Chapter 214 Liniang's Revenge (2)
"You vile woman! You wicked slut! I'm going to kill you!"
As he roared, Cui Dalang lunged at Liu Liniang with all his might.
However, the heavy iron chains firmly locked his legs to the iron rings on the wall. No matter how much he struggled and jumped, he could only lunge forward half a foot at most, not even reaching Liu Liniang's skirt.
Liu Liniang sat on the chair and slowly raised one leg.
The exquisite embroidered shoes were placed little by little in front of his face, like teasing a starving mad dog with a meat bone.
She watched quietly as Cui Dalang roared and struggled until he exhausted his last bit of strength, collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Only then did she slowly bend down, her voice carrying just the right amount of grievance.
"My husband, I did all this for you."
Cui Dalang raised his head, his bloodshot eyes looking at her with a puzzled expression.
“My father-in-law’s treason is a well-established fact with irrefutable evidence. Regardless of whether I reported it or not, the Cui family is doomed. I am doing this to leave the Cui family a way out.”
Liu Liniang's tone was "sincere" but also full of what seemed to be a sense of grievance that she was not being understood.
“My husband, you are alive and well now, all thanks to the grace I begged from the Princess. The Princess remembered my merit in exposing the treason and specially spared your life for me.”
"Without me, you would have been a corpse on the execution ground in the West Market, just like the rest of the Cui family."
As Cui Dalang listened to her words, the anger in his chest gradually subsided, replaced by a sense of bewilderment and wavering.
Looking into Liu Liniang's "sincere" eyes, he was reminded of the fact that he was still alive.
Yes, everyone in the Cui family is dead, and he's the only one still alive?
Could it be... that she really did it to save him?
After hesitating for a long time, he finally managed to speak with difficulty, "Wife, is...is it true? You really did this to save me..."
The fierceness and resentment in his words had long since disappeared, replaced by a hint of almost humble flattery.
Liu Liniang stretched out her slender fingers and gently brushed away a strand of sweaty hair that clung to Cui Dalang's cheek, her voice as soft as water.
"Of course, when have I ever lied to you?"
Cui Dalang's tense nerves relaxed instantly, and his face lit up with joy. As if he had grasped a lifeline, he hurriedly reached out to hold her hand.
“I knew it, my wife, you are not the kind of ungrateful person.”
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, “I was such a bastard before, I didn’t know how to cherish you, I did so many wrong things, I deserve to die! From now on… from now on I will definitely make it up to you, and I will never let you suffer the slightest grievance!”
Liu Liniang subtly dodged his outstretched hand.
She then covered her mouth and smiled, nodding with a look of "joy," her eyes seeming to gleam with a soft light.
"My husband, I am relieved to hear you say that."
Seeing this, Cui Dalang immediately squeezed out two tears of regret and choked out, "My wife, it's so good to have you!"
His performance was so sincere and moving, his eyes even reddening, as if the two were truly a couple who had gone through many hardships and whose love was as deep as the sea.
But at that moment, Liu Liniang suddenly chuckled softly twice, the laughter carrying a strange chill.
Then, the laughter grew louder and louder... until finally tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
The sound echoed in the gloomy dungeon, sending chills down one's spine.
Cui Dalang's expression froze instantly, tears still clinging to his face as he looked at her, utterly bewildered.
"My wife, what's wrong?"
Looking at her like this, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
The next second, Liu Liniang's smile came to an abrupt end.
She slowly raised her head, the warmth on her face vanished without a trace, leaving only a deep, unyielding hatred in her eyes.
“Brother Cui, you are right about two things. First, I am indeed not an ungrateful person. How could I forget the kindness you have shown me? I wish I could repay you as soon as possible!”
"Secondly... you really deserve to die!"
"You! You..." Cui Dalang trembled with fear at the hatred in her eyes, unable to even finish his sentence.
Liu Liniang leaned back in her chair and coldly ordered, "Men, hang him up."
Two burly servants immediately stepped forward, lifted the limp Cui Dalang, and tied him firmly to the rack in the center of the dungeon.
His hands and feet were tightly bound by thick hemp ropes, and he couldn't even move a finger.
Cui Dalang panicked completely and tried to plead for mercy, "Li Niang! I was wrong! I was a bastard back then. I shouldn't have beaten and kicked you, and I shouldn't have taken so many concubines! Please give me another chance, okay? I swear, I will treat you well from now on!"
Liu Liniang ignored him, and simply raised her hand to take a whip from the servant beside her.
The whip looked ordinary, but its shaft was covered with dense barbs.
This is a "soul-devouring whip" specifically designed to torture prisoners; one lash can tear off a large piece of flesh.
Even the most stubborn prisoners in the jail couldn't withstand ten lashes before they confessed everything.
Liu Liniang raised her hand directly.
"Smack!"
The whip lashed out at Cui Dalang in an instant.
He shuddered in pain, and his heart-wrenching screams instantly echoed throughout the dungeon.
His undergarment was torn, revealing bloody and mangled marks.
Cui Dalang cursed loudly, "You wretch! How dare you treat me like this! I am your husband! You! You will die a horrible death!"
Liu Liniang lashed out with her whip again.
Cui Dalang was in so much pain that he was covered in cold sweat and his face was deathly pale. His previous insults turned into pleas for mercy, "I was wrong, Li Niang, I was really wrong, please forgive me! I will never do it again!"
Liu Liniang ignored her and continued to strike with the whip without pausing.
Amidst this alternation of cursing and begging for mercy, Cui Dalang finally succumbed to the excruciating pain, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
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