“In any case, this matter is finally over.” Old Madam Cui looked up at the silent Cui Yunchu. “Yunchu, ultimately our Cui family owes Lord Shen a debt of gratitude for this affair. Today is the flogging, so you should go to the Court of Judicial Review to look after him. Seventy strokes are no light matter. Bring a physician. Later, we’ll prepare generous gifts and pay our respects in person.”
Could she not go?
Cui Yunchu pressed her lips together, but had no reason to refuse. “Yes, Grandmother.”
Old Madam Cui had quite a few things prepared. Having brought a physician, Cui Yunchu then set off for the Court of Judicial Review.
On the road, she leaned against the carriage wall as if drained of all strength, gazing sideways at the crowded, bustling streets. Xing’er clearly sensed her mistress’s odd behavior.
“Miss, is it that you don’t want to go?”
Cui Yunchu nodded. “Yes. All that blood—it’s rather terrifying.”
She said this, but her voice was hollow and distant, making it impossible to discern her true feelings.
In truth, just hearing about it would be enough. She did not wish to witness it firsthand. She was well aware of her own villainy.
“Eldest Miss Cui! Elder Sister Cui! Elder Sister Cui!” A clear, crisp female voice suddenly rang out. Cui Yunchu turned her head, and soon a carriage caught up. Its curtain was drawn back, revealing a fresh-faced, delighted face. Chen Miaohe seemed as joyful as if she had run into her sweetheart, blooming like a flower. “What a coincidence—are you out and about too?”
“…”
Otherwise, was she perhaps heading off to marry a foreign prince?
“Yes,” Cui Yunchu produced her trademark fake smile. “And Miss Chen?”
“I’m also out.”
They exchanged a great deal of pointless chatter. When the carriage turned a corner, Cui Yunchu let the curtain fall.
But not long after, Chen Miaohe’s voice drifted in again. “What a coincidence—we’re going the same way.”
“…”
“Has Elder Sister Cui fully recovered from her illness?”
Cui Yunchu smiled and nodded at her. They chatted desultorily until the carriages finally stopped at the entrance of the Court of Judicial Review.
Chen Miaohe glanced at the physician following behind Cui Yunchu, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Is Elder Sister Cui also here to see Lord Shen? Is this a physician? How very considerate of you, Elder Sister Cui.”
“…”
Coming to the Court of Judicial Review—if you didn’t bring a physician, were you supposed to bring treats for a banquet?
Cui Yunchu smiled. “Is Miss Chen here to visit Lord Shen as well?”
“Lord Shen is, in name, my future brother-in-law. Since he’s in trouble today, my mother insisted I come to watch and lend some moral support.” Chen Miaohe raised the food box in her hand to show Cui Yunchu.
“Heh heh.” Cui Yunchu gave an awkward laugh. “That’s nice. One should eat well before taking a beating—gives you strength.”
Chen Miaohe sighed. “I’m just following orders. Not as considerate as Elder Sister Cui, who even brought a physician. It’s plain to see who is sincere and who is merely going through the motions.”
“…”
This conversation wasn’t exactly necessary.
“Is something wrong, Elder Sister Cui?”
“No.” Cui Yunchu smiled. “Miss Chen is very clever and straightforward—quite endearing.”
Chen Miaohe felt that the phrase “clever and straightforward” was a bit off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.
The flogging was scheduled in the main hall of the Court of Judicial Review. By the time Cui Yunchu and Chen Miaohe entered, the punishment was about to begin.
Quite a crowd had gathered today. Prince An, the Crown Prince, and Shen Zilan were all present, along with supervising censors.
Cui Yunchu’s gaze fell on the man in the white robe seated on a stool.
Her and Chen Miaohe’s arrival made no small commotion, drawing the eyes of everyone present—except his. From start to finish, he never once looked up.
Right, how could he not blame her? At this very moment, he probably wished he could kill her.
If it were her, she would curse the person who had harmed her, day and night, never resting until they met a miserable end. She had always been petty and held grudges.
