This was, after all, the National Guardian General's private family matter, so Zuo Yong didn't press the issue. After escorting Song Xingfeng back, he took his men and departed.
The butler summoned a physician, who found Song Xingfeng's injuries rather strange upon examination. In the Da Cheng Dynasty, corporal punishment by caning had long since been changed from striking the back to striking the buttocks. Yet, judging by his wounds, all twenty-some strokes of the imperial cane had landed squarely on Song Xingfeng's back. Fortunately, the executioner was highly experienced; each blow had avoided the vital spinal column, saving him from being crippled. The pain, however, would be agonizing, and he likely wouldn't be able to leave his bed for three months.
Song Xingfeng lay prone on the couch, already drenched in a cold sweat from the pain.
Mrs. Liu was beside him, wiping away tears and cursing Song Lianhe. This was all because she had brought out Lin Shuniang's memorial tablet!
