Serena Feng didn’t know exactly who Lord Gavin Lin was, but anyone showing up at this hour had to be connected to Commander Lucan Lu. Serena still needed Lucan’s help, so of course she wouldn’t offend someone like Lord Lin.
Now that someone with real authority had arrived, Serena stopped being confrontational. To be safe, she quietly gave instructions to Mira Tang and Jada, sending the two young maids away before heading toward the Bloodcloak Guard with Lord Lin.
Lord Lin treated Serena with courtesy, offering good food and drink, but never mentioning the real issue. Whenever Serena brought up seeing Simon Sun, Lord Lin would steer the conversation elsewhere.
Serena’s skills in negotiation were sharp, but compared to Lord Lin—a seasoned court bureaucrat—she was still outmatched. He kept the conversation circling, never touching the actual matter, until Serena was so frustrated she nearly smashed her cup several times, only to be coaxed down by Lord Lin each time.
Two tongues beneath the word ‘official’—Lord Lin was indeed a formidable character. The Bloodcloak Guard had good reason to send him out to deal with her.
Suppressing her urge to kill, Serena forced a stiff smile. “Lord Lin, when can I see Simon Sun?”
“Well, Miss Feng, you know Simon Sun isn’t accused of an ordinary crime. It’s not that I won’t let you see him, but the procedure is complicated. The Bloodcloak Guard isn’t like other places—we have to be extra cautious. Especially at this hour, things move slowly. Besides, the charges against Simon are serious. He allegedly raped the young lady of Shunning Marquis Manor and drove her to suicide…”
Bang! Before Lord Lin could finish, Serena slammed her palm on the table and shot to her feet, shouting angrily, “What do you mean, ‘raped the marquis’s daughter’? Lord Lin, before the facts are clear, you’d better watch your mouth. Careful your words don’t bring disaster.”
I know my apprentice better than you do. He would never commit such a crime against a woman. With his character and family background, what kind of woman couldn’t he marry? Why would he rape a marquis’s daughter?
Lord Lin, my House Feng of Loyalty may not be fabulously wealthy, but we’ve never lacked silver. If my apprentice wanted a woman, he wouldn’t need to take one by force. Any beauty he wanted, he could easily find. Why would he rape some low-status marquis’s daughter? Her looks and rank aren’t even worthy of my apprentice. What about her could possibly tempt him?
Lord Lin, you can eat carelessly, but you can’t speak carelessly. We’re not children—we have to take responsibility for what we say.
Shunning Marquis Manor accused my apprentice, and you Bloodcloak Guard didn’t even investigate before condemning him. Is this how you handle cases? Lord Lin, I, Serena Feng, now formally accuse Shunning Marquis Manor of framing and slandering my apprentice, causing his imprisonment. Why aren’t you arresting them yet?
Serena’s temper wasn’t small, and neither was her voice. She fired off her words in a rapid burst, leaving Lord Lin no chance to interrupt—he could only nod repeatedly. “Miss Feng, please calm down! Please calm down! Things aren’t as you imagine. I just misspoke, I just misspoke. Of course we trust Simon Sun’s character, but the case involves a marquis’s manor and a death. So the suspect must be detained.”
‘Involves a marquis’s manor?’ Lord Lin’s words only made Serena angrier. “Lord Lin, Shunning Marquis Manor is a marquis house, but so is my House Feng of Loyalty. Shunning Marquis Manor accuses someone and you arrest them immediately, but when my house accuses someone, you ignore it?
Lord Lin, both are marquis houses. Isn’t the Bloodcloak Guard being a bit too biased? Is it just because my father is dead that you think you can look down on House Feng of Loyalty? Don’t forget, my house was personally enfeoffed by the Emperor. Are you showing disrespect to the Emperor himself?”
Serena’s political hat landed squarely, scaring Lord Lin half to death. “Miss Feng, please calm down, calm down! It’s all my fault. Please sit and have some water. I’ll send someone to request instructions right away and let you see Simon Sun as soon as possible.”
Lord Lin’s whole back was drenched with sweat. He cursed his colleagues for pushing him out front, knowing full well this young lady held the Ninth Prince’s command token—and still they sent him to face her. Did they want him dead?
‘As soon as possible’? How soon is ‘soon’? Lord Lin, give me a precise time. Otherwise, don’t blame me for storming the Bloodcloak Guard Dungeon myself.” Serena calculated that Mira and Jada should have reached home by now to summon reinforcements.
Tonight, even if I have to snatch him by force, I’m taking my apprentice out. If Ninth Royal Uncle can’t protect me, I’ll kick him aside and go cling to the Emperor’s thigh instead.
“Miss Feng, don’t be reckless! Prison-breaking is a capital crime!” My god, this young lady is impossible to handle.
Lord Lin felt like dying. In all his years at the Bloodcloak Guard, he’d never seen a family member so brazen—she actually dared to snatch someone from their dungeon.
Beheading? I’d like to see whose head rolls in the end! If the Bloodcloak Guard arrests people indiscriminately, I’m taking him out today. I’d like to see what you can do to me.
With a sharp crack, Serena smashed the cup on the floor, her eyes flashing with menace.
S-Serena Feng, you dare—you dare! Guards, seize this troublemaker!' Lord Lin’s voice turned cold and cruel, his nervousness replaced by a sinister sneer.
Since Serena dared to say that, he couldn’t be blamed for using force.
Whoosh—Bloodcloak Guards swarmed in, armed with bows and broadswords. Clearly, they’d been prepared for this.
Hmph… So you were hoping I’d take the bait. The Bloodcloak Guard has been planning this act for a long time, haven’t you? Think you can take me? Do you have the guts?' Serena seemed unfazed by being surrounded, as if she’d expected it all along.
Serena Feng, don’t think that with the imperial relic and Ninth Royal Uncle’s command token you can run wild in the capital. The waters here are deep—far deeper than you can stir.' Lord Lin’s face was harsh, a far cry from his earlier fawning. This was his true self.
I, Serena Feng, never rely on others’ power to run wild. If I’m taking someone out, it’s by my own skill. Lord Lin, go outside and see what gift I’ve prepared for you.
Serena kept her face cold as she pushed past Lord Lin and the Bloodcloak Guards, striding outside with a contemptuous smile.
With the imperial relic and Ninth Royal Uncle’s command token, unless she stormed the Bloodcloak Guard herself, they wouldn’t dare touch her.
Serena’s group did nothing but walk out. No matter how much Lord Lin and the Bloodcloak Guards wanted to seize her, they wouldn’t dare—the risk of disrespecting the late Emperor was too great.
Lord Lin and the Bloodcloak Guards could only watch Serena walk out. They wondered, wasn’t she here to demand someone’s release? Why leave empty-handed—was she actually afraid of them?
But soon they realized—Serena Feng was truly fearless. She wasn’t afraid of the Bloodcloak Guard at all; she was ready to go head-to-head.