Chapter 84: This Is Clearly a Deadly Little Weapon

She had never seen such a cane before.

This wasn’t a mere cane—it was a lethal weapon, a small instrument of cruelty. The barbs glinted coldly in the light, each one sharp and unyielding. A single lash with that, and it would rip flesh and draw blood.

Madam Liu, who had always trailed behind Chu Renjie and his son like an invisible shadow, saw the cane brought forth by the servants, and her already pale face turned even whiter. Terror flashed in her eyes. She instinctively retreated a few steps, the wounds on her body beginning to ache and itch. Unable to resist, she reached out to scratch them.

Shen Zhao’s gaze landed on Madam Liu’s strange behavior. No wonder she’d never seen such a thing before. This vicious little device must have been crafted by a truly venomous woman. It seemed Madam Liu would be the first to face punishment. Shen Zhao felt no sympathy for her—after all, whenever she’d been punished by the old madam, Madam Liu had always added fuel to the fire, wishing nothing more than for the old madam to beat her to death.

Retracting her gaze, Shen Zhao looked at the canes bristling with barbs. “Second Brother, pick one. These are so thin and long, they can’t hurt much, can they?”

The corners of everyone’s mouths twitched as their eyes fell on the barbed canes. Did the general not see the thorns? Would it really not hurt to be struck with those? They all felt the general was simply trying to comfort them.

Chu Mu’s pupils contracted. He remembered the day he and A Zhao had switched bodies—one of the old women had tried to beat him with a cane, but A Zhao had arrived just in time to spare him. He recalled that the cane then had no barbs. But now, the servants had brought out these vicious ones from the venomous woman’s private chambers. Had his A Zhao also been beaten with such barbed canes?

The thought twisted Chu Mu’s heart, each beat a stab of pain. How much suffering had his A Zhao endured right under his nose?

Shen Zhao was puzzled by Chu Mu’s sudden look of remorse and distress. Heaven knew she hadn’t said or done anything—was this blockhead imagining things? It made her uncomfortable.

Chu Renjie, on the other hand, gazed at the canes with bright eyes. His third brother truly was family—he was standing up for him, wanting to vent his anger on his behalf. Those canes must have been selected on purpose; otherwise, why mention the thin and long ones? He’d never seen such canes in the venomous woman’s courtyard before. In the past, the ones used to discipline Shen Zhao had been ordinary.

“Third Brother, you choose one for me.”

Shen Zhao looked up at the old madam, her face full of helplessness. The old madam, seeing this, felt even more gratified—this child was still considerate of her.

Why should she make things difficult for the only remaining filial child over someone who hated her so deeply?

She nodded at Shen Zhao, signaling him to do as he wished.

Shen Zhao casually picked a cane from the tray the servants held. “Second Brother, this one will do.”

Everyone except Chu Mu could see the general’s helplessness and innate kindness—he hadn’t deliberately picked one, just took one at random.

But Shen Zhao was coldly amused. When the servants had presented the canes, she had observed them carefully. While she appeared to choose one at random, she had already calculated everything. The barbs on this cane were sharper and longer than the others—a single stroke would cut right through the back.

Chu Renjie took the cane from Shen Zhao. Third Brother truly understood him—he had chosen exactly the one Chu Renjie wanted. Blood ties, after all, bred such intuition.

“Bring him here.”

At once, the servants dragged the cowering Chen family physician forward. Knowing which way the wind blew, they no longer took orders solely from the old madam. Though the physician was one of her people, it was clear she didn’t intend to protect him—so the servants were rough.

Shen Zhao watched Chen Kang being dragged over, his eyes full of venomous hatred. She offered a suggestion, “Second Brother, these canes have barbs. If the physician is still clothed, the cane will tear his robes to shreds. Then bits of cloth will stick to the barbs and spoil the effect. How could the physician withstand that? Why not strip him first, Second Brother, and then administer the punishment?”

Chu Renjie agreed readily; Third Brother was right. If the robes were left on, they’d only muffle the blow and tangle the barbs with cloth. He hadn’t considered that, being too intent on pleading for the wretch’s life.

“Very well, as Third Brother says. Remove his robes—leave him only his undergarments.”

Shen Zhao glanced sidelong at Chu Renjie. He truly was the venomous woman’s son—even his methods of punishment mirrored hers.

Soon, all Chen Kang’s clothes were stripped away, leaving only a pair of underpants to preserve his modesty. Chu Mu instinctively moved in front of A Zhao to shield her, but his current height was no barrier at all—she saw everything.

Chen Kang’s shame and fury burned his face red, and he quickly bowed his head.

How had he come to this, humiliated by his own offspring? How could he ever face the Du family again, or their ancestors? The Du family had always looked down on him—he’d abandoned his status as a gentleman to pursue the arcane art of medicine, and had achieved so little. If only he had greater power, he would have taken his sons back to the Du family long ago, to change their fortunes.

No! He couldn’t allow himself to be beaten, not by Renjie. It would break the family’s rules and shorten his own life. He cast a threatening look at the old madam seated high above. As long as she spoke, her devoted child would spare him. But she met his gaze with cold hostility; he’d seen murderous intent in her eyes moments ago.

Was this the price of loyalty? All these years of service, and she’d never valued him.

He struggled desperately, making muffled, pleading sounds to the old madam—begging her to save him, not to push him over the edge.

But the old madam, catching his threatening glare, only grew angrier and glared back. How dare he threaten her? Had he not said those things to Qing’er, would she now be so misunderstood by her own sons?

Chen Kang’s heart plummeted as the old madam’s cold eyes met his. So this was his reward for a lifetime of loyalty—she’d rather see him dead.

Before he could be consumed by grief, a blinding, searing pain tore through his back—a pain that penetrated to the bone. He barely had time to feel the burning before another stroke fell, even more vicious. The agony invaded his entire being; he could feel his flesh being stripped away by the barbs.

He couldn’t scream, only utter muffled cries of pain.

“Will you confess or not? How did you and the venomous woman kill my mother all those years ago?” Chu Renjie lashed Chen Kang again and again, relishing every blow.

At that moment, the doorman announced, “General, the new Assistant Minister of Revenue, Lord Du, has arrived to pay his respects.”