Chapter 84: Impressive might, different degrees of punishment (2)
Sometime during all this, the unconscious Helian Zuixiang had woken up, but she was dumbstruck upon seeing Lady Xu slap her own son. It wasnât until she saw the justice courtâs people and Official Ouyang that she had an inkling of what had happened.
Finally, Lady Xuâs hands ran out of strength and Han Yuqiâs face swelled as red as a pigâs. Lady Xu fell to her knees and said, âEsteemed wangfei, lookâŠitâs swollen! Itâs really swollenâŠâ
âRaise your head and let me see,â Han Yunxi said coldly.
No matter how much Han Yuqi feared pain, he still had to bear it as he hastily lifted his head. Seeing his red, pig-like face, Han Yunxi narrowly avoided laughing out loud. Thankfully, she held it back.
âMm, I suppose that counts as swollen,â she said mildly. Lady Xu and Han Yuqi sagged in relief at these words, finally relaxed. But Han Yunxi continued to talk.
âThis takes care of offending oneâs superiors. But the crime for threatening this wangfeiâŠâ She didnât finish speaking, but looked towards Official Ouyang.
What?
Heâd been beaten to this point, but she was still condemning him? And now she was asking about the crime of threatening her. Official Ouyang was surprised by the turn of events, his heart skipping a beat. He never expected this woman to be so hard to deal with. Lady Xu and Han Yuqi were both too dazed to recover at first. How could it be like this? What did Han Yunxi want to do?
Silence descended upon the courtyard. The servants were so frightened that they scarcely dared to breathe, afraid to utter a noise. Everyone had heard Official Ouyang say that threatening Qin Wangfei was a capital offence!
âOfficial Ouyang, the Han Familyâs eldest young master brought so many servants with him to threaten this wangfei and even wanted to steal her things. Heâs already put wangfeiâs safety in peril. How should he be dealt with, according to the law?â Han Yunxi asked seriously.\nWith a thump, the surrounding servants all fell to their knees. It was over, they were all going to suffer now! The courtyard was already surrounded by people who rushed over upon hearing the news, including all of the household servants. Hidden amongst them was Third Madame Li and her daughter Han Ruoxue[1].
Madame Li was around 30 years old but well-preserved, retaining much of the beauty of a young bride but with an extra, lingering charm. Her daughter, Han Ruoxue, resembled her greatly, and her bright, luminous eyes were especially bewitching. Neither of them said anything, but watched on calmly. Compared to the Xu mother and son pair, the Li mother and daughter appeared far more steady and sedate.
In the silent courtyard, Official Ouyang found himself in a hard spot. âEsteemed wangfei, thisâŠthisâŠâ
He couldnât finish before Lady Xu shouted and wailed her heart out. âYunxi! Youâre really going to be so ruthless?â
âYunxiâŠYuqiâs the eldest son of the Han Family and its heir! Heâs the Han Familyâs hope! Your fatherâs already like that, but do you want to ruin the Han Familyâs last hope?â
âIâm begging you, have mercy on him just this once!â Lady Xu could only pretend to be pitiful as she cried. There wasnât time to attend to her image.
Han Yuqi started crying as well as he entreated, âBig sis, Iâll do whatever you tell me to. Just spare me this once, I wonât dare try anything next time.â
It had to be said that the Xue mother and son suffered a drastic decline in standing before the eyes of the Han household. In comparison, Han Yunxi rose to awe-inspiring heights! With even the Xu pair begging her, how could any of them disrespect or not fear her in the future? Han Yunxi smiled coldly in her heart. She was waiting for Han Yuqiâs exact words since she just wanted to scare this duo. How could she really make a fuss all the way to the justice courts? How could she truly sentence Han Yuqi to death?\nIf that happened, sheâd be seen as cold and ruthless: a evil, poisonous woman with no feelings towards her own brother.
Not to mention, Han Congan was already useless now. The Han Family needed someone to prop it up. As a woman who married into another family, she was still an outsider no matter how much power she held. Lady Xu had the strongest backing. With her here, her clansmen wouldnât covet the Han Family properties. Seventh Madameâs family was too poor and weak, so she didnât have the power to manage the Han Familyâs internal and external affairs.
Han Yunxi examined Han Yuqi closely for a long time before relenting. âAll right. For fatherâs sake, Iâll exempt you from the death sentence. But you still need to be punished!â
At these words, the Xu duo felt as if theyâd gotten a general amnesty. Lady Xuâs heart sank back down into her chest, while Han Yuqi, who was only outwardly fierce, nearly fainted from fright. Luckily, his mother held him up and pinched him by the waist to keep him awake. Theyâd been humiliated enough, so if he fainted away now, heâd never be able to lift his head in the Han house in the future!
âMany thanks to esteemed wangfei for her mercy! Many thanks to esteemed wangfei for her mercy!â Lady Xu thanked over and over again, though her eyes were filled with hate each time she bowed her head. She was a person who enjoyed high position and lived in comfort, an ambitious and proud woman who was the mistress of the house. For the sake of her son, she had to act humble and meek today and cry to beg Han Yunxi for mercy. How could she not be filled with loathing?
This rude lass with a father and no mother, did she think she was a phoenix just because she flew onto a branch?\nDonât think that just because you saved the crown princeâs life, the empress dowager and empress will forgive you. Donât think that just because youâve married into the Duke of Qinâs, Grand Concubine Yi will accept you. Donât think that just because youâre Qin Wangfei, you have the right to manage Han Family affairs!
