Chapter 332: The Punishment Bureau

The office was on the second floor. Standing on the open gallery, one could clearly see the situation in the courtyard. The wall of the courtyard facing the street was made of wrought iron railings, covered with a crowd of onlookers—almost all of them were local natives; the naturalized citizens didn’t have this kind of free time.

Traditional society’s culture was extremely impoverished. Watching trials and beheadings were popular forms of entertainment for the masses. Since the Australians arrived, the pleasure of watching trials had disappeared—the court only involved talking, no beatings with the rod or use of torture instruments, making it much less watchable. As for beheadings, that stimulating activity was also gone. Although the Australians also carried out public executions, they simply hanged the person on a scaffold, pulled a lever for the trapdoor, and it was over. The condemned didn’t even have time to kick and struggle before they were hanging stiff, far less stimulating than the sight of a head rolling and blood spurting.

Fortunately, the public floggings carried out daily by the Public Security Court filled this gap. The courtyard of the Public Security Court’s punishment bureau was crowded with people every day.

For her task, it wouldn’t have been out of line to request a list of all the prisoners tried today, but she felt it was better not to risk it. She could just watch and find out. Anyway, the public floggings ended before noon every day. As long as she paid attention, it would be easy to see if Xin Nachun was among them.

At this moment, a crowd of spectators had already gathered outside the iron railings. Li Yongxun cast her gaze towards the wooden platform in the middle of the courtyard. On it was a punishment rack designed to restrain the limbs and body of a prisoner. A prisoner had just been untied from it. Naked from the waist down, he was being supported by two police officers, staggering and panting in pain. His buttocks and thighs were dripping with blood, the whip marks split open, the flesh torn and mangled.

Li Yongxun didn’t find it unusual; this was child’s play to her. Despite the blood, the injuries weren’t actually that severe. A dose of wound medicine from Runshitang and a few days’ rest would be enough.

Suddenly, she heard a commotion. The crowd outside seemed to become excited, pointing and whispering. Those who had been looking bored suddenly perked up, all looking towards the platform.

Li Yongxun knew the next one to be punished must be a female prisoner, which was why the crowd’s enthusiasm had suddenly surged, just like how adultery cases always attracted the largest crowds during yamen trials.

Judging by the intensity of the reaction, the female prisoner was most likely a young woman. Pretending to be bored, she paced about. As expected, two female officers came out of the building, leading a full-figured woman of about twenty-eight or twenty-nine. She was not bound; apart from the rope attached to her neck collar, she wore no other restraints. Li Yongxun was taken aback. The neck collar was a mandatory mark for “non-national” women engaged in the “customs industry.”

Xin Nachun was a “non-national”? Li Yongxun became tense.

Under the rule of the Senate, there was no concept of “lowly people.” People who came from the Great Ming, whether they were purified and became naturalized citizens or not, were not distinguished by their social status.

But under the Senate’s rule, there was the peculiar product of the “non-national.”

These non-nationals were mostly a product of the Qiongzhou Pacification War, with some also resulting from coastal anti-piracy campaigns. Simply put, they were “relatives of bandits.”

Although the Yuanlao claimed “not to harm families” and “not to practice collective punishment,” this was only on a legal level. Things like executing entire families, beheading men, and forcing women into prostitution were gone, but being put on a separate register was unavoidable.

Although there were no explicit discriminatory policies against them, there were restrictions on “non-nationals” in various internal controls. And the police and the State Security Bureau monitored and managed them very strictly. Therefore, most “non-nationals” were at the bottom of society. Many young women worked in the customs industry.

If Xin Nachun was a “non-national,” the possibility of her being bait was very small. Generally, the State Security Bureau would not use people with a “problematic history.” But it was hard to say; her identity could be fake. Even if it was real, using a prostitute for a case was no big deal.

The female officers led her onto the platform, untied the rope, and had her stand facing the square.

Then, a female officer picked up a megaphone and began to read the verdict.

Li Yongxun was standing a bit far away and couldn’t hear very clearly, but she caught the words “Xin Nachun” and “customs industry self-employed.” She held her breath. Since she was being brought out for sentencing, she would definitely be flogged next. In that case, this person was unlikely to be bait.

The female officer opened the cangue. The cangue had three holes, perfectly designed to lock the prisoner’s head and hands. Once closed and locked, the prisoner was completely immobilized, forced to bend over in the position for punishment. Xin Nachun tried to struggle but was immediately met with a sharp reprimand. She was then locked up.

A man in a police uniform but without a duty belt walked up the steps with a whip, heading straight for Xin Nachun’s back. With a wave of his hand, Xin Nachun’s clothes were torn off. A commotion immediately broke out in the crowd, and people craned their necks.

