TIPS – Chapter 158

“……” Shen Junxi shook his head at his mother, his expression still relatively calm, though lacking the usual trace of a smile. He didn’t want to worry her—he really did want to smile—but he just couldn’t.

“Don’t try to fool your mother. You two must’ve had a fight, right?” Yang Shi said, carefully scrutinizing her son with her eyes.

“……” Shen Junxi didn’t respond and simply gestured: “I’m going to see Benben.”

“Don’t go. Your father’s here too. Come over and explain things clearly,” Yang Shi said, pulling him back.

“……” Shen Junxi looked back at her helplessly and met her gaze for a moment. Then he nodded in silent admission.

“You did have a fight?” Yang Shi was a little surprised. With her son’s temperament, could he even manage to argue with someone?

“It wasn’t really a fight…” Shen Junxi hesitated for a moment, then gestured: “Maybe something happened… but I don’t know what.” All of a sudden, his wife had told him he needed some space. The way he’d said it left him feeling incredibly unsettled.

Shen Junxi had always been sensitive and attentive to detail. From the moment he noticed something slightly off about Song Jingwei a few days ago, he had sensed something was wrong. A faint unease and growing sense of distance had gradually pushed his anxiety to the edge.

“What did your wife say exactly?” Yang Shi asked, glancing toward Song Jingwei’s courtyard.

“He said he needed some time alone…” Shen Junxi gestured. He hadn’t wanted to talk about this with his mother, but the worry was building up too much to hold back.

“Oh, is that all he said?” Yang Shi thought for a moment and said, “Everyone has times when they’re feeling down. Since he didn’t accuse you of anything, why torment yourself over it? Isn’t your mother right?”

Shen Junxi looked at her, a little confused. Was this really just him tormenting himself?

“Just let him be for a while,” Yang Shi said with a nod.

After a long pause, Shen Junxi finally nodded and replied, “Mm.” Let him be on his own for a bit—once this rough patch passed, he’d still be his wife.

But before Song Jingwei could come out of his room, chaos erupted at the front door.

Xiao Hei and Da Huang barked nonstop as a group of soldiers with broadswords strapped to their waists forcefully knocked open the front gate of the Shen family’s main residence.

As soon as they entered, the soldiers drew their swords menacingly. Shen Dongming and Yang Shi had never seen such a scene before and turned pale with fright.

“Who is Song Jingwei?” they shouted.

The couple trembled and froze, alarm bells ringing in their hearts. What were these soldiers doing here looking for their daughter-in-law?

“Speak! Who is Song Jingwei?” one of the soldiers pointed his sword at Shen Dongming and barked the question viciously.

“Off—officers, what business do you have with my daughter-in-law?” Shen Dongming tried his best to stay calm and asked.

“He’s your daughter-in-law? He’s committed a serious crime. We’ve been ordered to arrest him and bring him to justice! Call him out now, or we won’t be polite!” the soldier said.

Shen Dongming swallowed hard and asked, “May I ask what crime my daughter-in-law has committed?” Nothing major had happened lately, and he didn’t believe what the soldier claimed.

Yang Shi didn’t believe it either. There was no way her daughter-in-law had done anything wrong. She pricked up her ears and listened carefully.

“Hmph! That’s classified by the imperial court—how could we just leak that?” the soldier snapped. “Enough nonsense. Get your daughter-in-law out here!”

Hearing the commotion at the door, Shen Junxi came out of the house holding Benben in his arms. When he saw a group of soldiers surrounding his parents with swords, he was stunned. He rushed forward—only to hear them calling for Song Jingwei…

“Who are you? Are you Song Jingwei?” a soldier pointed a sword at Shen Junxi. Seeing he was holding a child, the soldier figured they had the right person.

“……” Shen Junxi didn’t say anything, but to the soldiers, his silence was as good as an admission.

“Take him!” the soldier ordered.

“Benben!” Yang Shi hurried forward to snatch her grandson from his arms.

Shen Dongming, filled with panic, wanted to call out to his son. But Shen Junxi gave him a sharp look—he understood immediately. His son would rather be arrested himself than see his wife taken away.

“Officer! Please, what exactly has my daughter-in-law done? At least tell us that much!” Shen Dongming cried out. He still remembered that his daughter-in-law had some kind of private connection with the county magistrate. If it wasn’t something serious, perhaps the magistrate could be persuaded to show leniency.

“Move aside! Don’t obstruct official business!” the soldier shouted. “Take him away!”

“Officer! Officer!” Shen Dongming chased after them.

“……” Shen Junxi stumbled forward under the soldiers’ escort. He turned back and shook his head furiously at his father, signaling him not to follow.

“Husband, there’s nothing we can do… we can’t stop this,” Yang Shi said, holding her grandson in one arm and dragging her husband back with the other as she cried. “Let’s go back inside and think this through—there must be a way!”

