Chapter 54
He instructed the sale of the banned books, intending to follow the trail and find out the purpose of those people buying the books, but he did not expect that this action would implicate Shen Yao.
Therefore, he wanted to protect her.
Wei Luo, who was always known for his benevolence, was determined to confront the officials head-on this time. He walked up to the head of the hall and sat down, saying in a firm tone, "I have been feeling unwell lately, and the imperial physician said that I cannot bear the sight of blood. Since I am in charge of this matter, I will act in accordance with his words and only impose a fine of silver, exempting me from caning."
Wei Luo made the final decision.
The moment the words were spoken, the expressions of the people in the room changed drastically:
Knowing the inside story, Liu Heng's eyes widened: His Highness is blinded by lust, he's beyond saving!
The other three looked at each other in disbelief: the crown prince is already so autocratic before he has even become emperor, what will become of him in the future?
Thus, a new round of advice and remonstrances began.
"..."
Wei Luo: Exempt from caning~
"..."
Wei Luo: Exempt from caning~
"..."
Wei Luo: I'd rather avoid the caning~
The two sides engaged in a fierce verbal battle, their tensions palpable. The once respectful atmosphere in the hall was now thick with the smell of gunpowder, waiting for the slightest spark to ignite an explosion.
Seeing that the two sides were arguing more and more fiercely, and it seemed like they were about to "flip the table", Liu Heng took a break and interjected, "I say, can we calm down and discuss this?"
Several people looked up and stared at him.
Liu Heng wiped the sweat from his brow and continued, "How about we call those shopkeepers over for a questioning before making a decision?"
At the moment, there seemed to be no better solution, so the group adopted Liu Heng's suggestion and took the opportunity to rest and catch their breath.
In the blink of an eye, the spacious lobby was packed with people, making the already oppressive atmosphere even thinner.
Wei Luo and several officers stood, while fifteen shopkeepers knelt on the ground in a row, heads bowed in silence.
Liu Heng was filled with apprehension. His Highness was stuck with them because of Shen Yao. If Shen Yao could be spared the caning, the matter would be easily resolved. So he asked knowingly, "Why is there another woman?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yao looked up at him and saw him rubbing his stomach with one hand and winking at her. She was momentarily confused as to what he meant.
Before she could answer, Xiao Yang, the commander of the military headquarters, glanced at her and said, "It's a female shopkeeper. Illegal booksellers, regardless of gender, should all be punished with fifty strokes of the cane."
Xiao Yang's voice was deep and resonant, and the sound echoed throughout the room, causing Shen Yao to tremble.
Oh no, am I going to get a beating?
Shen Yao turned her head to look at Wei Luo. Wei Luo frowned, his face was very ugly, and when he met her gaze, he slightly avoided her eyes.
She then glanced at Liu Heng beside her, and seeing him patting his stomach again, she said, "Women are weak, and they will have to get pregnant and give birth in the future. How can they endure fifty lashes..."
Wait, I'm pregnant!
In a flash, Shen Yao suddenly understood and grasped the meaning.
Taking advantage of the debate, Shen Yao raised her hand and called out, "My lords, I have something to say." Her voice was loud and clear.
The room fell silent for a moment as everyone turned their attention to her, including the shopkeepers who had been arrested with her.
Shen Yao rolled her eyes and smiled faintly.
Someone above has already asked, "What do you have to say?"
Shen Yao knelt on the ground, crawled forward a few steps upon hearing this, sighed heavily, and said with feigned remorse, "I know I was wrong to sell forbidden books, and I am willing to accept the punishment. But could you please make a note of it and punish me eight months later?"
Why?
Whispering sounds have already begun.
Shen Yao lowered her head, rubbing her lower abdomen with one hand, and said pitifully, "To be honest, I am two months pregnant!"
Wei Luo: "...!!!"
His mind went blank for a moment, and his gaze toward Shen Yao suddenly became complicated.
The others were also stunned, and their gazes toward her varied, some surprised, some sympathetic, and most questioning.
Only Liu Heng smiled knowingly and asked, "You said you're pregnant?"
