Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 29: Miss Su's Darkest Moment

The mountain wind howled, causing the wild grass and forest to sway incessantly. Unknown flowers and plants flew in the air, brushing against the pale faces of the constables, floating away in the sunlight.

In an instant, the thousands of constables fell into a deathly silence!

Their hearts tightened, their bodies sweating and trembling uncontrollably.

This was their personal experience.

The cruel laws written on the wooden board, even if used on thieves, would be unbearable to witness, let alone the delicate Miss Su.

"Damn it, that heartless and merciless Iron-faced Judge Xin Zhuo, I will never share the same sky with you, how hateful!"

A young constable who admired Miss Su greatly, overwhelmed by anger and exhaustion, fainted on the spot.

The rest of the constables clenched their fists and waist knives, if not for their fear, they would have rushed forward and killed the thieves immediately.

"Xin Da, the head of the family!"

Chen Jing suppressed his anger, took two steps forward and cupped his fists, trying to maintain a calm tone: "You said last night that you would set a price to release Miss Su this morning. Why did you list so many cruel punishments? Is this what humans do? What do you intend to do?"

"These punishments are the means of exchange for the price."

Xin Zhuo glanced at the constables, returned the gesture, and said with a serious expression: "The heroes of the Fulong Gang are inherently good-natured and have never done anything cruel. Even if we captured Miss Su, we treated her with respect. But with your constable army pressing on us, we are under great pressure.

Miss Su will definitely be released, but I think we shouldn't be too hasty. We must take it step by step. Have you seen these eighteen cruel tortures? Do they seem reasonable to you?"

You bunch of good-for-nothings, reasonably annihilated by Heavenly Punishment.

The constable heads and constables felt even more anger in their hearts.

They had seen plenty of ruthless and bloodthirsty bandits, but rarely encountered someone so shameless.

"So what?" Chen Jing chose to ignore the wooden board, frowned and questioned. He didn't quite understand Xin Zhuo's meaning.

Xin Zhuo waved his sleeve, with a cunning look on his face: "So, whether these tortures are implemented or not depends on your performance. You can choose one person to go up the mountain and negotiate the price with me. Once it's settled, I will remove one of the tortures. Then you can send another person up to negotiate, and once it's settled, I will remove another one. This process will continue until all the tortures are removed, and then Miss Su will naturally be released from the mountain.

Isn't it reasonable? The prerequisite is that you must be highly skilled in martial arts, and ordinary lackeys need not apply.

Also, don't think about any tricks or schemes, otherwise, be prepared to collect Miss Su's corpse."

Chen Jing and a few other constable heads exchanged glances. Although they didn't know Xin Zhuo's specific plan, it coincided with their own strategy. They didn't even need to persuade the other party, they could go up the mountain.

Who should go first?

Xin Zhuo had already turned around and walked back to the stronghold with his hands behind his back.

Huang Da Gui, Bai Jianxi, and Jiulang were left to guard, while Cui Ying'er chased after him.

"Head of the family, I don't understand what you mean."

Cui Ying'er frowned and said, "By listing so many tortures and having them negotiate one by one, are you trying to delay time or demand exorbitant prices?"

In her opinion, this was futile. If they continued to delay, the experts in the capital would gather, and the Fulong Gang would have no room to maneuver.

"It's both delaying and demanding exorbitant prices. The more experts that come, the better."

Xin Zhuo took the lead and walked into the stronghold, his tall figure exuding confidence and ease in the sunlight.

What exactly did the head of the family have in mind? Was he going to break the jar or come up with a unique idea?

Cui Ying'er's mind was in a mess, and she even thought that if things didn't work out, she should just run away. This method of pulling out a tiger's tooth was something even the late head of the family didn't dare to do.

The sunlight poured into the bandit's courtyard, blocked by the thatched houses around, creating a warm and cozy temperature.

Su Miaojin was washing clothes in the courtyard. Her long black hair was tied up in a simple bun, held in place by a jade hairpin. Her delicate face was lightly powdered, sitting on a bamboo stool with a graceful posture, revealing her slender and fair neck. Her pair of youthful jade hands were slightly reddened from scrubbing, but her movements were clumsy and awkward, as if she was exerting great force with each wash.

