Trial, the Relationship of Adulterer and Adulteress

Inside and outside the courtroom, all eyes are fixed only on Serena Feng. The high and mighty judge seems to have been completely forgotten.

The courtroom is eerily quiet—so much so that people wonder if they’ve stepped into the wrong place. The High Court Chief Justice is furious.

In the High Court of Justice, he has never been so thoroughly ignored. Here, he’s supposed to be the one with authority, but everyone simply overlooks him.

Earlier, when the Bloodcloak Guard’s Criminal Affairs Director arrived, the courtroom fell silent for a moment, which already displeased the Chief Justice. But now, with Serena Feng present, the hall is utterly silent—everyone’s attention is on her, completely overshadowing the Chief Justice.

Perched high on his seat, the Chief Justice tries to reclaim his presence. He pulls out the judge’s block, which he hasn’t used in ages, and slams it down hard.

Crack! The clear, sharp sound finally startles everyone back to their senses. The timid ones even flinch, and all eyes turn to the Chief Justice, silently wondering: Sir, what are you trying to do?

But, of course, no one dares to ask.

The Chief Justice is quite satisfied. As the presiding judge, he’s supposed to be the center of attention. He looks at Serena Feng, who stands below the dais without the slightest sign of bowing, and is deeply displeased. He slams the judge’s block again and, full of official authority, demands, “Who stands below the court?”

This is the High Court of Justice. No matter who you are, no matter how glorious your reputation in the imperial capital, here you answer to the Chief Justice.

"Your subject, Serena Feng." Serena hesitates briefly, then decides to acknowledge the imperial title granted by the Emperor, rather than claim to be a mere commoner.

"How dare you! Why don't you kneel before the judge?" The Chief Justice wasn’t targeting Serena Feng specifically—he was just unsettled by her dramatic entrance.

"Kneel?" Serena Feng glanced around the hall. Except for Tong Yao, everyone else was standing. "Sir, you want me to kneel—what about these two gentlemen?"

Serena Feng didn’t care about kneeling itself, but she cared about being singled out. The Bloodcloak Guard and the Shunning Marquis Manor’s people weren’t kneeling—why should someone from House Feng of Loyalty be forced to kneel? She was, after all, the mistress of the Loyal Marquis Manor, with a higher status than those two.

"Serena Feng, officials don’t have to kneel before other officials. Today, you’re the defendant—I’m here to prosecute you, so as a suspect, you must kneel." Before the Chief Justice could reply, the Bloodcloak Guard’s Criminal Affairs Director spoke up with a sinister tone.

"That’s right. We’re all officials. What do you have, Miss Feng? What gives you the right to compare yourself to us?" The Shunning Marquis Manor’s legal adviser chimed in, full of arrogance.

Right to compare? Serena Feng curled her lips in a mocking smile. Seeing this, Master Advocate Song quickly stepped forward and quietly reminded her, "Miss Feng, according to Eastlyn law, unless you hold official rank, you must kneel before the judge."

He was warning Serena Feng not to make trouble—kneeling wouldn’t cost her anything.

"Really? Which Eastlyn law says Serena Feng must kneel before the judge in court?" Serena was asking knowingly, but the Chief Justice thought she was ignorant and started reciting the law to her, word for word.

According to the law, even if Serena Feng was the Loyal Marquis’s eldest daughter, even if she was the victim, she still had to kneel.

"Miss Feng, in court you must follow the rules—kneel now." The Chief Justice’s mustache twitched with pride, his smug look visible even to the commoners outside.

The crowd buzzed with speculation, all eyes on Serena Feng—would she kneel or not? In Eastlyn, commoners kneeling before officials was considered natural law, but Serena’s refusal left everyone baffled.

The Head of Criminal Division and Shunning Marquis Manor’s steward stared coldly at her, eager to see Serena kneel and seize the upper hand. They wanted to force her down, making her lose face from the start.

Was this supposed to be an intimidation tactic?

Serena Feng only smiled. The High Court Chief Justice was really throwing his weight around—who did he think he was?

"Sir, I’m afraid you won’t be able to make me kneel today." Serena refused to kneel, and before the Chief Justice could lose his temper, she produced the Ninth Prince’s command token, raising her chin proudly. "Sir, you just said everyone except imperial kin and officials must kneel in court. If I have this, do I still need to kneel?"

"What’s that?" From a distance, the Chief Justice couldn’t see what the black token was, but his instincts told him it was no ordinary item.

"Take it over and show your lord so he can see clearly." Serena tossed the token to a nearby clerk with casual authority.

The clerk stepped forward, caught the token, and upon seeing its insignia, instantly straightened up, trembling as he presented it to the Chief Justice. "Sir, please look."

"The Ninth Royal Uncle’s command token—how did it end up in your hands?" The Chief Justice froze, nearly leaping from his seat. Only the reminder of his surroundings kept him from losing composure.

The Left and Right Deputy Justices were no fools. They’d already planned to stay out of this, and now that Serena had produced the Ninth Royal Uncle’s token, they knew this was an iron wall not to be kicked. Both kept silent, heads down, pretending not to notice a thing.

“Is it so strange for me to have the Ninth Royal Uncle’s token? Sir, are you really unaware of my relationship with him?” Serena lifted her slender hand, smoothing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her arrogant posture left both the Chief Justice and the Head of Criminal Division fuming, yet neither dared utter a word.

Serena’s connection to the Ninth Royal Uncle? Anyone with half a brain in officialdom knew exactly what kind of relationship they had. Wasn’t it…

“An adulterous affair! Serena Feng actually dares to say it out loud.” Adrian Eastlyn—Prince Rowan—stood among the crowd, watching the proceedings. Seeing Serena shamelessly discuss her ties to the Ninth Royal Uncle so openly, he couldn’t help but shout.

“Seventh Brother, you’re losing your composure.” Evan Dongling, the Second Prince, had come with Adrian, and now tugged his sleeve in warning. They were both incognito, just here for the spectacle; if Serena or the Chief Justice noticed them, things could get ugly.

“Hmph.” Adrian, though annoyed, obediently shut his mouth and focused on how Serena would handle things next.

Early this morning, the little scandal broadsides scattered across the Imperial City had shocked many and implicated plenty more. The Bloodcloak Guard and Shunning Marquis Manor were hit hardest, suffering a major blow.

Zhai Dongming, the heir responsible for security inside and outside the capital, got caught up in the mess; the Capital Prefect was also dismissed, and several other officials were dragged down with them. The Emperor flew into a rage, ordering the Ministry of Justice and Bloodcloak Guard to uncover the source of the broadsides or lose their posts.

Among the officials dismissed today, quite a few belonged to Prince Rowan’s faction. Adrian Eastlyn was already frustrated by this, and when he heard Serena had sent people to the High Court to accuse Shunning Marquis Manor and the Bloodcloak Guard, he realized she’d orchestrated the whole affair.

Adrian dragged Evan along, wanting to see what tricks Serena would pull—or maybe even catch her as the true author of those scandalous broadsides.

The two princes had good timing: Serena arrived first, and they followed right after, witnessing the most exciting moment—of course, with Serena coming out on top.

In Eastlyn, aside from the Emperor and a few palace women, almost no one could force Serena Feng to kneel…