Serena Feng looked at Lady Bianca of Wu’an with an expression full of sympathy.
Since you refuse to repent, let me show you the consequences of offending a physician.
Compared to Lady Bianca’s frantic anger, Serena Feng remained utterly composed.
With a clear conscience, she feared no slander; after all, Serena Feng was not the one who had done anything shameful.
Serena Feng brushed her sleeve calmly and said, "Lady Bianca, my innocence is none of your concern. You’d do better to worry about yourself. Since you say I’m just making things up, then I’ll be bold and say a few more things."
"Serena Feng, shut your mouth!" Lady Bianca was truly flustered now. She thought she’d kept her secrets well hidden, but Serena’s attitude suggested she knew something.
"Shut up? Lady Bianca, a mouth isn’t just for eating—it’s for speaking too. I can’t keep silent now; if I did, how would I prove your innocence?" Serena swept a cold gaze across the crowd, forcing the approaching maids and eunuchs to retreat.
"Hasn’t Lady Bianca lately felt cold all over during her period, with aching lower abdomen, and her menstruation dragging on for half a month? Isn’t there foul-smelling discharge, and pain with no pleasure during intercourse?"
Serena spoke frankly, but those around her blushed deeply—especially at the mention of feeling no pleasure during intercourse. The young women present felt a surge of shame and indignation.
Everyone here was an unmarried girl; only a few were as bold as Lady Bianca. Most were well-behaved, and talking about such things in public was mortifying.
Lady Bianca’s whole face flushed a deep, purplish red. She pointed at Serena Feng, trembling: "Serena Feng, you—you’re spouting slander! How shameless for an unmarried girl to speak such filth! I’m truly ashamed for Lady Feng. If your mother could see you from the afterlife, she’d regret ever giving birth to you."
Serena Feng had planned to let things go, but Lady Bianca just had to bring up her late mother. Since Bianca chose to cross that line, Serena saw no need to spare Duke Zhen’s pride.
"Lady Bianca, don’t worry—if my mother could see me now, she’d be proud. But as for your unborn child, if its soul could see you, it would hate you to the bone."
"Lady Bianca, in the dead of night, do you hear your child calling for you? When you’re with your lover, do you ever think of that innocent soul? And when your lover is in your bed, do you think of your future husband? Lady Bianca..."
"Shut up! Shut up, Serena Feng, just shut your mouth! Don’t say another word!" Lady Bianca was livid with shame and fury.
After all, she was Duke Zhen’s daughter—bolder and steadier than Qiu Hui, and far more mature. She soon managed to regain her composure.
She glanced at the noble girls around her, noticing that most avoided her gaze. A few, who usually opposed her, even wore mocking expressions.
When she met Princess Serenity’s eyes, she saw only disgust there.
Lady Bianca understood that if she didn’t clear her name today, her life would be ruined. But how could she prove an innocence she never had?
Lady Bianca glared at Serena Feng, wishing she could tear her apart.
It was all her fault. All because of her.
She’d ruined Bianca’s reputation.
Lady Bianca burst out, cursing: "Serena Feng, just because you sleep around doesn’t mean everyone is like you! What right do you have to call me impure? I’m Duke Zhen’s daughter, personally titled by the emperor—how could I possibly do anything so shameful? Serena Feng, just wait! I’ll tell my father everything and have him punish you for slandering an official’s daughter."
"What a show of power, Lady Bianca. Let me return your words to you—don’t assume that just because you’re promiscuous, everyone else is too. At least a courtesan gets paid, but you? You have to pay men yourself. As a woman, I find that shameful."
Whether it was premarital sex or paying for men, it wasn’t clear what Serena found more shameful.
When it came to being cutting, Serena Feng was no slouch. Besides, she had the truth on her side—what was there to fear?
So what if you have a powerful father? If you mess up, even your father can’t save you.
"Serena Feng, you’re dead! I won’t let you get away with this. You’ll pay for everything you said today!" But her voice lacked conviction; all Lady Bianca could do was threaten. Her hairpin rattled in her hair, showing just how furious she really was.
"Everyone pays for what they do. Lady Bianca, you didn’t recover after your miscarriage last time—now you may never be able to conceive again." Serena said coolly.
Of course, she was just saying it—she hadn’t actually examined Bianca and had no way of knowing.
A little scare wouldn’t hurt.
Lady Bianca’s gynecological problems were serious—no amount of heavy perfume could disguise the sour stench.
Most girls might not recognize the smell, but Serena Feng knew it well. Women’s illnesses were common; it was just a matter of severity.
Given Lady Bianca’s messy private life and poor hygiene, it was no surprise her condition was so severe.
Serena looked absolutely certain; Lady Bianca, deeply uneasy. No need for further explanation—everyone could tell Serena was telling the truth.
They couldn’t be sure Serena was innocent, but they were certain Lady Bianca wasn’t.
At this point, more words would only make things worse. Lady Bianca, humiliated and furious, tore out her hairpin and lunged at Serena Feng: "Serena Feng, I’ll destroy you!"
"Ah—" The timid girls were so frightened they couldn’t bear to watch, quickly covering their eyes.
Serena didn’t panic at all. She ducked to avoid Bianca’s attack, sank into a martial arts stance, and before anyone could see her move, Lady Bianca crashed to the ground with a thud.
"Lady Bianca, don’t be reckless. Your life is precious—if anything happens to you, I couldn’t afford to pay for it."
With a clear conscience, Serena Feng would keep living her life and wait for Duke Zhen to come accuse her—assuming, of course, that Duke Zhen could prove she was lying.
I doubt that’s possible. Witnesses and evidence can be destroyed, but Lady Bianca, your body can’t recover. Sigh... Women are truly pitiful; purity is something that can be tested, and there’s no faking it.
This was the very definition of slapping someone’s left cheek and then the right. Since she’d already offended Lady Bianca—and by extension Duke Zhen—Serena figured she might as well go all the way.
Now, even if Lady Bianca jumped into the Yellow River, she couldn’t wash herself clean. Not that she’d ever been innocent to begin with.
"Serena Feng, you bitch! You’ve ruined my reputation—I’ll never forgive you! I hope you die miserably, you wretched bitch!" Lady Bianca sprawled on the ground, thrashing and cursing, all dignity lost.
She’d never imagined that one day she’d be accused of losing her virginity before marriage.
Once branded with that stigma, her life would be ruined...
A flash of viciousness flickered in Lady Bianca’s eyes.
Serena Feng, I’ll kill you!