This was the first time in her life that she had washed clothes. In the past, it was always the maidservants who did such chores at home.

"Pa!"

A set of washed linen robes was thrown aside by her, and she forcefully poked a hole in them with her index finger.

This set of clothes should belong to that little thief Xin Zhuo. This is her final stubbornness and resistance.

Then she saw a pair of worn-out cloth shoes in front of her.

Without looking up, she knew who had returned. She recognized these handmade worn-out shoes that were only sold for two copper coins.

She was very angry.

So, almost uncontrollably, she pounded the clothes in the basin, splashing water everywhere, splashing the little thief's pants.

"The posture is wrong." Xin Zhuo said in a warm voice, not minding his wet pants.

Su Miaojin remained silent, but the rhythm of her washing slowed down a bit, and the corner of her eye glanced at those legs. Was there really a technique to washing clothes, a rough task like this?

"Washing clothes is like being a person. First, you need to have the right posture. Miss is a miss, and a captive is a captive. Hmm, it's best if your body doesn't lean, sit upright, extend your hands, and look straight ahead. Also, try to use both hands with force, don't let your waist move along, otherwise, you'll get tired." Xin Zhuo patiently explained, acting as a mentor. He watched Su Miaojin, who was already tired, instinctively try to follow his instructions, and couldn't help but feel happy. "Ah, that's right, keep it up. I believe in you. In the future, you will definitely be an outstanding laundry master and find a good job."

"Pu--"

Han Qiniang, who was watching with wide eyes, couldn't help but laugh, her peach blossom eyes forming crescents.

Cui Ying'er also couldn't help but suppress her laughter.

Su Miaojin paused for a moment, feeling impatient, and vigorously rubbed the clothes.

Xin Zhuo turned and returned to the room, looking at the neatly folded two bedsheets in the corner, shaking his head and summoning the "Lunar Serenity Well".

The realm of Cui Ying'er's five subordinates in the well remained unchanged, but their techniques had undergone some changes.

For example, Cui Ying'er's "Ordinary Linked Mandarin Duck Knife Technique" had become the "Initiation-level Linked Mandarin Duck Knife Technique".

The techniques of the other bandits had also improved.

"Initiation" should be considered a level of mastery.

In fact, with their aptitude, it would be difficult to reach this level in less than a month. This was thanks to the effectiveness of the "Lunar Serenity Well".

He looked at the not-so-wide surface of the well. The constables at the foot of the mountain should be sending people up for negotiations soon. In the days to come, they would probably have to increase the number of sacrifices.

Yes, he planned to use the apologies, loyalty, and debt functions of the Lunar Serenity Well to manipulate the negotiating constables, create sacrifices, and share their strength.

The first two were probably difficult, but as for the debt...

With Su Miaojin's blackmail, were they afraid of owing him a debt?

I wonder if fifteen spots will be enough?

The sun unknowingly rose higher, and Su Miaojin finally finished washing the clothes and returned to the room. She looked at the bedsheets and seemed to feel that lying down in broad daylight was inappropriate. She didn't know what to do and stood there in a daze.

Xin Zhuo pointed to a nearby stool. "Sit!"

Su Miaojin glanced at him with her beautiful eyes but remained silent. If she followed his words and sat down, wouldn't she be bowing her head to the bandits?

Sitting was impossible. She would rather stand.

"The constables from the foot of the peak will soon come to negotiate. You will listen as an observer," Xin Zhuo said.

"Okay!"

Su Miaojin's heart moved, and she obediently sat on the bamboo stool, sitting gracefully with her wide sleeves resting on her knees, not looking around.

"Canglang..."

At this moment, Cui Ying'er and Han Qiniang suddenly drew their knives in the courtyard.

They saw a figure in the distance, wearing a purple official's robe, a soft-brimmed hat, and a long knife hanging from his waist, slowly approaching.

(End of this chapter)