Shen Dongming knew she was right. The reason they agreed to let Shen Junxi take Song Jingwei’s place was precisely because it was the best option. If Song Jingwei was arrested, they would be powerless, not knowing whom to turn to. But if Shen Junxi was taken instead, it would be different. At least Song Jingwei would still be free—and surely, he would find a way.

“Alright!” Shen Dongming watched the soldiers leave, then hurriedly closed the main gate and rushed anxiously to his daughter-in-law’s courtyard.

Song Jingwei was lost in thought and had no energy to pay attention to anything happening outside. He vaguely heard the commotion but had no intention of going out to check. Who would have expected that just sitting at home would bring disaster knocking on the door? This was truly a calamity from the skies.

“Jingwei! Something bad has happened—Xi’er’s been taken away!” Shen Dongming pushed open his door and said in a flustered tone.

“……” Song Jingwei’s eyes widened in disbelief. Shen Junxi who had just been in front of him was taken away? “What happened?” he asked grimly.

“I don’t know. A bunch of soldiers suddenly showed up saying they were here for you, claiming you’ve committed a serious crime!” Shen Dongming said. “Then Xi’er came out, and they mistook him for you and took him instead!”

Upon hearing this, Song Jingwei roughly pieced together what had happened. He couldn’t help but curse under his breath—idiot! What was the point of acting tough?

“Why didn’t you tell them they got the wrong person?”

“Well…” Shen Dongming said regretfully, “It’s bad if either of you gets taken away. Might as well let Xi’er go.”

Hearing this, Song Jingwei understood what he meant. He sighed and said, “Alright. I’ll find a way to sort this out as soon as possible. You don’t need to worry.” In truth, Shen Dongming was right—it was better for Shen Junxi to be taken than himself. If he had been taken, the rest of the household would be completely helpless.

“Okay! Just tell us what you need us to do!” Shen Dongming said.

“No need. I’ll handle this myself,” Song Jingwei said after a brief pause. “I’m heading out soon. If I don’t bring him back, I won’t return. Please take care of everything at home.”

“No problem!” Shen Dongming nodded, though he still looked worried. “Will you be okay on your own? Should I go with you?”

“No, the household needs you. I can go alone,” Song Jingwei replied. For this matter, he was enough.

“Alright. I’ll get things ready and take you to town,” Shen Dongming said and went to prepare the ox cart.

Song Jingwei quickly went to the study to gather some things. As he was packing, his hand froze. If he left this time, it would mean giving up his only chance of returning…

“Jingwei, I packed some snacks for the road,” Yang Shi said, standing outside with Benben on her back.

“……” Song Jingwei came back to his senses, quickly grabbed his things, and opened the door.

His mind was filled with many thoughts, but mostly about Shen Junxi who had been taken away. He wanted to bring him home. Compared to that, everything else seemed much less important.

Shen Dongming drove the ox cart and took Song Jingwei to town. From there, Song Jingwei hired a carriage to go to the county seat.

Dusty and weary from the journey, he arrived at Zhang Benqing’s residence.

Zhang Benqing was surprised to see him. “Jingwei? What brings you here?”

“I have an urgent matter,” Song Jingwei said as he walked into the estate with him. “That relocation matter from before isn’t over. Soldiers came this morning to arrest someone.”

“What? They did?” Zhang Benqing said in shock.

“Yes, they came for me by name,” Song Jingwei paused, then added, “But the one they took wasn’t me—it was my husband.”

Zhang Benqing nodded and fell into thought. With a frown, he said, “They’re from the provincial office…” Last time, Song Jingwei had disrupted their plans, and now they were likely trying to retaliate. Zhang Benqing, being a county magistrate, had higher-ups to protect him. But the people of Chashan Village had no backing—they were easy targets.

“I want to rescue him,” Song Jingwei said. If he couldn’t, he would step forward and prove his identity. No matter what, he didn’t want Shen Junxi to suffer in his place.

“Give me a moment to think this through,” Zhang Benqing replied. He genuinely wanted to help but needed a foolproof plan.

“Rather than addressing the symptoms, why not strike directly and uproot the source?” Song Jingwei suggested.

“……” Zhang Benqing fell into deep thought. After a long while, he said, “Let’s first find out where they’ve taken him.”

As night fell, a prison cart rolled along the road. Shen Junxi sat inside it, blank-eyed. He didn’t want to think about anything—except that one person in his heart. If he couldn’t go back, what would become of everything? His parents, his child—he couldn’t help but worry.

Shen Junxi was thankful that it was him who got taken, and not Song Jingwei. He gripped the dark wooden bars tightly, thinking, What lies ahead for me now?

“Open the gates!” the leading officer shouted, holding a torch in his hand.

This was not the county town Shen Junxi was familiar with. He had no idea where they had brought him.

“Who is he? What did he do?”

“Just a farmer,” the officer said with disdain, glancing into the prison cart. “Our magistrate got investigated because of him. Luckily, it didn’t become anything serious.”

