Qin Dynasty: I confessed to being a time traveler, and the First Emperor fainted from anger.

Chapter 21 Slap the mouth to prevent begging for mercy, slap the legs to prevent escape! Beat them t

Seeing Zhao Gao's unspeakable suffering and frantic struggle, Ying Zheng showed no emotion whatsoever.

Only a chilling rage remained, and he immediately issued a second order, precisely cutting off all of Zhao Gao's escape routes:

"Strike his legs! Crush his bones and cripple his mobility, then let's see if this treacherous villain dares to even think of escaping!"

The imperial guards holding short wooden sticks stepped forward without hesitation, raised their sticks, and struck Zhao Gao's ankles and feet hard.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The dull thuds of the blows echoed repeatedly throughout the hall as the wooden staff struck flesh and bone with fierce, merciless force.

Zhao Gao was just a eunuch who had lived a life of luxury for many years. He had never been subjected to such cruel torture.

Within three or five strokes, his feet quickly became red, swollen, and purple, and excruciating pain shot through his limbs and bones straight to his head.

He was in so much pain that his whole body convulsed violently, and his legs kicked uncontrollably, but the Imperial Guards held him down firmly, so he could only endure it.

Large beads of cold sweat poured out, soaking his hair, and his whole body was tense as a bowstring.

The sobs in his throat grew increasingly shrill, and his legs quickly lost feeling, eliminating any possibility of escape.

All the officials and civil servants present looked cold and indifferent as they witnessed this scene; not one of them felt any pity.

Zhao Gao's crimes were heinous; he insulted the emperor and plotted rebellion. This suffering was only what he deserved. To let him off easily would be unjust to the First Emperor and to the Qin Dynasty.

General Meng Tian's eyes widened, his body surging with murderous intent, and he felt his hatred subside slightly.

He wished he could personally go forward to carry out the execution and seek justice for the First Emperor and Fusu.

Before Zhao Gao could recover even a fraction of his strength from the excruciating pain, Ying Zheng's icy voice rang out again, showing no mercy whatsoever:

"Strike his hands again! Break his finger bones, cripple his ability to resist, and see how he dares to rebel and defy his superiors again!"

The Imperial Guard twirled his wooden staff, aimed directly at Zhao Gao's hands which were pinned to the ground, and brought them down hard.

The ten fingers are connected to the heart, and the palm is the most sensitive part of the human body, where pain is most intense. The delicate finger bones are simply not able to withstand heavy blows.

Each strike of the staff felt like it was crushing the palm of the hand, causing the skin to instantly swell and crack.

His finger bones shattered inch by inch, and the excruciating pain caused Zhao Gao to stiffen up and roll his eyes back.

He almost fainted; his hands went limp, and he no longer had the strength to raise them to resist.

With his legs crippled, hands maimed, and mouth gagged, Zhao Gao became a lamb to the slaughter.

He collapsed to the ground, completely limp, with no chance of struggling, escaping, or begging for mercy.

He could only be at the mercy of the Imperial Guards, his whole body aching terribly, his appearance extremely miserable.

Ying Zheng watched coldly, his anger still simmering. Looking at the treacherous official who had lost all ability to resist, he coldly waved his hand:

"Lift him up, press him onto the torture bench, and give him thirty strokes of the cane! Every stroke must be deep enough to cut to the bone; show no mercy!"

Two imperial guards immediately stepped forward and supported Zhao Gao's limp body from both sides, ignoring his wounds and excruciating pain.

They forcibly pressed him onto the torture bench in the center of the hall, restrained his limbs, removed his outer robe, revealing his withered and thin back.

Zhao Gao lay sprawled on the torture bench, his head drooping limply, his bloodshot eyes staring blankly at the ground.

All that remained was endless despair. Even though they were trembling with pain, they couldn't utter a single whimper for mercy and could only silently await the onslaught of torture.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The heavy court rod fell heavily, each strike delivered with full force, slamming into Zhao Gao's back with a dull, grating sound.

One stick, two sticks, three sticks...

After only a few blows, Zhao Gao's back became swollen and red, the skin and flesh instantly split open, and bright red blood soaked through his clothes.

