Matriarch Rules, Scumbag Begs - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Writing the IOU

Cutting off one arm…

Just hearing these two words terrified Xue Yinshuang so much that she was almost out of her wits.

“Heir, save me!”

She clung to Pei Yuanzhou’s legs and wailed:

“I still need to serve my mother-in-law and take care of Chi’er, I can’t become a disabled person!”

Pei Yuanzhou helped her up from the cold ground and wiped away her tears repeatedly.

But deep down, he knew that it would be difficult to turn this situation around.

The laws of the Qi dynasty were always strict, and before the appearance of the culprit who targeted noble families, the capital city was so safe that almost every household didn’t need to lock their doors at night, precisely because of the severe punishments that made it hard for crimes to occur.

But how could he bear to see Xue Yinshuang have her arm cut off?

He glared at Shen Qiuci, his eyes burning with hatred:

“You have a vicious heart! You were bedridden, and it was Xue Yinshuang who took care of your parents-in-law and managed the household affairs in an orderly manner. Not only did you not show any gratitude, but you repaid kindness with enmity?”
Shen Qiuci calmly met his gaze and said softly:

“I gave you a chance. If you had done things according to our agreement earlier, I wouldn’t have had to go this far. You pushed your beloved concubine to this desperate situation, it’s not my fault.”

Pei Yuanzhou knew that even if he apologized to Shen Qiuci now, it would be useless, so he steeled himself and took a hard stance:

“According to the law, a thief’s arm should be cut off. But if the stolen goods are returned in full, the punishment can be reduced.”

“Return in full?” Shen Qiuci laughed when she heard this:

“Xue Yinshuang is an orphan, without family support, she only gets 20 taels of monthly allowance from the Marquis’s mansion. During the time I was recuperating at my mother’s house, she took 20,000 taels of silver from the Shen family’s gold shop.”

She looked at Pei Yuanzhou and pretended to count on her fingers:

“Do you think she can pay back this debt in her lifetime?”

“I’ll pay it back for her!” Pei Yuanzhou gritted his teeth:

“But gathering such a large amount of silver will take time. You can put the debt on my account for now, I won’t deny it.”

Shen Qiuci had just seen how shameless Pei Yuanzhou could be, and now she wouldn’t listen to a single word he said.
“With the Heir’s promise, I’m relieved. But verbal agreements can be difficult to sort out later. How about this?”

She looked at Prefect Liu and bowed:

“Since we’re in court today, the Heir should write an IOU. We’ll sign and seal it, and Prefect Liu can serve as a witness.”

Pei Yuanzhou was furious:

“An IOU? After all we’ve been through as husband and wife, a man’s word is his bond, you’re not trusting me?”

Shen Qiuci said:

“If the Heir’s word is as good as gold, what’s there to fear from writing it down?”

Prefect Liu also chimed in:

“I think the Heir’s wife has a good idea.”

In this case, Pei Yuanzhou couldn’t argue further.

The entire household was luxurious, and the Marquis’s mansion was in debt, not to mention 20,000 taels, even 2,000 taels would be difficult to come up with on the spot.

But he had already made the promise in front of so many people, and he couldn’t back down.

So he waved his hand and pretended to be generous:

“Bring paper and pen! I’ll write it!”

Under Prefect Liu’s witness, Pei Yuanzhou wrote the IOU in detail.

After both parties signed, one copy was kept in the court, and the other was thrown angrily at Shen Qiuci:

“Are you satisfied now?”After saying that, he tightly grasped Xue Yinshuang’s hand and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

But before they could take two steps, Prefect Liu’s deep voice commanded, and yamen runners immediately blocked their path.

“Even if the Heir’s wife is willing to settle with Xue Yinshuang, according to the law, a thief must be punished to demonstrate the authority of the law and show that it cannot be violated!”

He took out a warrant token from the tube and threw it to the ground, shouting:

“Arrest Xue Yinshuang at once and give her 50 strokes with a cane!”

The so-called “caning” referred to using bamboo sticks or small branches to strike the prisoner’s back or buttocks.

Although this punishment wouldn’t take someone’s life like the heavier bamboo caning, the thinner and narrower instrument made each strike excruciatingly painful and unbearable.

“No! I don’t want to!”

Xue Yinshuang hid behind Pei Yuanzhou, her whole body trembling:

“Heir, save me! I’m afraid of pain, I won’t be able to take it, they’ll beat me to death!”

“Don’t be afraid, Shuang’er!” Pei Yuanzhou was anxious, shouting at Prefect Liu:

“Prefect Liu, the law should take human feelings into account, can’t you give me some face?”

Prefect Liu’s expression didn’t change, he simply said:

“Take the Heir aside to watch the punishment!”

In the court, the prefect’s word was law. No matter who you were, a noble or a prince, once the court was in session, no one was allowed to be presumptuous.

Pei Yuanzhou was restrained by several yamen runners, forced to watch as Xue Yinshuang’s outer clothing was removed and she was tied to a long bench.

“No! You can’t beat me! Ah!!”

“Swish!”

The executioner took the small branch and struck Xue Yinshuang’s back with force, again and again.

In less than half a moment, her brightly colored undergarment was stained with fresh blood, making it even brighter.
She was enraged, shrieking piteously while glaring at Shen Qiuci, her voice hoarse from screaming insults:

“Bitch! You’re just jealous that the Heir favors me, so you’re taking revenge on me! A woman with a narrow-minded heart like you will eventually be punished!”

These vile words poured into Shen Qiuci’s ears, but all she did was lightly stroke her hair and smile disdainfully.

At first, Xue Yinshuang could still shout curses, but after receiving more than ten strokes, she lost the strength to even scold.

Shen Qiuci looked at her with a cold gaze, watching as every wound on her back seeped blood, a tangible manifestation of the suffering her sister had endured under her hands.

She watched silently, thinking to herself:

This is just the beginning.

Elder sister, watch from heaven.

Watch how the entire Marquis’s mansion will use tears and blood to apologize and make amends to you!

After Xue Yinshuang’s punishment that day, she was on the verge of fainting.

Pei Yuanzhou had already arranged for two doctors to wait at the mansion, and as soon as the punishment ended, he carried Xue Yinshuang onto a sedan chair and returned to the mansion.

Shen Qiuci returned to the mansion a bit later, seeing that the sun was shining brightly and the plum blossoms in the courtyard were blooming beautifully.
The red plum blossoms were planted by her elder sister’s own hands, and she hoped that her sister’s spirit would be comforted.

She called Xia Shang to prune the red plum blossom branches with her.

Xia Shang saw that Xue Yinshuang had been carried back half-dead and couldn’t hide the joy on her face:

“Xue Yinshuang was arrogant and took advantage of the eldest mss’s gentle nature, daring to lay hands on her during disputes! In my opinion, it’s only because the second miss is merciful that she wasn’t beaten to death today!”

Shen Qiuci cut off a bundle of branches and smiled without speaking.

“Shen Qiuyu!”

Suddenly, a loud shout erupted behind her.

Shen Qiuci turned her head abruptly, her gaze meeting Pei Yuanzhou’s furious face.

He held a long whip in his hand and strode towards her:

“I thought the wound on my head was caused by my own carelessness yesterday, but if Xue Yinshuang hadn’t told me that you attacked me, I would still be in the dark!”

He cracked the long whip on the ground, the loud noise piercing her ears:

“Your temper is vicious, and you’re consumed by jealousy, you’ve lost the virtues of a wife!”

“Today, I’ll whip you until your skin is broken and you’re bruised, so you’ll learn a lesson!”