Silent Lover

c010 - c013

c010. punishment of whipping 

The Northern Garrison Prince roughly locks Shen Yu's hands behind his back with the strip of silken fabric and proceeds to hang him onto a beam of the room's roof. His whole body is raised into the air.

Shen Yu's arms are twisted and must support the entirety of his body's weight. Not only that, but a hundred days have passed since he suffered that serious injury to his left hand and it is not yet completely recovered.

He is pained to the extent that his perspiration drips down, the sweat splashing as it lands onto the ground.

There is the sound of a weapon being drawn, akin to a dragon's roar, as the Northern Garrison Prince pulls out his sword. Its freezing brilliance reflects and contrasts against Shen Yu's deathly pale face.

'He is going to carry through . . . '

Shen Yu does not wish to die; although he has already readied himself to become the tenth ghost, he still cannot help his frightened reaction the moment the ice-cold blade of a sword presses against his neck.

These days have not been long—it has been merely half a month since he married into the prince's residence, yet Shen Yu feels as if several years have already passed. He has been longing to be untied and set free, but as he wavers on the fringe of death, Shen Yu abruptly thinks of his mother.

When Shen Yu was chosen by the esteemed prefectural magistrate to be a substitute for the young miss, his mother had held his hands and wept until her tears drenched the lapels of her robes.

She had said, "Son, ah, no matter what happens to you in the future, Mother only wants you to stay alive."

His mother is still waiting for him in that little courtyard, so how can he die so soon?

Shen Yu is able to imagine his own corpse being delivered back and how broken-hearted his mother would be.

At present, the sole method he can use to survive is to win the favor of the Northern Garrison Prince.

Shen Yu pulls up the corners of his own mouth and, with great effort, manages to squeeze out a feeble smile. Based on what the granny said, all men are fond of women who smile like flowers; as long as a woman is to smile apologetically in front of them, no matter the mistake or fault, everything will be forgiven and pardoned.

With both of his hands bound, besides smiling, what else can this mute do?

"You still dare to smile? Begging for death, are you? Hah . . . "

Again, the Northern Garrison Prince has misunderstood; to him, Shen Yu's smile is a show of disdain and contempt. He fiercely and savagely grasps Shen Yu's chin.

A cold flash of light suddenly comes into view as Shen Yu sees the Northern Garrison Prince lift up his sword. Letting go of all hope, he closes his eyes.

'Mother . . . In the future, this child of yours will never cause any more trouble for you.'

The Northern Garrison Prince's swordsmanship is fine and precise, and with a few hissing maneuvers of his blade, Shen Yu's clothes are cut to pieces, leaving only his undergarments intact.

"You wish to die, but this venerable prince will obstinately not allow it. When you die is up to this venerable prince to decide!"

Shen Yu opens his eyes; he hasn't died . . . Although the Northern Garrison Prince misunderstood his intentions, the end result is the same; he hasn't died.

Instead, the price is the Northern Garrison Prince's rage.

. . .

Shen Yu does not know how many lashings of a whip he had to sustain. His whole body is enrobed in agonizing and burning pain, while his consciousness is hazy.