The Whip

Fu Yunlang seemed a little dazed. "When did this happen?"

"When... when Young Master went to Jiangnan with the Fifth Prince," the servant said, glancing at Fu Yunlang's expression.

Fu Yunlang sat there blankly, not moving for a long time.

His only thought now is whether there's a way to undo mistakes or turn back time.

Considering Wu Zong's attitude today, and Mister Kumu's temper, his actions were no less than stirring up a hornet's nest. He deeply felt that a dark cloud had been cast over his head.

"Where is my older brother?" he asked weakly.

Before the attendant could speak, a cold voice rang out. "I'm here."

"B-Big Brother!" Fu Yunlang jumped up as if he had been stung by something.

Fu Yunkai stopped in front of Fu Yunlang: "I told you to ask, but you didn't ask and just went there yourself? And you didn't even speak properly, you just offended people! Do you really think our Marquis of Pingnan's Residence is some kind of great family? Just now the Emperor asked me if we were lacking in food or clothing, do you know how I felt? I wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into."

"I... I..." Fu Yunlang stammered, "I was thinking that going by myself would seem more solemn, wasn't it?"

When buying land and houses from the Court of Judicial Review, people usually don't go in person. If the deal falls through, it's awkward for everyone. So they usually ask around through intermediaries. If the sale goes through, everyone's happy; if not, it avoids damaging the relationship.

"So serious? Is this how you act so serious? The other day you were asking Qin Chong about the Lady Wei, but today you don't even bother to ask him. Instead, you're taking matters into your own hands?" Fu Yunkai clenched his fists tightly in anger, afraid that he might lose control and punch him a few times.

"What on earth is going on in your head? You're ready to die for a woman, but when it comes to serious matters, you're clueless. You've wasted all these years of your life."

Fu Yunkai pointed outside and said, "Go, kneel over there. If you dare to disgrace yourself in the Court of Judicial Review and then before the Emperor, you will have to bear the consequences of family law."

Upon hearing the words "family discipline, "Fu Yunlang shuddered and hurriedly admitted his mistake. "Brother, brother, I won't dare to do it again, I really won't dare to do it again. I will definitely think twice before acting in the future, and I will never be so reckless again."

"Are you going or not?" Fu Yunkai glared at him. "The eldest brother is like a father. Father isn't home, so I have to discipline you properly for him."

He pointed outside and said sternly, "Go kneel down. I'll count to three. If you don't go, I'll give you ten more lashes."

Upon hearing this, Fu Yunlang had no choice but to obediently kneel in the courtyard.

Their grandfather always believed in the saying "spare the rod and spoil the child," and was very willing to be harsh on his sons. Their father was beaten into adulthood in this way, so he inherited and carried forward this tradition of the Fu Family.

Fu Dayong believed that, as the son of a military general, being able to take a beating was a skill. Only by being able to withstand beatings could one bravely fight the enemy on the battlefield.

So when children from other families made mistakes, they were either punished by copying books or kneeling in the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence were whipped. Small mistakes were punished with five lashes, medium mistakes with ten lashes, and big mistakes with fifteen lashes. Those lashes were extremely painful; if someone was whipped fifteen times, they might be bedridden for half a month.

Fu Yunlang was the youngest son, Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan always doted on him. He had hardly ever been whipped in his life. Fu Yunkai, on the other hand, was the eldest son and the heir apparent, and his father had high hopes for him. He was whipped quite often when he was young.

Therefore, Fu Yunkai believed that the reason he became successful was because he was whipped as a child. The reason his younger brother was still so ignorant and repeatedly did stupid things was that, apart from being blinded by women and having his brains muddled, he deserved to be whipped.

The whip was wet, and each lash tore open the skin. Fu Yunlang screamed in agony. Guards had already restrained him, preventing him from moving, and someone stuffed a wet cloth into his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue.

There were quite a few people in the courtyard, including the servants that Fu Yunkai brought in, as well as Fu Yunlang's servants and attendants.

Even before Fu Yunlang knelt in the courtyard, someone had secretly run out to report to the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan. By the time the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan arrived, Fu Yunlang had already been whipped five times and was on the verge of fainting from the pain.

"Yunkai, Yunkai, please spare your brother this time. You and your father have been away at the border for years, and Yunlang and I have been relying on each other for survival. If you kill him, I won't live either. I'll go with your brother so we won't get in your way and prevent you from having a good time at the border."

Fu Yunlang Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan very experienced; she had often protected her son like this when he was a child. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she threw herself on Fu Yunlang, preventing Fu Yunkai's whip from falling.

Fu Yunkai looked at his mother expressionlessly and said calmly, "Mother, I just returned from His Majesty's court. His Majesty asked me to convey a few words to you: 'Spoiling a child is like killing a child.' If you don't allow me to punish him, I will go back to the palace to kneel and have the Imperial Guards finish the remaining lashes. Then I will beg His Majesty to bestow his calligraphy upon me, so that these five words can be hung in your room as a constant reminder of how to be a good mother."

Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan paused in her sobbing and looked at her eldest son in disbelief.

"Also, once Yunlang's injuries have healed, I will send him to the army."

When Fu Yunlang saw his mother, his wails, which had been growing louder and louder, stopped abruptly upon hearing his brother's words.

"Brother, you... you're not serious, are you?"

He looked at his elder brother, then at his mother, and burst into tears, truly heartbroken. "Mother, please persuade my elder brother. You told me I didn't need to go to the border."

Looking at his fifteen-year-old brother who was still acting spoiled in front of their mother, Fu Yunkai's temples throbbed, and he became even more determined to send Fu Yunlang to the army.

He spoke up before Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan, "Mother, don't say he'll be lonely if he goes to the army. Anyway, I can't go to the army until I'm married, so I'll stay with you for now. Let Yunlang go to the border to keep Father company. If you can't bear to see him suffer now, wait until later... If something happens to Father and me at the border, how will he support this family? Spoiling a child is like killing a child; you must remember His Majesty's words."

As he spoke, he said to the maids and servants brought by the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan, "Pull the lady away to avoid accidentally hurting her."

Although Fu Yunkai was not old, he had been exposed to the wind and sun on the frontier, had been on the battlefield, and was a general leading troops. He appeared more mature than most seventeen or eighteen-year-olds, and his cold face gave him a solemn and imposing aura. His words even stunned the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan, let alone the maids and servants.

The maids and servants quickly stepped forward to help Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan.