Serves Her Right, I Have People Above Me Now

"The imperial edict reads..."

The eunuch's piercing voice shattered the deadlock at Feng Manor.

Prince Adrian and Lyndaria's Prince Terrence were both stunned. Serena Feng and Simon Sun froze as well—why would an imperial edict arrive at Feng Manor at this moment?

Simon Sun's face was full of worry, a flicker of unease in his eyes.

Could it be the Emperor commanding Serena Feng to treat Princess Yara? If so, then this is truly...

Just thinking about it made Simon Sun feel miserable. Even if imperial power is supreme, the royal family should show some consideration. No matter how urgent, you can't force someone to act on the day their parents are being buried.

It's not like all the Eastlyn doctors are dead—why must Serena Feng be the one to act? Prince Terrence of Lyndaria is clearly just stirring up trouble.

Serena Feng thought of this too, but what does it matter? If the Emperor issues an edict, even if she doesn't want to go, she has no choice—imperial orders can't be defied!

Serena Feng clenched her fists, the tendons and veins standing out visibly—showing just how angry she was.

"Master..." Simon Sun called out anxiously.

"Go accept the decree." Serena Feng took a deep breath, gesturing for Simon Sun to stay silent; everything would be decided after they heard the edict's contents.

When soldiers come, you fight them; when floods rise, you block them with earth. She would never give up until the very last moment.

The edict had come so suddenly that Serena Feng couldn't bathe, change clothes, or burn incense as tradition required. She could only kneel hastily on the ground. The eunuch who read the decree looked proud, and when he saw Prince Nolan and Prince Terrence, he merely nodded—without even a smile.

A flicker of unease crossed Prince Terrence's face. These eunuchs were all shrewd; you could tell the Emperor's intentions and attitude toward people just by watching their behavior. Judging by this, the edict likely wouldn't favor him.

And sure enough, Prince Terrence's guess was right. The eunuch calmly recited a string of convoluted words, and the longer he spoke, the uglier the faces of Prince Adrian and Prince Terrence became.

Simply put, the Emperor's decree wasn't to order Serena Feng to save Princess Yara, but to comfort Serena. First, the Emperor praised Serena's disaster-relief clinics, affirmed Madame Feng's merit in saving the Empress, expressed sorrow over the deaths of Serena's parents, and was glad their remains had finally been found so they could be laid to rest. Then, he instructed Serena to rest and recover from her grief, and bestowed a pair of gifts to console her.

If only it ended there. After announcing the decree, the eunuch added that the Emperor had an oral message for Prince Adrian and Serena Feng—words the eunuch would pass on for the Emperor.

Prince Adrian hurried forward and knelt, ready to hear the Emperor's admonition.

The Emperor's oral message was straightforward: first, he rebuked Prince Adrian for ignoring proper etiquette by meeting his fiancée before marriage and ruining Princess Yara's reputation. Then, he scolded Prince Adrian for disregarding human decency by harassing Serena Feng during her period of deep mourning.

Still, the Emperor expressed understanding—Prince Adrian caring about his fiancée was good, but he needed to show restraint, not go too far, and not let himself be swayed by beauty or manipulated by a woman.

Finally, the Emperor said that Eastlyn has many skilled doctors—not just Serena Feng. He had already dispatched a renowned gynecological specialist to save Princess Yara, and told Prince Adrian not to worry. If there was nothing else, Prince Adrian was to return to his manor immediately and not go out without imperial permission.

If the decree had shocked Serena Feng, then the Emperor's oral message left her utterly stunned.

Since when did the Emperor ever take her side?

Was the Emperor actually standing up for her?

The eunuch entered, and as he passed Prince Nolan and Prince Terrence, he stopped, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Crown Prince Terrence, Prince Adrian. The Emperor has one more message for you: If I happen to see you at Feng Manor, I am to tell you—don't keep coming here. Feng Manor has only Miss Feng as its lady; it's not convenient to host two princes."

Who was Prince Chase? The Emperor's most beloved nephew—the Emperor treated him better than his own sons. What Princess Yara did today was clearly using Prince Chase as a pawn. Prince Chase might not see it, but the Emperor certainly did. Still, since Princess Yara was someone else's daughter, the Emperor couldn't scold her directly; he could only berate his own nephew for being disappointing and letting a woman toy with him.

Once Prince Adrian and Crown Prince Terrence left, the eunuch began explaining the heroes behind this incident. As a shrewd operator, he would never accept rewards from only one party.

Hahaha... For the first time, Serena Feng sincerely thanked the Emperor—thanked him for finally showing some wisdom. Even if she knew someone must have orchestrated this behind the scenes, she was still grateful to His Majesty for issuing the decree.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live! Long, long live!" Serena Feng and Simon Sun shouted together. Master and apprentice instantly swept away the frustration of being pressured, exchanged smiles, and saw tears glimmering in each other's eyes.

The consorts' words only made the Emperor take notice, but it was Felix Fuller's advice that truly moved him—thus came the decree and the reprimand of Prince Adrian.

"Miss Feng, Young Doctor Sun, please get up—the ground is cold." After announcing the decree, the eunuch's tense face relaxed, and he smiled at Serena Feng with fawning flattery. It was obvious from the edict that Serena Feng had caught the Emperor's eye.

