Feign Retreat to Lower the Enemy’s Guard

Serena Feng's explanation was so clear, so methodical, that Shunning Marquis Manor couldn't find a single loophole. All they could do was watch as Serena spoke confidently in court—without presenting any hard evidence, with just a single sheet of paper, she reduced Shunning Marquis Manor's case to nothing.

Brilliant!

At this moment, even Adrian Dongling—who had always looked down on Serena—had to admit that this woman was truly gifted. Serena’s talents might not fit the traditional image of a woman’s virtues, but no one could deny the brilliance she displayed in court.

Given a chance to shine, this woman could dazzle everyone. She stood there, smiling gracefully, yet her presence could captivate the heart and mind.

How could he ever have thought Serena was weak, useless, or scheming? How could he have believed she was of no help to him?

Regret? Adrian Dongling told himself he didn’t regret it, but watching Serena fight so fiercely in court to clear Simon Sun’s name, he truly did regret it.

If Serena was willing to take on both the Bloodcloak Guard and Shunning Marquis Manor for Simon Sun, then what would she do for someone she truly loved?

Would she give everything she had, holding nothing back?

The thought made Adrian Dongling’s whole body burn. He couldn’t help but wonder: If he had never met Yao Hua, if she hadn’t ruined his wedding, and he had married Serena Feng, then he would have been the man who got to share in Serena’s talent and brilliance. He could have proudly told the world, ‘That woman is my wife.’ But sadly, he missed his chance.

Adrian Dongling stared blankly at his own hands. Once, there had been a red silk ribbon wrapped around them—if only he had held on tighter, he could have drawn that woman into his arms. But he let go, and that one release meant he’d never have another chance.

Thinking of Ninth Royal Uncle’s warning, Adrian Dongling’s gaze grew even dimmer. At this moment, he no longer cared who would take over as Chief Justice after the current one fell.

The Second Prince glanced sideways at Adrian Dongling. Seeing his lost, dejected look, it was obvious what he was thinking—so obvious that the Second Prince’s eyes flashed with disdain.

What good is regret after losing something? If it were any other woman, Adrian might still have a chance to win her back. But Serena Feng was Ninth Royal Uncle’s woman—Adrian Dongling would never have another chance, not in this lifetime.

Ignoring Adrian, the Second Prince kept watching to see how Serena would corner Shunning Marquis Manor. But to his surprise, Serena didn’t press her advantage—she seemed to be deliberately letting Shunning off the hook.

After finishing her statement, Serena asked politely, “Ethan Chen, Attorney Xing, do you have anything to add? I’ve just gone over the whole sequence—did I get anything wrong? Or do you believe Simon Sun is so extraordinarily gifted that he could have accomplished everything with your sixth young lady in less than half an incense stick’s time?”

When Serena asked, she was still smiling—but no matter how Ethan Chen and Attorney Xing looked at it, that smile was unnerving.

Say what? She’d already said everything—what was left for them to say? Attorney Xing’s face turned miserable as he started sweating again: “Um, um, Young Master, what do you think?”

“What do you mean, what do I think? You’re the attorney—my sister died in front of Simon Sun, so how could I be in the wrong?” Ethan Chen was at a loss. He’d arrived full of confidence, but Serena Feng had already knocked the fight out of him before he could even make a move.

Under Serena’s relentless logic, Shunning Marquis Manor simply couldn’t keep their story straight. Ethan didn’t even dare yell at Serena or accuse her of slander.

That string of times—no matter how they tried to change their story, it was useless. Simon Sun left the old marquis’s courtyard at exactly three quarters past the hour; a quarter of an hour simply wasn’t enough for anything to happen.

At Ethan Chen’s shout, Attorney Xing immediately remembered that they were also the plaintiffs and began complaining: “That’s right, Miss Feng—so just because of your statement, our sixth young lady from Shunning Marquis Manor died for nothing?”

If logic didn’t work, then at least they could play the sympathy card. After all, they were the victims—their household had lost someone. Attorney Xing puffed himself up, trying to show that he was the one in the right.

“You all know exactly how your sixth young lady died.” Serena replied calmly. She was still planning to demand an autopsy—she wasn’t about to crush Shunning Marquis Manor all at once.

She clearly held the upper hand, but Serena suddenly stepped back and bowed to the three judges: “Your Excellencies, I’ve finished my statement. Please render your verdict.”

With that, she stepped aside to wait for the Chief Justice’s ruling. The case was already so clear that, at this point, all Shunning Marquis Manor could do was talk about the dead—anything else was pointless.

Any fabricated case will have flaws—it’s just a matter of whether you can spot them and break through the other side’s defenses. Serena had laid everything out logically, but she didn’t have concrete evidence to prove Shunning Marquis Manor had framed Simon Sun. If Shunning was smart, they should be able to fight back.

Of course, she absolutely didn’t want Shunning to confess now. If they admitted guilt, how could she justify opening the coffin for an autopsy? The girl had been buried less than three days after death—who would believe Shunning Marquis Manor wasn’t hiding something?