The people in front couldn’t help but cast sympathetic glances at Shen Junxi when they heard what had happened. A mere farmer had provoked the Prefect—wasn’t that basically asking for death?

“Take him back! Detain him in the prison for now. We’ll report to the Prefect tomorrow.”

The prison cart jolted and rattled its way into the city, heading straight for the jail.

Shen Junxi was roughly dragged out by the jailers and shoved into a dim cell.

“Stay put!” one of the jailers barked, pushing him inside before locking the chains and walking away.

Shen Junxi looked around in a daze. He was alone in the cell, which was at least a small mercy. But the floor was covered with only a thin layer of straw, without even a blanket to lie on. It was bitterly cold.

He sat curled up in a corner, hugging his knees, trying to keep warm.

Then his stomach growled loudly—he was hungry. After more than a day of rushed travel, he had barely eaten or rested. Now he was completely exhausted, craving nothing more than some hot water and a steamed bun.

But it was the middle of the night. Forget buns—there wasn’t even a drop of water to drink.

And so, Shen Junxi endured until morning.

Instead of receiving water or food, he was greeted by two jailers who came to take him away. “Let’s go! Move it!” they barked, dragging him out of the prison once again.

The sudden burst of sunlight made him instinctively shut his eyes. Then he overheard one of them say, “I heard he offended the Prefect. Tsk tsk, wonder what kind of torment he’s in for.”

Shen Junxi’s chapped lips parted slightly, but he said nothing. Once again, he was grateful that it was him who had been captured and not his wife. If he were subjected to such treatment, he’d never survive it, he thought to himself.

“Tsk! You think this guy’s a mute?” one of the jailers remarked, noticing Shen Junxi hadn’t said a word.

They looked at him with suspicion. One of them kicked him and said, “Hey! Are you mute or not? If you’re not, make a sound!”

Shen Junxi lowered his head and shook it, indicating that he couldn’t speak.

“Tch! So he really is mute?” one of the jailers muttered in surprise. “No way! How could the Prefect want a mute?” He had heard this man was a troublemaker—this mute didn’t seem like one at all. Could it be a mistake?

“Heh, what’s that got to do with us? We’re not the ones who arrested him. We’re just here to escort him,” the other jailer said indifferently.

“True enough!”

Though suspicious, they didn’t question it further and brought Shen Junxi straight to the Prefect.

The room they entered was dimly lit. Inside sat a man whose face was hard to make out.

Shen Junxi was roughly shoved before him and forced to kneel. He wasn’t allowed to straighten his back, only to bow humbly with his head lowered.

“So you’re Song Jingwei?” Prefect Luo said coldly, glaring at him. The earlier resettlement scheme had collapsed midway, mostly due to his own poor planning. It had little to do with anyone else. Yet he had nearly been investigated over it. That humiliation still stuck in his throat, unresolved to this day.

He had casually ordered the arrest of a villager—more out of frustration than anything else. His subordinates, sensing his mood, were eager to find someone to take the heat for him. So they quickly acted, arrested someone, and brought him here, ready to punish him however needed to vent the Prefect’s anger.

Shen Junxi shook his head in front of him, indicating that he couldn’t speak.

Worried the Prefect might be displeased, one of the jailers quickly explained, “My lord, this one’s a mute! He can’t speak!”

“Oh? A mute?” Prefect Luo was mildly surprised. He had heard this Song fellow held some influence in his village—but he was mute? How had a mute managed to rally the villagers? That didn’t quite add up.

“Uh, yes, my lord. He’s definitely mute,” the jailers confirmed.

Though Luo found it odd, he didn’t care enough to question further. With a wave of his hand, he said, “Someone—teach him a lesson.”

He had originally wanted to interrogate him, but since the man was mute, there was no point in asking anything.

Meanwhile, Song Jingwei and Zhang Benqing were on the road. They had found out where Shen Junxi had been taken the day before and had set out immediately.

Upon arriving at the Prefect’s residence and requesting his release, Prefect Luo told them, “There’s no such person here.”

Song Jingwei and Zhang Benqing exchanged a look, realizing he was deliberately making things difficult.

“How is he now?” Song Jingwei asked.

“I already told you, there’s no such person,” Prefect Luo replied, glancing at him coldly.

“I ask that you please do us a favor,” Song Jingwei said, taking out a letter from his robe.

At the sight of the writing on the envelope, Prefect Luo’s pupils shrank, and he looked at Song Jingwei again with a new expression. “Who are you? How do you have his handwritten letter?”

“My name is Song Jingwei,” he answered, meeting the Prefect’s gaze head-on.

“…No wonder… no wonder…” Prefect Luo muttered in a daze. “No wonder you had the nerve… Ha! I, Luo, never thought I’d be tripped up by a mere farmer!”

“If people don’t trouble me, I don’t trouble them,” Song Jingwei said mildly. “In the end, my lord, it’s only because you couldn’t swallow your pride that we’ve come to this.”

If Prefect Luo hadn’t ordered the arrest, none of this would have happened.