Foxes Among Wolves - Chapter 9 Punishment Display

____________________________________________________________________

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.

____________________________________________________________________

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.

The lashings continued until a familiar warm, wet feeling covered Mingzhu’s back on the fifth and final lash; she was bleeding. Blood stained the cheap undergarments and the onlookers hollered and cheered, placing bets on how long until the maid fainted. All servant punishments were public, this specific area designed to be easily accessible by main pathways to encourage everyone to watch.

“I wonder if she’ll be that boisterous with her lover!” Someone exclaimed in the crowd and Mingzhu wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

“No man would want that mauled back!” Someone else criticised.

The scar was the real punishment, not the whipping itself. Tainted skin was less attractive in Shanhe and could lead to demotion as a slave. Due to this, the face was hardly ever touched. It was too late for Mingzhu to be attractive in this land; scars riddled her back, from various fighting wounds to animal bites. Each was glazed over into a glorious white line, the reason for its settlement begging to be told. The man was right; no one would ever marry her.

“This is not enough!” Ju Xiaoli deemed and turned to the crowd. “Shall we try five more? Or do it until she faints?”

The onlookers approved. Mingzhu felt her loathing grow at a rapid rate, causing blood to violently rush in her eyes. Men were violent and horrible but she never experienced the true manipulative nature of a woman. Mingzhu desperately wanted to wipe the smirk of Xiaoli’s face.

Mingzhu braced herself, tensing her back and listened intently to behind her. This time, she knew she didn’t need to act to yelp; the whip was going to be excruciatingly painful on her wounds. The man grabbed the whip again and the long tail wiggled across the ground. His shoulder cracked as he lifted the weapon up again and stilled himself to exert all his energy to make a lasting lash on the woman.

The whip came down and

“I will take her punishment too!” Disung suddenly shouted, causing the whip to divert sideways and avoid the maid.

This caught everyone’s attention and even Mingzhu was shocked.

It wasn’t right. ‘Why would he take my punishment?’ Mingzhu thought. Disung should’ve been relishing in her torture and tattered pride. ‘He wants me to suffer in more guilt. That has to be the reason.’ “I will continue the punishment.”

“Maid, be reasonable. I am stronger and do not fear whippings. A lady with scars will have problems marrying or continuing life in the palace. Reconsider and accept my generosity.”

Mingzhu glared at Disung, her eyes lighter in colour, dictated by her pain. But what captivated everyone the most was the fire burning in them, flickering among her irises. Usually, tears would form a waterfall on a maid’s face at any punishment but Mingzhu’s cheeks remained dry. That stubborn determination was something even Juan admired.

“I. Can. Take. It.”

The punishment continued. It was horrendous and Mingzhu felt blood drip onto her feet. She was so lost in pain that she didn’t notice when the five extra lashings were done, nor when the people scattered to continue their day. Everyone acted like nothing happened and Mingzhu was expected to proceed with daily duties despite her wounds.

“You must be happy the Fox has returned,” Mingzhu blurted out to distract herself from the pain radiating from her back. Already, she was lightheaded and could hear her father’s disappointment at her weak body. It had been years and his ghost still lingered to taunt her in the deepest part of her mind.

Disung looked flabbergasted. “Do you know the Fox?”

“Do you not recognise me?” Mingzhu asked, equally bewildered. Surely he was playing stupid.

“I am certain I would remember a maid who screeches like a demon Oh, we have met in the study before. You didn’t scream then so you can’t expect me to recall you instantly,” Disung replied cheekily.

“You truly don’t remember.” How did he not? They grew up together and it was her fault that his family… “It is better this way. Remember that. Heal fast, boy.”

Perfectly timed, Meifan ran over, sobbing hysterically. She untied Mingzhu while other servants assisted with Disung, and carried her back to their chambers without exchanging words. The sting from the whip was becoming more intense yet Disung stole all of Mingzhu’s attention. Not even Xiaoli’s smug grin after the punishment could overpower this. Disung didn’t remember her. Their whole childhood was gone from his mind and Mingzhu didn’t know how to feel about it. For years, she was absorbed by her debts to everyone in the mountain clan but it never occurred to her that some people moved on with their lives.

Mingzhu only came back to reality by Jiang’s treatment for her wounds. The woman was a firm believer in tough love and made Mingzhu want to cry. The ointment was applied roughly and any witty or rude comment was scolded by a hard press on the severely bruised parts of Mingzhu’s back.

“Rest,” Jiang instructed and bandaged the wounds. “But don’t think I’ll let you slack when you return to your duties.”

“Please stay in bed,” Meifan begged when Mingzhu fixed her garments and left the room.

“I am not a weak slave. I do not need rest,” Mingzhu snarled before she left, irritated by the humiliation of the public display.

Embarrassed was too lenient of a word for the endless shame felt. She slammed her fist abruptly into a wooden beam once outside. The sharp sting and tension in her fine bones felt refreshing and some anger was released. When a tree was in the way, Mingzhu attacked this as well, engrossed in her sizzling fury. It was the first time she had a female enemy and she underestimated her. Never again would she be so foolish.