Backing Her Up, Ninth Royal Uncle Watches the Show

"What? Tell Ninth Royal Uncle?"

Young Master Chen Sutton jolted, his eyes growing more and more confused. He stared blankly at Serena, unable to comprehend why she would do this.

Shouldn't Serena have been infuriated by those words, then argued with him? How did it turn into telling Ninth Royal Uncle—this, this... Young Master Chen Sutton was drenched in cold sweat. What now? Things were nothing like that person had said.

But things had reached this point; he could only try again to provoke Serena. Young Master Chen Sutton stiffened his neck and said, "Serena, what do you mean? I didn't slander you. You did those things yourself and won't admit it. Tattling? Even if you tell Ninth Royal Uncle, I won't care. Everything I said is true."

"Don't get so worked up, Young Master Chen. What do you want Serena to admit? Admit to climbing into Ninth Royal Uncle's bed?" Serena was certain Nolan had changed the plan—there was someone behind the court, and nine times out of ten, it was Ninth Royal Uncle. Since that was the case, she might as well dig another pit for Young Master Chen Sutton to fall into.

"That's exactly how it is. Are you going to deny it?" Young Master Chen Sutton was starting to panic. If even this couldn't make Serena lose her temper, what was he supposed to do next?

Serena shook her head. "No, I don't plan to deny it. You're not wrong, Young Master Chen, but your wording is off. I need to correct it."

Ah... Serena admitted it? Young Master Chen Sutton stared at her, dumbfounded.

Ah... Not only did Serena admit it, she was going to correct Young Master Chen Sutton's statement. What was she about to say?

Everyone turned in unison to look at Serena, waiting for her shocking words. But after a long moment, she still didn't speak—she just stared at the back of the courtroom, silent.

The High Court Chief Justice understood what was happening and praised Serena's cleverness on the spot. Sure enough, a sharp "crack" sounded inside the courtroom, followed by the echo of footsteps.

Everyone in the courtroom was startled and turned in unison toward the source of the sound, eager to see who was behind the court.

"N-n-Ninth Royal Uncle..." Young Master Chen Sutton and the court clerk saw who was leading the group out, and their legs gave out—they dropped to their knees with a thud.

"M-m-my lord..." It wasn't just Ninth Royal Uncle—he was joined by the Grand Protector, Grand Preceptor, Minister of Justice, and Marquis Sutton. Marquis Sutton followed behind them like a little maidservant, his face deathly pale and his steps unsteady, every detail showing just how badly he'd been frightened.

Ninth Royal Uncle was truly insidious!

Serena took in the spectacle, then glanced at Young Master Chen Sutton, who had already fainted from fright. She calmly stood her ground, waiting for Ninth Royal Uncle to take charge.

The High Court Chief Justice and the Left and Right Deputy Justices quickly rose to salute. After Ninth Royal Uncle told them to stand, they carefully remained in place, humbly inviting Ninth Royal Uncle, the Grand Protector, and the Grand Preceptor to take seats—only to be refused by Ninth Royal Uncle.

"The High Court of Justice handles trials; I do not interfere. But there are rumors outside that this case is connected to me. To ensure fairness, I have invited the Grand Protector, Grand Preceptor, and Minister of Justice to observe. I thought it was all hearsay, but it turns out there is truth to it. What I don't understand is, when did this case become linked to me? When did I ever pressure the High Court?"

With every word Ninth Royal Uncle spoke, Marquis Sutton trembled, shaking like a leaf. Serena kept a close eye on him, worried he might collapse and die from fright.

Seriously, if Marquis Sutton were to drop dead from fright in open court, even if they were in the right, they'd lose the argument. After all, Marquis Sutton was still a noble.

"Please calm yourself, Your Highness. This was a rumor fabricated by Shunning Marquis Manor and has nothing to do with you." The Minister of Justice was the Emperor's man—he'd been instructed beforehand to go along with Ninth Royal Uncle.

Either way, the Emperor would settle the score later—with interest.

"Minister Liu is absolutely right. The Sutton heir used crude language to slander the imperial clan, and Marquis Sutton failed to teach his son properly. I will submit a memorial urging His Majesty to deal with this severely." As a staunch royalist, the Grand Preceptor would never allow anyone to slander the royal house. To insult Ninth Royal Uncle was to insult the entire imperial family.

Ninth Royal Uncle didn't have to say a word—his companions had already condemned the Suttons as deserving death a thousand times over. Serena couldn't help but admire him for it.

So cunning, so cunning! It was obvious Young Master Chen Sutton was being manipulated, and most likely by someone connected to Ninth Royal Uncle. Otherwise, why would Nolan bring these three heavyweights to the trial? All three were the Emperor's most trusted generals.

Still, for Ninth Royal Uncle to put on such a show, Marquis Sutton ought to feel honored.

Serena knew she wasn't the main character here. Her job was just to stand aside like wallpaper, watch the High Court Chief Justice arrange seats for Ninth Royal Uncle and the others, and see him throw out the 'arrest' token to go seize people from Shunning Marquis Manor.

With the charge of insulting the imperial clan, the High Court could order all the masters of Shunning Marquis Manor brought in and have everyone involved thrown into prison. Even if the Suttons managed to win Simon Sun's case, it wouldn't matter.

Those words from Young Master Chen Sutton might have been fine in private, but to say them in open court, and let Ninth Royal Uncle hear them—especially when Nolan intended to punish them harshly—was a disaster.

At best, they'd be demoted; at worst, stripped of their titles. Serena was sure that since Ninth Royal Uncle had played this card, he would uproot Shunning Marquis Manor completely. After all, that household was far from clean.

While the bailiffs went to seize the accused, the High Court Chief Justice continued the trial. Young Master Chen Sutton had fainted, but that was no problem—a bucket of cold water would wake anyone up, as long as they weren’t dead.

Young Master Chen Sutton shivered and slowly came to. The bone-chilling cold left him stunned for a moment, and his eyes grew fierce—but when he saw Ninth Royal Uncle off to the side, he snapped awake. His face went from pale to purple, and forgetting the cold, he scrambled up, kowtowing desperately toward Nolan: "Ninth Royal Uncle, spare me! Spare me! I spoke without thinking, it was all nonsense—please, Ninth Royal Uncle, have mercy!"

Thud, thud, thud... Each kowtow from Young Master Chen Sutton was sincere, and soon the floor was stained with blood. Marquis Sutton, seeing this, came to his senses and also began kowtowing frantically to Ninth Royal Uncle, begging for mercy.

Ninth Royal Uncle figured if they kept this up, the two of them would probably faint again. He shot a look at the High Court Chief Justice. "I am not the law; guilt and pardon are none of my concern."

The High Court Chief Justice was startled and instinctively reached for his gavel, but remembering who was present, he forced himself to set it down. Clearing his throat, he declared, "Disrupting the court—what a disgrace! Seize them and flog them!"

It was only ten strokes, and with the black-tipped rod at that—a little pain, but nothing that would break bones.

After the beating, both Marquis Sutton and Young Master Chen Sutton quieted down. The truth was, they had no choice—pampered nobles like them had never suffered such punishment. For ordinary folk, ten strokes meant a day or two in bed, but for these two, they wouldn’t be moving for at least ten days, maybe half a month.

After a round of frantic kowtowing and a beating, Marquis Sutton and Young Master Chen Sutton were reduced to a pair of miserable lumps, sprawled on the ground in utter disgrace. Weakly, they gasped, "I confess, I confess... I'll tell you everything..."