HMIME Chapter 40: Please go do something serious

Torture tools?

Suddenly, in Bai Lu’s mind flashed the terrifying instruments he had seen in the dungeon: saltwater whips, hooks stained with broken flesh, red-hot branding irons, and a series of other frightening things. He couldn’t help but shiver, swallowing hard with nervousness, and was very tense, “Did I… do something to provoke you recently?”

“Not recently, but…”

Chu Ya looked at him with interest, his finger stroking Bai Lu’s cheek, then suddenly his thumb slipped into his lips, teasing Bai Lu’s constantly dodging tongue.

He said, “But you do make mistakes frequently, so I think it’s necessary to have something to deter you, even if it’s just family discipline.”

“F-family discipline?” Bai Lu’s speech became muffled by the teasing fingers, struggling to avoid the flirtation, and anxiously stared at Chu Ya, “Let me see it.”

Chu Ya sighed lightly, seeming to find Bai Lu’s stubbornness amusing, but also accustomed to it, after all, Bai Lu often invited trouble upon himself, and never learned from his mistakes.

“Well, I originally intended to use it when you made mistakes, but since you’re so… eager,” Chu Ya looked at him and found an appropriate adjective, “so eager, then I’ll let you take a look.”

Anxiously, Bai Lu was led to the bedroom by Chu Ya, then watched as he pressed something, and the rosewood bookshelf against the wall suddenly shifted aside, revealing a hidden compartment behind.

Bai Lu was amazed by the ancient technology; he had thought that the secret mechanisms in movies were just modern people’s fabrications.

But if there were such hidden compartments in modern homes, it would be very convenient for hiding private money. How many husbands with tyrannical wives could be saved?

Bai Lu’s thoughts wandered, not noticing that Chu Ya had taken out a box from the compartment and placed it on the table, saying, “Come take a look yourself.”

Bai Lu snapped out of his reverie, “Huh? What?”

“I said come take a look. Aren’t you curious?”

Bai Lu looked at the dark lacquered box, its capacity not small, and suddenly felt extremely cautious. He walked over cautiously, unlocked the golden clasp on the box, lifted the lid, and took out the first item from inside.

It was an exquisitely crafted leather collar, with several differently sized golden bells hanging in the middle, and a thin chain extending from the front, ending in a black handle.

Bai Lu subconsciously imagined himself wearing the collar, his face suddenly flushing with embarrassment. As a man who only watched classic love stories even in adult films, this kind of thing was beyond his cognitive range.

He couldn’t remember Chu Ya having such a hobby. Could it be that in just two years, he had turned from a pure young man to such a… scary person? Or was he always like this, just hiding it well?

Chu Ya’s eyes roamed Bai Lu’s back with malicious intent, finally resting on his backside, and urged with a smile, “Continue, aren’t you curious?”

Bai Lu gritted his teeth and emptied the contents of the box onto the table.

In addition to the collar, there was also a small white lamb wool whip, a black sandalwood ruler about two feet long and a few fingers wide, a slender birch vine with a soft ribbon wrapped around the handle.

Although these items were beautifully made, their original purpose couldn’t be concealed. Bai Lu felt a tingling pain in his backside just thinking about them. He stared at Chu Ya disbelievingly, “Are you going to beat me?”

Chu Ya chuckled, “It depends on whether you make mistakes or not. Family discipline is like that.”

“And…” he suddenly lowered his voice, “Don’t you think using them appropriately in bed is a form of amusement?”

He said it so lightly that Bai Lu didn’t catch it. If he had, he would have been scared away immediately or made a last stand, risking his life. But since he didn’t hear it, he just grumbled irritably, “Family discipline? My teacher said that’s a feudalistic relic…”

He continued to look at the remaining items on the table, finding some less harmful objects – a bundle of dark red silk ribbons with delicate golden embroidery.

Bai Lu tugged at one, finding it surprisingly sturdy. He couldn’t break it, even when he exerted all his strength. Bai Lu could imagine being bound by it, struggling in vain, and being at the mercy of someone else.

Chu Ya also imagined it, but obviously, his thoughts were different from Bai Lu’s. Bai Lu probably thought of it as a special rope for binding prisoners, but Chu Ya had a different purpose in mind.

With a warm and ambiguous color, the silk ribbon tightly bound the fair and tender body, leaving faint red marks on the skin. The body writhed against the bed sheets, the mouth gagged, only able to whimper and plead with wet eyes.

Just imagining it a little bit was enough to arouse one’s desires.

