Jada Tang and Mira Tang, the two maids, cried as if their world was ending. All of Feng Manor was steeped in grief, as if Serena Feng might die at any moment.
The Emperor wasn’t surprised—he’d expected this all along. Still, he put on a show, threatening the imperial physician and demanding Serena be saved. The physician left with a bitter face, and that very day, news spread through the capital that Serena Feng was dying.
As soon as the news broke, William Wang Jinling went to Feng Manor but was politely stopped by Commander Leon Li. He turned and entered the palace to request an audience with the Emperor, saying he wanted to see Serena one last time. The Emperor refused, insisting that with an imperial physician present, Serena would be fine, and told him not to believe rumors.
Not only that—the Emperor waved his hand and declared that assassins had broken into Feng Manor and Serena Feng was injured, then assigned five hundred extra guards to protect her.
Outsiders thought the Emperor was showering Serena Feng with favor, but those in the know understood: this was a warning to William Wang Jinling and his allies—not to even think about sneaking into Feng Manor. The guards, both seen and unseen, were no fewer than those in the palace. For William, a secret visit was out of the question.
Anyone with eyes could see—the Emperor was trying to push William Wang Jinling into doing something reckless. When you care too much, you lose your head; only by causing a stir could the Emperor deal with these troublemakers.
The Emperor had wanted to bring down the Wang Clan for ages, but they were always so cautious, it was nearly impossible to catch a mistake. Now that an opportunity was right in front of him, of course he wouldn’t let it slip by. Even though William wasn’t his original target, he was a welcome bonus.
The Emperor had planned to use Serena’s situation to disrupt Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan’s schemes and force him to step in for her. But when Nolan heard Serena was on the verge of death, he showed nothing but a hint of sadness—otherwise, everything stayed the same.
The Emperor was disappointed, but at the same time, his suspicions grew even stronger.
Country or beauty—a woman should always come second to the throne. If Nolan Dongling lost control over a woman, he wouldn’t be the man the Dongling family raised. The men of Dongling would never lose themselves over a woman’s charms.
Liking someone is one thing, but no man of the Dongling family would ever destroy everything he has for a woman.
Men of Dongling are not like the Lan Imperial Clan of the Former Dynasty, who lost their entire realm for a woman, who destroyed their bloodline over a single love.
The Emperor hadn’t caught the big fish—Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan—but when the little shrimp William Wang Jinling showed up, he turned his sights on him.
Unfortunately... the Emperor overestimated Nolan and underestimated William. William was anxious, but he didn’t do anything reckless or harmful to the Wang Clan’s interests, as the Emperor had hoped.
The Emperor kept waiting, but after ten days, there was neither news of Serena Feng’s death nor any mistake from William Wang Jinling.
Serena Feng really was tough. The imperial physician said she was dying, but after ten days, there was still no news of her passing.
The Emperor was furious—he replaced countless imperial physicians, and every single one diagnosed Serena Feng as half a step into the grave, only surviving thanks to ginseng, and liable to die at any moment.
But ten days passed, and Serena Feng still hadn’t died. If not for secret reports from Feng Manor spies that Serena really was in bad shape, the Emperor would have suspected all the physicians were wrong.
But alive is alive. Ten days passed, and neither Nolan nor William Wang Jinling took the bait. The Emperor was starting to feel discouraged.
"Looks like I overestimated Serena Feng’s value. Few men would ruin their family legacy for a woman, like the Lan Imperial Clan of the Former Dynasty did. William Wang Jinling is quite the character—when he turns cold, he’s as ruthless as Nolan." In private, the Emperor mocked himself.
Fortunately, this scheme wasn’t something the Emperor had meticulously planned—he’d just gone along with it. Even if he was dissatisfied, he didn’t let it show too much.
With his birthday approaching and Liam Li recovering day by day, the Emperor simply set aside the matter of Serena Feng. A useless chess piece—why waste time on her? Compared to the empire, Serena Feng was nothing.
...
"Big Brother..." Caleb Wang arrived at Lotus Courtyard and saw William Wang Jinling standing under the crabapple tree, thin and silent, gazing toward the distance—the direction of Feng Manor.
Grief clung to William Wang Jinling like a shroud. In just ten days, he’d grown so thin that his white robes hung loosely from his frame, looking almost empty.
Caleb Wang’s heart ached at the sight, but there was nothing he could do except worry. The sons of the Wang clan have no right to act on impulse—their power and reputation come from the family, so they must always put the clan first. Even the illustrious Grand Heir cannot escape the burden of family responsibility.
The sons of the Wang Clan have no right to act on their own whims. Their power and reputation are bestowed by the family, and so they must always consider the interests of the clan. Even the Grand Heir, famed across the land, cannot escape the responsibility owed to his kin.
"Jinhan is here." William Wang Jinling turned, his face still carrying a gentle smile, even his eyes filled with warmth.
Politeness and refinement are William Wang Jinling’s mask. After wearing it for so long, he can no longer take it off.
Seeing William Wang Jinling like this, Caleb Wang felt a sharp, twisting pain in his chest. Outsiders only saw the dazzling Grand Heir of the Wang Clan, but who could understand the bitterness in his brother’s heart?
"Cough, cough, I’m fine." In this, William Wang Jinling was just like Serena Feng—both could lie with a straight face. He was coughing so hard he could barely breathe, yet still insisted he was fine.
Caleb didn’t call him out on it, just stepped forward to help William back inside. "Big Brother, don’t worry. Serena Feng isn’t ordinary—she won’t die. The imperial physicians are just fearmongering, and after all these days, there’s still no news of her death."
William Wang Jinling didn’t reply. He turned his face toward the palace, his deep black eyes glinting with unfathomable light...
William Wang Jinling didn’t reply. He turned his face toward the palace, his deep black eyes glinting with unfathomable light...