"Well said!" Hu Xiaotian's gaze fell on the four tally holders on the judicial bench. Each bore a large character: Arrest Warrant, Law, Strictness, and Justice. The Arrest Warrant holder contained tallies for taking people into custody, equivalent to arrest warrants in modern society. The other three held red, white, and black tallies respectively, each a foot long. One white tally meant one stroke of the paddle, a black tally meant five, and a red tally meant ten. Different colors and numbers were chosen according to the severity of the sentence.
Hu Xiaotian grabbed two black tallies and tossed them out, then said, "Take Wan Tingchang..." He deliberately paused there.
Wan Tingchang's heart lurched. Shit, this has gotten out of hand. Is this bastard really turning on me and playing for keeps? No, that can't be right. How could he dare refuse to show the Wan Family any respect?
But Hu Xiaotian's target was not Wan Tingchang. He pointed at the two servants beside him. "...'s two attendants and drag them out. Five strokes each! They actually dared not kneel before this official. If it happens again, they will be beheaded without mercy!" Well now, he had gotten carried away with his own patter-even "beheaded without mercy" had slipped out.
Everyone froze. Holy shit, this newly appointed County Deputy is something else! He was like a heifer doing a somersault, flaunting her you-know-what at the sky. The next time someone showed him disrespect, he would have their head! This was no ordinary display of authority. Even the county magistrate would not casually make such grand pronouncements.
Wan Tingchang had initially been badly startled, thinking the new County Deputy had turned on him and intended to have him paddled. Only afterward did he realize the punishment was for his servants, and