“Ning Chen. You left that imperial sword behind the door on purpose, didn’t you?”
Chang Ruyue fixed her eyes on Ning Chen and asked it.
“And if I did? And if I didn’t? If you want to blame somebody, blame your own greed.”
Chang Ruyue watched him coldly. “You are as vicious as this to your own brothers. If it gets out, aren’t you afraid the world will laugh at you?”
Ning Chen said mildly, “In what I do I have nothing to be ashamed of before heaven above, nothing to be ashamed of before the earth below, and nothing in between to be ashamed of before my own conscience. If the world wants to laugh at me, let it laugh.”
“Ning Chen, I am begging you… don’t hurt them. You all bear the name of Ning. You are brothers. You ought to stand together—”
“If I had any choice in it, I would choose not to bear the name of Ning.”
Ning Chen cut her off, paid no further attention to Chang Ruyue, and turned and went to the torture room.
It was dark and cramped, the air was thick with the smell of blood, and the floor showed a dull red where blood had soaked into it over a long time.
The three brothers had been raised soft from childhood. When had they ever seen anything like this?
To them the place was a hell on earth.
The three of them were tied to the frames.
Ning Mao had wet himself long since, and his trousers were soaked, and his eyes were full of terror.
The other two had not wet themselves, but the color had gone out of their faces too.
Ning Chen took down from the wall beside him a whip that had gone a black-red color from soaking in blood so long.
Ning Chen did not hesitate for an instant. He came up to Ning Gan with long strides and laid the whip across him.
Snap!!!
Ning Gan’s clothes split open, and a line of blood was left on that soft skin of his.
“Ah—”
The shrill scream of it went through the whole torture room.
Ning Xing and Ning Mao watched from the side and were nearly frightened to death.
Snap!!!
Ning Chen swung his hand, and the whip came down on Ning Gan again.
Ning Gan let out another shrill scream!
Ning Chen laid several more hard strokes on him, and only then asked mildly:
“I’ll ask you a question. Whichever of you can answer it goes free of the whip.”
“That Black King of Hell. Who put it in my bed?”
Ning Chen finished asking, and watched the three of them keenly for a reaction.
Something like puzzlement went across the terror in Ning Xing’s and Ning Mao’s eyes.
Only Ning Gan’s eyes had more fear in them than before.
Feng Qizheng and the others looked at one another.
One of these three had put a Black King of Hell in Ning Chen’s bed?
That was meant to put Ning Chen in the ground.
Ning Chen kept his eyes on Ning Gan. “Do you know?”
Ning Gan shook his head desperately.
“I, I don’t know anything about a Black King of Hell. I’ve never seen one.”
Ning Chen smiled coldly. “Very good! Since you don’t know, let’s go on.”
Ning Chen turned and came up to Ning Xing.
The color went out of Ning Xing’s face, and he begged bitterly. “Ning Chen, I’m begging you, spare me… I swear I’ll never bully you again.”
“When the tiger comes down to the flat country the dogs bully it, and only when the tiger is back in the hills do you learn to be afraid? Too late!”
That said, he laid the whip across him.
Snap!!!
Ning Xing screamed worse than a pig on the block.
Ning Chen laid several hard strokes on him before stopping.
Then he came up to Ning Mao.
Ning Mao was frightened out of his soul and could not get the words out straight.
Ning Chen swung the whip up and brought it down hard across him.
Ning Mao, good-for-nothing that he was, took three strokes and fainted dead away.
Ning Chen drew a ladle of cold water and threw it straight in his face.
Ning Mao jolted, and came to.
Ning Chen dropped the whip, went over to the wall and dragged a large instrument across the floor.
“Now then. Let’s change the game!”
Feng Qizheng and the others exchanged a look, and the corners of their mouths twitched.
The three brothers saw the thing Ning Chen had dragged over and were nearly frightened to death.
