Chapter 87 A scream of agony, the kind that comes with imminent death!

Emperor Longqing looked at Pei Yuan with a puzzled expression.

Pei Yuan walked towards Qiu Gang, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, and stomped on his hand, breaking his hand bone. "I'll only give you one chance. Tell me, who conspired with you to frame me?"

Zhao Dewen was about to be exiled, so Qiu Gang dared not cover for him anymore and cried out, "It's Zhao Dewen!"

Pei Yuan looked at Emperor Longqing and said, "Alright, Father, now you can give me justice."

The Longqing Emperor was both annoyed and amused by his move.

"Qiu Gang and Zhao Dewen shall be beaten to death immediately, and their entire families shall be confiscated and exiled."

The Imperial Guards immediately dragged Qiu Gang and Zhao Dewen away.

Soon after, screams of agony rang out from outside the hall.

Emperor Longqing turned to look at Shen Chu, "Although you were forced by others, you have ultimately violated your original intention as an imperial censor. I will punish you. Are you convinced?"

Shen Chu bowed deeply, "Your subject is willing to accept the punishment."

The Longqing Emperor's expression softened slightly. "Since you know you've made a mistake, you shall be given twenty strokes of the cane and your salary shall be reduced by half a year."

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."

Chen Chu breathed a sigh of relief. Twenty was alright; she could grit her teeth and bear it.

“Father,” Pei Yuan said with a dissatisfied look, “Although Shen Chu was forced into it, her behavior was truly hateful. A mere twenty lashes is far too lenient.”

If this is let off so easily, the Censorate can easily fabricate a charge to impeach me in the future.”

The Longqing Emperor rubbed his forehead. "What's your opinion?"

"At least fifty strokes of the cane!"

Shen Chu gasped and glared fiercely at Pei Yuan.

Although she didn't have time to give him a heads-up, she at least hinted at it earlier.

She even felt that the two of them were on the same wavelength, and was secretly happy that Pei Yuan had not been framed.

As a result, this petty fellow, not content with thirty strokes of the cane, actually wanted to add another twenty.

Her life is in danger.

Pei Yuan glanced at her sideways, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said slowly, "Moreover, I will personally carry out the execution!"

Chen Chu's heart turned cold instantly.

Emperor Longqing looked at Pei Yuan, who was determined, and was momentarily at a loss.

He had always admired Shen Chu's talent and thought he was a promising individual. Since Shen Chu was being coerced, a minor punishment would suffice as a warning.

But Pei Yuan was indeed wronged today, and if he disagreed, he was afraid of hurting his son's feelings.

After weighing the options, he said, "Let's go with twenty. You're allowed to carry out the execution yourself."

Shen Chu was filled with despair.

Pei Yuan took action himself; her life was over.

She walked toward the torture chamber with a look of utter despair on her face.

Qiu Gang has been beaten to death, and Zhao Dewen is on the verge of death.

She slowly squatted down, coldly looking at the bloodied and mangled Zhao Dewen, and asked in a low voice, "As an imperial censor, how could you remain indifferent to the wronged and even aid and abet the evildoers? Has your conscience ever ached, Lord Zhao?"

Zhao Dewen was on his last breath. In his dazed state, he heard these words and his eyes darted around for a moment.

Have you ever experienced pain?

He must have felt pain too. He still remembers how happy he was when he became an imperial censor, and he once vowed to be a good imperial censor.

But the first task his superiors gave him was to drive away the mother and daughter who were appealing for justice at the entrance of the Inspectorate.

He still remembers that girl had eyes that shone brighter than the stars, filled with pleading and longing.

But he cruelly abandoned the girl and had the mother and daughter beaten and driven away.

The next day he was promoted, which gave him a taste of power. From then on, he became unstoppable and gradually forgot his original intention as an imperial censor, only thinking about climbing the ranks.

It wasn't until this moment, when his future was gone and his family was gone, that he began to feel regret.

The girl's eyes seemed to float before his eyes again, gradually merging with Shen Chu's.

Zhao Dewen's eyes widened suddenly. "You...you!"

Shen Chu smiled and said, "My lord, go to the underworld and repent to those wronged souls!"

Zhao Dewen let out a muffled hiss and breathed his last.

Shen Chu stood up expressionlessly, looked up and blinked.

A hesitant voice from the Imperial Guard sounded behind him, "Young Master Shen, it's your turn."

When she was pressed onto the cold torture bench, her heart turned cold.

Pei Yuan entered, looking down at Shen Chu with a haughty air. "Young Master Shen, how does it feel to be waiting to be beaten?"

Shen Chu looked up at him for a moment, then silently lay back down.

"Sixth Prince, if you're going to do it, do it quickly, or I won't be responsible if blood splatters on your face."

