Silence reigned like a blanket on a hot summer night, heavy and suffocating.

Samaya could feel Manu clutch her clothes, and shrink himself to her side. She put a reassuring hand on his head as she looked around and smiled. It was a cold, unfeeling smile, one that did not reach her eyes.

“What? No answer?”

She scoffed and looked back at the Emperor. “Your Majesty, I sincerely hope something like this never happens again. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a wench to punish.”

The man stared for a long moment before sighing. “Order the punishment. I will have my servants see it carried out.”

Samaya blinked, a little surprised that the Emperor decided to take the initiative. The man allowing her to decide the punishment and yet taking the responsibility of executing it was sending a powerful message.

Do not mess with the Imperial Prince.

She could get behind that.

She looked back. “Eunuch Liu. Count the scars on Manu’s arms.”

Immediately, there was a soft whimper from beside her. She turned to look at the woman on her knees, eyes clenched shut and shoulders hunched as she trembled. Oh so now she was scared. Good. Better late than never.

Ah-Liu stepped forward and knelt in front of Manu.

“Your Highness, would you please allow me to check your arms?” Ah-Liu’s voice was polite, respectful and exactly as subservient as a servant’s should be. But Samaya did not miss the soft, brotherly tone to it. After all, Ah-Liu treated Manu as if he was his own brother.

Manu must have noticed it too. His tensed shoulders relaxed a bit and he extended his hands. Ah-Liu gently lifted his sleeves and Samaya had to exhale harshly as rage once again built up inside of her at the sigh of those angry, raw scars.

It seemed everyone held their breath as Ah-Liu gently traced Manu’s arm, not touching the scars, but going around them. It took a few moments but Ah-Liu finally stepped back and looked up at Samaya, his eyes as hard as stone.

“One hundred and twenty-six, Lady Qing.”

Her nails dug into her palm, her expression blank, except for the layer of ice in her eyes. She looked down at the trembling heap at her feat.

“Did you hear that, Senior Attendant Yu?” She said, her voice deceptively sweet. “One hundred and twenty-six. Now, what shall we do with that number? How about … hm… the same number of lashes on your back as the number of scars on my son’s arms?”

He could fear a few sharp gasps. After all, a hundred and twenty-six lashes were almost a definitive death sentence, if you were not strong enough to endure them. The senior attendant did not look strong enough.

“Your Majesty!” The familiar voice of Noble Lady Kang echoed across the chambers. “Even if Senior Attendant Yu was harsh on the Prince, to push her to death so cruelly is unfair! It is disproportionate to the crime she has committed!”

Huh. So there were some brains behind that brawn too. Though … she should have expected it. Kang’s father was the Minister of Law, as far as she knew, and the entire family had used loopholes to cover their shady dealings. It was a given that their precious little daughter would have some knowledge of it.

The Emperor looked back at her, no doubt wondering what she would do. She had a feeling that she was not going through another test.

Samaya gave a small nod. “Noble Lady Kang is right. It is a far harsher punishment to lash her so many times? After all, all my son had to suffer silently was the slow, burning pain in his arms, which he had to hide by himself and it was a miracle that they did not get infected and force my son to cut his limbs off, as well as the bone-deep fear of what would happen to his mother if he were to disobey. It is utterly unfair to slowly beat the woman to death for that.”

It was, a bit. Really. But she did not care. If this was limited corporal punishment with good intention to teach her child - because god knows that corporal punishment on children was rampant here - she might have merely slapped her a few times and sacked her using her power. But this bitch was sent to hurt her son, slowly, quietly, agonisingly. They were unable to hurt her and so they targeted her son. They might have even pushed him to his death eventually, pulling out the thorn on their side that came in the way of any children they might have in the future. She was pretty sure the Empress knew. She just let others do the dirty work, taking the moral high ground.

She swept her eyes over the gathered crowd and smiled. “Alright. I have decided. Half the number of lashes…. That would be … sixty-three. Let’s round it down to… sixty.”

