Well, it hasn't all been filled out yet.


Or maybe castration was being used in the context of a proscription style money raising campaign where Aenda's supporters would save the castration punishment for nobles who are the singular heirs of their executred fathers, so that the government can exile them and, instead of being required to give that land to an heir or risk a lawsuit by a future potential heir, that government can claim that land an all of it's incomes.

Maybe the church gets involved and requests castration being ceased by citing it as barbaric.

Or it was typically used in the military as part of a dishonorable discharge, and Aenda was a middle class career soldier who saw no problem with using military punishments in this context, but it is considered poor form to use the same sort of punishment on nobles, so the nobles who supported him got nervous and pressured him to knock it off. In this way, only a small number ever got the (tiny) axe.

Or maybe the common masses have some sort of beef with debeefing, so a grassroots "Free Willy" campaign begins. This would tie in nicely with the enlightenment values suggested by Byrd's app. Aenda brings up an old punishment for traitors, and legalists fear that this will set a precedent for bringing back all kinds of harsh sentences, so they print and distribute essays and pamphlets decrying to tyranny of capital punishment and cause enough of a ruckus to cause Aenda's regime to take a more flaccid approach and simply exile the young noblemen, balls and all.