Li Yongxun’s throat went dry. Torturing female prisoners was not a rare thing for her, and she had seen plenty of naked men, but that was always in a secret room. To be stripped naked in public like this, exposing one’s private parts, was an extremely shameful thing, even for a prostitute.

According to the rules of the Ming yamen, when caning prisoners, female convicts were allowed to keep their undergarments on to preserve some dignity. However, prostitutes and female convicts involved in adultery were not included in this exception. Still, in a public trial, there was some distance between the court and the crowd, and besides, the person was lying face down, not standing for punishment like an exhibition.

The first lash came down heavily. A spasm crossed Xin Nachun’s face. She let out a short scream. She took a few steps to change her angle so she could clearly see Xin Nachun’s buttocks—she had no special fetish, she just wanted to see if it was a real beating. A purple-black welt had already risen on the skin. This was definitely a real beating, not the “rod-head-on-the-ground” trick—that kind of cheating couldn’t fool her. Since it was a real beating, the possibility of Xin Nachun being bait was reduced even further.

Most importantly, with this kind of lashing, after fifty strokes, Xin Nachun’s buttocks would definitely be left with “plank flowers”—the scars left after the wounds from caning healed. If a woman had these scars on her buttocks, it was a declaration that she had committed a crime. Even if she reformed, no one would likely want her. If she was playing the part of bait for the Australians in a self-harm ploy, the price was too high.

Now Li Yongxun was a bit confused. If she wasn’t bait, why would she risk such a punishment to “illegally solicit” on the embankment? Although her cousin-in-law was a man of the world and frequented brothels, he never touched unlicensed prostitutes or streetwalkers. Going to Heyuan Street to enjoy the Australians’ “great sword” was understandable, but hooking up with a streetwalker was out of the question.

Could she have really had a moment of madness and tried to seduce Lin Ming? Li Yongxun muttered to herself. Just then, someone called her from behind:

“Comrade Probationary Assistant Administrator!”

Li Yongxun’s thoughts were interrupted. She quickly turned around and saw it was Zuo Yamei.

“What is it?”

“I have a question I’d like to ask.”

Li Yongxun returned to the office. The two continued to discuss work until all the business at the Public Security Court was finished. They then processed all the paperwork together before returning to the police station.

There was no overtime notice that evening. Li Yongxun stayed a little longer in the office to finish up her work. Her real purpose was to wait for the evening security report: everything was as usual, with no incidents that could possibly be related to Lin Ming. Her heart settled a little. It seemed the State Security Bureau hadn’t targeted him yet.

Returning to the dormitory, she saw Zuo Yamei getting dressed up. Her hairstyle was purely “Australian-style,” with long, flowing hair that was nevertheless perfectly neat. Li Yongxun didn’t know what method she used; she only knew that Zuo Yamei disappeared for half a day every week and would return with her hair “refreshed.” This gave her a sense of mystery about Zuo Yamei.

As for that “Women’s College of Arts and Sciences,” she herself had spent a year in the police administration class at Fangcaodi and had never heard of such a school in Lingao. These graduates from the “College of Arts and Sciences” had also suddenly appeared last year, filling positions in various departments. Previously, no one had even known the school existed.

The students of this school were not only above average in appearance, but their demeanor and bearing were also elegant and generous—not the shy and reserved type of a young lady from a noble family, but their every word and action exuded an indescribable “temperament.” Li Yongxun often felt a little inferior.

In addition, their clothing and accessories often included items that others didn’t have and couldn’t be bought on the street. Therefore, some people rumored that the students of the College of Arts and Sciences were actually the daughters of the “chiefs.” However, the naturalized citizens who had contact with the “little Yuanlao” in the academy said that although there were some similarities, they were also different.

If one were to speak of a real similarity, it would be to the chiefs’ maids. However, connecting the two was somewhat improper, and besides, discussing the people close to the chiefs was a somewhat dangerous matter, so no one delved into it.

Li Yongxun’s family had served as officials for generations, and she knew well that “those who serve must always keep their mouths shut,” so she never participated in such discussions. However, this didn’t mean she had no suspicions about Zuo Yamei and her classmates. They would sometimes legally disappear for a few days, the official reason being “a business trip.” But Li Yongxun knew they weren’t on business trips at all—every time Zuo Yamei returned from a “business trip,” she was “glowing with health,” not looking “travel-worn” at all.

“You’re going out this late?” Li Yongxun was a little surprised.

“Yes, a last-minute notice. A business trip tonight.” Zuo Yamei tilted her head, quickly brushing her hair with a hairbrush. “I’ll be back the morning after tomorrow.”

After Zuo Yamei finished speaking, she changed into the “Australian-style outfit” hanging by her bed. Li Yongxun had originally thought this outfit looked a bit strange, but this time she couldn’t help but feel a secret envy: it’s so beautiful!