Chapter 1557: 1554: Beating with a Board

Chapter 1557: Chapter 1554: Beating with a Board

Turning his head to see the guards about to take the portrait away, he hurriedly stopped them: “You must show the portrait to all the people around, or else who knows if you will fabricate evidence.”

Ye Muyu had already observed his series of reactions, and had a hunch in her heart. She scratched Chu Heng’s palm with her fingers, and Chu Heng tightly clasped their fingers together, knocking her hand with one finger.

Ye Muyu couldn’t help but smile, her ears a little red. If not for the wide robes covering her, she might have already been exposed.

She composed herself and gestured to the guards: “Let everyone take a look.”

The two guards held the portrait and showed it to the crowd gathered to watch.

In the crowd, after a few people got a clear look at the portrait, their eyes flickered, and they quickly left.

The man seeing his accomplices leaving, breathed a sigh of relief.

“Is that enough?” Ye Muyu asked.

The man nodded: “Barely adequate.”

Ye Muyu: “Then it’s my turn now. Earlier, you said that my Yonghe Clothing Shop sent people to deceive others for cotton, thus reducing the cost, which is why the cotton-padded clothes are so cheap, correct?”

The man saw that she admitted it, his eyes gleamed, and he quickly nodded: “Yes, merchants are always out for profit.”

“Alright then, two hundred coins for a cotton-padded garment, the cost of cotton is only thirty coins, the higher cost is the labor. After all, the speed of the embroiderers weaving is slow, so the price of the cotton-padded clothes is high. Cheating for cotton? Even if I cheated for cotton, my shop couldn’t survive, losing money, even having more money couldn’t sustain such losses. So, the reason you mentioned, that my Yonghe Clothing Shop deceives villagers for cotton to sell cheap cotton-padded clothes, doesn’t hold water.”

The man did not expect Ye Muyu to refute his words in just a few sentences. He replied sternly: “You are spending silver to buy reputation! Don’t think I don’t know. Standing beside you is the Vice Minister of Revenue, Chu Heng. He is highly trusted by the Emperor in the court; you are deliberately gaining fame, what is your purpose? Is it to overthrow imperial power?”

The moment he uttered the last two words, all the people around fell silent in fear, and some officials’ families watching the commotion squinted their eyes.

“Speaking recklessly about state affairs, slandering the Emperor, men, give him the paddle.”

Chu Heng acted swiftly and decisively, directly ordering the guards to press the man onto the bench on the spot for a beating. After fifteen strokes, the man wailed in pain.

Then Chu Heng’s cold voice resounded: “According to the Great Chu Law, those who speak recklessly about state affairs and slander the Emperor receive fifteen lashes. Do you admit your guilt?”

The man never expected Chu Heng to be so ruthless, not even giving him time to react, and started the beating directly. As he met the opponent’s cold gaze, a piercing pain shot from his rear. He forcefully suppressed the fear in his heart and shouted: “You abuse your authority as an official, boldly abuse private punishment. Even if I violate the law, it’s the Ministry of Punishment’s matter, not for a Vice Minister of Revenue like you to manage. I will report you to the Court of Judicial Review.”

Chu Heng looked at him indifferently and took out a token from his chest: “This is the Imperial Authorization Token, personally issued by the Emperor, which allows handling first and reporting later in special circumstances.”

The man looked at the token in disbelief, his eyes wide open. He hadn’t expected his attempt to slander Chu Heng would backfire on him. Had he known, he wouldn’t have brought up such controversial topics.

“Now, you can continue speaking while lying down. I reckon you wouldn’t dare enter the yamen due to your guilty conscience. Since that’s the case, let’s do it in front of everyone. If your words are false, naturally you will be dealt with according to the law.”