Chapter 520
Chapter 520
“Shen Lang, you didn’t cheat during the duel, did you?”
Following Xue Pan's sudden interruption, Zhong Miao coldly interrogated Shen Lang.
“Speak. What sort of trick did you pull? With your skills, Lady Zhong could have killed you with just a fingernail, let alone a finger. What kind of cheating did you resort to?”
Shen Lang pouted and said.
“Did you see me cheat with your own eyes? If so, are your eyes on your ass? Let me tell you something. If I didn't defeat Lady Zhong with my own true strength, then I'm your grandson.”
Upon hearing this, Zhong Miao felt as if she would explode with rage. She drew her sword with all her might and lunged at Shen Lang, intending to tear him to shreds. Gao Duhuan stepped forward, half-drawing his sword, and blocked her path.
“A bet was made, and a loss must be accepted.”
Shen Lang gave a cupped fist salute, mounted his horse, raised both middle fingers to all the scions of power gathered there, and then rode off. However, he returned before he had gone even a hundred meters.
“Oh, right. According to the bet, Lady Zhong lost, so this Northern Plains Hunting Ground is now ours. All of you, get out of here now!”
Having said his piece, Shen Lang rode off again. Zhong Miao, the adopted daughter of the Zhong Clan, ground her teeth and asked.
“Has that piece of human trash always been like this?”
Xue Pan nodded, and Xue Xue said.
“He's a true villain, with no lines he won't cross.”
But a moment later, Shen Lang returned again, looked at Xue Xue's gentle face, and asked.
“You're Xue Xue?”
Xue Xue nodded.
“I am. Do you have something to say, Young Master Shen?”
“Were you the sworn daughter of the Sword King, Li Qianqiu?”
“You must be mistaken, Young Master Shen. I have never known anyone by the name of Sword King Li Qianqiu.”
Shen Lang gave her a thumbs-up and said.
“You're truly remarkable.”
Then he rode off again. This time, he was really gone. Xue Xue's face turned a little pale. The meaning of Shen Lang's last words was crystal clear: she was now his target. Frankly, the thought of being targeted by someone like Shen Lang was terrifying. Because Xue Li had also been targeted by Shen Lang, he had suffered a pain worse than death as his groin rotted away. Today, Lady Zhong, a peerless beauty, had been beaten until her face swelled up like a pig's head, and her proudly high nose had been broken. This human trash truly had no boundaries; he didn't know the first thing about cherishing women.
Zhong Miao asked.
“What should we do? We can't just let this matter end here, can we?”
Xue Pan said.
“First, go back and report to Her Highness Consort Zhong and Lord Zhong E.”
Zhong Miao said.
“You're right. Her Highness and Lord Zhong E will never forgive Shen Lang.”
* * *
The news of Shen Lang beating Lady Zhong caused a huge stir. Zhong E, the Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, was furious when he heard the news, and the Third Prince, Ning Qi, was enraged. However, their positions were too high for them to tattle to the king over such a small matter, but Consort Zhong could. Among Ning Yuanxian's many wives, Queen Zhu was dignified and magnanimous, caring for the people with love. Consort Bian was gentle, wise, and virtuous. Consort Su was a peerless beauty, captivatingly lovely. And Consort Zhong was voluptuous and had a ferocious temper.
For quite a long time in the past, Ning Yuanxian had been infatuated with Consort Zhong. In fact, men, in their occasional vulgarity, sometimes liked this type of fiery, voluptuous woman. During that time, Ning Yuanxian had truly doted on Consort Zhong beyond compare, often staying in her chambers for days on end. But the woman truly had a ferocious temper. As time went on, Ning Yuanxian found her a bit difficult to handle and began to distance himself from her.
Consort Zhong was a woman of unbending spirit, so she adopted the attitude of 'if you ignore me, I'll ignore you right back.' As a result, the two had been giving each other the cold shoulder for the past few years. Nevertheless, deep down, Ning Yuanxian was still fond of Consort Zhong. At least she wasn't like Consort Su, who hid ulterior motives and acted solely for the benefit of the Su Clan.
After her marriage, Consort Zhong had always devoted her whole heart to Ning Yuanxian. Later, when the couple's cold war dragged on, she poured her whole heart into her son, Ning Qi. She doted on Lady Zhong the most; although she was her niece, their bond was closer than that of a mother and daughter. Now that Lady Zhong had been beaten into such a state, how could she stand by and do nothing? As soon as she heard the news, she stormed directly into the king's study.
“Ning Yuanxian!”
Consort Zhong shouted. Upon hearing her voice, the Grand Eunuch Yeo Jun bowed his head so low he seemed to wish he could tuck it into his pants. Of all the king's wives, he feared Consort Zhong the most. Getting on her bad side never ended well. The queen was arrogant but refined and would never take her anger out on a servant. Consort Zhong, in contrast, was a person who truly let her volatile emotions show. If she wanted to hit someone, she hit them; if she wanted to curse someone, she cursed them.
At her appearance, the king had no choice but to put down his book and ask.
“What is it?”
“You, have Shen Lang arrested and killed immediately!”
“What happened?”
“That vile Shen Lang kicked Shasha in the chest—her ribs might be broken! He also kicked her in the stomach. Is he an animal? Kicking a woman in such places? Not only that, he beat her face until it was a bloody mess and even broke her nose.”
The king's face twitched as he listened. He had been shocked enough to jump when he first heard the report. He knew Shen Lang would win, but he had thought Shen Lang would, at most, knock Lady Zhong down with a single blow. But he never imagined the scoundrel would be so utterly without limits.
