The Family of Time Travel Has an Ugly Wife

Because of Yu Hua, his official cousin intervened.

Song Zhao had been locked in the water prison for three days of torture and confession, recounting all his crimes one by one. Compared to his smooth talk, once Song Zhao fell into the hands of Yu Hua’s cousin, he did not pretend for even two seconds.

Adultery was a felony in any age.

Modern law might impose severe punishment, but the term “severe” often depended on circumstances and the offender’s connections. Many thought that, at most, they would face a few years of punishment. In reality, it was far more severe.

In ancient times, with the emphasis on propriety, justice, honesty, and shame, and given the high infant mortality rate due to medical conditions and other factors, crimes such as adultery—especially those involving the rape of a young child—were considered even worse than crimes like arson, murder, and robbery.

The laws of the dynasty were clear:

No matter whether one was a noble or not, if found guilty of adultery, the punishment was death. Those found guilty of adultery, regardless of their status, would be executed. Anyone causing injury or death would have their family punished as well and be exiled to a distant state.

Song Zhao deserved to be punished for his crimes, but unfortunately, his actions dragged his family into it.

Before the execution, Song Zhao was paraded through the streets by the officials, subjected to public criticism, and then hanged.

Shan Yu watched from a distance through the crowd, listening to the comments around him, feeling a slight flush on his face.

He was familiar with the clear rules of the dynasty, which aimed to ensure peace and prosperity for the people. However, repeated evil deeds by travelers had tarnished that vision, bringing dishonour to those like him.

As Shan Yu left the scene, he passed Er Zhu’s store. He vaguely heard the sounds of heavy objects hitting the ground and the cries of pain mixed with the sounds of sticks and rods, which startled him.

“Stop!”

Shan Yu pushed open the door and entered. After a brief glance at the official on the opposite side of the room, he ignored Er Zhu curled up on the ground, beaten and bloodied by the guards. He nodded politely, turned his back, and closed the door, as if he had never been there.

“Do you understand your wrongs?”

“Yes… yes…”

The official raised his hand, and the guards with sticks stopped, leaving Er Zhu alone in the room.

“This is the first and last time. If I find out you have mistreated Yu Hua again,” the official said as he stood and flicked his sleeve, causing a piece of herbal tea to fall and shatter on the ground, “you will end up like this cup. Remember?”

Er Zhu, bleeding from the nose and wracked with pain, could only vigorously nod in response, “Remember! Remember!”

In truth, he cursed the official in his heart a thousand times but dared not say a word, knowing better than to speak out.

.

Song Zhao’s body was thrown into the wilderness, where he was devoured by wild beasts, leaving no trace of his body. At the same time, his wife and children were stripped of their rights and forced into a life of poverty and hardship. The punishment was both severe and swift.

On the day the prison train departed the town, Wan Qiu arrived with dried food to bid farewell.

Ming Yue froze, unable to recognize him at first.

The timid, downcast figure from his memories had transformed. Wan Qiu wore a finely-textured water-sleeved shirt that concealed the shocking birthmarks on his forehead. His face was pale and warm, and his eyes sparkled like the finest jade.

“You came to mock me?” Ming Yue threw the items Wan Qiu had handed over aside. His once vibrant face was now haggard, and his voice trembled with sorrow. “I don’t need your false pity! Leave!”

The officials nearby could not stand it and knocked on the prison wagon with the hilt of their swords, admonishing, “Your man committed such a great crime of shamelessness! You should be grateful that someone is still willing to take care of you. Why are you so ungrateful? It’s true that misfortune often befalls those who deserve it.”

Wan Qiu, undeterred, picked up the scattered dried food from the ground, placed it back into the cloth bag, and handed it over with warmth. “I’m not here to mock you, but to pity the children… The journey is long, so I hope you can stay strong and live on, even if it’s just for their sake. I hope you can be strong enough to live, remember your children, they are still small.”

He placed the package on Ming Yue’s lap, patted it gently, and addressed the children. “Be good on the road. When you grow up, be a good person, and properly protect your mother, understand?”

Ming Yue looked at Wan Qiu in stunned silence and broke down into bitter tears.

Due to the marriage contract between Song Zhao and Wan Qiu, Ming Yue had always harboured resentment toward him. Initially, he had been glad to see Wan Qiu’s downfall, often insulting him. But now, with the roles reversed, Wan Qiu remained steadfast, while Ming Yue found himself in dire straits.

As the prison wagon rolled away, a child eating a bun suddenly felt something unusual and said, “Mom, look at this…”

It was a small roll of tightly wrapped bamboo leaves. Ming Yue glanced at the chatting jailers outside and quietly unwrapped it, tears flowing uncontrollably.

Inside was a silver check.

“Thank you!”

As the long wind carried the geese for miles, and August approached, it marked another year’s early fall.

If the geese in the sky that flew away in the wind could understand human speech, they would surely have delivered Ming Yue’s gratitude to Wan Qiu.

.

Late at night, unable to sleep, Wan Qiu stared at the tent’s roof and asked Shan Yu, “Husband, why do people change so suddenly?”

“Are you still thinking about Song Zhao?”

“I’m not thinking about him. I’m just wondering how he could have done such terrible things when he seemed so kind.”

“Okay, don’t dwell on it. Go to sleep.”

Shan Yu turned over. Since the incident with Song Zhao, he had increasingly felt the need to keep a distance from Wan Qiu, which had unwittingly created a gap between them.

Wan Qiu cuddled up to his waist, asking, “Husband, why do I feel like you’re avoiding me recently?”

“Is that so? I don’t think so!” Shan Yu said, pulling down Wan Qiu’s hand from his waist and turning to the corner of the bed. “Don’t think too much. Go to sleep.”

Wan Qiu pursed his lips, his eyes fixed on the back of Shan Yu’s head with an eerie intensity.

Shan Yu found it difficult to endure his gaze, so he coughed and explained, “I get hot when you hold me…”

The next moment, he felt a chill spread across his body.

Wan Qiu had rolled over and thrown Shan Yu’s quilt off him, whispering, “Since you’re so hot, you don’t need the quilt.”

Shan Yu was taken aback, thinking, ‘I must have spoiled him too much.’

The early fall day wasn’t very cold, but a night without a quilt resulted in nothing more than a runny nose for Shan Yu.

.

Since being reprimanded by the official, Er Zhu had become much kinder to his wife, Yu Hua.

This was only the second time since their marriage that Er Zhu had stepped through the door of the Yu residence.

Carrying a bundle of assorted items, he sat in the front hall with his legs crossed, drinking tea. He seemed more like a guest than a member of the household.

The butler smiled and said, “Young master is in the study. Why don’t you go rest in the house? What would you like for lunch? I’ll inform the kitchen.”

“No need,” Er Zhu replied. “I just came to drop something off for your young master. I’m leaving now.”

Er Zhu stood up and walked through the atrium, noticing a cart loaded with foodstuffs coming in through the corner door. He stopped and asked, “Why are there so many foodstuffs?”

“The young master instructed us to purchase them…” The housekeeper saw Er Zhu turning back and looked puzzled. “Eh, young master, aren’t you staying?”