“Lord Governor, we two have turned over a new leaf, abandoning darkness for light. We’ve come to offer the pirate leader Maye and two other pirate heads, begging Your Excellency to grant us a chance. We swear to mend our ways and serve you loyally, even through fire and water!”
Maye’s confidant, kneeling on the ground, clasped his fists toward Zhu Ping’an and spoke earnestly, then heavily kowtowed, the courtyard’s stone tiles resounding with a loud “thud.”
“I, too, am willing to serve Your Excellency, to hold your horse or follow you into danger!” The other pirate followed suit, kowtowing with another resounding “thud.”
“No rush. How did he end up like this? Wounded, ill, or something else?” Zhu Ping’an waved his hand, pointing at the unconscious Maye.
“Replying to Your Excellency, we and Maye drank from a well in an abandoned village and were poisoned. At first, we felt weak, dizzy, and disoriented, then fell into a stupor. The two of us pulled through, but Maye has remained unconscious, vomiting several times along the way,” the confidant answered truthfully.
“Quickly fetch several physicians to consult together and do everything possible to save him,” Zhu Ping’an ordered a guard.
“Yes, sir.” The guard saluted and hurried off.
“Well done. What are your names?” Zhu Ping’an turned to the two surrendering pirates, asking slowly.
“Replying to Your Excellency, my name is Zhao Gou, and his is Wang Tie,” the confidant answered promptly, speaking for both.
“You two came to surrender to me. Aren’t you afraid I’ll take your heads and claim the credit?” Zhu Ping’an narrowed his eyes, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he asked.
Wang Tie shuddered involuntarily, fear flashing across his face.
Zhao Gou was also nervous but forced himself to remain calm, replying, “Your Excellency is a man of great deeds. How could you sacrifice the greater good for something trivial? We trust you wouldn’t.”
Zhu Ping’an chuckled, his expression ambiguous as he looked at them. “To entrust your lives to my whim—you two have quite the gambling streak…”
Wang Tie trembled even more, and Zhao Gou’s composure began to falter, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
“Successful people don’t always have a gambling nature, but those with it often achieve success. Well done—you’ve won this bet,” Zhu Ping’an said with a slight smile.
Phew…
Wang Tie, who had barely dared to breathe, let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness—they’d won the bet, and their lives were spared.
Zhao Gou also exhaled, the cold sweat on his forehead finally ceasing. Truth be told, with their lives on the line, he’d been just as terrified as Wang Tie but had managed to feign calm.
“However, while the death penalty may be spared, living punishment is unavoidable. As pirates, you’ve undoubtedly committed countless crimes like burning, killing, and looting. I sentence you each to one hundred military lashes, with the chance to atone through future merits. Do you have any objections?” Zhu Ping’an’s gaze burned into them.
“Thank you, Your Excellency. No objections,” Zhao Gou replied without hesitation the moment Zhu Ping’an finished, his voice resolute.
“N-no objections,” Wang Tie echoed.
“Carry out the punishment here. After you’ve taken your lashes, recover your strength, and I’ll assign you tasks,” Zhu Ping’an nodded, ordering the execution.
Soon, four guards arrived with military sticks. They pressed Zhao Gou and Wang Tie face-down on the ground, handed each a cloth to bite, and began administering the lashes methodically.
The guards showed no mercy. These were pirates—what good could they be? Though they had surrendered and turned to the light, their hands were surely stained with the blood of innocents.
The Lord Governor had spared their lives for the greater good, but he’d also said that while the death penalty could be avoided, living punishment could not. Whether they survived depended on their fate, but the guards would show no leniency.
The four guards spat into their palms, gripped the sticks, and swung with full force at the buttocks of the two surrendered pirates.
“Ah!”
Despite biting the cloths, Zhao Gou and Wang Tie let out muffled screams.
The guards were unrelenting. After just a few lashes, the two men’s buttocks were torn and bloodied.
After thirty lashes, Wang Tie passed out from the pain, but Zhao Gou gritted his teeth and endured.
Even with one pirate unconscious, the guards didn’t stop. These were pirates, after all—even surrendered ones. They couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted. The Lord Governor had ordered one hundred lashes.
One hundred lashes—anything less wouldn’t count!
The guards continued the punishment.
Whether the unconscious pirate survived was, as before, up to fate.
One hundred military lashes was no light penalty. For the strong and healthy, it was a bone-deep injury requiring at least a hundred days to recover. For those with weaker constitutions, it was a summons from the King of Hell. If they couldn’t endure, they’d report to his court.
“Young Master, these two look like utterly deplorable villains. In my opinion, we should just execute them,” Liu Dadao whispered, puzzled.
“I’d love to kill them too, but they have great use. Keeping them alive will help us kill more pirates,” Zhu Ping’an replied softly.
“What use could they be? In this ambush, even the new recruits have seen blood and will soon be seasoned. We don’t need these two pirates,” Liu Dadao scratched his head, confused.
“Once they’ve recovered, I plan to send them back to the pirates’ stronghold in Tuolin to resume their old trade. Then, they’ll prove immensely useful…” Zhu Ping’an explained quietly.
From the moment he saw Zhao Gou and Wang Tie, Zhu Ping’an had this idea. He’d been wondering how to plant agents among the pirates, and now two had come to surrender. Who could be more pirate-like than actual pirates?
“Young Master plans to use them as spies?” Liu Mu immediately caught on.
“Exactly. To know your enemy as well as yourself ensures victory in every battle. In Zhejiang, we’ve implemented the ten-household registration and mutual guarantee system, cutting off the pirates’ reach into our territory. If we can plant pieces within their ranks, it’ll make the game of eradicating them much easier,” Zhu Ping’an said slowly.
“I understand now, Young Master,” Liu Dadao nodded, finally grasping the plan.
While the guards administered the lashes, they also summoned physicians. Four elderly doctors arrived—three with white hair, one with greying hair.
Zhu Ping’an stepped forward, helping the doctors up as they tried to bow, and briefly explained Maye’s condition.
The four doctors took turns checking Maye’s pulse, examining his eyelids, and inspecting his tongue. After conferring, they reported to Zhu Ping’an that Maye had drunk contaminated water, damaging his organs, and was already halfway to the King of Hell’s court. They could administer a potent remedy, but given Maye’s condition, it might either pull him back from death’s door or push him through it faster…
Zhu Ping’an urged them to act boldly without hesitation. If they saved him, they’d be handsomely rewarded; if he died, they wouldn’t be held accountable, and their fees would still be paid.
