His followers were not so lucky. After their crimes were verified, they were all subjected to palace punishment, demoted to slave status, and exiled to Lingbei, never to leave for the rest of their lives.
For men, palace punishment is a sentence more painful than death itself. The physical agony is secondary; the mental torment and humiliation of character have driven many to breakdown. On the day of execution, some even went mad before the knife could fall.
During the investigation, it turned out that the Empress Dowager's parents' house was also involved with Nangong Shi. Upon seeing the letters the Duke of England wrote to Nangong Shi, Nangong Yi flew into a rage and immediately issued an order to strip the Duke of his title, imprison his entire family in Heavenly Prison, and, after administering palace punishment, exiled them to Lingbei as slaves.
