Chapter 100 The Shen family members are whipped, their screams echoing.
Before Madam Shen could even touch Yun Zhaoxue, she was flung to the ground. "Ah!"
She lay on the ground, writhing and groaning as she clutched her aching back, "Ouch, it hurts! It hurts so much! My back..."
The rest of the Shen family rushed over and helped her up. "Mother, are you alright?"
"Aaaaaah...it hurts, it hurts! My back is going to break! Go kill that bitch and avenge me..."
Shen Yan glared fiercely at Yun Zhaoxue and questioned, "Xue'er, I haven't provoked you these past few days, so why did you hit my mother?"
Judging from his tone, it seemed that Yun Zhaoxue deliberately attacked his mother in order to get his attention.
"She's asking for it!"
"Brother, why waste words with her? Let's all go and pin her down, avenge Mother, and beat her face to a pulp."
The Shen family members walked towards Yun Zhaoxue.
The entire Xiao family walked up to Yun Zhaoxue, their eyes filled with hatred, as if they wanted to avenge yesterday's defeat.
The Shen family had a bad feeling and were hesitant to go forward, but when they thought about the group of young children and women on the other side, and that their only two men were injured and disabled respectively, they hesitated.
Suddenly emboldened, he charged aggressively at them.
Just as the Shen family rushed over, the entire Xiao family collapsed to the ground.
"Ouch! Ouch..."
Xiao Xuance also fell to the ground, the excruciating pain in his shinbone spreading throughout his body, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, and veins bulging.
He wasn't faking it; he was really in pain.
Yun Zhaoxue rushed to his side, wiped the sweat from his forehead with her sleeve, and cried out loudly, "Husband, how are you? Your leg is broken, and you were pushed down. You can't stand up or walk anymore. What will you do in the future?"
The Shen family has gone too far! They insulted our family, calling us old, disabled, sick, and weak, and even tried to beat us. Justice is out in the heavens! God, open your eyes and send down a bolt of lightning to strike them all dead…”
Jun'er, along with her younger siblings, burst into tears, "Waaaaah, it hurts so much! My hand is bleeding, waaaaah..."
Xiao Xuanwu rolled on the ground, clutching the wound on his arm, crying, "Officer, help! The Shen family has killed someone! My hand hurts so much..."
Old Liao was discussing important matters with the other escorts when Wu Chuang escaped. He then sent someone to report to the authorities, resulting in a shortage of escorts. The escorts needed to be reassigned to manage the team.
Hearing the commotion behind him, he stepped onto the stone block and saw the Xiao and Shen families behind him. His eyebrows, which were burned down to only half their original size, furrowed into a knot. "It's you two again. Can't you give me a break for a bit?"
As he spoke, he picked up the whip and walked back, "Crack!" and lashed it to the ground.
"Tell me! What exactly happened?"
Madam Shen, feigning remorse, said, "Officer, it was her, that wicked woman, who slapped me..."
Yun Zhaoxue also pointed at her and interrupted her, saying, "Officer, it was her. She started the trouble first. As soon as we arrived, she cursed the whole family as old, disabled, sick, and weak. She even let her whole family beat people up. My mother-in-law and husband were injured and couldn't withstand it. They were pushed down, and their wounds reopened. How can they walk now? We can't live like this anymore. We might as well have died in last night's fire."
Madam Shen cried and shouted, "I only scolded you a couple of times, and you slapped me twice. My face is all swollen from the slaps."
Yun Zhaoxue said, "If you hadn't cursed me, I wouldn't have hit you, so you started this. Master Liao, you've always been fair, please give my whole family justice."
When Xiao Xiuning saw her family member lying on the ground, she came over to help him up and was about to roll up Xiao Xuanwu's sleeve to check his wounds.
Xiao Xuanwu's arm trembled, and he pressed his hand against the wound to prevent her from seeing it, hissing in pain, "Hiss hiss hiss... Fourth Sister, don't touch my wound, it hurts so much, it hurts so much, I'm going to die."
Old Liao's cold, chilling gaze swept over the Shen family members, his tone low and menacing, "I said that the one who starts trouble should be whipped, but you ignored my words and didn't take my verbal warnings seriously. Today, I'm going to make an example of you."
When Madam Shen saw his gaze, she trembled with fear. "Officer Liao, they hit people first..."
Old Liao didn't give them a chance to refute, and lashed the Shen family members with his whip.
"Slap slap slap!!!..."
"Aaaaaah!!!"
Shen Qingyu was terrified of the whip, and even those who hadn't been whipped yet screamed, "Ah!"
Old Liao said, "Why are you yelling like that when we haven't even hit you yet? If you like yelling, we'll give you another lash."
Two lashes landed on Shen Qingyu.
"Ouch!!! It hurts so much, stop hitting me!"
Soon, the Shen family members were lying on the ground wailing, their screams even more agonizing than the Xiao family members had made the night before.
"From now on, everyone should take good care of their own family members. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be held responsible for their entire family. This is what happens when you cause trouble. Do you all understand?" Old Liao took the opportunity to warn everyone before returning to the front of the line.