The blood dripped slowly along the edge of the torture bench, spreading into patches of glaring crimson on the bluestone slab.

Excruciating pain relentlessly swept through Zhao Gao's body, causing him to convulse violently. His previously vacant gaze gradually became unfocused, his consciousness began to blur, and the muffled groans in his throat grew weaker and weaker.

After twenty strokes, he was in so much pain that he lost consciousness. His head drooped, his body went limp like a lump of mud, his breathing became weak, and he passed out. His back was a bloody mess, a truly gruesome sight.

After the thirty strokes of the cane were completed, the imperial guards stopped and bowed to report to Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng sat on the dragon platform, looking at Zhao Gao, who had fainted on the torture bench. His face remained ashen, devoid of any pity, and his tone was as cold as ice.

"Pour cold water on him! Wake him up! I won't allow him to faint like this!"

The imperial guards immediately obeyed the order and quickly brought a bucket of ice-cold well water from outside the palace.

Walking to the torture bench, without the slightest hesitation, he suddenly poured the entire bucket of ice water over Zhao Gao!

"Splash—"

The icy water instantly soaked through Zhao Gao's clothes, mixing with blood and sweat and flowing all over the ground.

The icy cold stimulation, coupled with the excruciating pain that tore his body apart, instantly jolted Zhao Gao awake from his unconscious state!

"Ugh—!!!"

Zhao Gao let out a muffled groan, his whole body trembled violently, and he opened his eyes with difficulty, feeling excruciating pain in every inch of his body.

The bones felt like they were being torn apart, and the flesh felt like it was being burned by fire; it was worse than death.

He tried to struggle, but was powerless; he wanted to beg for mercy, but his mouth was gagged, and he could only let out painful whimpers, his eyes filled with deep despair.

Seeing that Zhao Gao had regained consciousness, Ying Zheng slowly stood up, looking down at him with an imposing imperial aura, his words piercing and resounding throughout the entire hall:

"Zhao Gao, listen to me clearly! These thirty strokes of the cane are merely a small punishment for desecrating my remains! I will not let you die so easily, nor will I let you be free!"

"Do you think that plotting rebellion and usurping the throne and altering the imperial edict were done by you alone?"

Over the years, you have colluded with eunuchs in the palace, won over sycophants in the court, and secretly cultivated your own faction.

"Forming cliques for personal gain and wreaking havoc on the court—do you think I know nothing about it?!"

"Today, I will order you to be placed in this hall and forced to open your eyes wide to see the whole truth that follows."

Watching all the factions you painstakingly cultivated and those who depended on you being exposed and dragged out, one by one!

"I will settle accounts with them one by one, leaving no one alive, uprooting all the rebels and wiping them out in one fell swoop!"

"After all the treacherous officials have been eliminated and all the crimes have been settled, I will then determine your guilt!"

"At that time, I will sentence you to death by a thousand cuts, your bones crushed and your ashes scattered, making you suffer the most terrible punishment for all your evil deeds!"

"I want you to live and watch your power crumble before your eyes."

Having witnessed all his accomplices brought to justice and suffered immense physical and mental torment, I will never let you die so innocently, so easily!

These words shattered Zhao Gao's last shred of hope for survival.

He shuddered violently, his eyes dimmed, and he seemed to have lost all his soul, with no strength left to struggle.

The imperial guards stepped forward, half-supporting and half-carrying him, and forced him to kneel in the center of the hall, making him raise his head.

Stare intently at the projected image on the wall; do not close your eyes or look away.

They could only watch helplessly as the truth came out and all their conspiracies were exposed one by one.

On the dragon platform, Ying Zheng sat back on the dragon throne, gripping the armrests tightly, his anger and frustration still lingering.

It still made him dizzy, and the tightness in his chest made it hard for him to breathe.

Yet he still stubbornly maintained his aura, firmly upholding the unparalleled majesty of the Ancestral Dragon, his eyes as cold as blades.

Staring intently at the projected image, I memorized every single moment that appeared on the screen.

The projection is still going!