Chapter 386: The brothers, each speaking their own mind

Duke Prefecture.

In a courtyard, the furnace fire was burning brightly.

On the iron rack, a branding iron, heated until red-hot, emitted a sizzling sound.

Beside it, various other torture instruments were laid out.

These, naturally, were all prepared for Wu Xiong.

Wu Zhao had thrown Wu Xiong to him, clearly harboring dissatisfaction toward Wu Xiong.

As a subject, one naturally had to vent Wu Zhao's anger.

Gao Yang held the branding iron rack, looking toward the horizon, lost in thought.

In his mind.

Wu Zhao riding a tall horse, her face cold and stern, seemed to be right before his eyes.

That calm and earnest voice also surfaced in his mind, buzzing.

"In my heart, a city, one hundred thousand taels of gold, compared to you, is nothing but trash."

"If you want it, I shall bestow it upon you."

Even Gao Yang, who had seen many betrayals and heard countless sweet nothings, couldn't help but feel a bit flustered at this moment.

These words were truly stirring.

But this couldn't be blamed entirely on him; Gao Yang himself had once been a man who walked through ten thousand flowers without a single leaf sticking to him, winning glory for his country.

He had always viewed women as trouble, so how could he be easily moved?

But for a female Emperor to say such things to your face, in the calmest of tones, who could withstand that?

This couldn't help but remind Gao Yang of the city wall, where Wu Zhao faced the arrogant Chu Hong, her domineering way of protecting her own.

Shooting him dead with a single arrow!

Without the slightest hesitation!

He shook his head, wanting to cast away all the thoughts that shouldn't be in his mind.

And he warned himself internally.

Women only affect the speed at which a poison strategist draws his blade!

Beauty is like a wolf or a tiger, capable of dissolving one's will; not to mention touching it, one shouldn't even think about it.

Moreover, Wu Zhao's status was special; she was the supreme female Emperor of Da Qian.

Although he had always wanted to conquer her, it had only been a short time.

Once he got serious, the risks were immense!

The sky was too blue, and Gao Yang found it hard to distinguish whether Wu Zhao was being sincere or if this was just the Emperor's art of winning people's hearts.

This disrupted his original plan to some extent.

Just as Gao Yang was pondering, Gao Changwen rushed in hurriedly.

"Brother, you're not being fair!"

As soon as Gao Changwen rushed into the small courtyard, his slightly immature eyes fixed tightly on Gao Yang.

Gao Yang looked blank.

"Changwen, what do you mean by this? How is your brother being unfair?"

He had been busy fighting the Chu army during this period and hadn't had much interaction with Gao Changwen.

These words truly left him a bit confused.

"Brother, it's spread throughout all of Changancheng now that His Majesty has bestowed a person of extremely noble status upon you, and even specifically said that you are free to dispose of her as you please."

"Even if you go a bit too far, it doesn't matter, right?"

Gao Changwen's eyes carried a hint of insight.

Gao Yang thought of Wu Xiong's identity; as a Prince, his status within Da Qian was indeed noble.

"Although this sounds a bit strange, there's no major problem with it."

"You've come at a good time; I happen to be in a bad mood and want to release some pressure."

Gao Changwen felt reassured; if he was already releasing pressure, how could there be anything wrong?

But in the blink of an eye, he saw the branding iron in Gao Yang's hand and the pile of torture instruments beside him.

"Hiss!"

"Brother, what are these?"

"Could these be part of your pressure release?"

Gao Changwen pointed at the array of torture instruments, secretly shocked, and a startling possibility surfaced in his mind.

Could these all be torture instruments for that Princess of Great Chu?

To be able to lay such cruel hands on such a beauty, his brother was truly iron-blooded!

Gao Yang glanced at the branding iron in his hand and said casually, "This object is called a branding iron. When heated to a high temperature and placed on a person's chest, it will instantly emit a sizzling sound."

"Simply put, it's a means of torturing people."

Gao Changwen's pupils shrank, and he looked at Gao Yang deeply.

His brother must be an expert in this field, with peculiar tastes!

He had heard from the girls at the Rouge Pavilion that some guests were perverted by nature and took pleasure in torturing people.

They generally didn't accept such guests unless they paid extra.

But to go as far as using a branding iron.

Perverted, too perverted.

Immediately after, Gao Changwen looked at the finger-crushing stocks to the side and asked, "And what about this?"

"What is this?"

Gao Yang glanced at it lightly, and while placing the branding iron into the fire basin, he said casually.

"Finger-crushing stocks, commonly known as the three-foot wood torture, a punishment most loved by the prison guards of the Ministry of Justice, specifically used to squeeze a prisoner's limbs, causing extreme pain, even fractures and muscle tearing."

Gao Changwen looked at several handkerchiefs and asked curiously, "Are these handkerchiefs also torture instruments?"

"Don't underestimate these handkerchiefs. Once soaked with water and placed over the face, the air inside becomes thin, causing a near-suffocation sensation, making life worse than death."

"They are all top-tier little stress-relief methods!"

Gao Changwen was shocked.

He had heard from some girls that some guests especially loved choking, saying that when one couldn't breathe, the whole body would tighten, and both would be even happier.

This handkerchief soaked in water was the same principle.

When it comes to knowing how to play, it's still his brother!