At this point, the Chief Justice was also feeling the pressure. Serena had handed him a hot potato—how was he supposed to rule? Her arguments were flawless, but Shunning Marquis Manor really had lost someone; he couldn’t just convict them on Serena’s word alone.

Just then, Ethan Chen was struck by inspiration and, before the Chief Justice could rule, suddenly began to make a scene.

“Your Excellency, we’re innocent—truly innocent! When my sixth sister had her accident, everyone in her courtyard had fainted. Only Simon Sun and my sixth sister were found together, disheveled and embracing. When we rushed in and pulled them apart, my sister was so ashamed she killed herself on the spot. Your Excellency, we don’t know how Simon Sun did it—all we saw was him disgracing my sister, and now she’s dead. You can’t let her die without justice.”

The death of a young lady was Shunning Marquis Manor’s trump card. Seeing Ethan Chen use it, Serena thought to herself, 'Finally, someone clever.'

A death didn’t automatically make them the victims, but Serena had no intention of stepping in—she would give Shunning no chance to catch their breath. Instead, she retreated to the side, letting Ethan Chen and Attorney Xing cry injustice without saying a word herself.

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Dominic Zhai was getting anxious. He kept shooting looks at Serena, but it was like winking at a blind person—Serena didn’t notice him at all.

Growing desperate, Dominic Zhai stepped forward and kicked Serena lightly.

“What is it?” Serena turned sideways, opened her mouth, but didn’t say anything.

“What are you doing, letting Ethan Chen cause a scene here?” Dominic Zhai muttered under his breath. Serena could spot Attorney Xing’s mistakes—surely she could catch Ethan Chen’s blunders too.

“Ignore him.” Serena shook her head, unconcerned with Dominic’s anxiety. She let Ethan Chen shout his grievances while her mind drifted to Simon Sun at the Ninth Prince’s residence, wondering how he was doing now.

Ethan Chen kept protesting his innocence, while Serena stayed silent. The Chief Justice and his two deputies conferred, then decided to detain everyone who had been near the sixth young lady and send officers to Shunning Marquis Manor to investigate and collect evidence.

In short, the Chief Justice couldn’t dodge this case—they had to take it on.

“Serena Feng, Ethan Chen, do either of you have any objections?” After ruling on the case, the Chief Justice turned to the two parties.

“No objections.” Serena and Ethan replied in unison.

The Chief Justice breathed a sigh of relief and struck his gavel. “Court adjourned!”

Without waiting for the bailiffs, he hurried off—the pressure of today’s case was clearly immense.

Serena smiled and told Attorney Song to head home on his own. She beckoned Dominic Zhai to leave with her, and as they exited, they ran into Ethan Chen and Attorney Xing. Both sides stood at the doorway—the door was wide, but only two people could pass through at once, so all three couldn’t exit together.

“Young Master.” Attorney Xing tugged at Ethan Chen’s sleeve, signaling him to step aside. But Ethan had just suffered a major setback at Serena’s hands and refused to budge.

With a snort, Ethan stood his ground, making it clear he wanted Serena to give way. He and Dominic could exit together—he’d let Dominic go, but he’d never yield to Serena. Letting her go first would mean admitting Shunning Marquis Manor was beneath the Feng family.

“After you, Ethan.” Serena couldn’t be bothered to argue. She tugged Dominic’s sleeve, signaling him to step back. Dominic was a notorious playboy in the capital—aside from the princes, he was the most infamous. Asking him to step back was like asking for trouble.

Dominic glared fiercely at Serena. If he stepped back, it didn’t mean his family feared Shunning Marquis Manor.

Serena ignored him and kept pulling Dominic back. He was furious, but remembering his grandfather’s advice—that Serena was smarter, and he should listen to her—Dominic gritted his teeth and stepped aside.

Serena and Dominic’s retreat startled Ethan Chen, but seeing their calm expressions, he didn’t dwell on it and strode out first.

The heir of Duke Su giving way to him—that was something Ethan could brag about, and he planned to do just that.

“Young Master Zhai, Miss Feng, pardon me.” Attorney Xing offered an awkward salute and hurried after Ethan.

Once they were gone, Dominic huffed, “Why did we let him go first? Who does he think he is, making me step aside?”

“Feigning weakness to confuse the enemy. Without solid evidence, we can’t bring down Shunning Marquis Manor in one blow—it’s just wishful thinking.” Serena knew Dominic wasn’t truly upset, but explained anyway. As for her real reason, she had no intention of revealing it.

Back at Shunning Marquis Manor, Ethan proudly recounted how Dominic Zhai had yielded to him. The Marquis pondered this, consulting Attorney Xing and his advisors: What did Dominic and Serena mean by stepping aside for them?

Both sides were in the middle of a lawsuit—normally, every point would be contested. Why would Serena back down?

Given Serena’s performance at the Chief Justice’s court today, there had to be a reason. But what was it? What made Serena pull Dominic back and yield to Shunning Marquis Manor?

They couldn’t figure it out. They just couldn’t figure it out…