The leader sneered coldly. "It's no use feeling resentful. Who told you to be so foolish? Xia Jieyu carries the dragon's heir; the Emperor can hardly wait to hold her in the palm of his hand. Who do you think you are?"
Another one of the leaders grew somewhat impatient. "Since the Emperor has decreed death by beating, why bother wasting words on him!" With that, he ordered his servants to fetch the rods. "Remember to get the small ones, don't pick the wrong ones!"
The little eunuchs busily responded, "Yes!"
The wooden rods used for caning came in different sizes. Strikes with the larger ones were more painful, but the advantage was a swifter death. Small rods, on the other hand, were not only more painful but also prolonged death. It was like cutting flesh with a dull knife or rendering oil in bitter water. That wasn't a beating to death; it was being tortured alive until he died! It was, by all accounts, the most ruthless of punishments.
