That evening, Jiang Hui threw a banquet.

Ning Chen had a few drinks, went back, and slept like a baby.

First thing the next morning, he got up and went straight to check on Diaochan.

The welts on Diaochan's body were pretty bad.

The army surgeon told Ning Chen she would need ten days to half a month at least to heal completely.

Ning Chen added some good feed to her trough. Looking at the welts on her hide, he was seething.

Diaochan had carried him on campaigns north and south and had saved his life. She'd never taken a wound even on the battlefield, and a few pieces of scum had beaten her like this!

Ning Chen took down the riding whip hanging on the wall and walked out.

Yuan Long had two hundred men of the Ning'an Army posted around Ning Chen's lodge.

When he saw Ning Chen come out, he hurried over at a trot. "Greetings, my lord prince!"

Ning Chen waved a hand. "Yuan Long, where are those thugs from yesterday?"

"This officer will take my lord prince to them!"

Ning Chen nodded.

Yuan Long took him to the thugs from the day before.

Ning Chen walked up and laid into them with the whip until they were rolling across the ground.

"You scum! Now you know what it feels like to be whipped!"

Ning Chen swore at them with every stroke.

He had never once had the heart to use a riding whip on Diaochan.

Only when he'd whipped them good and hard did most of his anger finally drain away.

On the way back, Ning Chen stopped short.

"My lord prince, what is it?"

Yuan Long followed his gaze. Ning Chen was staring at two laborers hauling blocks of stone.

Ning Chen's expression was hard to read.

"Wait here for me!"

"Yes, sir!"

Ning Chen walked over.

The two laborers hauling stone had seen him too. Their hands froze and they stopped, staring blankly at him, with joy and fear in their eyes.

The soldiers standing guard nearby rushed forward to pay their respects.