9 Punishment Display (1/2)
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Mingzhu returned from the mountains and waved around a creamy brown root at people in the small village. ”Ginseng! Ginseng from the mountains! Fresh and ready for purchase!” She yelled to attract attention. The lump of roots were handed over to Juan, who cleaned them before anyone took interest.
”How much?” Cheng asked, approaching curiously. The man spelt strongly of osmanthus and there was an air of nobility around him. Mingzhu prepared herself to deal with another arrogant, wealthy traveller.
Mingzhu answered before Juan, slouching on a walking stick and tilting her head to the side. It was these cocky mannerisms and her dirty clothing that caused people to often mistake her for a pretty boy.
”How much are you willing to pay? The ginseng is fresh from dangerous areas in the mountains. It won't be cheap.”
”Seven green rings,” Cheng replied.
Currency was copper, shaped into smooth, thick rings. They were categorised by their intricate designs and colour, gold dragons worth the most while grey swirls were the cheapest ring. The designs were carved into the material, so when the paint faded, the value remained known.
Mingzhu laughed at his suggestion. ”Two red rings or no ginseng.”
Unfamiliar with denial, Cheng paused for a few moments and changed his tactic, redirecting his attention to Juan. The beauty radiating from her made him temporarily forget the problem at hand; her features were delicate and posture refined. Fortunately for her, she took after their mother and was like a graceful bird, while Mingzhu was a raven in comparison.
”How much would it be, Miss?”
Juan blushed but looked to her sister and sighed. ”You insist on green value and my sister insists on red value. It would be wise to choose in-between this amount. I suggest only one red ring.”
”You are as reasonable as you are lovely,” Cheng said and removed a red ring from his finger, dropping it into Juan's hands. Currency was often worn like this to be more difficult to steal, as well as show off an individual's fortune.
Every few months for two years, Cheng returned and stayed longer each time, bringing that suffocating osmanthus smell with him. He claimed he had reports to be completed but Mingzhu remained wary. Ever since the mountains, she was wary and anxious in a male's presence.
When the twins turned eighteen, a fire ruined everything and Cheng was the only person that saved them.
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Mingzhu should have been more cautious around women as well. The threat from Ju Xiaoli a few days ago because she fulfilled wholeheartedly. Xiaoli accused Mingzhu of stealing a honey pot from the kitchen, which a rat-faced kitchen maid swore was true. In a matter of seconds after this blame was thrown, another maid came out with the honey pot which was apparently discovered in Mingzhu's belongings.
It was infuriating how easily lies were believed. Mingzhu glared at Xiaoli, a cloud of rage engulfing her judgements at the injustice. One simple movement and she could knock the woman unconscious. A simple step and cartwheel was all that was needed. It took all Mingzhu's strength to stop her from attacking and in the back of her mind, she heard Master compliment her. A weak appearance was necessary for the mission. Thus, she let Miss Tang yank the robes near her neck and drag her to an open servant space. Unfortunately for Mingzhu, a public whipping display was occurring the same day and thus, her punishment was to join the other person.
Two pairs of tall, thick bamboo trunks were spaced in metres. Various weapons hung from them, included chains, belts, whips, wooden floggers and much more. Mingzhu was pushed down on her knees and her arms were bound by thick leather straps connected to the bamboo, separating shoulders far apart to stretch the back. This left an easy target for the whip to hit and the crouched position gave further infliction on the feet. The punisher stepped back from Mingzhu, marveling their own precision at their work of tying her.
”This brings back memories,” Mingzhu muttered to herself. Those images from the past were hard to push down and Mingzhu shivered. Someone else – also secured by bindings – chuckled breathlessly.
”Did you come from a bad family or have a terrible master?” Disung said too merrily for the situation.
Unlike Mingzhu, his clothing was ripped at the back to leave his bare skin glistened in the sun. It was common for maids to have material as protection against whipping. With the mix of sold and noble women working together to serve, the risk of harming a woman from a noble clan was too great.
The gods must hate her. Mingzhu thought being falsely accused by a snotty woman and a public whipping was enough punishment but of all people, why was he in the servants' area chained up with her? The reason for him being in the Lotus Palace was not her concern, nor should she interfere, no matter how much her curiousity grew or the idea vexed her. There were so many questions she had but deduced it would do no good. It was best they stayed away from each other, especially since they were once enemies. No doubt, he carried a vast amount of anger after that incident and she refused to let it jeopardise her mission.
”You already know the answer.” Mingzhu gasped at the last part of her sentence, surprised by the foot roughly pushing her head down. When she complied, a speech of her misbehaviour was announced and her punishment of five lashings, as was the same with Disung. According to the vague description, he acted inappropriately towards the emperor.
The whips slashed at both Disung and Mingzhu. The bite of pain was nasty, dragging along Mingzhu's shoulder to her opposite hip. All her body was tensed, silently fighting against the onslaught. 'You need to scream', Mingzu reminded herself silently and swallowed her pride. The image of her father appeared and she her fear escalated. 'You must appear weak.'
The next lashing came just as powerful as the last in the opposite direction, creating a red 'X' under the maids clothing. This time, after slight hesitation, she yelped and cringed at the squeal in her voice. The prickly pain on Mingzhu's back lingered like a burn and helped her cries. It was if the flames of her past were behind her, reaching forward to engulf the flesh left behind.
For some absurd reason, the man next to her screamed just as loud and tried his best to keep the pitch high. This earned him a severe punishment, the man behind the whip putting more strength into his weapon. When Mingzhu dared to look, she saw Disung grin, somehow implying the yelling was a game of who was louder. It irritated Mingzhu but she complied, reminding herself to be pitiful and weak.