The concubine is a man, and the illegitimate son of a divine physician has a spatial ability.

Then, Liu Mama shouted, "Guards! Bring out the family law!"

As soon as Granny Liu finished speaking, everyone saw an old woman with a slightly hunched back walk in with faltering steps. She steadily carried a red lacquered tray in her hands, handling it as carefully as if it were a rare treasure. And what was placed on the tray was the family discipline—a bamboo cane nearly a meter long.

The bamboo board is a deep brown color, appearing as if it has been soaked in oil countless times, making it extremely smooth. Under the sunlight, the surface of the bamboo board shimmers with a faint light, subtly revealing a chilling aura.

The old nanny walked step by step to Zhang Shi, first bowing slightly to her, and then respectfully said, "Madam, the family rules have been brought over." After saying that, she slowly straightened up and gently handed the tray in her hand forward so that Zhang Shi could see the bamboo sticks on the tray more clearly.

Madam Zhang sat upright in the head seat, her head slightly bowed, a hint of authority on her face. She spoke slowly, "All unmarried young ladies, please stand at the front. I hope you will remember what happened today, take it as a lesson, and never repeat the same mistake!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the legitimate and illegitimate daughters dared not be negligent in the slightest. They quickly stepped forward, lined up neatly, and then respectfully bowed to Madam Zhang, replying in unison, "We will heed Mother's teachings and keep them firmly in mind, and will never repeat them."

Madam Zhang nodded in satisfaction, then turned her gaze to Granny Liu beside her. Granny Liu understood immediately and stepped forward. She came to the group, reached out and picked up a slender bamboo stick from the side, the stick gleaming coolly in the sunlight.

Then, Granny Liu, holding a bamboo cane, walked straight towards Yin Zijing. She stopped beside Yin Zijing, looking at the sixth young lady who had made a mistake with a serious expression, and said in a deep voice, "Sixth young lady, given the seriousness of your mistake this time, this old servant is acting on the orders of the madam to administer fifty strokes of the cane to you. I hope that the sixth young lady can deeply reflect on her actions and be careful in her words and deeds from now on, so as not to make another serious mistake."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Granny Liu gave Yin Zijing no time to react. In the blink of an eye, the bamboo stick in her hand flew up and down like a storm, instantly striking Yin Zijing hard.

Poor Yin Zijing was completely unprepared for this sudden beating, and had already taken several solid blows. The intense pain made him scream uncontrollably, the sound piercing the air and sending chills down one's spine.

At this moment, the delicate young women who had been standing at the front, raised in seclusion since childhood and never having traveled far, stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before them, their faces filled with horror. Seeing Yin Zijing's disheveled appearance, a chill ran through them.

Especially Yin Ziyao, when she witnessed Yin Zijin being tortured by being hung in a pig cage and then brutally beaten, she turned pale with fright. Her small, delicate lotus feet seemed to lose their support, and she involuntarily took several steps back.

Yin Zixiao felt her heart was about to jump out of her throat. She was trembling all over, and images of the terrible consequences she would face if her affair with Atian were exposed kept flashing through her mind.

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. She couldn't help but think: if her affair with A-Tian were to be exposed, the punishment she would receive would surely be more severe than what Yin Zi-Jin was experiencing now! However, despite the fear that gripped her heart, the burning love she felt for A-Tian deep inside her never diminished in the slightest.

Yin Zixiao bit her lip tightly, her body trembling slightly, silently pondering, "But I just love A-Tian. Is it a sin to bravely pursue the one I love...?"

Yin Zijing, who was being beaten, gritted his teeth and endured the pain with all his might, determined not to let a painful groan escape his lips. He slightly raised his head, his gaze passing over the servants wielding bamboo sticks and landing on the group of girls standing at the front. At that moment, Yin Zijing finally understood the true intention behind Zhang's actions.

It turns out that the physical pain caused by being hit with a bamboo stick is not unbearable, but the deep sense of humiliation is enough to leave an unforgettable impression.

The reason Zhang chose to punish Yin Zijin in this way was simply to give a warning to the unmarried girls present who had been raised in seclusion since childhood and had undergone years of feudal ethics: if anyone dared to be unfaithful or lose their chastity in the future, their fate would be as tragic as Yin Zijin's today.

In this prosperous dynasty, there were many strict rules and restrictions placed on women. Not only were their clothes not allowed to be too revealing, but even showing a little skin was considered impolite.

Moreover, for these women who adhere to traditional moral values, exposing their buttocks in public and being subjected to caning is undoubtedly an unimaginable and unacceptable humiliation.

In a short while, all fifty strokes of the cane had been completed. At the end, Yin Zijing's buttocks were not torn and bloodied as people had expected; they were merely a shocking crimson stain.

This was naturally thanks to Granny Liu, who was in charge of the execution. She knew very well that she couldn't go too far. After all, Yin Zijin was going to participate in the imperial concubine selection. If he was seriously injured and it affected the selection, no one could bear the responsibility.

After the beating, Granny Liu stood in front of Yin Zijing and asked, "Does the young lady know she was wrong?"

Yin Zijing replied, "Granny, Zijing knows she was wrong. She won't do it again."

Then, Granny Liu instructed the people in the courtyard to slowly circle around Yin Zijing in order, to properly appreciate her current disheveled state, with the aim of deterring them from making the same mistake again.

After everyone left one by one, leaving only those who served Yin Zijin in the ancestral hall, A-Tian quickly stepped forward, untied Yin Zijin, dressed her, and then carried her towards Bizhu Pavilion.

………………

In the warm spring of March, all things revive, the sun hangs high, and the harsh winter has been completely dispelled. Yin Zijing has been locked in that two-story attic for more than two months. During those two months, Yin Zijing has not even gone down to the attic. She eats, drinks, and relieves herself all upstairs.

To prevent Yin Zijing from causing any more trouble, Zhang arranged for all of Yin Zijing's lessons to be held on the second floor. For more than two months, Yin Zijing felt like she was in prison. However, Yin Zijing's studies improved significantly, especially her drum dance, which she practiced with increasing skill.