She and Yuqi had endured this time and ate a big loss. As long as Han Yunxi couldnât get a handle on them, what else could she do? If a living punishment was inescapable, then that was that. As long as nobody died, it was just some physical pain. What else could Han Yunxi do to Yuqi?
Han Family affairs were still determined by her and her son. Han Yunxi shouldnât think about taking an iota away from the Han house, much less protect Seventh Madame!
The speechless Official Ouyang finally had room to speak and flattered, âEsteemed wangfei is generous and lenient, that is the Han Familyâs blessing!â
Han Yunxi smiled. âThen what kind of living punishment will Official Ouyang choose?â
ThisâŠ
Lady Xu and Han Yuqi exchanged glances. Official Ouyang was resolute that he wouldnât die if he didnât seek trouble. He wanted to say that the slapping was enough, so the living punishment should be lenient, but seeing Han Yunxiâs false smile, he didnât dare speak. Awkwardly he said, âOf course, Iâll listen to esteemed wangfei on the matter.â
Lady Xu and her sonâs eyes filled with aggravation at the words.
âChen Xiang, what do you think?â Han Yunxi asked lazily.
âMistress, we can excuse the death penalty, so letâs cane him 100 times,â Chen Xiang answered easily, as if she was making chitchat.
Han Yuqiâs eyes boggled in response, while Lady Xu struggled to contain her fury as she kept her tone frosty. âThis little lady certainly knows how to jokeâŠâ\nâWhat joke? I donât think itâs a bad idea,â Han Yunxi said carelessly as if she was discussing the weather.
Now everyoneâs faces had turned pale. Lady Xuâs expression was completely black. She couldnât bear it any more; neither could Official Ouyang keep calm. He implored, âEsteemed wangfei, 100 beatings will kill a man. He was already slapped just then, so as this official sees it, the living punishment should be more lenient.â
Naturally, Han Yunxi knew the consequences of 100 beatings. She just wanted to frighten Lady Xu. It wasnât easy to see the eldest young Miss of the Civil Board magistrateâs family lose color in her face. Sheâd grown up in an oppressive house, tormented until adulthood. Every three days, theyâd curse her, every five days, theyâd beat her. The multiple lashings sheâd gotten from bamboo whips had torn the skin from her arms. Most of these were gifted to her by Lady Xu, so she was very clear about her temper.
You could plead with her nicely or beg with tears in your eyes, but her heart was still venomous. It was as if it concealed a viper that was always watching for its chance to strike. The only way to control her was through her precious son.
Han Yunxi shot Lady Xu a glance as if she was considering the proposal. âDeal with him leniently? This, wellâŠâ
The crowd tensed. Lady Xu shot Official Ouyang multiple looks before the man tried again carefully. âEsteemed wangfei, why donâtâŠwhy donât we punish him according to Han Family rules?â
Domestic discipline within the Han house had various serious punishments, but all of them were lighter than 100 beatings. Han Yunxi had experienced many of them growing up. Amongst the 100 different punishments, she knew them all. It looked like Official Ouyang and Lady Xu still held hope up to this point.\nShe quickly dashed those hopes to the ground. âThis wangfeiâs punishing him for threatening the wangfei. Donât mix things up, Official Ouyang!â
Official Ouyangâs heart gave a lurch as he came to a realization. There was no escape for Han Yuqi.
Lady Xu wouldnât give up and wanted to entreat her again, but Han Yunxi said coldly, â50 beatings, and those who plead on his behalf can be beaten with him!â
Silence descended with her words. Lady Xu looked at Han Yunxi in disbelief, unable to believe that this girl was actually serious. If 50 beatings didnât paralyze the victim, itâd still leave them bedridden for one or two months. At this critical juncture when everyone was vying for the head of houseâs position, how could eldest young master compete against Third and Seventh Madame if he couldnât even get off the bed?
Wasnât this taking him out of the race ahead of time?
Lady Xu clenched her fists and prepared to protest, but Han Yuqi beat her to it. He rushed before Han Yunxi and cried, âHan Yunxi, donât be fool enough to reject a life-saving offer! This young masterâs had enough, Iâm telling you now, if you dare try today toâŠâ
Before he could finish, Official Ouyang rushed forward to pull him back. âEldest young master, you cannot be rude!â
Han Yuqi threw him off and wanted to continue cursing, but Official Ouyang rushed to remind, âLady Xu, this cannot do! If it continues the affair will be irreconcilable! You must know, eldest young master offended esteemed wangfei first. No matter esteemed wangfeiâs current position in her houseâŠaye, sheâs still the face for the Duke of Qinâs estate! If things get huge, even if the magistrate shows himself it still wonâtâŠâ
Lady Xu understood before he went on. She was very reluctant, but had to pull her son back. âYuqi, have you been slapped stupid? You still wonâtâŠâ\nHan Yuqi had gotten used to bullying others, so how could he keep calm when it was his turn? He angrily told Lady Xu, âMother, what are you afraid of her doing? Didnât you say before that she canât treat us as she likes despite being Qin Wangfei? We still have grandfather to back us up! He wonât stand for it!â
Of course Lady Xu had said these words and even more outrageous things besides. But they couldnât be said in front of Han Yunxi! She viciously pinched Han Yuqiâs arm to shut him up. âEnough! If you keep up your wild ravings, you can get lost from the Han house!â This was her only way to warn him.
In the end, Han Yuqi still feared his mother the most. Hearing this, he had no choice but to settle into a stormy silenceâŠ