Chapter 551 – Killing the Chicken to Scare the Monkeys (Part 2)
After venting her anger on her granddaughter, the old woman, with unkempt hair and dust-covered clothes, cried to the executing guard, “Officer, how can this old lady withstand twenty-three severe blows… Oh, old man, why did you leave so early…”
The guard shrugged helplessly, wearing an expression that said, “I have no say in this.”
“The Lord has said that your son, daughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law may bear the punishment on your behalf.”
The old woman’s children turned pale. The two daughters-in-law shrank back, while the son-in-law stared up at the sky.
They already had to divide ninety blows among themselves; if they had to absorb the old woman’s twenty-three as well, would they even survive?
Being reminded by the guard, the old woman pointed at one daughter-in-law and screeched, “It’s all your fault for giving birth to two useless liabilities! You’ve brought this huge trouble upon the family! You take the punishment, or I’ll have my son divorce you!”
The woman being pointed at turned ghostly white, nearly collapsing.
At this moment, the beaten female soldier finally regained her senses and scoffed, “My mother is pregnant, she can’t take the punishment. Grandma, weren’t you just happily saying a couple of days ago that my mother is going to give me another little brother? You know she’s with child!”
The guard looked at the weak, hunched woman in astonishment.
“If she is indeed pregnant, then she cannot be beaten.”
In other words, with one less person to share the ninety blows, the old woman’s twenty-three must find another to take on.
The old woman’s face turned red; the murmurs of the onlookers filled her ears.
“What a vicious old hag, knowing her daughter-in-law is pregnant, yet wants her to take the punishment!”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk—I’m her neighbor, in the same courtyard, and I never thought this family would be so unreasonable. I heard their two daughters in the female troops were doing exceptionally well, sending money home every month. Their family was the best off, and I envied them. But just look at them now; this family is simply out of luck. The daughters climb up, and the whole family is dragging behind.”
“That old shrew! So malicious, she’s not afraid of facing Yama when the time comes!”
“If my daughter were that capable, it’d be a dream come true. But alas, she’s a sickly one, how can she go to battle and achieve great feats?”
“Some people are so blind to their blessings, others can’t even dream of what they have, yet they don’t cherish it… it’s just not fair.”
“Tsk, tsk, you guys just don’t understand. They are shortsighted, totally blind! They only see they can sell their daughters for a high bride price, but they miss how successful daughters can bring so many benefits to the family later on. Pure shortsightedness, tsk, tsk!”
In the previous siege, whether on the battlefield or guarding the city, any female soldier who performed well received rewards. Some got promotions, others received monetary gifts. These two daughters from this family got both; when the news broke, countless families envied them, while their family seems determined to self-sabotage.
Some clever families had already started calling their daughters sweetly, hoping to mend their relationships for a protective hand.
Only those who are foolish and greedy would pull such a ridiculous stunt as killing the chicken to get the egg.
Hearing the surrounding people’s remarks— all criticising their greedy foolishness— the old woman was stunned, her mind blank. Upon hearing that they were short-sighted, she cried uncontrollably.
“We were blinded by greed, all of it was the wicked Ice Person’s fault…”
The old woman opened her mouth, preparing to shift the blame to the matchmaker, claiming it was her who encouraged them to harm their daughter.
However, everyone understood that if the family hadn’t been greedy and heartless, the matchmaker wouldn’t have been able to persuade them.
The guard, growing impatient, saw the crowd becoming more raucous, eager to see them punished.
The family was terrified and flustered, with the female soldier’s father raising his hand to strike his wife—after all, this woman gave birth to two useless daughters!
The female soldier’s cheek was already swollen, and her arms were covered in dark bruises, looking quite pitiful.
Seeing her mother about to be hit, she reached out to block her father’s raised arm and grabbed his wrist, a move that sent pain shooting through his body.
“I’ll take the few blows my mother received. The others will be done according to the rules.”
She was a bit clearer in her mind now, making a not particularly foolish decision.
She couldn’t bear the shame of being unfilial, so she willingly took on some of her mother’s punishment, sharing only seven or eight blows.
If she didn’t show any sign, the old hag might force her to take the twenty-three on her behalf.
It’s clear to anyone that seven or eight blows are far better than twenty-three.
The old woman quickly reacted, pointing and telling the female soldier to take the hits.
After all, a granddaughter bearing a few blows for her grandmother was nothing.
The guard laughed and said, “Grandma, your granddaughter is very filial; she has voluntarily taken on eight blows for her mother. If she takes the twenty-three on your behalf, she might just lose her life. As a grandmother, you surely wouldn’t want to push your granddaughter to her limits, right?”
The old woman’s face turned beet red, then rapidly turned blue, finally settling into a dark scowl.
Her granddaughter took responsibility for her mother’s punishment—she was a good daughter. If she, as a grandmother, continued to push the blame, that would be downright ungrateful.
The guard continued, “After all, she is still a girl, and so young. If she gets hit too much, what if she gets hurt and can’t have children in the future? Grandma still has several sons and sons-in-law, right? They’re all big men, taking a few blows shouldn’t be a problem for them.”
The crowd erupted into a commotion, laughing and jeering, “Yeah, are the big men scared of some hits?”
The guard was about to say more when a companion shot him a glance, indicating that the powers above would be displeased if this dragged on too long.
Seeing this, the guard waved his hand and ordered people to take their turns to be punished according to the rules.
When it came to public punishment, men were to take off their pants and bend over a high bench.
The men were fine, but when it came to the daughters-in-law and daughters, they all cried out one after another.
The guard gleefully stated, “They’re all big men; how about you take the hits for your wives? We’ll try to go easy on you.”
The crowd laughed till they doubled over, egging them on.
“Right, would any of you big men let your wives take the punishment instead of you?”
Going easy on them would still hurt!
The man pinned to the ground and hit with eight blows seethed, cursing at his wife.
“You rotten woman, do you want to see me dead so you can remarry? What can a few hits do to a man’s life?”
No matter how reluctant the old woman was, she ultimately received ten blows, with the remaining thirteen shared among the juniors.
Initially, the younger generation was unwilling; even the youngest son, who the old lady cared for the most, couldn’t help but back away at the suggestion.
In the end, amidst heaps of pushes and shoves, they begrudgingly managed to share thirteen blows, leaving the old woman with ten.
When it came time for the female soldier, the guard stated, “After all, she’s from the female troop, and everyone has defended the city together, there’s no need for her to take off her pants.”
The female soldier’s face turned pale as she quietly murmured, “Thank you.”
There’s a skill to the punishment—the target and the force involve tricky details.
Though the female soldier suffered, the guard still showed leniency; a few days of rest, and she’d recover.
The others looked relatively fine, knowing they wouldn’t be jumping around for a month or two.
