Protection and a Favor Worth Three Gains

"What? Jinling, what did you just say?" The Crown Prince, like everyone present, was captivated by Serena Feng's every move.

Watching the girl bathed in sunlight, the Crown Prince couldn't help but wonder—if Ziluo saw this scene, would he regret it? Would he regret it so much his guts turned green?

For a shallow foreign princess like Princess Yara, Adrian Dongling gave up a treasure already in his grasp. The Crown Prince imagined Adrian regretting this for a lifetime, and was lost in this mental image until William Wang Jinling spoke and snapped him back to reality.

William Wang Jinling was startled, realizing he had spoken out of turn. He quickly composed himself, smiled gently, and pointed at Serena Feng: "Your Highness, I finally understand why Serena insisted on staying behind.

Look—only she could calm the crowd in the shortest time, restore order, and turn the most unfavorable situation into an advantage.

Your Highness, a woman like Serena is truly extraordinary. We must protect her well and never let her be framed again, never let someone like her die to the jealousy of ignorant women."

After today's events, the Emperor will certainly question everyone involved. Both the Crown Prince and I won't escape scrutiny, and because of Serena Feng's outstanding performance, she will also catch the Emperor's attention.

The Emperor will definitely press us about the explosion. If someone can produce that explosive device, even better.

Serena Feng didn't say much, but from her few words, William Wang Jinling understood that she not only recognized what caused today's explosion, she might even know how to make it.

This absolutely cannot be let slip to the Emperor. If he finds out Serena Feng knows these things, she'll become his tool and lose all freedom.

And once Serena Feng actually makes this explosive, that's the day she'll die—unless she can keep producing explosives or even deadlier weapons forever.

William Wang Jinling hopes the Crown Prince will step forward to protect Serena Feng. Maybe the Crown Prince didn't have the power before, but after today, his position has become much more important. The Emperor will never dismiss his words as lightly as before.

Of course, since the Crown Prince is doing him this favor today, the Wang clan won't shortchange him. At the very least, even if the Wang clan doesn't support the Crown Prince, they won't support Adrian Dongling either.

William Wang Jinling's intentions were clear, and the Crown Prince understood perfectly. He was happy to earn a favor from the Grand Heir—there are very few people in this world who can make the Grand Heir owe them. With such a good opportunity, the Crown Prince wouldn't let it slip by. He might even earn a favor from Ninth Royal Uncle. With one move, he could gain so much—why hesitate?

"With the Grand Heir guarding her, who in all Nine Provinces would dare bully Serena Feng?" The Crown Prince joked, secretly envious.

There are only a handful of people in the world who can claim the Grand Heir's protection, and Serena Feng is one of them.

There are even fewer who have earned the praise of Ninth Royal Uncle—half a handful at most. Yet Serena Feng is one of them too. She really is blessed.

Yu Wen Yuanhua left, but now she has Dominic Zhai at her side. Su Wan and Princess Yara appeared, but they drew out the protection of both Ninth Royal Uncle and the Grand Heir.

People say Serena Feng has suffered injustice, but the Crown Prince thinks she's actually benefited from disaster. Without this string of ordeals, how could she have won the regard of William Wang Jinling, or even Ninth Royal Uncle?

With Serena Feng directing, William Wang Jinling and the Crown Prince vouching for her, and no more explosions sounding, the anxious citizens finally calmed down. The whole relief effort ran smoothly: the severely injured were treated immediately, and even those with light wounds didn't waste the doctors' time...

Serena Feng worked earnestly and with meticulous care. In moments like these, she was undeniably beautiful—so beautiful that people forgot her looks and focused only on her every action.

Her words and actions carried no trace of girlish coyness—she was crisp, decisive, sharper than most men. Clearly a delicate woman, yet standing there she had the bearing of a commander leading thousands; every gesture radiated military discipline and iron will. The burly men around her obeyed her orders without complaint, each taking up their assigned task.

"Serena Feng, oh Serena Feng, you've stolen the spotlight today. But do you know what lies behind such glory? With your outstanding performance in this incident, do you really think the Emperor will let you go?

No one else knows what caused the explosion, but you rushed out. Even if you didn't shout it aloud, your actions made it clear you knew something. You're such a clue—even I wouldn't let you go. Your wounds have barely healed and you're already restless. You're a woman who truly leaves people at a loss."

Lance Quinn murmured in the shadows. Seeing the situation under control and no more danger, he gave Serena Feng a deep look, then turned and melted into the crowd.

He needed to find out who was behind the bombing, and if Lance Quinn was right, Serena Feng utterly hated whoever made those explosives.

Even for Serena Feng's sake, Lance Quinn wouldn't let that person live...

Just as when he arrived, no one noticed Lance Quinn slipping away. Even though Serena Feng vaguely sensed someone watching her, there were too many people around for her to pay attention.

The chaos at the city gate was handled quickly. Though some died in the initial stampede, the later crowd control was effective and the evacuation fast—there was no threat to the capital's safety.

Serena Feng, along with the imperial physicians and guards, settled all the wounded by nightfall. Exhausted and hungry, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

Honestly, the life of dodging bullets and racing death suited her better. She truly didn't understand the endless scheming of the imperial capital—she had the skills, but was always outmaneuvered and cornered.

"Master, have some water and food. Please rest for a bit." Simon Sun hurried over as soon as Serena Feng stopped moving, offering steamed buns and hot water.

Today, Simon Sun truly witnessed his master's skill. Saving lives takes more than medical technique—it demands speed and sharp eyes.

He saw Serena Feng care for several patients at once, never flustered, diagnosing with astonishing speed and almost no mistakes. She could even state past illnesses without lengthy questioning.

That's not something you can master overnight—it takes seeing countless patients to hone such 'fire-eyed' skill. But Simon Sun couldn't figure out how his young master, at her age, could have seen so many cases to practice on...

Even his own father couldn't diagnose a case in half a cup of tea's time, but his master had no trouble at all.

If Simon Sun knew that Serena Feng's diagnostic speed was all thanks to her Smart Med-Pack, he probably wouldn't worship her so much.

Traditional medicine needs time and experience for diagnosis, but Western medicine just uses cold machines to test where you have a problem and where you don't.

Serena Feng didn't realize that her casual display today made Simon Sun resolve to work harder, see more patients, and build experience—so that one day, he could diagnose with a glance just like her.

And in the future, Simon Sun really did it. His diagnostic speed and accuracy eventually matched Serena Feng's Smart Med-Pack. Of course, that's another story, and it wasn't something Serena could teach him—it was all Simon Sun's own hard-earned experience.

So, Serena Feng said Simon Sun had the makings of a grand master, while she herself could only ever be an ordinary doctor—at best, just a slightly more skilled one...