"I am a man who believes in clear rewards and punishments. Since you were drunk on night duty, you must be punished! The first person to step forward will receive five strikes with the Killing Rod! The first group, ten strikes! The second group, twenty strikes! As for the ones I've pointed out..."
Chen Ping'an looked up at the men, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Eighty strikes!"
"Ah! Eighty strikes!"
"Mercy, my lord! My lord!"
"My lord, eighty strikes will kill a man, my lord!"
"My lord, this lowly one knows his mistake, I truly know my mistake. Mercy, my lord!"
"My lord, my lord!"
"..."
The Prison Guards who had been singled out by Chen Ping'an were all wailing and crying to the heavens, screaming for mercy.
They had thought they could find a loophole, be a little clever. They figured the worst-case scenario was just being punished along with the others, and that by not stepping forward, they might even escape punishment altogether.
