The three High Court of Justice officials looked grim. They were not dazzled by Serena Feng’s words—they knew perfectly well what kind of pressure she had just placed on them.
The Director of Bloodcloak Criminal Affairs took a long moment to grasp Serena’s meaning. When he did, his face darkened further, his eyes bulged, corpse-like and terrifying enough to scare children on the street.
Shaking with fury, the Director tried several times to point at Serena and curse her out, but every time he raised his hand, he met her killing gaze.
Under the glare of Serena’s murderous eyes, his hand refused to rise. Trembling, he stammered, “Serena Feng, you, you…”
The Director was skilled at torture but hopeless with words. He’d barely started to speak when Serena cut him off bluntly: “What do you mean, ‘you, you’? Director, do you think I’m like your Bloodcloak Guard, making wild accusations? No—I, Serena Feng, don’t do things like that. I don’t speak carelessly. I only say what I’ve seen with my own eyes.”
Not only have I been inside the Bloodcloak Guard’s dungeon—my mother has too. I’ve seen plenty of your dirty tricks. If I started talking, I could go on for three days and nights without running out.
You Bloodcloak Guards are just loafers in fancy uniforms. All day long you don’t think about catching real criminals or rooting out corrupt officials—you just grab random decent people, bullying powerless civilians. Then you torture them without a second thought. Even a tofu seller whose family has run a stall in Eastlyn for three generations, you’d interrogate and frame for treason and colluding with the enemy.”
Serena spoke every word without mercy, exposing the Bloodcloak Guard’s darkest side. She showed zero fear, offending the Bloodcloak Guard outright.
“Well said! Well said! Miss Feng is absolutely right—the Bloodcloak Guard only bullies us ordinary folk! They were supposed to oversee the officials, but instead they ignore them and arrest commoners.” From the gallery, a short man in blue suddenly shouted in support, loudly cursing the Bloodcloak Guard.
Once someone led the way, the watching citizens grew bolder, shouting and cheering for Serena. It was clear how much the Bloodcloak Guard was hated by the people.
The mood in the hall shifted instantly. The spectators began shouting, taking turns pointing at the Director and cursing him so fiercely that he was left completely at a loss.
Adrian Dongling and Second Prince Evan hid in a corner, quietly marveling at Serena’s flawless strategy. Not only had she planted someone to stir up the crowd—she’d even arranged backup supporters.
With someone leading the uproar, the whole crowd sided with Serena. As long as she produced an alibi, even if the Bloodcloak Guard presented ironclad evidence that she’d stormed the dungeon last night, no one would believe it, because…
The Bloodcloak Guard is infamous for fabricating evidence and framing the innocent. No matter what proof they produced, Serena would insist it was fake. So even if they had witnesses and evidence, they’d be powerless against her.
So deep, so cunning.
If Adrian didn’t know that Ninth Royal Uncle was in the palace last night, he’d have suspected that both of these humiliations for the Bloodcloak Guard were orchestrated by Ninth Royal Uncle himself.
Adrian could hardly believe that a woman like Serena had such skill and nerve—step by step, she dragged the Bloodcloak Guard down and ruined their reputation.
Now, unless the Bloodcloak Guard found Simon Sun in Feng Manor, they really couldn’t do anything to Serena. If she kept pressing, she might even force them to hand Simon over.
As for Simon Sun?
Adrian thought, the Bloodcloak Guard must already be searching for him. Whether they could actually find him, though—that was another matter entirely.
Judging by Serena’s calm, Adrian didn’t even need to guess—he was sure she’d hidden Simon Sun away. If the Bloodcloak Guard wanted to find him, they’d have to work for it.
The courtroom was in chaos, people shouting back and forth as if they were arguing in the street. The High Court Chief Justice’s face grew darker and darker. In all his years of judging cases, this was the first time he’d lost control of the proceedings.
As the High Court Chief Justice, he was supposed to lead—but instead, both plaintiff and defendant were dragging him along. That alone proved his incompetence; if the Emperor heard about this, he’d lose his post for sure.
“Silence! Silence!” The Chief Justice grabbed his judge’s block and slammed it down twice. The sharp cracks cut through the shouting, and the entire hall fell silent.
Everyone inside and outside the courtroom turned to stare at the Deputy Justice, wondering what he was about to do.
This time, though, the Chief Justice felt no superiority at all. He kept his face stern, put on his official airs, and skipped right past the Bloodcloak Guard and Serena’s quarrel to resume the trial.
“Serena Feng, where were you last night during the hour of Xu?” (Xu: 7 to 9 p.m.)
Seeing his stance, it was clear the judge was trying to take back control. Serena had no intention of causing trouble this time—she answered obediently: “Your Excellency, where I was last night ought to be my private affair. But since the Bloodcloak Guard had an incident and pinned it on me, I have no choice but to answer.”
If it’s not framing, it’s scapegoating—now it’s straight-up blaming the whole family. The Director wanted to swear on his life that for once, the Bloodcloak Guard really hadn’t wronged Serena, but after so many misdeeds, nobody believed them anymore.
The Director wanted to protest that Serena was lying, but before he could move, he caught the Chief Justice’s warning glare. He knew the judge was furious, so he didn’t dare interrupt—he shut his mouth and waited for Serena’s answer.
Where was Serena last night?
Adrian Dongling and Second Prince Evan wanted to know too—or rather, they wanted to see what kind of proof Serena would use to show she wasn’t at the Bloodcloak Guard’s dungeon during the prison break.
They’d imagined a hundred possible alibis, but none of them guessed Serena would use that scandalous excuse.
Serena said, “Last night, I was with Ninth Royal Uncle.”
She said it openly, without a trace of shame or embarrassment—as if spending the whole night with Ninth Royal Uncle was perfectly aboveboard.
“With Ninth Royal Uncle?” The Chief Justice’s heart skipped a beat. The Director and Shunning Marquis Manor’s legal adviser also shuddered. How had Serena dragged Ninth Royal Uncle into this?
It wasn’t enough to wave Ninth Royal Uncle’s command token around—now she was pulling him directly into the case. Serena was going too far.
“Yes, I was with Ninth Royal Uncle last night. Later, he had palace business and left early. I was tired and didn’t want to go home, so I stayed at Ninth Prince Manor. I spent the whole night there—didn’t return to Feng Manor or go out at all.”
Serena deliberately phrased it ambiguously. Seeing everyone’s shock, she smiled and continued, “Your Excellency, the officers went to Feng Manor at dawn and couldn’t find me because I was still at Ninth Prince Manor and hadn’t gone home yet.
I was so exhausted last night that I overslept this morning and made you all wait—my apologies. As for witnesses, everyone at Ninth Prince Manor, including Ninth Royal Uncle himself, can testify for me. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to go and ask.”
Serena sounded completely open, but her words were full of suggestive undertones. The Chief Justice and both Deputy Justices felt their faces twitch—they honestly didn’t know how to proceed.
How was this case just getting murkier and murkier? At this point, they hadn’t resolved anything at all. Who was the victim, and who was the perpetrator?