noffsinger Chapter 253 Men, Cry, It's Not a Crime
Chapter 253 Men, Cry, It's Not a Crime
The moment Yinreng and Yinzuo made eye contact, Yinreng understood the unspoken meaning in his eyes. He smiled and glanced at Yinzhen and the others, then shook his head at Yinzuo, paused, and then nodded.
Shaking their heads meant they were absolute heroes, and nodding meant they were ready. If you asked Yinreng and the others if they felt they had lost face in front of their younger brother, they would tell you that the power of example was immense. Having spent many years with Yinzuo, the brothers had long learned a saying: "A tree without bark will surely die, and a person without shame is invincible." At least in the Qingxi Study today, their face was worthless compared to their backside.
Having said all that, Yinzhuo could only raise his hand and take the ruler that Liang Jiugong had been holding. After glancing at Kangxi, he walked towards Yinreng and the others with the ruler in his hand.
"Brothers, I'm sorry for offending you today. Let's make this clear beforehand: every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. Although I was the one who struck you with the ruler, the order came from our Khan. If you hold a grudge, remember to hold our Khan accountable."
Kangxi originally only wanted to tease Yinzuo and didn't intend to actually let him hit Yinreng and the others with the ruler. But when he heard what the brothers said, he simply didn't bother to stop them. After all, the brothers were willing to hit and be hit, so why should he bother? Anyway, the ruler was not like a board and wouldn't hurt anyone.
"Are you guys ready? If you're ready, then let's get started..."
"Just start already, why are you yelling like that? And so loudly! A prince, a duke, a prince, a nobleman—being spanked with a ruler? Is this something worth publicizing? These are grown men, surely they can't be afraid of a little pain..."
What's that saying again? Right, it's that you don't know the pain until the knife cuts you. In this situation, you don't know the pain until the ruler hits your own buttocks. When Yinzhuo beat his three older brothers, Yinreng, Yinzhen, and Yinqi, he had some mental burden and would lift the ruler gently and let them off lightly. But when it came to Yinsi and the others, there was no room for politeness. The ruler hit with such force that not to mention the ninth, tenth, thirteenth, and fourteenth princes, even Yinsi, who was always good at pretending, couldn't help but groan. As for Yintao, tears immediately fell down his face.
"Hey, hey, hey, why are you crying? Sure enough, the saying 'a man doesn't easily shed tears' is just empty words. Look how quickly you've gotten to the point of being heartbroken after I've gotten a bit rough. Twelve, don't cry. Sixth Brother will go easy on you next time. If you really can't hold back, it's okay. Men can cry, it's not a sin. Ninth, Tenth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, you can also cry if you can't hold back. That way, Sixth Brother can be a little gentler with you..."
Yinzhen, Yinzhen, the thirteenth, and the fourteenth, clutching their buttocks, looked at their sixth brother with eyes practically overflowing with "gratitude." Heh, thank you so much! Judging by your excited expression, this beating we're about to receive is probably something you got for me...
It has to be said that Yinzhi and the others were right to some extent. Their sixth brother deserved the most credit for getting them in from outside, and he also played a crucial role in them getting this beating. Yinzhi lay motionless on the couch, his breathing even becoming lighter, afraid that his father would find him awake and drag him over to be punished with the ruler. At this moment, he no longer regretted his decision; instead, he began to feel fortunate for his wise and courageous decision. Being a coward was good; at least he wouldn't be punished by his younger brother with the ruler...
Yinzhuo's use of the ruler was perfectly disciplined, showing clear distinction between elders and relatives. He only gave his older brothers a token beating, while he showed leniency to his younger brothers Yinsi and Yintao, whom he wasn't particularly close to. As for Yintang, Yinxi, the thirteenth, and the fourteenth, they naturally had to be hit harder. Otherwise, if no one in the group made a sound, it would seem like he was just faking it and trying to fool his father, which wouldn't do.
"Father, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this time. Sixth Brother, didn't you say you would be gentler if I cried? I've already cried, why are you hitting me so hard?"
Upon hearing this, Yinzhuo glanced at the fourteenth prince, who was crying uncontrollably after being slapped, and gave him another hard slap on the buttocks. The fourteenth prince cried even more. Seeing this, Yinzhuo couldn't help but raise his hand and slap him again.
"That's right, I did say that, but I didn't make you cry so badly. Look at you, all snot and tears on your face, it's so embarrassing. Look at your tenth brother, I hit him with the same force as I hit you, how come he can hold back? Fourteenth brother, haven't I told you before that I like a tough guy like tenth brother who doesn't make a sound when he's beaten? The more you cry, the more I want to beat you up."
Fine, whatever you say, you're right. You like tough guys, huh? Fine, then today I'll show you what a real tough guy is... Yinzhuo knew the Fourteenth Prince's character all too well. Just by looking at him like this, he knew the man was getting stubborn. He was afraid that even if he beat him to death, the Fourteenth Prince would still grit his teeth and keep quiet. Yinzhuo was here to bail someone out today, and he really wanted to choose the best stubborn one between the Tenth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince. So he threw the ruler in his hand onto the table next to him and turned to look at Kangxi, who was watching the show.
“Father, we’ve finished our performance of entertaining our parents, haven’t we? You see, we’ve already punished him, and it’s getting late. How about we call it a day? My son played at my older brother’s house all day, and when he came back, he was called here to save the day. He’s exhausted and sleepy right now, and his head hurts. Please have some pity on him and let me go home and rest, okay?”
After half an afternoon and a whole evening of this, even an iron man like Kangxi was a little tired. The anger in his heart had dissipated a lot under the commotion caused by Yinzhuo. Looking at his sons standing pitifully in front of him, he couldn't bear to scold or punish them anymore.
"Alright, for Xiao Liu's sake, I'll let you off the hook for now. It's getting late, so you brothers can stay at Changchun Garden tonight and come to Qingxi Study to find me first thing tomorrow morning. Xiao Liu, since you're here today, you can come and listen in tomorrow too. Alright, I'm a little tired, you may all leave."
Yinreng and the others were exhausted after a whole afternoon of running around. Now that they were granted permission to leave, they naturally didn't linger. Before leaving, the brothers didn't forget about their brother who was still lying unconscious on the couch. The palanquin was ready, so Yinzuo had someone carry it over. The men worked together to lift Yinzhi onto it, and after bowing to Kangxi, they left Qingxi Study.
"Xiao Liu, we were able to escape unscathed today thanks to your chivalrous rescue. We'll remember this favor..."