One blow and his buttocks were bruised
"You unfilial son! Why did you have to learn to frequent brothels at such a young age? If outsiders find out, where will I put my old face?!" Master Tang berated Tang Feng, "Do you even know that the madam of Qinghui Fang came to our door this morning demanding money?"
"She's asking for money again? I already gave her money." Tang Feng was also incredulous and couldn't help but feel angry, so he got up to argue with her.
"Kneel back down! Do you know how old you are? You're only sixteen! Going there is one thing, but you even chose their top courtesan! Who taught you all this? Tell me, wasn't it you?!" Although Master Tang was angry, Tang Feng was, after all, his son. With so many maids and servants standing around, it would be a huge loss of face if others heard. So, as he continued his tirade, he turned his anger towards Liu Yiwan, hoping to give himself and his son a way out and punish them properly once the storm had passed.
"What does it have to do with him? Boys always need to have some fun." Tang Feng glanced at Liu Yiwan, who was pale with fright and trembling as he knelt on the ground. Tang Feng sighed, "I just went to listen to a song, and besides, nothing happened between us." Although his voice was soft, Old Master Tang heard it clearly, not missing a single word.
"You! Do you want something else to happen?" Master Tang was trembling with rage at his son's rudeness and foul language. He disregarded all pretense of saving face. "Guards! Bring out the ancestral family rules!" Seeing that none of the servants moved, he shouted even louder, "Are you all deaf? Go now!"
Tang Feng initially scoffed at the mention of family discipline. In TV dramas, it was nothing more than a small rattan cane or twig; while it hurt, everyone had a childhood, and everyone had been beaten. But the family discipline the servants brought nearly terrified Tang Feng. Seeing the servants holding two wooden sticks as thick as his thighs, and their panting bodies, Tang Feng could already feel the pain of the blows. At that moment, Tang Feng desperately wanted to admit his mistake, but he was too ashamed to admit it, so he could only continue kneeling.
"I've never hit you before, but this time you've been utterly lawless! You dragged the young master to the woodshed, and he wasn't allowed to stop until he'd received twenty-five strokes. And you, Liu Yiwan, you didn't stop the young master from doing this; you dragged him along too!" Master Tang finished speaking and turned to leave.
At this moment, Liu Yiwan, who had been kneeling and not daring to move, suddenly threw herself onto Master Tang, crying and shouting, "Master, please let me go! It's not that I didn't stop the young master, it's just that I really didn't know anything about this. The young master sneaked away without telling me! Look at the mess this has made! If I had known, I would rather let the young master step over my dead body than let him go to a place like that!" Liu Yiwan hugged Master Tang, crying pitifully with snot and tears streaming down her face. Tang Feng was stunned. What kind of crazy stunt was this?
"You're saying you didn't know the young master went to that place?"
"Yes, sir, if I had known, this wouldn't have happened."
Mr. Tang was dizzy from being pulled around by Liu Yiwan, and since he didn't want to bother with the matter any further today, he decided to send him away.
"Alright, alright, ignorance is no excuse. You can skip the beating! Feng'er, look at you! You went to a place where even Liu Yiwan didn't know you were there. It seems I really need to correct this bad habit of yours, otherwise how will I face my ancestors a hundred years from now? Twenty-five strokes are too few; let's make it fifty." With that, he turned and left.
Tang Feng was utterly incredulous. He hadn't done anything wrong, yet he'd been hit twenty-five more times with the stick. "I...no, how come there were more? Let me go!" Tang Feng tried to struggle to his feet, but several servants dragged him to a long bench in the woodshed in the backyard. "Brothers, please have mercy, hit me less, please!" Tang Feng was genuinely terrified; after all, such thick sticks would surely kill or terribly inflict serious injuries on him!
"Young Master, please don't make things difficult for us. The Master said to count the blows, and not a single one will be spared." The group looked at each other. They were indeed in a difficult position. The Master had never hit their young master before, and this was the first time they had ever done so. Now they were caught in the middle, and no one could do anything about it. If they hit too hard and hurt their little darling, they would be the ones who suffered the consequences.