Shen Yao nodded emphatically and said firmly, "The doctor said that it's been more than two months, which is an unstable period. It was because of this child that I was blinded by greed and wanted to sell books to save money to get a wife for my child in the future. Sir, I really know I was wrong, but the child is innocent. Can you wait until I give birth to him before you punish me?"
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.
Shen Yao wasn't trying to escape punishment, but rather her body simply couldn't bear it.
More than a month ago, fifty lashes had already sent the original owner to his death. If he were to receive another fifty lashes now, he would definitely perish.
She also used a clever trick, instead of offering to pay to avoid punishment, she postponed the punishment. Eight months later, no one remembered the caning punishment.
As soon as she spoke, someone said, "Find a doctor to come and take a look."
A quarter of an hour later, a eunuch from the Eastern Palace led over a doctor. After taking her pulse, the doctor pondered and said, "She is indeed pregnant, and has been pregnant for two months."
Shen Yao breathed a sigh of relief.
Wei Luo immediately said, "The law stipulates that pregnant women are exempt from punishment. She is exempt from punishment and will only be fined."
This time, no one objected to Wei Luo's opinion. Guo Zheng, the Vice Minister of Rites, said, "The law has standards, but it also has compassion. Since she is pregnant and her attitude of admitting her mistake is sincere, she is exempted from the caning punishment."
Once someone voiced their opinion, others followed suit. Xiao Yang nodded, "Putting the matter objectively, I also agree with the exemption from punishment."
Of the four people, three agreed to be exempted from punishment, leaving only one. Shen Yao's heart suddenly raced.
I agree.
With a huge weight lifted from her heart, Shen Yao hadn't even had time to feel happy when someone else raised their hand to speak, "My lord, I also have something to say."
One of the shopkeepers followed suit, clutching his chest and crying out, "My body is of special constitution and I cannot withstand the caning."
"You're pregnant too?"
The whole room burst into laughter.
The shopkeeper was taken aback, then said, "Go away, go away, I have a heart condition, it's on the right side. If you don't believe me, have a doctor take a look."
So the doctor went over to check and confirmed, "It is indeed on the right side."
The shopkeeper continued, "It's not that I don't want to be punished, but if I'm flogged, I'll die. I have an eighty-year-old mother and a six-month-old baby to support. My family burden is heavy. If I die, how will they survive?"
After he finished speaking, he lowered his head, covered his face, and sighed.
Someone, unable to bear it any longer, asked, "How old are you, sir?"
The shopkeeper replied, "Forty."
“Your mother gave birth to you at forty, and you gave birth to your son at forty. Most people are childless after thirty, which shows that your family has exceptionally good health.”
"You..." The shopkeeper glared at him, his fingers trembling with anger, "You have such a vicious heart! You can't outsell me, so you want me dead? You want to steal my business, don't you?"
In Dashilan, the two were old rivals.
Before the two had finished arguing, someone else raised their hand and said, "My legs are weak, and I can't take the torture."
After he finished speaking, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, he stood up and took a few steps, limping, "I am a cripple, with few family members and my wife is not pregnant, but if I am sentenced to fifty strokes of the cane, my legs will definitely be crippled. In that case, I will not be able to do business, and the country will have one more cripple, and the court will have one less tax revenue."
"It's not worth it," he added at the end.
In Dashilan, apart from Shen Yao who was new, all the other shopkeepers were acquaintances. As a result, everyone tried to avoid being caned, even if it meant spending more money.
The idea is to punish everyone equally, to treat everyone fairly. However, if the treatment is unbalanced, it is more likely to cause friction.
For a moment, the situation got a little out of control.
"Alright, shut up, all of you. The caning is unavoidable, and not a single one of you will be spared," Guo Zheng said.
Shen Yao secretly realized something was wrong.
Sure enough, she was still going to have bad luck.
Guo Zheng continued, “If a son is not taught, it is the father’s fault; if a wife is wrong, it is the husband’s laziness. Let her husband bear the fifty strokes of the cane. That is fair and just. If any of you cannot bear the punishment, if you have a son, let your son do it; if you do not have a son, your wife or elderly parents may do it.”
