This chapter contains cruel punishment of palace attendants.
ZiLi watched somewhat bewildered as the Imperial bodyguards brought in several palace maids and eunuchs with ashen faces. He really could not figure out what tricks the Emperor was planning to pull this time!
“Xiao JinYu, do you recognize these people?” Hong Xu asked, looking at him.
ZiLi cast his eyes over them, feeling that they looked a little familiar, but could not remember exactly who they were.
“Hehe, do you recognize her?” Hong Xu walked up to a palace maid and lifted her face to show it to ZiLi.
“Uh, isn’t this the palace maid 1 who scolded me last time?” ZiLi’s heart skipped a beat. Looking at this situation, was he going to punish these people?
“Your― Your Majesty, please spare my life,” the palace maid wailed with trembling pale lips.
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 32 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
“Are you going to punish them?” ZiLi looked a little uncomfortably at the man in front of him who always seemed to have a malicious aura around him.
“They once made Our Xiao JinYu angry, so now We will take revenge for you. You should be happy!”
“Are you going to kill them?”
“Hehe, Xiao JinYu, just killing them would be too simple and boring. Settling a matter in one go will usually result in taking away the thrill of the process! So, We are not going to kill them so easily!”
What kind of horrible logic was this? He was not one of those tyrannical maniacs who cannot suppress their excitement when they see others screaming in pain! ZiLi somewhat got the chills as he looked at the man in front of him.
Hong Xu gestured with his eyes, and the Imperial bodyguards, following their order, immediately dragged a few palace maids and eunuchs into the courtyard. The palace attendants, who were kneeling on the ground, hurriedly withdrew to the side with their heads bowed in fear.
ZiLi did not know exactly when, but several iron frames had been lined up in the courtyard, and ZiLi watched as the Imperial bodyguards fastened each hand and feet of the palace servants, who had begun to wail and cry, to the frames with iron buckles.
The surrounding servants all had their heads bowed, so frightened they did not even dare to breath.
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 32 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
When ZiLi saw the formation ready to perform a cruel torture, he hurriedly pulled Hong Xu to him and pleaded for leniency, saying, “Wait― Wait a minute! They did not kill anyone, nor did they start a fire. How can you torture them just because you feel like it? That is inhuman!”
Yes, he had been very angry at the time at the words of the palace maid, but he had never thought of killing her or taking revenge!
“Xiao JinYu need not be so afraid, for We are here!” Ignoring ZiLi’s plea for leniency, Hong Xu put his arm around his shoulders and simply continued to say, “First, cut off the tongue of that lowly slave who dares to speaks arrogantly!”
“No! You can’t!” ZiLi panted in panic, “You cannot do this, she is still a teenage girl! I don’t care that she once mouthed off to me. Please, let her go, let them all go, all right?”
Being intently stared at by a pair of hawk-like eyes, ZiLi felt his body could not stop trembling uncontrollably. Hong Xu seemed to be satisfied with this reaction, and ZiLi, to his surprise saw that his eyes softened slightly and heard him say, “Since even the victim is so forgiving and magnanimous enough not to hold a grudge, there is no need for Us to exercise Our power on behalf of the victim. However, the presumptuousness of that lowly slave still cannot be forgiven! Guards, first beat her fifty times, then flog her a hundred times, and flog everyone else for one hundred times as punishment.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
An Imperial bodyguard released a long barbed whip with ease 2 , then swung his arm to mercilessly whip at the petrified palace maid.
“Ah――”
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 32 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
The waves of insistent screams, the screeching sound of the whip breaking through the air, and the dull sound of skin and flesh splitting open were particularly sharp and penetrating in this suffocating space.
ZiLi’s eyes widened, and his face turned pale as he stared at blood-soaked scene before him. He now realized that Hong Xu had never intended to let them go, and his plea for leniency had only delayed their torture a little!
“Your Majesty, she is no longer breathing!” One of the Imperial bodyguards had stepped forward, cupped his hands, and reported.
“How useless, this was only a little more than twenty lashes!” Hong Xu said derisively 3 , “Take her away.”
ZiLi watched with chills all over his body as the palace maid, who had been alive just a few minutes ago, had now turned into a badly mutilated corpse. He could not save them. He could only watch helplessly as they were whipped to death one by one.
The torture continued, but the screams had already grown weaker and weaker, and the heavy smell of blood gradually filled the surrounding air. The last survivor breathed his last, when the hundred lashes were finally over, and the Imperial bodyguard had put away the whip!
A momentary calm descended on the scene, which seemed to be surrounded by a terrifying and deadly atmosphere that made everyone present stiffen and not dare to move an inch.
“Is Xiao JinYu scared? You should know that We will never do such a thing to you unless, of course, you have done something which We cannot accept. If you did―” Hong Xu lifted a lock of ZiLi’s hair and brought it to his mouth and kissed it lightly, saying, “We do not even know how We will punish you! So, Xiao JinYu, you absolutely must not make things difficult for Us.”
When ZiLi heard his words, he became frightened and suddenly raised his head and met Hong Xu’s half-narrowed eyes.
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Translator Notes
This must be really traumatising for ZiLi （・□・；）
Translation Notes
The maid from chapter 26, who caused ZiLi to vomit blood, because of her words. 驾轻就熟 – Jià qīng jiù shú. - An easy drive on a familiar path. - A task that is so familiar one can do it with one’s hand tied behind one’s back. 不咸不淡 - Bù xián bù dàn. – Neither salty nor light. - Say something with a hint of irony.