Noble Reincarnation: Born Blessed, So I'll Obtain Ultimate Power

Zoe looked intently at me. Her expression seemed somewhat serious.

“What will you do?”

“Zoe, what do you think about the saying ‘If you don’t get caught, it’s not a crime’?”

“Huh? Um… It’s sophistry and immoral, I think…”

Even though the topic was about how to deal with those who committed new crimes, I suddenly brought up something completely different, which surprised Zoe.

Unable to fully grasp my true intention, Zoe hesitantly answered the question in front of her first.

I nodded slightly.

“Hmm, that is correct. I agree, but with conditions.”

“Conditions? What kind?”

“If we add ‘If you get caught, surrender’ as a stipulation afterward.”

“I see…”

Zoe’s expression changed as if she understood something.

The confused look from before had completely disappeared.

I smiled faintly and spoke in a businesslike tone.

“I hereby pronounce the punishment. Anyone who pocketed more than 100 Lien will receive twenty lashes. For every additional 500 Lien, ten more lashes will be added.”

“Twenty lashes… ten lashes… Master…”

“Hmm?”

“With that, there’s a high chance of death.”

Zoe asked with a face that seemed to say, “Is that really okay?”

I recalled the first time I ordered the whipping punishment.

That was when I was about twelve, encountering a servant of Gilbert in town.

That servant was extremely arrogant and even said in a tone looking down on me because I was a child, “This behavior doesn’t violate imperial law.”

He was right.

He hadn’t violated the imperial law punishing commoners.

However, the empire has what is called “family law” (内法).

Also known as the imperial decree, it is used by princes and other royal family members to punish their servants.

Gilbert, as the first prince’s servant, was under the authority of Prince Thirteen.

That “grossly disrespectful attitude” toward Prince Thirteen was fully punishable under family law.

So I caught that man and ordered him whipped according to family law.

He reportedly died after about ten lashes.

People unfamiliar with this tend to imagine “whipping” as a light punishment.

Especially peasants.

Because they are accustomed to whipping oxen and horses to make them work daily.

So peasants often think whipping is light.

But judicial whipping is not light at all.

First, the whip used is more than twice as thick and longer than those used for livestock.

The thicker the whip, the heavier and more painful it is; the longer it is, the more it bends, increasing the pain.

Moreover, the punishment lashes are struck on the human back, where flesh is thin.

The pain is so severe that a weak person would die after ten lashes, and even a very tough man would likely die after twenty.

This time, the punishment I ordered was twenty lashes for embezzling 100 Lien.

Since property settlements usually involve tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, no one would stop at under 100 Lien, even if it was a momentary lapse.

Those who did it surely took much more in their pockets.

And those were officials and clerks.

Twenty lashes for a clerk who isn’t physically trained almost certainly means death.

It’s practically a death sentence.

Zoe understood this well and asked, “Is that really okay?”

“‘If you get caught, surrender.’”

I said only that.

Zoe was startled.

“—Understood.”

“That much punishment is enough. Put real estate, precious metals, slaves, and such on hold for now. First, make cash usable. This is the time for reconstruction; you can never have too much money.”

“Understood.”

I gave various orders to Zoe.

I detailed instructions to allocate the confiscated property from the executed corrupt officials toward disaster reconstruction.

“That’s the broad outline. The details are up to your discretion.”

“Understood.”

After finishing the instructions, I sent Zoe to carry them out.

☆

In the evening, while continuing paperwork, Zoe appeared again.

She entered the room calmly, completely unflustered, bowed gently, and began speaking.