Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

The person sitting in the main seat glanced at the aggressive young man and successfully stopped his righteous indignation.

He fiddled with the incense burner in his hand, his gaze falling on Liu Qinghong, who was forced to kneel below him. He asked casually, "You've sneaked over the city wall at night, what else do you have to say in your defense?"

A familiar voice reached his ears. Perhaps due to illness, the voice was lower and hoarse than before, but Liu Qinghong still recognized the person instantly as the leader of the men in black from that night.

Serving the Emperor...

Thinking of the cryptic tone in which the Sichuan Provincial Governor mentioned "them," Liu Qinghong's heart tightened.

The legendary imperial guards, who monitor officials, gather intelligence, and move about mysteriously, possess authority that reaches directly to the emperor's ears. They are often regarded as an extension of the will of the supreme ruler on the throne.

No wonder Lord Bian reminded him to tell the truth and not to be presumptuous.

It's likely that his past has already been thoroughly investigated, and any concealment or lies would only add fuel to the fire of his crimes.

His status as a student of the Imperial Academy could not protect him, and even if he brought up the person he utterly despised, it would be to no avail.

"This humble citizen... has indeed climbed over the city wall many times to sell stolen goods for others. Knowing that his crimes are unforgivable, he dares not beg for mercy and submits to punishment."

At this point, Liu Qinghong paused, raised his head slightly, and cautiously probed, "If there is anything that can be of help to me, please just ask, and I will certainly cooperate."

Qin Ji gave him a detached look.

This man was quite clever; he guessed that this elaborate scheme was not only to test him but also had another purpose, so he hoped to redeem himself through meritorious service.

Unfortunately, from the moment he was lured into the post station by Qin Ji's bait and met Bian Hongzhen, his "mission" was already complete, and it was irrelevant whether he participated in what followed.

Soon, rumors of the missing defense map will spread like wildfire, and then fake defense maps will appear on the black market without anyone noticing.

Qin Ji cleverly lured the enemy out of their hiding place, exposing the spies planted by the foreign tribes in the capital and recording them in his records. He planned to use them as "megaphones" when needed in the future, thus turning the tables on them.

Once these nails have lost their value, we can follow the trail and eliminate them all at once.

Qin Ji remained noncommittal regarding Liu Qinghong's willingness to cooperate, his slender fingers tracing the top of the hand warmer. "What do you want from being so cooperative?"

"I only beg Your Honor to see the truth. All the crimes are my own fault. My younger sister is young and unaware of these matters. Please do not implicate her."

Liu Qinghong bowed deeply, kowtowing to the ground, and blurted out, "If... if there could be a reward of one hundred or eighty taels of silver, please deliver it to the seventh household in Yulin Old Alley in the south of the city..."

The detailed files on Liu Qinghong's past and his life of relying on his sister had already been placed on Qin Ji's desk yesterday. Even his attempt to use information about "foreign races" to gain Bian Hongzhen's favor at the post station had been reported to Qin Ji by the secret guards in advance.

Qin Ji was not particularly surprised by this. He tapped his fingers lightly on the hand warmer, without giving a direct response, and closed his eyes to rest.

A hush fell over the room as Liu Qinghong crouched low, waiting for the sword hanging over her head to fall.

After a long while, accompanied by the crackling sound of charcoal fire, a voice devoid of any emotion drifted lightly from the head of the table.

"One hundred strokes of the cane."

Liu Qinghong's body swayed almost imperceptibly, and her heart sank to the bottom.

According to the laws of the Great Yin Dynasty, anyone who climbed over the city wall at night would be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled for three thousand li. However, most of the time, one hundred strokes of the cane were enough to kill the victim.

Moreover, the person sitting at the head of the table did not mention whether there would be any other punishments after the hundred strokes of the cane.

Liu Qinghong resignedly kowtowed on the blue brick, his voice hoarse, "This sinner accepts punishment."

Qin Ji slightly raised his hand.

Shang Jingming received the hint and went out to whisper a few instructions.

Soon, well-trained servants carried in a bench and a wooden stick.

Liu Qinghong's eyes flickered slightly when she saw the wooden staff, which was slightly smaller than expected, and a thought came to mind.

Perhaps, he was not incapable of saving his life.

Before he could even process the thought, the ropes binding him were cut, and he was pushed onto a bench and held down.

Liu Qinghong's arms were pulled back by two servants, so that his chin was pressed tightly against the seat.

He nervously swallowed.

The boy's flat voice, barely audible, came from the main seat again: "Take off your clothes."

Before Liu Qinghong could react, the servant in charge of the punishment had already swiftly torn off his belt.

The moment the air touched her skin, Liu Qinghong trembled slightly, a wave of shame mixed with fear washing over her.

He was pinned to the bench, unable to move or struggle, and could only bite his lower lip in embarrassment.

The first blow struck, and pain exploded behind him. Liu Qinghong groaned almost uncontrollably, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Even though the servants had held back their strength, the blows of the cane still pierced Liu Qinghong's heart. In just a few blows, all the color drained from Liu Qinghong's face, and his arms, which were held back, twisted, his fists hooking inward.

The servants in charge of the punishment mechanically called out numbers, each number jumping up like an endless torment.

"sixteen."

The veins on Liu Qinghong's forehead bulged slightly, cold sweat dripped down his temples, his lower lip was bitten until it turned white, and it felt like a fire was burning behind him.

Without even turning his head, he could sense that the place where he had been punished must be a complete mess.

Forty-five.

Liu Qinghong breathed heavily, struggling to draw in fresh air, trapping her cries of pain in her throat, which tasted metallic.

He was at the mercy of others, his arms struggling uncontrollably but held firmly in place. In the end, all his efforts were in vain, and the pain even aggravated his injuries, causing him to feel dizzy and his vision to blur.

He didn't know how long he could hold on; occasionally, the pain was so intense that he wished he could just faint.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Cold sweat soaked his clothes, and his jaw was clenched so tightly that it made a grinding sound, but he remained conscious throughout.

At some point, the cloth was stuffed into his mouth again, seemingly to prevent him from biting his tongue.

"Seventy-three."

It felt like a layer of skin had been peeled off his wound, and Liu Qinghong didn't even have the strength to struggle anymore. But he also realized that although a hundred lashes were hard to endure, his opponent had no intention of taking his life, otherwise he wouldn't have missed a single blow to his bone.

It felt like a knife cut into my skin, and there was a faint, almost imperceptible smell of rust around my nose. I wondered if blood was trickling down from the wound.

With her vision blurred by cold sweat, Liu Qinghong's face was ashen as she silently counted along with the executioner in her mind.

"Eighty-seven, eighty-eight, eighty-nine..."

From the moment the skin broke at around fifty feet, Bian Yushu couldn't bear to look at it, and he kept glancing anxiously at His Majesty.

On one hand, he felt that Liu Qinghong deserved to be punished for breaking the law and causing His Majesty to catch a cold, and that His Majesty's private punishment was already an act of great mercy; on the other hand, he instinctively felt uneasy about such a scene and couldn't bear to sit still.

Fortunately, Shang Jingming, who was supervising the execution, happened to take a step and block his view. His Majesty seemed to sense something and glanced at him.

Bian Yushu's unease was thus somewhat calmed down, and he asked Qin Ji in a low voice, "Should I...should I go and invite Doctor Liang?"

Qin Ji acquiesced to his request.