Old Liao had just shouted, "Let's go!"
He rubbed his throbbing head and said, "My head hurts so much. I caught a cold. I'm dizzy and can't see where I'm going. I can't walk anymore. I need to lie down and rest."
Old Liao said impatiently, "Stop pretending. The imperial decree orders us to arrive in Lingnan within three months. If we miss the deadline, we'll all be in deep trouble. Everyone who can still breathe, get on the road."
I hate people like this the most. As soon as you ask them to leave, they start pretending to be sick and making a bunch of excuses saying they don't want to go or can't go.
The man cried and said, "Officer, I really can't do it anymore. I feel so weak. Every step I take feels like a thousand pounds are under my feet..."
"I'm not feeling well either... Achoo, achoo, I got caught in the rain last night and developed a fever in the evening. When I woke up this morning, my whole body was burning up. I feel terrible right now and I can't walk."
Two people took the lead, and the others followed suit, each complaining of a headache, foot pain, leg pain, stomach pain, and so on.
Some people simply lay on the ground and pretended to be dead, saying, "I'm dizzy, I can't walk."
"Damn it, a bunch of men got caught in a couple of drops of rain and are already complaining about aches and pains, they're worse than women. When will you ever get your act together? You're convicts, not gentlemen, ladies, or noblemen out for a spring outing!" Old Liao cursed angrily, kicking one of the men lying on the ground.
The man howled in pain as he was kicked, yelling, "Ouch!! It hurts! Please, Mr. Liao, have mercy..."
Old Liao was so angry that his chest ached. He leaned against the carriage, clutching his chest and panting heavily.
Someone with no tact asked, "Uncle Liao, have you also caught a cold? That's perfect, let's rest for half a day before we go."
Enraged, Lao Liao lashed out with his whip, yelling, "Go to hell with your bullshit cold! I'm the one who's making me angry!"
He came from a military family. At the age of thirteen, he was tattooed on his face. At sixteen, he went to the battlefield. Later, he became a guard, escorting countless criminal gangs. He traveled all over the country and never caught a cold.
Half of the people said they had caught a cold and couldn't walk, so the group couldn't set off.
Old Liao had no choice but to compromise, giving them an hour to rest, and sending several guards and some convicts with medical skills to the forest to collect medicine to treat colds.
Two large pots were set up in the yard to boil water.
Fifteen minutes later, the herbs were gathered. Without washing them, they were all thrown into the pot to boil, roots and all.
The crowd began to murmur, "It hasn't been washed yet, there's still mud and grass roots in it, can this stuff be drunk?"
"Those herbs are all weird and wonderful. I've never seen them before. Could they kill someone if I drink them?"
Someone with medical knowledge said, "The most effective part of some herbs is their root."
When Lao Liao heard everyone's complaints, his temple throbbed. "Drink it or don't, when the time comes, we'll continue on our way."
He suddenly realized he had been too lenient; he should have lashed them a few times to see who would dare to complain about not leaving.
...
at the same time--
In the capital, the Second Prince had just brought a beautiful woman from a brothel into his residence as a concubine.
We made love until very late last night, and I asked for it several times.
Before dawn, he rolled over and pinned her down again...
The bodyguard stood at the door for a while, but the commotion inside grew louder and showed no sign of stopping. If he didn't get up soon, he would be late for court.
I had to knock on the door to remind you: "Your Highness, it's getting late, it's time to go to the morning court."
"Get lost! It won't make a difference if it's just a little while longer."
The concubine nudged the second prince's chest and pleaded sweetly, "Your Highness, you should hurry to the morning court session. If you're late, the Emperor might blame you. I don't want to be a femme fatale who hinders your great cause..."
The second prince lifted her chin. "Little Liu'er, it's rare for a courtesan like you to think of me like this. I think I'm falling more and more in love with you. Have you put a spell on me...?"
Lying beneath him, Xiao Liu'er's eyes flickered, her gaze shy and hesitant to look at him. Her voice was both sweet and alluring, "Mmm, ah, if Your Highness says so, then it is..."
"Hahaha..." Upon hearing this, the Second Prince laughed excitedly again, his whole body throbbing with energy, and he picked the person up.
Little Liu'er clung to his arm, her naked upper body pressed against his chest, "Your Highness, please don't do this. The curtains aren't drawn yet; someone might come in and see us..."
"Who dares to enter without my order?"
Little Willow caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye, and then looked closer.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing scream erupted, "Ah!—"
Unlike the lingering moans in bed, it was a terrified scream.
The second prince sensed something was wrong, turned his head in the direction of her gaze, and screamed in fright before collapsing against her.
Hearing the commotion inside, the guards outside quickly knocked on the door, "Knock knock!!"
He asked anxiously, "Your Highness? Has something happened inside? May I go in?"
Terrified screams echoed from inside, "Ah! Ah!..."
There was no response from the Second Prince.
The guards, thinking something had happened to the second prince, rushed in without thinking. They saw a severed head hanging in the hall, eyes wide open in death. Blood kept seeping from the severed head, pooling on the ground. The scene was gruesome and horrifying, sending chills down one's spine.
