Lady Ning and her newborn son were both safe, but Serena Feng wasn't nearly so lucky. Already injured, and exhausted after a day of work, she was close to collapse.
All Serena wanted now was to collapse onto her bed and sleep for days.
But she was still a criminal in the eyes of the law. Even though everyone at Duke Ning's estate begged her to stay, Serena didn't dare linger. As dawn broke, she dragged her weary body onto her horse and rode back to Feng Manor.
The commander of the Imperial Guards stayed close by her side. Watching Serena sway dangerously in the saddle, looking ready to fall at any moment, his heart leapt in his chest. He guarded her carefully, ready to catch her if she toppled.
Yet Serena made it all the way to Feng Manor without falling off her horse. The commander couldn't help but admire her riding skills, secretly itching to use this month as an excuse to learn horsemanship from her.
After all, it was Serena's superb riding that had won honor for the nation at the Beast Arena. The Emperor, delighted, had posthumously honored her parents. Learning from Serena wouldn't be shameful at all.
Serena couldn't understand what was wrong with her. She'd worked through injuries before, but never like this. If not for sheer willpower, she would've collapsed long ago.
When someone beside her said they'd arrived at Feng Manor, the last thread of tension inside her snapped. Instinctively, she pulled the reins and pitched forward.
"Miss Feng, careful!" The commander of the Imperial Guards was startled and tried to reach out, only to realize he was still on horseback. He quickly leapt down.
Serena braced herself on the saddle and sat up again. "I'm fine," she said.
"Fine? Not a chance."
It was dawn, but the sky was still pitch black. The commander couldn't see Serena clearly; if he shone a torch on her, he'd see she looked like a boiled shrimp—her exposed skin was burning hot.
Serena tapped her own head. Her brain felt like it wasn't hers—aching, heavy, and lost. She reached up and touched her forehead. "I'm running a fever," she murmured.
Serena gave a bitter smile.
Just her luck—trouble always comes at once. The Emperor had her under house arrest, forbidding visitors. If she wanted a doctor, she'd have to get imperial approval first. By the time all that happened, she'd probably be delirious.
Go home and remember to take fever medicine. Serena silently reminded herself.
"Miss Feng, time to dismount." The commander urged her when she didn't move for a long time.
"Alright." Serena replied weakly, dragging her heavy legs, trying to slide off the horse, but...
Thud—Serena toppled straight off the horse, her foot still caught in the stirrup.
The commander was so startled that he forgot all about propriety. He rushed forward and caught Serena in his arms; she didn't even have the strength to resist.
"She's burning up!" The commander panicked, scooping Serena up and rushing into Feng Manor.
"Quick, report to the palace—tell His Majesty that Miss Feng is ill!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Fetch Miss Feng's maids. Let them attend to her." The commander issued several orders in succession, and the soldiers carried them out without delay.
Ninth Royal Uncle didn't hear the news until daylight.
Faced with Serena's reckless and meddling ways, he was at a loss for words. With a wave, he dismissed his attendants and sat alone in his study, lost in thought.
But no matter how efficiently his people acted, it was no use. At this hour, no one could get an audience with the Emperor, and even if they did, he might not allow a physician in.
The maids could only wipe Serena down with cold water, hoping to lower her fever. But whether Serena's constitution was too weak or something else was wrong, her temperature stayed high, and she drifted in and out of delirium, mumbling, "It wasn't me, I wasn't fleeing. I didn't do anything wrong."
She muttered other things too, but the maids couldn't make them out. They worried her fever might damage her mind, so much so that they missed the strange behavior of her left hand.
If Serena woke up, she'd notice her Smart Med-Pack was flashing with audio waveforms. At the same moment, a computer in a certain military research institute in China suddenly powered on, emitting a buzzing alert.
But it was too early—no one at the research institute was awake, so nobody noticed.
Morning came and court was over, but still no doctor arrived. Two impatient maids found the commander: "Sir, what did His Majesty say? Where's the doctor? When will the doctor come?"
"The men sent to the palace haven't come back yet." The commander was anxious too—Serena was valued by both Ninth Royal Uncle and the Wang clan's Grand Heir, and he feared something might happen to her.
"What's going on? Court's already finished." The tone implied the commander wasn't doing his job.
The Wang clan's maids were even more pampered than the young ladies themselves, and their attitude carried real weight. Hearing this accusation, the commander looked displeased, flicked his sleeve, and turned away.
He really was stuck in a thankless position. Fine, he wasn't going to argue with a servant.
The maid's face went pale and she dropped to her knees before the commander. "Sir, I was just worried about my mistress and spoke out of turn. Please don't take offense or hold it against me."
For the next month, they'd all be under this man's watch—they couldn't afford to offend him.
"Get up." The commander didn't make things difficult for her. "It's not that I don't want to help, but my hands are tied. Without an imperial decree, I can't act on my own. Here's what I'll do—I'll send another man to the palace to ask."
From morning till afternoon, every man the commander sent to the palace disappeared like dumplings thrown to a dog—gone for good.
"Did something happen?" The commander worried his men had been ambushed on the way. By sunset, he couldn't sit still any longer—he gave instructions and rushed to the palace himself.
At the palace, he found out his men really had been intercepted—not killed, just thrown into jail for 'offending a noble.'
One or two people offending a noble might make sense—there were plenty of nobles in the palace. But four or five? That was way too convenient.
The commander realized someone was warning him not to get too involved in Serena Feng's affairs.
He was beyond frustrated. This was a case of 'when gods fight, it's the little guys who suffer.' Who did he offend? But now that he was in the palace, he couldn't just leave—he'd end up pleasing no one. Facing the eunuch's smirking face, the commander forced a smile. "Sir, I have urgent business and must see His Majesty."
"Lord Li, what bad luck. His Majesty left this morning with the Noble Consort, the Virtuous Consort, the Kind Consort, and the Pure Consort, along with Miss Su Wan and Princess Yaohua, to admire the autumn leaves at Mount Li." The eunuch replied with a sly look.
This Commander Li really had no sense—fawning over an orphaned girl and offending the Empress and Prince Luo. Did he want to ruin his career?
"When will His Majesty return?" Commander Li was stunned.
How could it be such a coincidence? What was the Emperor up to?
"Your Majesty, just what are you planning?" Ninth Royal Uncle tapped the desk, trying to calm his worries...