The air was eerily quiet.
Shen Yao's heart sank to the bottom.
A few days ago, Xu Xuan was implicated by her and was beaten with a board. The wounds have probably just scabbed over. It's unimaginable that he would be tortured again.
She looked up at Wei Luo, shook her head at him, and winked.
Wei Luo met her gaze, and for some reason, he suddenly thought of Liu Heng's words from last night: "to be fickle and change one's mind."
She once loved Xu Xuan so much that he would feel jealous whenever he recalled certain moments. What right did Xu Xuan have?
So in a short while, Wei Luo made up his mind: "I grant what Minister Guo has said."
The moment he finished speaking, Wei Luo saw a look of sorrow on Shen Yao's face, and his mood also became gloomy.
Shen Yao continued to shake her head at him. Wei Luo could see the pleading in her eyes. He clenched his fist slightly and deliberately turned his face away, but he couldn't help but glance at her out of the corner of his eye.
She seemed increasingly disappointed.
Wei Luo's heart clenched instantly.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he sighed softly.
Well, Wei Luo couldn't bear to see her sad, so he said, "The caning punishment is to be changed to thirty strokes, to be carried out immediately."
Thirty strokes of the cane were within the acceptable range for normal men, and more than a dozen shopkeepers kowtowed to express their gratitude. Several officials, seeing this, also tacitly agreed.
After Wei Luo finished speaking, he immediately took Liu Heng back to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters, and Guo Zheng also left with them; the task of supervising the execution fell to Xiao Yang.
*
When Xu Xuan arrived, to be precise, he was helped there. His once tall and strong body looked much larger than before, even after just a few days.
His complexion wasn't good either; it was deathly pale, and he had stubble on his chin.
Actually, I was in a bit of a mess.
Shen Yao glanced at it once and then looked away.
The "General Principles" section of the "Da Min Law" stipulates: "Whenever someone is sentenced to be caned, the buttocks and legs shall be affected, and the person shall be stripped of their clothes to receive the punishment."
The victim had to lie face down on the ground, remove his lower garment, and be struck on the buttocks with a large bamboo board, five feet long and two inches wide, hence the nickname "bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat".
The horror of caning lies in the dual torment of the body and mind. The victim has to have their underwear pulled down in full view of others, and their buttocks are beaten until the skin is torn and bleeding. This sense of shame is unmatched by any other punishment except for castration.
Xu Xuan was so proud because she had been humiliated twice, which made Shen Yao even more terrified and guilty.
Now, she didn't dare to look at him. She knew Xu Xuan must hate her to death. His venomous gaze wished she would die immediately and disappear from his sight forever.
The caning began, thirty strokes in total. Each blow landed on Xu Xuan's body, but each stroke also struck her heart.
Shen Yao counted: one, two, three, four... twenty-nine.
Finally, Shen Yao mustered up her courage and looked up at him, but Xu Xuan had already fainted.
The servant who helped him up said, "Young master came by carriage, but he is now seriously injured and needs to be carried back, but the journey is quite long."
Shen Yao understood; the servant wanted to recuperate on the spot.
The closest place to here is the back room of the study, where she usually rests, and for now, this is the only place she has to stay.
Shen Yao hired someone to carry Xu Xuan back to the study, and then found a doctor to examine him. "Young master is weak, his wound has worsened, and he is likely to have a high fever tonight."
Shen Yao's heart tightened suddenly, and she asked, "Then what should we do?"
"I'll prescribe some medicine; please decoct it and feed it to him as soon as possible. Also, in a couple of days, stew some chicken soup to nourish him."
Shen Yao agreed to each of them.
After the doctor left, the servant applied medicine to him, and Shen Yao squatted in the courtyard to decoct the medicine.
A cold wind suddenly rose, blowing thick smoke from the firewood everywhere.
Shen Yao looked up and saw that the sky was gloomy with rolling dark clouds, as if it was about to snow...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