Chen Chong could not help saying, “Ning Chen, that thing is for use on women prisoners.”
Ning Chen smiled wickedly. “It’s more use on men!”
The instrument Ning Chen had dragged over was… the wooden donkey.
The thing is used on adulterous women taken in the act.
The three of them looked at the projection standing up off the donkey’s back, tens of centimeters of it, and the blood went cold in them.
“So you know what this is. Then I won’t trouble to introduce it!”
Ning Chen’s eyes were cold. He paused, then went on. “Then shall we begin? Ning Gan, you’re the eldest. We’ll start with you.”
Ning Gan shrieked in terror. “Ning Chen, are you mad? This will kill a man… I’m your eldest brother, you can’t do this to me, Father won’t let you off, and my grandfather won’t let you off either… Ning Chen, listen to me, listen to me—”
Ning Chen paid him no attention whatever. He untied the rope on him and took him by the hair and dragged him over.
Ning Gan howled like a soul in torment, struggling for his life, and got his arms around the donkey’s leg and would not let go for anything.
Ning Chen drew his blade outright. “Let go and get up there yourself… don’t make me take your paws off.”
“You stole an imperial sword. Even if I killed you… who would dare say a word about it?”
Ning Gan shrieked, “We did not steal any imperial sword. You left it in the ancestral hall and we were afraid it would go missing, so we put it away and kept it safe for you… Ning Chen, you lost an imperial sword. You are guilty too!”
Ning Chen smiled coldly. “That’s not a bad reason you’ve found… A pity this is the Inspectorate’s torture room, and what I say goes.”
“Let go and get up there yourself, or I’ll cut your hand off.”
Ning Gan was out of his mind with fright.
If he went up on that thing, he could stop being a man for the rest of his life.
“Ning Chen, spare me, I beg you, I’m begging you—”
Ning Chen was silent for a moment, then said, “Very well. I’ll give you all one more chance… And if you disappoint me this time, then I’m sorry, but I’ll have you feel every instrument in this room, one after another!”
“You three listen to me… Which of you has seen the Poisoner?”
Ning Xing’s and Ning Mao’s faces went slack.
Only Ning Gan gave a slight shudder.
Feng Qizheng and the others looked at one another. How had the Poisoner come into it?
Ning Chen crouched down and fixed his eyes on Ning Gan. “You’ve seen the Poisoner, haven’t you? That Black King of Hell — he gave it to you, didn’t he?”
Ning Gan shook his head desperately. “No. I haven’t seen him. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Ning Gan. I even know where you saw the Poisoner… the Left Chancellor’s residence. Am I right?”
Ning Gan looked at Ning Chen, appalled, and then quickly put his head down again.
Ning Chen smiled coldly. “The Left Chancellor has admitted it himself. The Poisoner is in the residence… What is the good of you holding out?”
“At the very worst you asked the Poisoner for one Black King of Hell. As long as I don’t pursue it, nothing happens to you.”
“The Poisoner is a wanted man of the first rank. If you insist on carrying the blame for the Left Chancellor, then nobody can save you… But if you tell me the truth, I guarantee I’ll send you home safe and sound.”
Ning Chen finished, and gave Gao Ziping a look.
Gao Ziping took his meaning at once and spoke up. “Ning Chen, don’t waste your strength on him… Stealing an imperial sword is a capital crime as it stands. Just behead him.”
“Just so. Why waste words on him? They hold no office and no post — execute first and report afterward, by imperial warrant… Just take his head off. If you don’t have the stomach for it, I will!”
Feng Qizheng backed him up.
Ning Chen sighed and patted Ning Gan on the shoulder. “Given the chance and no good for anything!”
That said, he stood up and stepped back a few paces. “Take his head off, then.”
“Right you are!”
Feng Qizheng had a savage grin all over his face, and came over with long strides, carrying his blade.
Ning Gan shrieked until his voice broke. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk—”
(End of Chapter 130)