Prince An had his legs crossed, lazily propped on a chair, and shot a glance at Cui Yunchu aside him. His voice was languid. “Have you eaten, Eldest Miss Cui?”
“…”
Not really in the mood for such pleasantries.
“Yes. Your Highness looks a bit sluggish today. Did Yun Feng deny you a meal?”
The Crown Prince, seated upright nearby, interjected mildly. “This younger brother of mine arrived extraordinarily early today. I imagine he was kicked out by my sister-in-law again.”
“…”
Xiao Yi said, “Your Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, seems to have sobered up quickly. Could it be you drank fake wine?”
Who would dare sell fake wine to the Crown Prince?
Cui Yunchu stepped aside. She truly had no stomach for these two engaged in their veiled jabs and snide remarks.
“Have the two Your Highnesses finished?” came the faint voice of Shen Xiabai. “Your subject still wishes to go home for a meal.”
The Crown Prince’s expression remained calm as he gestured to the chief minister of the Court. “Begin.”
Cui Yunchu stood before a stool, her hands tightening and then loosening in repeated rhythm.
The man on the stool had a broad frame. When the chief minister gave the order, he half-closed his eyes, his sharp, angular profile appearing even more resolute.
“Shen… Xiabai.” Cui Yunchu opened her mouth, the last two syllables a whisper so low it seemed to be audible only to herself.
Several soldiers came forward holding wooden staves thicker than her waist.
Cui Yunchu stared at the staves, her scalp tingling. Just a few strokes like that, and they could probably knock her soul right out of her body.
She asked the Crown Prince, inexplicably, “Is it allowed to choose which stave is used for the punishment?”
The Crown Prince: “…”
Prince An said, “There are plenty of dried branches in the courtyard. Why don’t you go break one off yourself, Eldest Miss Cui?”
Cui Yunchu actually turned to go, but Shen Xiabai’s voice rang out, cold. “Begin.”
Cui Yunchu halted mid-step, a momentary stiffness in her back.
The supervising censor sent by the Dowager Empress watched without blinking. The chief minister of the Court dared not show a hint of favoritism. The staves landed squarely on the man’s back, producing dull, heavy thuds.
The man on the stool did not utter a single sound.
Throughout the main hall, there was only the muffled noise of the staves whipping against his spine.
Soon, blood began to seep through, staining the white robe.
Cui Yunchu took a small step back, staring at that jarring sight where red and white intermingled. It hurt her eyes.
White clothes. Today, she hated them.
Shen Xiabai’s forehead was beaded with sweat. His face was pale, and the hands gripping the stool were grotesquely white-knuckled, green veins standing out starkly under the skin.
Cui Yunchu stood to one side, finding it harder and harder to breathe. She bit her lower lip fiercely until a taste of blood spread in her mouth.
Why wouldn’t he say it?
Why wouldn’t he say that Gu Xuan wasn’t the one he had killed?
He never once lifted his eyes to look at her—not even with the resentment she had expected.
Mist rushed into her eyes. She turned her head away hastily.
She hadn’t wanted to come.
Prince An cast a meaningful glance, raising an eyebrow. “Are you crying, Eldest Miss Cui? Isn’t it a bit early for mourning?”
Cui Yunchu kicked the leg of Prince An’s chair. “I’m mourning for you. Your mouth is so foul—I’ll have Yun Feng carve a divorce deed onto your tombstone.”
“…”
Xiao Yi fell silent, turning his gaze back to the flogging.
Everyone in the hall grew quiet. As the staves turned red with blood, dripping steadily onto the ground, the various expressions on the faces of those present gradually faded into a shared gravity.
Shen Zilan’s eyes were red. He rushed forward. “Your Royal Highnesses, the Crown Prince! Prince An! Your subject also bears the surname Shen. May I take the remaining thirty strokes in his stead?”
Chen Miaohe, who had been covering her eyes in horror since the beginning, now parted her fingers slightly to look at Shen Zilan kneeling there, his back perfectly straight.
“Zilan… step… aside.”
Shen Xiabai’s voice came fragmented and labored, but it remained firm.