"Thank you, Eunuch." Serena Feng rose with the edict in both hands, set it down properly, and then invited the eunuch to sit: "It's freezing today—please have a cup of hot tea before you go."

The subtext was that a generous gift awaited him. The eunuch understood at once and replied, "I rushed here at full speed, worried Miss Feng might be wronged. All this effort—just let me rest a bit."

"You've worked hard, Eunuch. Please, have a seat." Serena Feng didn't force a smile, but her tone was gentle. The eunuch didn't mind—after all, her parents were being buried today. Expecting her to smile would be unreasonable.

The eunuch entered, and as he passed Prince Nolan and Prince Terrence, he stopped, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Crown Prince Terrence, Prince Chase. The Emperor has one more message for you: If I happen to see you at Feng Manor, I am to tell you—don't keep coming here. Feng Manor has only Miss Feng as its lady; it's not convenient to host two princes."

At those words, Prince Terrence and Serena Feng were stunned again. The Emperor was protecting her to an extreme—since when had he ever treated Serena Feng so well?

This chapter isn't over yet ^.^ Please click next page to continue reading!

Strange things happen every year, but this year there are especially many.

Serena Feng felt uneasy, constantly wondering what had changed to make the Emperor see her differently. It was unsettling—truly unsettling...

She'd spent so long trying to win the Emperor's favor, but he never paid her any mind. Now that she'd switched to clinging tightly to Ninth Royal Uncle, suddenly the Emperor was showing her kindness.

Soon enough, Serena Feng found out...

Once Prince Chase and Crown Prince Terrence left, the eunuch began explaining the heroes behind this incident. As a shrewd operator, he would never accept rewards from only one party.

After receiving a generous reward from Serena Feng, the eunuch didn't hold back and revealed the whole story: "Miss Feng, you really should thank Young Master Felix Fuller, the Imperial Noble Consort, Lady Wen, and the other palace masters. If it weren't for them, even if you'd been gravely wronged today, you'd have had nowhere to turn."

It was true—though Serena Feng hadn't suffered any real harm, the actions of Crown Prince Terrence and Princess Yara had rubbed salt in her wounds, treating her as less than human.

"Eunuch, what do you mean? Why would so many nobles be concerned about me?" Serena Feng was confused. She could understand Felix Fuller and the Imperial Noble Consort—Felix was probably compensating her, and the Imperial Noble Consort likely wanted to use her. But Lady Wen and the other palace masters were a mystery; she didn't seem to know them at all.

"Oh ho ho ho..." The eunuch let out a coarse laugh, sounding like a duck with its neck caught—so grating that Serena Feng's eardrums hurt, but she had to endure it.

Fortunately, the eunuch didn't torment Serena's ears for long. He quickly explained: Lady Wen was pregnant, and the other palace ladies had spent their free time praising Serena Feng to the Emperor.

You know how it is—pillow talk and all...

If only one person praised Serena Feng, the Emperor wouldn't have believed it. But when many did—and they were all beautiful women—the Emperor couldn't help but be swayed. Today's incident with Princess Yara was exposed by Lady Wen. Then, Imperial Noble Consort Xie, who was resting in Zhaoyan Palace, heard about it, dressed up and left the palace to plead with the Emperor for justice for Serena Feng. The other ladies also used their own methods, openly or discreetly, to speak up so the Emperor wouldn't let the child of a loyal minister be left out in the cold.

The consorts' words only made the Emperor take notice, but it was Felix Fuller's advice that truly moved him—thus came the decree and the reprimand of Prince Chase.

In short, this was the result of everyone working together. The consorts who usually scheme against each other had, for once, cooperated seamlessly—joining forces to make sure their pillow talk swayed the Emperor.

Uh...

The reason was so unexpected that Serena Feng was left speechless for a long time. But she understood—the consorts didn't truly think well of her. Lady Wen's pregnancy had stirred them up; they must have learned about the fertility medicine and used the opportunity to curry favor so she'd remember their kindness for later...

Once the mourning cloths were taken down from Feng Manor, the consorts' families would surely come knocking at her door.

Serena Feng never imagined that her ovulation medicine could have this effect. It was truly a lucky accident.

The eunuch assumed Serena Feng was simply overjoyed. When she finally came to her senses, he kindly reminded her, "Miss Feng, do you have anything you'd like to send into the palace to thank the Imperial Noble Consort and Lady Wen? If so, I can deliver it for you."

This made it clear—the eunuch had received plenty of favors from the Imperial Noble Consort and Lady Wen, or he wouldn't have emphasized their contributions and offered to deliver Serena's gifts to them.

Gifts? What could she possibly give to such exalted ladies?

But since they'd asked, she couldn't refuse. In fact, she hoped they'd keep praising her to the Emperor—more incidents like today would be most welcome. With the Emperor's support, nothing could be better.

Serena Feng quickly got up: "I do have something to send to the two consorts. Eunuch, please wait a moment—I'll be right back."

Serena Feng signaled Simon Sun to help entertain the eunuch, then went to her room to prepare gifts for the two consorts. Now she truly had powerful allies; for the sake of her future peace, she needed to keep these influential figures happy...