Chapter 55: Beaten

In the main hall of the Xia residence, Zhao Cheng held a mysterious "family law" object high above his head with both hands, kneeling before the portraits of the Emperor and Empress, not daring to move a muscle. Beside him stood Huang Jingchen with a wry smile and a cold, sternly dressed palace lady.

"Lord, today you have broken the rules again. I must punish you on behalf of the Noble Consort. Do you know what you did wrong?" the palace lady asked sternly.

"I don't know what I did wrong," Zhao Cheng thought, recalling that he hadn't done anything particularly outrageous today. He just wanted to go out and see the grand ceremony for the completion of the river embankment, visit his new brewery, and teach them how to make wine. But he was caught and dragged back just as he reached the second gate. He looked up at the "inspector" his mother had sent and said, "I don't think it's wrong. This is my residence, and the main and secondary gates are mine to walk through. How can it be considered sneaking out?"

"Indeed, it is this matter!" Zhao Cheng thought to himself, staring back at her with wide eyes. "That's not right. This is my residence, not the palace. How can you say I'm sneaking out? You can't just hit me for that!" Zhao Cheng shifted his sore knees and replied. Knowing he was caught red-handed, he tried to change the subject.

The "inspector" pointed out his mistake, glaring at him and shouting, "Lord, you tried to sneak out of the residence today, didn't you?"

"Ah, so it's about this!" Zhao Cheng sighed in relief and looked at the "beauty." This female inspector, with her high bun, oval face, phoenix eyes, and cherry lips, was a classic Chinese beauty, even if a bit older. A smile from her could charm a few old bachelors, but she always kept a stern face, scolding and punishing people every day, making life miserable for everyone in the inner courtyard. He had already been beaten a few times with the "family law."

"Lord, it seems you still don't know what you did wrong. I have already explained the palace rules to you: you cannot leave the palace without permission!"

"This is my residence, not the palace. Where did all these rules come from? If you want to hit me, just say so!" Zhao Cheng was annoyed. This woman was treating his small residence like a grand palace, and he couldn't stand it. He stood up and threw the "family law" to the chief inspector. He was angry at his own mother for sending him a "housekeeper" just when he had started to take charge. "You don't know that your son has the responsibility to save the Song Dynasty. I need to go to Wuguo City to save you in the future. How can you be so unreasonable?"

"Rumors in the palace say that Lord is unruly, and it seems to be true. Today, I must strictly discipline you on behalf of the Noble Consort!" The chief inspector, seeing that Lord was stubborn and unrepentant, and even dared to defy her, said sternly.

"What are you all looking at? Bring out the bench. Can't you see that Lord is about to be beaten? Show some initiative!" Zhao Cheng ignored her and said to the two eunuchs standing by.

"Very well, today I will personally enforce the family law!" The chief inspector was clearly provoked by Zhao Cheng's attitude. She gritted her teeth and said, "In the palace, I was in charge of punishments. Every prince and princess was obedient to me. But this Second Prince is truly incorrigible. I have tried to teach and punish him, but he hasn't changed at all. He clearly doesn't respect me, the inspector sent by the Noble Consort. Look at that defiant gaze; he's clearly teasing me."

"Miss Yu Zhu, Lord is frail. If anything happens to him, we won't be able to explain to the Noble Consort. I think we should skip the punishment today," Huang Jingchen, seeing that Lord was about to be beaten, quickly stepped forward to plead.

"High Official, the Noble Consort sent me to teach Lord to follow the rules, understand etiquette, and be reasonable. Please don't interfere. I will report to the Noble Consort," Yu Zhu glanced at Huang Jingchen and said calmly, though she was also annoyed. She blamed him for corrupting Lord, which led to her being sent to this place to discipline him. Now, instead of helping, he was trying to hold her back.

"You, you, since you insist on this, don't blame me for not warning you!" Huang Jingchen was taken aback. He was her former superior, and this made him lose face. He thought Lord was protected by a sage and could be revived even if he died. A few strokes of the cane wouldn't hurt him. He gave Zhao Cheng a look that said, "Take care, Lord," and turned to leave.

"Damn, no loyalty. You said you would help me achieve great things, but now you're just watching me get beaten!" Zhao Cheng gave Huang Jingchen a dirty look, feeling angry. He hadn't expected his story to backfire. But since he was playing the tough guy, he couldn't back down now. He lifted his robe and lay on the bench, saying, "Just get it over with. I still have to fly a kite after this!"