Bai Lu had no idea that Chu Ya’s mind had already begun to play an R-rated film. He looked at the remaining items, some jade objects of different sizes, white jade and jadeite, although their shapes were different, they were mostly rounded or cylindrical.

Bai Lu didn’t know what these things were, nor did he care much, as they didn’t look dangerous. He was more worried about the ruler and the vine; those were the real threats. He thought about finding an opportunity to throw them into the lake.

Chu Ya kindly didn’t explain what the ‘jade devices’ were; he was afraid of scaring away the person he had just managed to coax back.

Bai Lu put everything back into the box, coughed lightly as if to calm himself down, “It’s alright, not too scary.”

Actually, he just didn’t understand the scariest item, but Chu Ya calmly smiled, intentionally or unintentionally asking, “Do you want to try them now?”

Bai Lu exploded, glaring at him with anger, “Why should I? I haven’t done anything wrong!”

He slammed the lid of the box shut, annoyed, “One day, I’ll burn all these damned things in the stove!”

Chu Ya calmly said, “It’s okay, I had Shen Chu Yun make three sets.”

Bai Lu: “???”

Instead of doing this, why not focus on technological development and contribute to the country’s construction? You’re an emperor, not a pervert!

However, after the family discipline was established, it was quite effective. Bai Lu’s daily unruly behavior had improved a lot. Specifically, he was more punctual, no longer procrastinating. He used to drag his feet for an hour before going to the dining hall when he was engrossed in martial arts novels. Now, he went promptly.

He also didn’t pick at his food at the table anymore. If Chu Ya served him vegetables, he wouldn’t secretly pick them out anymore.

He didn’t stay up late at night anymore, and he didn’t lie in bed in the morning. He also didn’t dare to stay in bed with girls and others when Chu Ya was away, messing up the bed with cat hairs.

Mainly because Bai Lu didn’t know the limits of Chu Ya’s use of family discipline. Would he be punished only for committing a grave mistake, or would even a small mistake result in a beating? He couldn’t be sure, so he was very nervous and corrected every detail.

In fact, Chu Ya intentionally didn’t mention it. If he did, Bai Lu would definitely try to push the boundaries every day, testing the danger zone, dancing on the edge of his minefield. Not knowing, Bai Lu didn’t continue his bad habits.

But Chu Ya also knew that Bai Lu wouldn’t last long. With his impulsive nature, even a month and a half would be the limit. He would reveal his true colors and continue to do as he pleased.

Bai Lu’s current focus was on investigating Mei Fei’s death. He had specifically asked Geng Qing to take him to the Dali Temple during the two days of rest.

Mei Fei’s case had been transferred there, and Bai Lu wanted to see if there was any progress.

Originally, when the two unknown guards from the Dali Temple came to inquire about the death of the noble concubine, they were ignored. Later, after Geng Qing reported Bai Lu’s name, the Chief of the Dali Temple quickly ordered them to be welcomed.

But according to the coroners of the Dali Temple, Mei Fei’s body was too decomposed to find any clues, and coupled with the pressure from her younger brother, who was a military general, they found it difficult to handle the case.

After having tea at the Dali Temple, Bai Lu and Geng Qing returned empty-handed. Then he went to the harem and happened to find his birth mother having tea with her good friend, Concubine Wen.

After hearing Bai Lu’s intentions, Concubine Wen sighed, “This matter is really too sudden. Now the harem is in a state of panic.”

Bai Lu comforted, “That’s why I want to catch the culprit quickly, to reassure everyone. Do you know if Mei Fei had any conflicts with anyone?”

“It’s strange, although Mei Fei was harsh and domineering before, she wasn’t too excessive. It’s just a matter of temperament.”

“But starting from last year, it became more severe. She became extremely irritable, resorting to torture at the slightest offense. People were afraid to provoke her because it could cost them their lives. So, rather than say she made enemies, it’s more like everyone was afraid of her.”

Bai Lu recalled the incident in the Ministry of Appointments, where she poured hot charcoal into someone’s mouth for burning a piece of clothing. That didn’t seem like something a normal person would do.

He suddenly remembered Bi Tao, “Speaking of which, do you know what’s the story with Mei Fei’s maid?”

“You mean Bi Tao? That girl only started following Mei Fei half a year ago. But because she’s smart and capable, and loyal to her mistress, Mei Fei trusted her a lot.”

Bai Lu remembered seeing Bi Tao at the door of the study a few days ago, and she didn’t seem sad. It turned out she hadn’t been with Mei Fei for long, so Mei Fei’s death didn’t affect her much.

Bai Lu didn’t dwell on it further, thanked Concubine Wen, and left the harem.