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Chapter 551: Beat the Dog Before the Lion (II)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

After beating her granddaughter and venting her anger, the old woman with messy hair and dirty clothes cried out to the guards who were executing the punishment, “Sir, how can an old woman like me endure twenty-three rounds of flogging... Husband, why did you leave so early...”

The guard threw up his hands helplessly with a facial expression that said it was not up to him to decide.

“The lord has said that your son, daughter, son-in-law and daughter-in-law can receive the flogging on your behalf.”

The looks on the faces of the old woman’s children changed. Her two daughters-in-law shrunk back, and her son-in-law looked up at the sky.

They divided the 90 rounds of flogging equally among themselves. If they were to share out the 23 rounds of flogging for the old woman, would they still be alive?

With the guard’s reminder, the old woman pointed at one of her daughters-in-law and said with a shrill voice, “It’s all your fault for giving birth to two daughters and bringing such misery to our family. You’ll receive the flogging, or I’ll ask my son to cast you off and send you home!”

The woman she pointed at looked ghastly pale and tottered on her feet.

At that moment, the female soldier who was beaten finally found her senses and sneered. “There’s still a baby in my mother’s stomach, so she can’t be flogged. Grandma, didn’t you happily say that my mother is going to give me another younger brother two days ago? You know that she’s pregnant.”

Surprised, the guards looked at the weak woman whose shoulders had shrunk.

“If she’s pregnant, she can’t be flogged indeed.”

In other words, there would be one less person who would share out the 90 rounds of flogging. Someone else would have to bear the 23 rounds of flogging which should be received by the old woman.

The old woman flushed. The onlookers’ murmurs rang in her ears.

“What a vicious old woman. She clearly knows that her daughter-in-law is pregnant, but she still wants her to receive the flogging on her behalf.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’m her neighbor who lives in the same yard. I really didn’t expect this family to be so out of line. I was so envious of them when I heard that their two girls had a promising future in the female battalion and that they’d give their monthly wages to help their family. They had the best lives out of everyone in the yard. Looking at them now: this family isn’t blessed. Their daughters are climbing up the ladder, but their extreme family are here creating such a spectacle.”

“What an old shrew! She’s so wicked. Isn’t she afraid that the King of Hell will make her pay for what she has done?!”

“I’d wake up from my dream with a laugh if my daughter is this successful. Unfortunately, she’s always ill. How can she go to war, kill the enemy and make contributions?”

“Some people just take it for granted. They don’t know how to cherish the blessings that others don’t have... It’s really unfair.”

“Tsk, tsk. You don’t understand. They’re shortsighted and blind! They can only see their daughters being sold off at a high price in exchange for an extravagant betrothal gift, but they can’t see the benefits which their daughters could bring home when they’re successful in the future. They’re nearsighted!”

In the previous siege, whether the female troops were dragged out to war or stayed behind to guard Xiangyang District, all female troops who performed outstandingly and made contributions were rewarded. Some were promoted, and some were rewarded financially. The female troops of this family were rewarded in both ways. When the news was spread, many people were green with envy, but their family sought death instead.

Some clever people would have called their daughters their darlings and tried their best to mend their relationships, hoping to be protected by their daughters.

Only people who were stupid and greedy would kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.

The old woman was startled when she heard the onlookers murmuring and blaming them for being greedy and stupid. No one stood up for them at all. She was baffled. She could not stop herself from crying when the onlookers said that they were shortsighted.

“We’re blinded by lard too. We’re deceived by the evil-minded matchmaker...”

The old woman was ready to put the blame on the matchmaker, saying that the matchmaker had incited them to ruin their daughters.

However, everyone knew that had the family not been greedy and evil-minded, how was the matchmaker able to persuade them?

The guards had run out of patience. The onlookers were clamoring and wanting to see them get flogged.

The family was scared and panic-stricken. The female troop’s father even wanted to slap his wife because she had given birth to two damned daughters.

The female troop’s cheek was already seriously swollen and her arm was full of bruises. She looked extremely shabby.

Seeing that her mother was going to be slapped, she raised her hand to block her father’s arm and pinched the vital part on his wrist. This would cause pain in his bones.

“I’ll bear the flogging punishment which Mother is supposed to receive. The others should be flogged according to the rules.”

She became more sober and made a smart decision.

She could not bear being called unfilial, so she took the initiative to receive the flogging punishment on her mother’s behalf. She would be flogged seven to eight times more.

If she did not say anything, the old woman might regain her senses and force her to bear the 23 rounds of flogging that she should receive.

Which would hurt more, seven to eight rounds or 23 rounds of flogging? Even fools knew which to choose.

The old woman regained her senses. She pointed at her granddaughter and asked her to take the punishment.

After all, she was her granddaughter. What was wrong with a granddaughter getting beaten on behalf of her grandmother?

The guard laughed and said, “Old lady, your granddaughter is very filial. She has already taken the initiative to bear the eight rounds of flogging for her mother. If she were to take on the 23 rounds of flogging for you, she’ll die. You’re her grandmother. Do you want to kill your granddaughter?”

The old woman flushed. Then, her face suddenly turned livid and finally became grave.

Her granddaughter was a filial daughter for taking the initiative to bear the punishment for her mother. As her grandmother, she was inhumane for continuing to put the blame on her granddaughter.

The guard added, “She’s a girl after all and she’s still young. If she’s beaten many times and her body is injured, it’ll be bad if she can’t have babies later. Don’t you still have a few sons and sons-in-law? They’re men, so it won’t hurt for them to be flogged a few times more.”

The crowd jeered. Were men afraid of spanking?

The guard wanted to continue to speak, but his comrade shot him a warning glance which hinted that if the matter was dragged on for too long, their lord would be unhappy.

Upon seeing the signal, the guard waved his hand and ordered someone to flog them one by one according to the rules.

According to the rules of public flogging, it was necessary for them to take off their pants and lean over a high stool to get flogged.

The men were fine. Her daughters-in-law and daughters wailed when it was their turn.

The guard gloated over their misfortune. “You’re all men. Why don’t you receive the flogging on behalf of your wives? We’ll try to spank you lightly.”

The commoners were convulsed with laughter. They jeered and egged them on.

“Yeah. Are you men going to let your wives take off their pants and get flogged?”

Even if the guards would try to spank them lightly, it would still hurt!

The men who were kept down on the ground and got flogged for eight times were boiling with anger. They berated and swore at their wives.

“B***h, you’re hoping for me to die so that you can remarry, right? Will a few rounds of flogging kill you?”

No matter how reluctant the old woman was, she was still flogged ten times in the end. The remaining thirteen rounds were divided among the younger generation.

They were originally unwilling to do so. Even the old woman’s youngest son whom she loved the most could not help but hide upon hearing those words.

In the end, they shoved each other and managed to share out the remaining rounds. The old woman still had to be flogged for ten.

When it was the female soldier’s, the guard said, “You’re still from the female battalion after all and we’ve guarded the city together. You don’t have to take off your pants.”

The female troop looked ghastly pale. She mumbled, “Thank you.”

There were knacks to the flogging punishment. There were tricks to the spots beaten and the strength exerted.

The female troop was beaten badly, but the guard showed mercy. She would recover after a few days.

The others looked as if they were fine, but they did not even have to dream about being alive and kicking without staying in bed for a month or more.