Pei Yuan smiled, took the rod from the Imperial Guard, weighed it in his hand, and said, "This rod won't do. I heard you have a heavier one. Let's get a different one."

Chen Chu.....

The Imperial Guards looked at Shen Chu's small frame with pity, but dared not argue, and quickly switched to a thicker rod.

Shen Chu gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and waited for the expected pain to arrive.

When the first blow landed, she felt like her soul was leaving her body from the pain.

It hurts so much.

She overestimated herself; she really couldn't handle twenty.

That bastard Pei Yuan even wanted to hit her fifty times!

"You all drag those two corpses out first. So many people are staring at me, as if I, the prince, am some kind of ruthless monster. I'll come back after I've finished fighting them."

Pei Yuan's dissatisfied voice rang in my ears.

There was no one around, only the whistling wind in their ears, accompanied by Pei Yuan's loud counting.

"two!"

She gritted her teeth, her whole body tense.

However, no pain came. The heavy rod swung past his ear and struck the ground with a dull thud.

It was surprisingly similar to the sound of hitting a person's body.

She turned her head with difficulty to look at Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow: "What are you standing there for? Scream, scream like you're about to die, don't you?"

Shen Chu was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening, and managed to let out two strained howls.

Pei Yuan picked up the cane and gently patted the spot where he had been injured.

Caught off guard, Shen Chu let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Pei Yuan was satisfied and slammed the cane on the ground again. "That's right, that's a real scream. Your screams just now were too fake."

Shen Chu... never knew that Pei Yuan's greatest talent was acting.

Look at that energetic shout, it's even louder than the tofu seller on the street!

"Ten...eleven...fifteen...eighteen...twenty!"

Pei Yuan put away the rod and beckoned for help.

When the Imperial Guards arrived, they were startled to see that Shen Chu's clothes were soaked in blood on the back.

Little Shen got really badly beaten.

The Sixth Prince is going all out.

Pei Yuan tossed aside the cane, "If you dare to frame me again, I'll twist your head off."

Chen Chu....

Her back hurts terribly, but she inexplicably wants to laugh. What should she do?

She used the stool to get up, which aggravated the wound on her back, causing her to gasp in pain and break out in a cold sweat.

The imperial guards beside him couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Shen, shall I escort you out of the palace?"

Shen Chu waved his hand, "Thank you for your kindness, but I am the one being punished and dare not trouble you, sir."

She supported her back and slowly moved out.

After finally making it out of the palace, her back was soaked with cold sweat.

"Alright, there's no one here anymore, we don't need to act anymore."

Pei Yuan walked over with his hands behind his back, a smile on his lips. "As expected of my man, even in a critical moment, you don't forget to give me a hint."

"But wasn't your hint a bit too subtle? It's only because I, the prince, and you are on the same wavelength that we can't understand each other. Anyone else wouldn't have picked up on your hint at all."

You seem pretty smug, so what?

Shen Chu was still resentful that Pei Yuan wanted to beat her fifty times, and she snorted, "This humble subject is not your person, and will not be of the same mind as you."

If you regret it, you shouldn't have given him even the slightest hint.

Pei Yuan glanced at her. "This prince repays evil with kindness. Isn't Lord Shen very moved?"

Shen Chu twitched the corner of her mouth. "Repay evil with kindness?"

"Your Highness, even actors don't have as much drama as you."

Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Young Master Shen's acting was quite good too. The way he struggled to get up just now, he even broke out in a cold sweat, it was very realistic."

Shen Chu gritted her teeth, "I'm really in pain, okay?"

"I only hit him once, is it really necessary?"

"Is it not allowed that I was born with fair and delicate skin?"

Pei Yuan glanced at her pale face and solemnly agreed, "That's the truth. Alright, go back and apply the medicine."

Shen Chu pursed her lips, the pain in her back making her feel dizzy. Too lazy to exchange pleasantries with Pei Yuan, she said, "This humble subject takes his leave."

Unexpectedly, he stumbled and fell forward.

"careful."

Pei Yuan reached out to support her, frowning as he looked at her increasingly pale face. "Does it really hurt that much?"

Shen Chu nodded listlessly.

Pei Yuan saw that her face was pale, her doe-like eyes were moist, and she looked pitiful. She was completely different from the lively and energetic Shen Chu she usually was.

He tried hard to recall the strike he had delivered; he had already held back a great deal of force.

"I only patted you lightly, or you're just too weak."

He looked disgusted. "Once you've recovered from your injuries, I, the prince, will personally train you."

Shen Chu rolled her eyes and collapsed.

"Hey." Pei Yuan reached out and caught her, his brows furrowed tightly. "Fine, I'll do you a favor and get a royal physician to examine you."