Yun Chu Ling

Chapter 54: Whipping Xie Shiwei

Xie Laotaitai also realized the severity of the situation.

The more prominent an aristocratic family was, the more lenient and kind they should be toward their servants. If word got out about mistreating or torturing servants, their reputation would suffer greatly.

This matter absolutely must not be allowed to spread.

Before she could speak, Xie Jingyu said coldly, "Bring Jiu'er out. I want to hear why she wants to die."

Jiu'er was brought out of the room in a disheveled state, her face ashen as she collapsed to the ground.

She was only eleven years old, a young girl just beginning to show the figure of a maiden. She looked at Yun Chu and broke down sobbing, "Madam, this servant truly doesn't want to live anymore. Please give me a quick death."

Yun Chu walked over and helped her up. "Jiu'er, the master is here. If you have any grievances, you can tell him everything."

Jiu'er looked at Yun Chu and saw a firm, gentle light in her eyes, as if infusing her with strength.

Without speaking, she lowered her head and unbuttoned her collar, revealing her small frame. On her body, whip marks were visible—some fresh, some old—crisscrossing in a horrifying sight.

"They're just some whip wounds, not worth dying over," Old Madam said gently after a glance. "You young maids are still inexperienced and prone to mistakes, so it's not unreasonable for your master to punish you. Second Young Master is young himself and doesn't know how to handle things properly. That he hurt you is indeed due to the Xie family's failure in discipline. How about this: I'll give each of you ten taels of silver for medical expenses and transfer you to work in another courtyard?"

Though her tone was gentle, it carried an underlying threat.

If these maids knew what was good for them, they should take the money and let the matter rest. If they persisted, things wouldn't be so simple.

Yun Chu sneered.

In her previous life, when Xie Shiwei made mistakes, they had been brushed aside like this. Until her death, she never saw Xie Shiwei receive the punishment he deserved.

She turned to Xie Jingyu. "Does Old Madam's opinion represent yours as well, husband?"

Xie Jingyu clenched his hands behind his back. He knew he had to take a firm stance; otherwise, Yun Chu would no longer discipline these children in the future.

He was simply too busy. He needed Yun Chu, his virtuous wife, to help the entire Xie family prosper.

He stared coldly at Jiu'er and said, "Is it because Second Young Master whipped you that you don't want to live?"

Jiu'er raised her arm. Using her thumb and index finger of her other hand, she forcefully pulled at her skin. Suddenly, a silver needle appeared between her fingertips, while a needle hole remained on her arm, oozing a few drops of blood.

"Second Young Master said he wanted to know how many needles a person's body could hold, so he used me for experiments," Jiu'er wept bitterly. "Half a year ago, he started inserting needles into my body. The first time, he put ten in my back. Since then, he's added one more every day. There are nearly two hundred needles in my body now. The slightest movement makes my whole body ache terribly. If I dare secretly pull any out, Second Young Master whips me... I feel like those needles have reached my internal organs. It hurts so much every day... I really don't want to live anymore..."

The courtyard fell deathly silent.

Only Jiu'er's heart-wrenching sobs could be heard.

Even the maids who shared a room with her hadn't known that being summoned by Second Young Master every night meant having needles inserted into her body.

Old Madam opened her mouth but found herself at a complete loss for words.He Shi had long known her son enjoyed such antics and wasn't the least surprised. She simply couldn't understand why this matter had escalated so severely...

Concubine Tao, pregnant and trembling with fear from the incident, could barely stand steady.

Yun Chu felt a tremor in her chest.

Xie Shiwei was merely eight years old this year—an eight-year-old child who could already conceive such cruel methods. She dared not imagine what those concubines who would later die by Xie Shiwei's hands had endured. Whether tortured to death by him or driven to suicide by despair, their fates were filled with blood and tears...

"Bring that unfilial son out!"

Xie Jingyu, usually gentle in public, suddenly roared in fury.

Two matrons immediately pushed out Xie Shiwei, who had been tied up in the side room. A cloth stuffed in his mouth, he whimpered pleadingly at Old Madam.

Before Old Madam could speak, Xie Jingyu coldly ordered, "Fetch Second Young Master's whip!"

The servants promptly delivered the whip.

It was a soft leather whip suitable for a child to play with. Though less lethal than a hard whip, the pain it inflicted was no less severe than a cane.

Xie Jingyu raised the whip and advanced toward Xie Shiwei.

With his mouth gagged, Xie Shiwei couldn't scream even in agony. Bound hand and foot, he writhed on the ground like a worm.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Xie Jingyu showed no mercy, striking seven or eight consecutive blows in the same spot. The clothes on Xie Shiwei's back split open, flesh torn and bleeding, staining his garments red.

"My lord!"

He Shi could bear it no longer. She rushed over and threw herself on Xie Shiwei, shielding him from the fierce whip.

She knew she shouldn't show excessive concern for her children in public, but no mother could stand by and watch her child beaten so brutally.

"Second Young Master is still young! Please have mercy, my lord!"

He Shi clung tightly to Xie Shiwei, begging desperately.

Only then did Xie Laotaitai snap out of her daze. Rising to her feet, she said, "Jingyu, if you keep beating him like this, you'll kill the child! What's done is done. Even if you beat him to death, what good would it do? You should focus on how to educate Wei Ge'er properly, how to treat Jiu'er's illness, and how to minimize the impact of this incident..."

Xie Jingyu, a scholar unaccustomed to wielding whips, was already panting heavily from exhaustion.

He flung the whip aside and said coldly, "Xie Shiwei, your behavior brings immense shame upon me as your father. I am ashamed to have a son like you!"

His Xie family had been scholars for generations—how could such a scoundrel emerge from their lineage?

If this wretch were allowed to grow up unchecked, the reputation accumulated by the Xie family over three or four generations would be utterly destroyed.

"Our Xie family cannot teach you properly!" Xie Jingyu's voice was harsh. "I'm sending you to join the army!"

Upon hearing this, Old Madam was horrified: "No, absolutely not! The military camp is for the destitute—it's bitter and exhausting. If he goes to the front lines, his life could be lost in an instant."

Xie Jingyu took a deep breath. "Military camps enforce strict discipline. Only there can Wei Ge'er's temperament be reformed. Otherwise, if he commits murder or arson in the future, our Xie family won't be able to cover for him. Madam, your father has many trusted aides in the capital. Could you intervene to find a suitable placement for Wei Ge'er?"

A smile touched Yun Chu's lips.

She truly hadn't expected this scene to arrive seven or eight years earlier than in her previous life.In her previous life, she had nodded without hesitation, sending Xie Shiwei into the Yun Family Army's camp stationed near the capital and making him a trusted member of the Yun Family Army. The consequences had been too devastating—she would never try it again...

"Husband, you may not know this," Yun Chu began hesitantly. "A few days ago, Wei Ge'er expressed interest in learning martial arts, so I had Qiutong assess his physical aptitude. He lacks the innate talent for martial arts. Even if sent to the military camp, he would only qualify as a low-ranking soldier. Common soldiers in the army are like the lowest-ranking maids in a household—would you truly be willing to send him into such conditions?"

Before Xie Jingyu could respond, Old Madam immediately interjected, "Wei Ge'er is only eight years old! Sending him to the military camp as a common soldier would leave him vulnerable to bullying. Even with the protection of the Yun Family Army, they cannot shield him at all times. What if something happens during an unguarded moment?"

He Shi hurriedly added, "Sir, the Second Young Master previously promised his mother that he would devote himself to studying. He has reformed—truly, he has changed for the better."

Xie Shiwei nodded with desperate urgency.