Chapter 25 — The Whip Rule
Imperial Cells – 3rd Week Night
The go stones slipped into the twilight. Blacks against whites. Silence versus strategy.
For three weeks, Xū Fang shared this cell with Luó Hàn, Yuèyao's father. Every night, they played.
To kill time. And to talk.
Since he had arrived in this world, he had never talked to anyone for so long.
He had forgotten what it was like, to really talk. To share.
- You have an exceptional talent, said Luó Hàn, eyebrow raised, the split monocle sparkling in the light of the torches.
- In this third week, you play like a born strategist. And I'm not saying that lightly.
Ken humbled his eyes.
— It's thanks to your teachings.
Luó Hàn burst into a brief laugh - dry, mocking, almost tender.
- Hhhh! You learn fast... maybe too fast.
He turned a black stone between his fingers.
— What do you know about the Emperor?
Ken replied neutrally.
— What everyone knows. A fair, respected... and intelligent man.
A silence.
Luó Hàn's gaze darkens.
- So let me tell you what no one dares to say.
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Interruption — Visit of Old Zi Chang
A sound of keys. A creaking door.
Then the heavy step of a man that even the shadows seemed to despise.
Zi Chang, the Prime Minister, entered, escorted by two guards.
His sumptuous coat was lying in the dust, but his gaze swept the cell like a knife.
- So, Luó Hàn... here you are, history teacher, now?
Luó Hàn didn't even look up from the chessboard.
- What wind pushes our Prime Minister to the bottom of the holes like this one?
"I didn't come for you," said Zi Chang.
He pointed to Ken with his chin.
— I came for this dog.
He turned to the guards.
— Tie it up. Take him to the torture room.
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Flashback — The Taste of Betrayal (after chapter 21)
In a palace with red lanterns, Liánhua, Zi Chang's formidable wife, whispered:
- Our daughter, Xīyue, defiled our name.
With a servant.
A certain... Xū Fang.
The old minister knocked on the table.
Black wine spread like blood.
— I'll make him skin alive.
"Me and Jinlian, we take care of Xīyue," Liánhua added.
- You, when the emperor has thrown him in prison... you will finish him off.
— You're really... brilliant, my dear. Ahhhh...
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Back — The Whip Rule
We tied Ken, naked. Arms pulled crosswise.
His back offered the stone a silence more worthy than the word.
First shot.
Crac.
Second.
Crac.
Third.
Crac.
The blood bealed, like a dark calligraphy on his skin.
- Scream, dog! Ordered Zi Chang.
Ken clenched his teeth.
He was shaking.
The icy iron bit his flesh. Then finally:
- Aaaah!
But even in pain, his right hand hid a secret:
A stone of go. Engraved with the word "king".
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Silent thoughts — Ken
At the beginning (chapter 1), when he arrived, stuck in this unjust and foreign world, he looked for someone to blame.
And he found: the one who had bought him as a servant, Liyan.
He put all his anger on him.
He accepted (chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) to be humiliated, to be dehumanised.
Then came Xīyue (chapters 8, 13, 14, 16).
She showed him for the first time a love he had never known.
Not even in this world.
Nor in the old.
Little by little, he forgot his revenge.
He blamed himself. On Xīyue. (chapter 20)
But today, he understands.
Even if he kills Liyan... he will never find his home world.
How ironic.
He had to fall into a cell - again - as at the very beginning (chapter 1),
To finally see the truth that he refused to look at.
Or that he pretended not to accept.
Then, tears flow in his eyes.
Xu Fang (Ken) has never been a cold and strong person.
On the contrary: it was weak. Fragile. A child who was afraid.
He was alone, stuck in this cruel world, with no one.
He has never been a hero.
He has never been a monster.
Just a 17-year-old boy, unjustly locked in a world that did not belong to him.
(Chapters 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 20)
⸻
Zi Chang screamed:
— Cry while whipping! And scream, dog!
⸻
End of Chapter 25