"Good!" The eunuchs watching the punishment couldn't help but admire him, though only in their hearts. They were also terrified of the wicked woman and could only give Lord encouraging looks.

"Please stand up, Lord, and extend your hand!" The chief inspector wasn't one to be trifled with. Seeing that Lord's buttocks were thicker today, she knew he had prepared, but she couldn't strip a man's pants in public. Besides, humiliating Lord in such a way would not be forgiven by the Noble Consort. She changed her mind and decided to hit his hand instead.

"What, not hitting the buttocks today? I prepared for nothing. I miscalculated," Zhao Cheng was surprised. The "family law" given by the Noble Consort was made of something that caused excruciating pain. The last two times, even with the eunuchs going easy, he couldn't sit for days. Today, he had prepared by padding his buttocks, but it didn't help.

"Hmph, please!" Zhao Cheng, now in a difficult position, couldn't lose face. He decided to treat this as a resilience training and extended his left hand nonchalantly.

Yu Zhu ordered two subordinates to hold Zhao Cheng's arms, raised the "family law" high, and brought it down with a fierce swing. She knew it was made of the best willow branches soaked in oil and interwoven with leather and gold threads, causing bone-deep pain.

"Smack!" Yu Zhu, angry at Zhao Cheng's disrespect and wanting to assert her authority, hit him hard. She felt Lord's body tremble but heard no cry of pain. "Did I hit too lightly after not doing it for a while?" she wondered. Usually, this would make even an adult cry out, but she saw Lord's hand swell up, indicating the force was strong.

"One!" Just as Yu Zhu was puzzled, she heard Lord counting. She looked down at Zhao Cheng and saw him frowning, his lips twitching, but with a smile, clearly not giving in.

"Two, three, four!" With each count, Yu Zhu hit harder. After six strokes, Lord was sweating profusely, but his smile grew wider.

Yu Zhu felt the greatest humiliation of her life. A woman who had terrorized the palace, making everyone cower in fear, couldn't handle a child. She was so angry that she forgot she was dealing with a prince and hit him again with full force.

"Chief Inspector, please show mercy! Spare Lord!" Suddenly, a eunuch rushed forward, kneeling and grabbing her hand.

"Spare Lord!" The other eunuchs in the courtyard and the house also knelt and pleaded.

"Let go! This is not your place to speak!" Seeing the residence's people pleading for Zhao Cheng, she became even angrier.

"Fengxi, let go and stand up!" Zhao Cheng shouted sternly, but he felt a warmth in his heart.

"Lord, I can't! Your hand will be crippled!" Fengxi still held Yu Zhu's hand, shouting, "Chief Inspector, I will take the punishment for Lord! Hit me!"

Fengxi, also from the palace, knew the wicked woman's methods well. The sound of her footsteps made his heart tremble. But he remembered how Lord saved him during the assassination attempt, and he mustered the courage to stand up, despite the potential punishment.

"We will take the punishment for Lord!" The eunuchs bowed and shouted.

"Fengxi, I'll say it again. Stand up, all of you. Don't you remember what I taught you?" Zhao Cheng pulled Fengxi up and turned to the others.

"Men must be strong!"

"Yes, men must be strong. To earn respect, you must respect yourself. Why bow to this wicked woman? Stand up!" Zhao Cheng kicked the kneeling Fengxi and said.

"As you command, Lord!" Fengxi stood up, wiping away his tears, but they kept flowing. The others followed, their eyes showing a new determination.

"Hit me! Keep hitting me! If I make a sound, you win!" Zhao Cheng looked at the stunned Yu Zhu and said coldly.

"Good, you are very good!" Yu Zhu, seeing Zhao Cheng still challenging her authority, was furious and raised her hand to hit him again.

"Chief Inspector, you can't hit him anymore. Lord's hand—" A palace maid beside her reminded her.

Yu Zhu finally regained her senses. Seeing Lord's hand swollen, red, and purple, with fingers thicker than her toes, she thought, "Hmph, that's enough for today. If you break the rules again, you will be punished more severely!" She was afraid she had hit too hard. The Noble Consort had sent her to discipline Lord, but they were mother and son. If she seriously injured Lord, she would suffer the consequences. But it was too late to back down, so she had to maintain her authority.

"I will remember this beating. I hope you remember that this is my residence, my territory. Some things are not for you to decide!" Zhao Cheng stared at Yu Zhu's eyes coldly. She coldly huffed and turned to leave, suddenly feeling a bone-chilling cold, shivering involuntarily. The cold seemed to rise from her heart, like a cold wind spreading through her body.