"Could you please hit me a little lighter? The number of hits can't be less, but could you please hit me a little lighter? My dad didn't say how much force to use, did he?"
"Since the young master has said so, let's go easy on him. Otherwise, the master will be upset, and we'll offend both sides." After hearing Tang Feng's words, the servants turned around and discussed among themselves. Then they turned back to Tang Feng and said, "Young master, we can go easy on you, but we definitely can't hold back at all. After all, it's fifty strokes of the rod. We won't be able to explain ourselves if you're completely unharmed afterward."
Tang Feng thought about it and agreed. It wasn't a bad deal, so he settled down on the stool, reminding himself, "You promised not to use too much force!"
The lead servant picked up the heavy family rod, glanced at the remaining men, and said, "Alright, guys, let's get to work! Hold back a bit." With a 'whoosh,' the rod struck Tang Feng's backside.
"No, we agreed to go easy on him!" Tang Feng felt like he was about to ascend to heaven after that blow. Forget fifty strokes, just five with that force would probably kill him. "Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! If you keep hitting me, I'm going to burst open!"
"Young master has already been very lenient. We can't finish the beating without leaving any wounds, can we?" The servant was a little embarrassed, but his hand still didn't stop hitting with the stick.
Just as Tang Feng felt like his internal organs were about to be pulled out, the stick stopped. "Young Master, we're done. Let us help you back!" They went to help Tang Feng, but he said, "Don't move! Let me catch my breath. Ouch~ You guys were way too rough!"
"We've been very lenient, young master. The fact that you're still conscious and able to talk to us means we haven't used excessive force. Most people would be taken to the mass grave after fifty strokes of the rod." The servants began to straighten Tang Feng's clothes, slowly lifting him up, half-carrying and half-supporting him. They said, "Young master, you can't delay like this. Your clothes are stained with blood; you need to change them quickly. If you wait for the blood to dry, the clothes will stick to the wounds, and tearing them will hurt even more."
"Huh? Then be gentle, ouch, be gentle."
Tang Feng was helped back to the house and lay on the bed. He saw Liu Yiwan come in carrying various bottles and jars. "You ungrateful little bastard! I protected you so much just now, and you made me get twenty-five extra lashes! Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
"Young Master, Young Master, don't get agitated!" Seeing Tang Feng's agitated state, Liu Yiwan quickly put down the medicine pot and went to help him up. "Young Master, please let me explain! If we both get beaten up, who will take care of you? Right? You need someone to serve you after you're beaten up! I, Liu Yiwan, will definitely provide you with impeccable service." After saying that, Liu Yiwan took out the medicine pot and began to apply medicine to Tang Feng. "Look at this medicine, I ran around three or four streets to buy it. If I get beaten up, who will find medicine for you?"
Tang Feng rolled his eyes at Liu Yiwan. "Heh, having you is truly my blessing."
After applying the medicine to Tang Feng, Liu Yiwan began packing up the medicine jar. "Oh, by the way, young master, I told the master to beat you less in the future. Isn't copying as punishment better than corporal punishment? Then the master asked me to pass on a message to you, telling you to copy the Tao Te Ching ten times after you've recovered from your injury and send it to him."
"I...you..." Tang Feng was so angry he couldn't speak. "Liu Yiwan...get out of here!"
"What did you say, young master?"
"I said get lost! Don't you understand traditional Chinese culture?! Ugh!" Tang Feng grabbed a pillow and threw it at Liu Yiwan.
"Sigh, sigh, get out of here."
After Liu Yiwan left, Tang Feng casually picked up a bronze mirror from beside him, then pointed at his reflection, his voice trembling with suppressed tears, "What's wrong with you? How could you keep such a traitor by your side? Ugh..." He then tossed the mirror aside and lay back down on the bed, forgetting his injuries. "Ouch~ It hurts so much! Liu Yiwan, you little bastard, wait until I'm healed..."
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