"Won't His Majesty kill us?"
"No way?"
"We only had a fight; according to the military law of the Tang Dynasty, the maximum punishment is sixty lashes..."
With his face bruised and swollen, Changsun Dan's courage grew when he heard that His Majesty the Emperor would support him.
"You dare hit me? See how my uncle deals with you!"
When Li Jue heard that this person still dared to make a fuss, he immediately retorted without any politeness.
"Shut up!"
"His Majesty the Emperor is wise and mighty; how could he punish us for something as worthless as you?"
Hearing this, Changsun Dan was too lazy to argue with him. He just snorted coldly, wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve, and strode confidently toward Xuanwu Gate.
Compared to the swift strides of Changsun Dan and the Crown Prince Liu Shuai, Li Jue and Ma Hu were much slower, barely moving at all, like turtles crawling.
Seeing this, the Hundred Cavalry couldn't help but urge them on.
"Hurry up, don't keep His Majesty waiting!"
"Oh oh oh..."
Despite being urged on by the Hundred Cavalry, Li Jue and his men still moved very slowly until Changsun Dan turned around and provoked them, which finally ignited their fighting spirit.
Why are you walking so slowly?
Are you scared?
"If you kneel down and call me grandpa now, I'll plead for you when I see His Majesty later, and ask him to spare you a few dozen lashes, hahaha!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jue was furious. How could he, the legitimate eldest grandson, be reduced to relying on such a scoundrel to plead for him?
"Pah!"
"Even if your head falls off, it'll only leave a scar the size of a bowl, let alone being beaten with military rods!"
"When we're getting beaten with sticks later, anyone who dares to wail is a son of a bitch!"
While others didn't react much to Li Jue's words, Changsun Dan was so angry that his face turned red.
Because he was born of a concubine!
"Okay, okay!"
"Let's see who can wail the loudest in a moment!"
Before long, as they stood at the foot of Xuanwu Gate, a hundred Imperial Guards ran out from behind the gate and surrounded them.
"By imperial decree, Changsun Dan has shot and injured a commoner without cause; he shall be punished with fifty strokes of the cane!"
"Brother Xiao, it's me, Changsun Dan!"
"Execute them!"
"Brother Xiao, go and plead with His Majesty on this matter..."
"beat!"
No matter how much Changsun Dan struggled, the Imperial Guards stripped him of his armor, pulled down his pants, and beat him with military sticks in front of everyone.
As the thick military stick, as thick as a child's arm, was swung around, Changsun Dan soon let out a painful howl.
Although Changsun Dan's howls were loud, the Imperial Guards in charge of the execution showed no sign of leniency and continued to deliver the fifty lashes with expressionless faces.
After fifty strokes of the military rod, Changsun Dan's buttocks were already covered in welts.
Li Jue looked at the buttocks that were almost turned into mud and felt his scalp tingle.
Is this the imperial court's military beating? It's much harsher than Old Li's...
After receiving fifty lashes, Changsun Dan couldn't even stand up, but he still mustered his last breath and asked one last question.
"Brother Xiao, how much were they fined?"
"them?"
"His Majesty didn't say anything about attacking them!"
"ah?"
"puff……"
Upon hearing this, Changsun Dan was so angry that he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"This is not fair!"
"Why are you only hitting me and not them?!"
Just as Changsun Dan was complaining, another knight ran out from behind the door.
"His Majesty's decree: In order not to delay tomorrow's military exercise, all those involved in the fight will receive twenty strokes of the military rod. The remaining strokes will be noted for now, and will be made up for if they are caught again in the future!"
Upon hearing this, all the captains bowed with smiles and thanked His Majesty for his mercy. They then took off their own pants without the Imperial Guards having to remove them, and lay on the ground to await their punishment.
Only Li Jue looked troubled upon hearing this. Although twenty strokes of the rod were not much, he was afraid that his small body could not withstand it.
Just as he was feeling uneasy, he saw an old acquaintance walking over.
"Uncle Zhang, what are you doing here!"
"I'm here to deliver a message. My master said you won't be punished!"
"Old Man Li... does Old Man Li's word carry weight?"
"Of course it works!"
"Your grandfather also said that only he can spank your butt, hahaha!"
"Uh..."
Li Jue felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed fly droppings after hearing these words; it was as if they were giving him a great deal of face...
"Should I thank him?"
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