Explanation, Not Even One Incense Stick Worth of Time to Commit the Act

"Feng..."

Ethan Chen didn't bother with pleasantries—he went straight for the attack, but Serena Feng cut him off before he could even finish his sentence: "Please wait a moment, Mr. Chen. Before you speak, allow me to ask a few questions. How long were you standing outside just now? Did you hear Attorney Xing's deposition? Is there any error in Attorney Xing's testimony? Does Shunning Marquis Manor accept Attorney Xing's statement as official? Do you have anything to add or correct?"

Seriously, is that a single question? That's at least five—but Serena Feng's questions are all on point, and Ethan Chen can't find any reason to refuse. He nods and says, "There's no error in Attorney Xing's testimony. I heard the whole thing just now. Attorney Xing's statement is the official position of Shunning Marquis Manor."

Although most of Serena's earlier questions weren't part of their prepared script, Attorney Xing had answered all of them well. If Ethan Chen were in his shoes, he'd have replied the same way.

"Good, then. Since Mr. Chen confirms Attorney Xing's testimony is accurate, there's nothing more to discuss—Shunning Marquis Manor is clearly framing Simon Sun. Please, Mr. Chen, don't get upset and let me explain everything point by point." Now that Serena Feng had seized control, she had no intention of letting anyone from Shunning Marquis Manor speak.

Passing by the speechless Ethan Chen, Serena Feng handed the sheet of paper covered in time records to the Chief Justice of the High Court.

"Your Excellency, please check whether the times recorded here match Attorney Xing's statement."

The times listed in the deposition were messy, but Master Advocate Song had written his records in chronological order. After cross-checking, the Chief Justice nodded, "Yes, the times match."

"Excellent. Since the times match, let's proceed. According to Attorney Xing's deposition, Simon Sun stayed at Shunning Marquis Manor for less than half an hour. By the third quarter of the Si-period, around 10:45 in the morning, Simon Sun had already left Shunning Manor."

"And what's the problem with that?" Ethan Chen interrupted Serena Feng.

Serena Feng didn't get angry. She smiled and said, "No need to rush, Mr. Chen. I'll tell you exactly where the problem is. According to Attorney Xing's statement, Simon Sun entered the manor during the Si-period. From the moment he entered until he finished treating Marquis Sutton took three quarters of an hour—that means Simon Sun left the front courtyard of Shunning Marquis Manor at three-quarters past the hour."

Now do you see where the problem lies? Serena paused here, glancing at the crowd.

The Chief Justice nodded, his cloudy eyes suddenly brightening as if something had dawned on him. If he could figure it out, so could everyone else. Ethan Chen and Attorney Xing both turned pale, opened their mouths, but couldn't say a word.

They'd overlooked the issue of timing—a glaring flaw. How could they possibly explain that away?

Attorney Xing and Ethan Chen exchanged glances, slapping their own foreheads as they desperately tried to think of a way to fix it.

Serena Feng knew they'd figured it out, but she still chose to spell everything out—after all, plenty of people here still didn't understand, and unless she laid it out piece by piece, no one would grasp just how vile Shunning Marquis Manor really was.

Ignoring Ethan Chen's embarrassment, Serena continued, "I don't know exactly how big Shunning Marquis Manor is, but I do know that no marquisate is ever small. Shunning Marquis Manor was granted by the late emperor himself, so I'm sure Your Excellencies are well aware of its size."

Everyone here can estimate how long it takes to walk from the front courtyard to the rear—even with a servant leading the way, it'd take at least a quarter of an hour. Mr. Chen, am I right?"

"That's right." There was no way to lie about this—anyone could walk it and see for themselves. Ethan Chen could only grit his teeth and admit it.

Serena nodded, satisfied, and went on, "Just now, Mr. Chen confirmed that walking from the front to the rear courtyard takes a quarter of an hour. That means Simon Sun only spent about a quarter of an hour in the sixth young lady's courtyard."

If he really wanted to commit the crime, he'd have only a quarter of an hour to do it. In that time, Simon Sun would have to overpower the maids, the nursemaid, the servant boys, and the resisting sixth young lady herself. Attorney Xing just said—the sixth young lady's courtyard had, besides her close maids, ten rough-work old women and labor servants.

The sixth young lady's courtyard isn't that big, but for Simon Sun to lay a hand on her, unless all twenty-one staff members were sick or vanished at the same time, at least half would have been present and could have rushed in to help.

I doubt Shunning Marquis Manor is so lax with its servants. The sixth young lady had twenty-one attendants—even if half were gone, there'd still be at least ten or more present.

Attorney Xing also said the sixth young lady was favored in the manor, so the servants wouldn't dare neglect her. Even in broad daylight, if they weren't working, they'd be stationed in her courtyard. There'd never be fewer than ten people present. With so many watching, forget Simon Sun—a frail scholar—even a martial expert couldn't subdue a dozen people and assault the sixth young lady in an instant."

Oh... at this, the crowd suddenly understood, but Serena Feng didn't stop there. She continued, "In fact, Simon Sun wasn't even in the sixth young lady's courtyard for the time it takes to burn an incense stick. And that time includes the young lady supposedly discovering she'd been violated and then killing herself, plus the time for the servants in the front courtyard to find out, and drag Simon Sun back up front."

"Your Excellency, do you think that's enough time for a man to force himself on a woman? In less than an incense stick's time, what could Simon Sun possibly do? What could he accomplish? Could he really strip the sixth young lady and assault her in that short span?"

Serena Feng was never one to mince words. She saw nothing wrong with being blunt—she was open and honest. But the moment she said this, every woman in the courtroom blushed, and the men looked embarrassed. No one expected Serena to be so forthright.

"Serena Feng, you really do dare to say anything," Zhai Dongming thought to himself, secretly impressed. That barrage of time-based questions would confuse anyone—even Attorney Xing. Separately, the timing seemed fine, but when you put it all together, it didn't add up.

But Serena Feng wasn't done with Shunning Marquis Manor. She put on a troubled expression and said, "Your Excellency, I've calculated and recalculated, but I just can't figure out how Simon Sun had any time to commit the crime. If anything, it's more believable that Simon Sun stumbled upon the sixth young lady in an illicit affair with someone else."

Assaulting a woman takes skill—and time. Catching her with someone else is just a matter of glancing up. The time Shunning Marquis Manor gave Simon Sun was only enough for him to take a quick look—there's no way he had time to harass the sixth young lady.

Serena Feng had successfully thrown the filth back at Shunning Marquis Manor, and tied the sixth young lady's alleged violation to the scandalous note from this morning.

That was just an unexpected bonus, but Serena was pleased. At least this proved Simon Sun was framed. Soon, she'd force Shunning Marquis Manor to open the coffin and examine the body—whatever they found, she'd make sure the 'truth' came out.