A loud whimper left the woman and Samya tilted her head and looked up at the Emperor, blinking almost innocently.

“Too many?” She asked, as if she had no idea. The Emperor did not answer, only raising an eyebrow and watching the scene unfold. Samaya smiled. “Alright. Fifty lashes. That should do it.” She nodded to herself, satisfied. She then knelt down beside the woman, who flinched and shrunk away. She felt a vicious pleasure rise up at the sight.

“Don’t worry. You won’t die.” She reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind the woman’s ear, almost as if they were lovers. She leaned down and spoke softly against her ear. “I’ll make sure of it.”

She stood up and turned toward the Emperor, bowing. “I have a request, Your Majesty.”

“Another request?” The man asked, as if he could not believe the audacity.

Samaya kept quiet and looked up at the man with questioning eyes.

“Very well. We will hear your request.”

She bowed again. Apparently, you had to do that when the Emperor or the Empress granted your request. “I ask that the punishment be carried out in the Imperial Punishment Grounds.”

The silence that reigned this time was oppressive. Imperial Punishment Grounds. Those were the grounds for punishing the crimes against the Imperial Family itself as well as those against the Emperor and the State, unlike the Harem’s punishment grounds where the punishment was carried out for the offences that occurred inside of the harem, most of them just petty crimes against each other. The only crimes of the Harem that were usually punished in the imperial Punishment Grounds were the murder of imperial children still in the harem, born or unborn, and the murder of the Empress, Empress Dowager as well as a handful of high-ranking concubines. Those punishments were usually executions.

Asking for Senior Attendant Yu to be punished in the Imperial Punishment Grounds not only sent the message that the Emperor considered this a crime against the Imperial Family but would also open up access for anyone in the Palace to witness the punishment, as opposed to just the harem members.

That was what she wanted. The unequivocal declaration that her child was protected and an open message for the Capital’s nobles.

This is what happens when you touch my son.

The Emperor was doing that thing again where he stared at her with an inscrutable look on his face. He did not speak, even as murmurs rippled across the room.

“Impudent!” The Empress’s sharp rebuke was heard above all the other voices. “Who do you think you are-”

“Granted.”

The Emperor’s calm, frigid reply cut her off. Samaya blinked. She had not expected her request to be granted at all, let alone so easily.

“Your Majesty, you cannot be serious!”

“We have decided the matter, beloved Empress,” he replied, his tone of voice leaving no room for argument. “Let the punishment be carried out in the Imperial Punishment Grounds for everyone to see.”

The man turned to look at Yu. “Guards, drag this impudent thing out to the grounds and declare that the punishment shall commence in the first hour of weishi.”

So, around 2 pm. Just as the Courtiers and servants finished up the work of the day and started to go home or to their quarters to rest before resuming work. That was the time that would get the most audience.

The man was making things even more convenient for her. Did that come with a price? She wanted to hope otherwise, but she should know better.

She was brought out of her thoughts as she heard shuffling across the floor and the voice of Manu yelping. She turned immediately and snarled when she saw the woman holding onto Manu’s legs, crying and begging, trying to claw upwards in an attempt to tighten her hold.

“Your Highness, have mercy, have mercy! Forgive me! I made a horrible mistake… please forgive me!! I-”

She could not finish the sentence as Ah-Liu grabbed her by her clothes and flung her backwards, not enough to hurt her, just enough to knock the wind out of her. He stood in front of Manu protectively.

“Guards!” The Emperor growled. “What are you waiting for?! Drag the wench out and get her ready for the punishment!”

The guards finally spring into action, grabbing the woman by both her hands and dragging her out of the courtroom.

The woman’s pleas and screams echoed across the area long after she was out of sight.

Urmie

Author's Note: Whoo we are closing in on the actual punishment! If you want to read ahead, you can head over to my Patreon! Your support would mean a lot to me!

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