*'How could he be so vicious to a beautiful girl like Lady Zhong?'*
The king's hair stood on end, and he inwardly regretted allowing the duel. If he had known this would happen, he would have stopped them from fighting in the first place.
*'Shen Lang, that scoundrel is truly a great villain. If you let him off the leash even a little, he causes the most astonishing trouble. He's no different from a mad dog. Once he bites someone, he leaves them a bloody mess that's hard to look at. His parents must be worried sick over him.'*
“Such a thing happened?”
The king was enraged.
“It's the absolute truth. Send men to arrest Shen Lang and beat him to death immediately! If you don't, I'll send my own people to get him. If I don't kill that beast today, then my surname isn't Zhong.”
“There's no need for that. I will send men to arrest him and beat him to death right now. Yeo Jun, send men to drag Shen Lang to the palace at once and give him a fierce beating.”
The Grand Eunuch Yeo Jun clearly heard 'beat him,' but Consort Zhong's mind automatically translated it to 'beat him to death.' Instantly satisfied, she said excitedly.
“I will supervise it myself. No, I'll beat him to death myself!”
Ning Yuanxian immediately stepped before her and said.
“Must my beloved consort dirty her own hands with such a rough task?”
Then, Ning Yuanxian moved closer, wrapped his arms around Consort Zhong's slender waist, kissed her on the lips, and let his hand slip beneath her robes.
“What are you doing? Didn't you declare you were done with me, that if you ever touched me again, you'd be no better than a dog or a pig?”
Consort Zhong said coldly, her face flushed. When the king had fought with her, he had certainly said he wouldn't touch her again, but would he really have said he was no better than a dog or a pig if he did? Ning Yuanxian said in a gentle voice.
“My love, it's better to believe in ghosts than to believe the words of a man.”
And Ning Yuanxian's hand continued its exploration. Consort Zhong's beautiful face turned beet red as she said angrily.
“Shameless. You are a shameless, wicked man.”
Soon, the two were tumbling together. The cold war that had lasted for over half a year melted away completely. Several eunuchs quickly exited the room, closing the door behind them. Ning Yuanxian cursed inwardly.
*'Shen Lang, you scoundrel. I've even resorted to using a honey trap to protect you.'*
That day, King Ning Yuanxian truly gave it his all, as if his life depended on it, to distract Consort Zhong and make her completely forget about beating Shen Lang to death. Afterward, Yeo Jun personally went to bind Shen Lang and had him flogged thirty times in front of a large crowd. Once again, Shen Lang was beaten into a bloody mess, a truly miserable sight. However, it seemed the cotton padding of the soft armor Shen Lang wore had been soaked in blood for some time, as he appeared to bleed two catties worth, which looked a bit exaggerated. After the flogging, Shen Lang was promptly carried away. When he got home and took a bath, he was perfectly fine, without a single hair out of place.
That old eunuch Yeo was finally learning a thing or two. Worried that Shen Lang's screams during the flogging wouldn't be miserable enough, Yeo Jun had even hidden a junior eunuch behind him whose sole job was to scream. The junior eunuch's wretched screams were enough to startle heaven and earth, a wail that sounded like the crying of ghosts. That eunuch worked so hard that he screamed until his throat bled. He must have given his all to the voice acting.
* * *
Around evening.
Consort Zhong, her body languid, was nestled in Ning Yuanxian's arms like a well-fed cat when she suddenly sat up.
“Was Shen Lang beaten to death?”
From outside the door, the Grand Eunuch Yeo Jun reported.
“The flogging was so severe that three whips were broken, and he lost more than half a catty of blood. When they carried him away, he looked as if he was no longer breathing.”
Ning Yuanxian wrapped his arms around Consort Zhong's waist, kissed her red lips, and said.
“That matter is settled now. My beloved consort should rest. Sleep well!”
Consort Zhong savored her husband's rare tenderness and was reluctant to leave his embrace even for a moment. In the end, the matter of beating Shen Lang to death was thus forgotten.
* * *
The next day, the Royal Uncle, Ning Ji, came for an audience with the king.
“Your Majesty, you have been far too lenient with Shen Lang. The man acts as if there are no laws, no heavens above. His Highness the Sixth Prince, Ning Jing, is, after all, Your Majesty's son and a descendant of the royal family. Yet Shen Lang struck him as he pleased, threatening to cripple him at every turn. Furthermore, Lady Zhong is, at the end of the day, a girl, and she came to the capital for a marriage meeting with the son of the Great Yan Empire's Prince Wu. But Shen Lang beat her to the point of disfigurement and even broke her nose—how can she possibly attend the meeting now? Even setting aside the fact that Marquis Zhong is a pillar of our State of Yue, this incident could incur the wrath of the empire's Prince Wu. What grave consequences might that bring? It could even affect the state affairs of Yue!”
King Ning Yuanxian nodded at Ning Ji's words.
“Royal Uncle, your words have merit. That is why I punished Shen Lang in front of everyone yesterday and had him beaten half to death. I hear he is now clinging to life, his condition critical.”
*Give me a break. Who do you think you're fooling with that act?* But how could the Royal Uncle Ning Ji persuade the king? He sighed deeply and said.
“Your Majesty, I implore you to heed my counsel. Shen Lang is a man who must never be overlooked, and most certainly must not be placed in a position of importance.”
“Royal Uncle, you are absolutely right. That is why the scoundrel holds no official post. I even stripped him of his position as Lord of Zhenyuan City.”
The Royal Uncle Ning Ji had a mountain of things he wanted to say. But with the king speaking like this, what more could he add?