Palace Coup 19

Her voice was cool, yet carried a hint of a smile as she shifted the tone. "You’ve always told me that you’ve served as the estate manager for over twenty years, and if you haven't earned any merit, you’ve at least endured the toil. They say a commoner should never cross a magistrate; those government offices are places where you are nine parts likely to die and only one part likely to survive. How could I ever send you to the authorities? Why not just punish you with a hundred lashes according to family rules? If you can withstand it, I shall let bygones be bygones. How about that?"

Under the circumstances, this hardly sounded like a kind proposal. The key was that she had just been wearing a look of ruthless coldness, only to turn around and smile—her moods were as unpredictable as flipping a page. Cao Youxin felt numb, but he figured this was far better than taking his own life, so he agreed.

Besides, if he really went to the county magistrate’s office, he didn't know how much gold and silver he would have to bleed to settle the matter. By now, his home had certainly been ransacked by Xie Miaoxuan. Fortunately, he had the foresight to hide a hundred gold pieces in secret—his last resort—and he would naturally prefer not to spend it if he didn't have to.

Xie Miaoxuan straightened her spine, her gaze piercing through the scorching sun. It was as if she were looking across the long river of time, peering back at her own world where everyone was born equal. But here, she only saw a world of crumbling mountains and rivers.

Certain things, certain choices, were now truly laid out before her: to be a parasitic vine easily crushed by others, or a towering wall that strikes terror into the hearts of men. Today was the beginning of her journey toward a new start. She wanted to live freely in this chaotic era, and she wanted to do her best to protect the people on this estate whose spines had been bent by hardship. The road ahead would certainly not be smooth; it was filled with thorns. As a woman in this world, she might have to use these soft hands to fight, to tear a path forward.

When her eyes lowered and then lifted again, the detached air that had kept Xie Miaoxuan apart from this world vanished entirely. She stood firmly upon the soil of this reality.

Her silence lasted only a moment. She looked at Cao Youxin and smiled again. His emphasis on his connections had been intended to pressure her, but in reality, it was a death warrant that sealed his fate. It also alerted her that his relationships with the local government and the village elders were far from ordinary. To send him to the magistrate? Ha! She would likely send him in through the front door only for him to be released through the back.

Therefore, it was better to flog him right here.

When it comes to flogging, there is a difference between striking the skin and striking the bone. Striking the skin looks severe, but it is merely superficial damage that heals in a few days. Striking the bone, however, leaves the skin intact while shattering the structure beneath; in the hands of an expert, ten lashes could be enough to take a life. Xie Miaoxuan unhooked the whip from her waist. As she smiled ever more brilliantly, Cao Youxin felt as if he were looking at a bloodthirsty Yama.

"How about I perform the execution myself?" she suggested, even kindly seeking Cao Youxin’s opinion.

Cao Youxin had initially assumed that the ox-like retainer standing behind her would be the one to carry out the punishment, and he was beginning to waver on whether he had made the right decision. He hadn't expected her to do it. He glanced at Xie Miaoxuan’s slender wrists and figured she couldn't possibly have any strength; a hundred lashes would be nothing more than a bit of surface pain, and with his thick skin and sturdy build, he had nothing to fear. Furthermore, Xie Miaoxuan’s whip was crafted too exquisitely—it looked more like a decorative piece than a weapon, and using it would surely be painless. Thus, he agreed readily.

"Very well. Since you have agreed, there is no room to change your mind."

Daniu hesitated, wanting to step in. "Young Mistress, let me do it instead." This man had committed such evils; the Young Mistress looked graceful swinging the whip, but she likely lacked the strength to truly cause damage. He was the one with the raw power; if he did it, every lash would bite into the flesh. He could guarantee he would end the man’s life in just a few strokes.

"No need."

Cao Youxin didn't want to kill himself, and he claimed to have people at the magistrate’s office, so she would certainly leave him with a breath of life. A glint of sharp intent flashed in her eyes.

Xie Miaoxuan’s grip on the whip was steady, and her footwork was firm. No one knew that this body possessed great tenacity and that she had put in hard work to master the whip. Because a woman’s physical strength is naturally inferior to a man’s, her father had specifically hired a master of the whip to teach her according to her constitution. He wanted to ensure that if she ever had a dispute, she wouldn't be bullied. Mastering the whip required more than just brute force.

Dealing with Estate Manager Cao, who was being held down and unable to fight back or move, was simple; she could target his acupoints with ease. As she swung the whip, her left hand remained relaxed at her side, the tip of the whip swirling like a serpent emerging from its den. Her body rotated with it, like a dancer tracing a graceful arc in the air. As she lashed out, shifting her weight to her left foot, the whip trailed behind her like a falling autumn leaf, light and poetic. With a tap of her right foot, the whip cracked through the air with a sharp, crisp snap.

*Thwack!*

It landed on the estate manager, and his shrill scream pierced the sky. Cold sweat broke out instantly. The force behind the blow was terrifying—it bit deep, piercing through the muscles of his waist and reaching straight to the marrow of his bones. After only a few lashes, Cao Youxin had already suffered enough.

"Ah! Stop, please stop! I’ll go to the magistrate’s office to confess! I’ll go!"

"That is no longer up to you," Xie Miaoxuan said coldly. "Daniu, gag him."

"Ah! I am a law-abiding citizen, a registered commoner! You cannot kill me!"

Xie Miaoxuan scoffed. "A law-abiding citizen? Do you even remember that your registration was granted by my father? We gave it, and we can take it back. Kill you? Don't worry, I guarantee that after a hundred lashes, you will still have a breath left in you—you won't die immediately!"

As for whether that breath would last through the night after the beating was finished, that was another matter entirely. True enough, Cao Youxin still had a breath left after the punishment, though whether it was because his years of pampered living had left his constitution too frail, he only lasted for three quarters of an hour before dying. It was much sooner than the overnight duration she had anticipated.

After dealing with the Cao family, a heavy silence fell over the scene. The tenant farmers all stared at her. Xie Miaoxuan looked back at them.

"Everyone, I know you have suffered many grievances over these years. Although my Xie family has only owned this estate for six years, we were deceived by him and failed to provide proper supervision. That is a responsibility I cannot shirk. I offer you my apologies."

Xie Miaoxuan bowed deeply. The tenants looked at each other in shock, momentarily stunned. When they finally reacted, they hurriedly scrambled to their knees. "Young Mistress, you are a noble person. While Cao Youxin was a wretch, he was right about one thing: we are but lowly commoners. The poor and the lowly must know their place; we could never accept a bow from you."

Xie Miaoxuan turned to the one who had spoken. "What is your name?"

"I am... Chou Nu."

"Chou Nu, you are right, but that was the way of the past. Cao Youxin has been brought to justice. From this day forward, my words are what you must remember. Here, discipline and the rule of law are paramount. Even if a noble is in the wrong, they must be held accountable; it is not the case that they can do whatever they please just because of their status."

"Everyone, rise. My second rule is that from now on, there is no need to kneel to me."

She stepped forward to help Chou Nu up, and seeing this, the others slowly stood as well. Although Cao Youxin deserved his death, the bloody scene would inevitably cast a lingering shadow over these honest farmers who knew only how to tend their crops. Many of them still wore expressions of unnatural tension.