Under the Rule, No Hiding Is Allowed

Xie Zhao, the young marquis, was the most dandy in the capital. He rode along the streets and no one dared to control him. Until the emperor issued an imperial edict and sent him to the mansion of Taifu Shen Yan. Shen Yan is cold, honest and selfless. He is a role model for scholars in the world and the person Xie Zhao hates the most. He took out an ebony ruler and set a rule: "No hiding under the ruler." He was punished by kneeling down, beating his palms, and copying scriptures a hundred times. Xie Zhao gritted his teeth in hatred, but had to bow his head. But Xie Zhao gradually discovered that while he was being punished by kneeling, Shen Yan was reviewing papers in the corridor and sat there for two hours. He was beaten until the palms of his hands oozed blood. Shen Yan secretly applied medicine to him late at night, and his hands were shaking. He refused to eat out of anger, and Shen Yan stood outside his door all night with a bowl of porridge. Later, the court overturned and Shen Yan took the blame for him and was imprisoned. He was beaten black and blue. Xie Zhao robbed the execution ground, snatched him out covered in blood, and said in a hoarse voice: "Sir, you break all my bones, and I will grow into your shape." From unruly to willing, from imposing a ruler on one's body to committing one's body to each other. This is a taming in the name of discipline, but also a two-way redemption. The ebony ruler eventually turned from a tool of punishment into the most absurd and affectionate token of love between them.