Venerated Venomous Consort

Tu Shanying almost cried out loud, but she held back her anguish. The whole idea of the punishment was meant only as a show. Tian Mowen told her that she would be a good example to show the public how serious the enforcement would be. It was only then that everyone, even the noble, would obey the law.

She made a mistake on purpose, which that led her up to this point of punishment. Tian Mowen told her that the lashing and whipping would be real, but he also promised to control his strength so that she would not be harmed. Thus, she agreed.

However, the last lash was so violent that she felt as if her waist was dislocated. She also wondered if her kidneys would still be functioning after this punishment. She tried hard to look at Tian Mowen so as to signal him that the pain was unbearable. The man’s face was more or less expressionless, if not slightly stern. The strip of leather was still tightly clenched in his fist, which meant that he was not done. She tried to feel what he was feeling, but could never get through the icy look in his eyes that completely shielded his emotions.

She had never seen him being so low before, but she had bigger things to be worried about now. There were two more strikes left for her to suffer.

Before Tian Mowen struck her with another forceful beating, she held in her pain and quickly sent him a directed audio message to remind him, “Hey, you have been too harsh!”

The message managed to catch his attention, and the next lash became bearable. Even though it was still painful, she was sure that it would not jeopardize her health. Finally, the beating was tolerable again.

With a sigh, Tu Shanying mentally prepared herself for the last beating. The whip landed on her back, as anticipated. That should have been the end, but another strike flashed before her eyes and struck her again. Tu Shanying was not ready for it and fell onto the ground. The last strike was loud and clear for everyone to hear.

Apparently, she was not told about an extra beating. Anger started to boil her blood. There was no reason for her to suffer another beating.

The common people stared at one another in dismay and at a loss for words. Although not everyone knew Mathematics, the very basic form of addition or subtraction was not a big deal to them. At least their ten fingers were enough to make them count the number of beatings.

The spectators could feel the pain that the ruler of the Monster Kingdom had to endure. With each beating that was lashed onto her, they could feel their hearts quivering in pain as well.

Everyone counted along subconsciously, so they knew that there was an additional beating. “The last one was uncalled for! Enough!” A voice called out loud.

Tian Mowen heard the voice and looked down at Tu Shanying. He noticed that her eyes were raging with fury.

“Dear Celestial Official, what is the matter with you?” Tu Shanying directed her frustration through a directed audio. “You lashed an extra whipping!” Utterly annoyed, she did not hold back her fury. There was no time for her to care about her reputation as a gentlewoman now.

Di Fuyi did not answer her directed audio. Instead, he turned to look at the surrounding crowd and calmly said, “As the ruler of the Monster Kingdom, she is also responsible for breaking the law, though she should not have. She has to be punished more severely with an extra beating. This serves as a warning to the rest of you.”

Puzzled, the crowd looked at another helplessly. Soon, they all nodded in obedience. The last beating became more reasonable to them after his explanation.

Nevertheless, Tu Shanying was still in disbelief. She was still gritting her teeth in annoyance. “Are you sure that the last beating was not caused by your lack of concentration?” She sent another directed audio.

Tian Mowen gave her a quick, stern look. “Assume it however you like.” He then tossed the strip of leather away and left.

The people were actually impressed by their ruler. Not every leader, especially one that was a woman, would lead with such an example. She had proven herself to be a great leader. Certainly, the goal was achieved as well. With that message, the crowd warned one another that the law must not be broken, or they would end up like their leader.

Gu Xijiu did not stay for too long in the Monster Kingdom. After visiting the trial grounds, she left along with Wu Qianyan and Fan Qianshi.