Volume 1, Chapter 24: Disposition (Part 2)

Shen Jianheng spoke with great passion, his voice thick with emotion, tears streaming down his face.

Shen Ran chuckled softly and said in a gentle tone, "In truth, even if you had not spoken, Imperial Uncle, I had already intended to punish Zhao Yuanzhuo. However, because this matter involved you, and with the drought in Changzhou weighing heavily on my mind day and night, I came to clarify the situation first. To speak my heart, I also did not believe that you would rather spend 150,000 taels of silver to purchase the first night of a courtesan than use that money to help me provide relief to the starving people."

"Now that everything is clear—it was merely a treacherous servant deceiving you—the heavy stone in my heart has finally been set down."

As he spoke, Shen Ran personally reached out to help the kneeling Shen Jianheng to his feet. "Please, Imperial Uncle, rise quickly. A man like Zhao Yuanzhuo is not worth the loss of a life, but if this were to damage the bond between uncle and nephew, that would be a grave matter indeed."

Shen Jianheng paused, stunned. "How, then, does Your Majesty intend to dispose of him?"

Shen Ran replied with effortless compliance, "What is your opinion, Imperial Uncle?" He appeared to hold Shen Jianheng’s wishes in the highest regard.

Shen Jianheng originally wanted to say "beat him to death," but remembering he had just claimed to be unable to stomach the sight of blood, he could not contradict himself so blatantly. He forced himself to say, "In my view, he should receive at least fifty strokes of the court cane to ensure he remembers this lesson well."

Fifty strokes would leave a man crippled, if not dead; it would be enough to vent his deep-seated resentment.

Shen Ran smiled. "Very well, we shall follow your wishes, Imperial Uncle."

As his voice faded, he lowered his gaze to the young man kneeling on the floor. "Zhao Yuanzhuo, Shen Gang deceived your Imperial Uncle, which is indeed wrong. But you, acting so recklessly and showing such contempt for the rules of our Great Zhou—daring to strike the man who outbid you for Zhao Qinglan and nearly causing my Imperial Uncle to misunderstand me—that, too, cannot be easily pardoned. I now sentence you to fifty strokes of the court cane. Do you accept this punishment?"

Zhao Yuanzhuo bowed his head until it touched the floor. His tone was devoid of any fluctuation. "This subject accepts the judgment with complete submission. I await Your Majesty's discipline."

Shen Ran’s voice suddenly turned chillingly cold.

"Since you accept, then good."

"Li Jiuxiao, give him a heavy beating!"

Li Jiuxiao bowed low. "May I ask Your Majesty, should he be beaten here, or dragged outside?"

Shen Ran replied, "Naturally, it should be done here, so that my Imperial Uncle may see with his own eyes—" He paused for a moment. "No, wait. Since my Imperial Uncle cannot bear the sight of blood and slaughter these days, would doing it here be inappropriate?"

Today, he seemed exceptionally considerate.

Shen Jianheng coughed lightly, then waved his hand. "Outside will do. Let Shen Zheng accompany you." Shen Zheng was the steward of Shen Jianheng’s estate.

Shen Ran nodded and said gently, "As you wish, Imperial Uncle."

He waved his hand. The guards on either side immediately stepped forward and swiftly dragged Zhao Yuanzhuo out of the main hall.

Li Jiuxiao ordered his men to bind him tightly with ropes, then forced him facedown onto a blood-stained execution bench. Zhao Yuanzhuo did not speak a word throughout the process, nor did he struggle. He kept his brows lowered, hiding the ink-black emotions swirling deep within his eyes.

Once everything was prepared, Li Jiuxiao took the opportunity while leaning in to inspect the prisoner to whisper in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Endure it."

Zhao Yuanzhuo closed his eyes, gave an almost imperceptible nod, and mouthed the words, "Thank you."

Li Jiuxiao said nothing more. He reached out and pressed heavily on Zhao Yuanzhuo’s shoulder before standing up to announce, "Proceed. His Majesty has decreed that the strokes be delivered with full force; there is to be no mercy!"

At the command, the guards standing on either side, holding the iron-reinforced staves, replied in unison, "Yes!"

As the words fell, the staves whistled through the air, landing heavily upon the youth's body.

The only sound in the surroundings was the dull, heavy thud of wood striking flesh.

Shen Zheng, standing nearby, watched with cold eyes. Suddenly, he wore a smirk that did not reach his eyes as he looked at Li Jiuxiao. "Master Li, I have heard that there are many tricks to these court floggings—that the weight of the blows can be controlled. Since there hasn't even been a single cry of pain, could it be that you are showing favoritism out of sympathy for a colleague?"

"What is this nonsense you speak, Steward Shen?"

"How would I dare to defy His Majesty’s decree?"

"Furthermore, what ties do I have with this brat that would make it worth my while to disobey the Imperial command?"

Li Jiuxiao said in a deep voice, "If he does not cry out, it is because the lad is thin-skinned and stubborn; it is not because my men are failing to put in the effort. If you don't believe me, see for yourself!"

With that, Li Jiuxiao gestured toward Zhao Yuanzhuo. Shen Zheng instinctively looked in the direction of the finger.

Because he was undergoing punishment, Zhao Yuanzhuo was wearing only a thin undergarment. As the staves landed again and again, it took fewer than ten strokes before large patches of blood began to seep slowly through the pristine white fabric.

It was a shocking sight. By all rights, even if blood were to be drawn, it should not have happened until around the twentieth stroke. Not only was there no show of leniency, but the blows were, if anything, exceptionally heavy. Yet, Zhao Yuanzhuo remained pinned to the bench, refusing to utter a single sound.

One was truly capable of endurance; the other was truly striking to kill. Clearly, those who served under Shen Ran were no ordinary men.

Shen Zheng was stunned for a moment and wisely shut his mouth.

...

By the time the fifty strokes were finished, Zhao Yuanzhuo had fainted and regained consciousness countless times. He lay on the execution bench, drenched in cold sweat, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, his lips bitten raw and bloody from enduring the agony. Even though his breathing was shallow, he continued to cough incessantly. Froth mixed with blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, staining his chin, which was as fair and white as jade.

Li Jiuxiao was silent for a moment, then turned with a smile to the stunned Shen Zheng beside him. "Since the Prince allowed Steward Shen to come and observe, would you like to personally inspect the results? I would not want you to think I was showing favoritism again, as I could not bear such an accusation!"

"No, no need!"

"He has been beaten to this state, what more is there to verify?" Shen Zheng waved his hands repeatedly. "This old servant absolutely trusts in Master Li’s impartiality!"

Only then did Li Jiuxiao seem satisfied. He ordered the guards to untie Zhao Yuanzhuo. "Bring him inside to kowtow to His Majesty and the Prince."

Though Zhao Yuanzhuo was conscious, he could not possibly walk in on his own; even the slightest movement caused piercing, bone-deep agony, as if he were sitting on needles. The two guards had no choice but to support him as they walked, leaving a long trail of blood on the floor. It was a harrowing sight.

Li Jiuxiao said, "Steward Shen, let us go in together to report the completion of the task."