"roll!"
Seven or eight doctors were thrown to the door by the guards of the Second Prince's residence, along with their medicine boxes. Before they could even stand up, they scrambled away with their medicine boxes in their arms.
At this moment, Imperial Physician Zhang and his apprentice from the Imperial Medical Academy were taken to the Second Prince's residence and saw the doctor fleeing in panic.
Puzzled, the guard said that the second prince had caught a cold. Judging from the doctor's terrified look, it seemed as if the prince had some incurable disease and was afraid of being punished by the second prince if he couldn't be cured.
The second prince, with his hair disheveled and wearing only his undergarments, sat on the edge of the bed, his face gloomy, as if a great fire had just broken out.
Hearing the noise from the doorway, a cold gaze swept over.
The imperial physician was filled with apprehension; could it be that he had truly contracted an incurable disease?
Physician Zhang bowed and entered, setting down his medicine chest. He said softly, "Your Highness, please extend your left hand."
The imperial physician was about to extend his hand.
The second prince suddenly stood up, pulled down his trousers and underpants, and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Physician Zhang was taken aback by his sudden action and was speechless. However, being a physician who had seen many things in the palace, he quickly composed himself and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, there's no need to take off your pants for a cold..."
The voice grew softer and softer, as if the man had guessed that the cold was just a pretext and that there was probably another hidden ailment. The hidden ailment that the man dared not mention was probably that place.
Physician Zhang bowed again and said, "Your Highness, please allow me to take your pulse first."
Even for hidden illnesses, pulse diagnosis is an essential step.
The second prince said impatiently, "Why bother taking my pulse? Just start treating me."
He didn't know anything about medicine. The previous doctors who came all took his pulse first, and it took them several quarters of an hour to give a diagnosis. In the end, they said a lot of nonsense, that they weren't sure, but they would try their best...
He is a prince, and sooner or later he will replace the crown prince and inherit the throne. He cannot let the doctor try him; he must be cured.
The final decision was to go to the palace to summon the imperial physician.
He completely lost his patience and became annoyed at the mere mention of taking a pulse.
After examining the 'injury,' the imperial physician took his pulse, then his left hand and then his right. 'Your Highness, please extend your other hand.'
He was deep in thought after taking the pulse.
The second prince urged impatiently, "Tell me quickly, is it still curable?"
Physician Zhang pondered for a moment, then nodded and replied, "...Yes!"
What percentage? Is there a 100% chance of a cure in a short time?
"Only 80% in the short term, and 100% within a month."
The Second Prince secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His gloomy face brightened, and his voice was loud and clear, "Good! Physician Zhang is indeed the physician I trust the most. If you can cure my hidden ailment within half a month, you will be richly rewarded."
The palace was crowded and noisy, and he didn't want anyone to know that he had injured himself there. At first, he didn't want to ask the imperial physician, but after consulting seven or eight doctors, none of them were sure of the outcome, so he had no choice but to go to the palace to ask the imperial physician.
Physician Zhang's treatment method involved acupuncture combined with medication.
The imperial physician bowed and said, “Your Highness is not ill, but rather suffering from a sudden shock that caused your essence to be blocked. We should first administer a calming acupuncture to stabilize your mind. Please lie down, Your Highness, and I will begin the acupuncture treatment.”
Physician Zhang's apprentice opened his medicine box and prepared the silver needles.
Physician Zhang took a three-inch silver needle and pierced the Huiyin acupoint, then gently twisted and rotated the needle with his fingers.
The prince suddenly gasped, "Hiss!"
The second prince's waist trembled violently, his expression pained, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, and he let out a painful groan, "Ugh..."
The pain was so intense that he felt the imperial physician was there to harm him, not to save him, so he reached out to pull out the silver needles.
Physician Zhang quickly intervened, "Your Highness, the pain is temporary, please bear with it."
As he spoke, he picked up a second silver needle, turned it to pierce the Shenshu acupoint, and suddenly plunged it three-tenths of an inch deep.
"Ouch! Couldn't you be a little gentler?" The second prince cried out in pain.
After administering the acupuncture, Physician Zhang said, "Your Highness, this illness will be difficult to cure if the inner demons are not eliminated. If Your Highness trusts me, please tell me the cause of the illness so that I can prescribe the right medicine."
The second prince, who had just recovered his senses, suddenly changed color; it was a disgrace to him.
He didn't want to bring it up again, so he gave the guard a look. The guard nodded slightly and invited the imperial physician aside, telling him about how the second prince had been frightened that morning.
Physician Zhang understood, but was also secretly alarmed. Who could have bypassed the guards of the Prince's mansion and silently hung the head inside the house? The person must be someone of great importance. If they knew that he had cured the Second Prince, would he and his family be doomed?
Physician Zhang prescribed a medicine, instructing the patient to take it for three days, followed by acupuncture for five consecutive days.
The second prince rewarded him with a hundred taels of gold and made him promise not to tell anyone, or he would lose his head.
Physician Zhang promised that he would never tell anyone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com