Chapter 5: Why Things Went Awry
The constable did not notice her unusual behavior. He glanced around, seeing that no one else was awake, and leered as he reached out toward Song Shiwei.
He never imagined he would be so lucky—to possess the body of a noblewoman from a prominent family.
Moreover, if he succeeded, he would be promoted and enriched.
Just as his hand was about to touch Song Shiwei’s clothing, a stern voice demanded, “What are you doing?”
Song’s father hurried forward and kicked the constable to the ground. “What do you think you’re trying to do to my daughter?”
His loud voice roused Song Mingtian and the others from their slumber.
“Father, what’s going on?” Song Mingtian rubbed his eyes and sat up, yawning repeatedly.
Taking advantage of the moment, Song Shiwei slipped behind her father. Her eyes glinted fiercely as she stared at the constable and shouted, “Second Brother, this man just tried to molest me, but Father caught him.”
At this, the drowsiness vanished instantly from Song Mingtian and the others.
Enraged, Song Mingtian stormed toward the constable and delivered a fierce punch. “You bastard! You dare lay a hand on my sister? I’ll beat you to death today!”
The constable had not expected the drugged men to regain consciousness so quickly.
Only when pain struck did he scream and try to dodge. “If you hit me, I’ll make you regret it!”
But before he could escape, Song Mingyu and Song Mingxuan intercepted him.
The two brothers swung fists and kicked feet.
“We are prisoners, but you have no right to bully us.”
“If you dare harm my sister, I’ll kill you myself.”
Outnumbered and without his sword nearby, the constable was soon battered into a pitiful state, howling in pain.
“You... I’ll make you pay!” he threatened, but the three Song brothers only beat him harder.
Song Shiwei did not intervene. She took her mother’s hand, who was crying openly, and gently reassured her, “Mother, don’t worry. I’m truly fine.”
After inspecting her clothing and seeing it intact, Song’s mother finally eased her trembling heart.
“That’s good, that’s good.”
Yet such incidents were likely to happen again on their journey.
How could she protect her daughter’s purity and reputation?
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Seeing the worry etched on her mother’s face, Song Shiwei understood her thoughts but didn’t know how to comfort her.
For her now, her life was far more precious than her reputation.
But for her mother, a woman’s honor and chastity mattered more than life itself.
Helpless, she changed the subject. “It’s strange—despite all the noise, the other constables are still asleep.”
In an instant, Song’s mother and others turned their gaze toward Zhang Huai and his companions, who remained unconscious. They all sensed something was amiss.
“Could it be that this constable drugged them?”
“I also noticed that Aunt Qin and Song Shilan haven’t woken up. It’s likely they were drugged by this constable.”
“Really strange—if they were drugged, how did we manage to wake up?”
Song Shiwei cleared her throat and spoke loudly, “Now is not the time for speculation. We need to wake the other constables immediately.”
“This matter must be handled by those constables themselves.”
That night, she had spiked the water given to her family with a mild antidote to prevent anyone from being harmed.
Song’s father looked at her deeply and approved, “Eldest, you bind this constable first, then use the water to wake the others.”
“Stop hitting him!”
As soon as he spoke, Song Mingtian and the others ceased their assault.
The three brothers worked together, first tying up the bruised constable, then splashing water from their canteens onto Zhang Huai and the others to rouse them.
“What happened?” Zhang Huai instinctively drew his sword, scanning their surroundings warily.
Song Mingtian sneered, “You were drugged by your own comrades.”
He pointed at the constable. “Your comrades drugged everyone, intending to defile my sisters. Fortunately, my father discovered it in time.”
Zhang Huai followed the gesture and heard the constable’s pitiful cries for help.
“Captain, save me! The Song family has gone mad; they want to kill me so I’m trying to escape.”
Zhang Huai was no fool.
His expression darkened as his tone grew serious. “Do you take me for an idiot?”
“If the Song family really wanted to kill you, would they leave you alive? Would they wake us up?”
Judging from recent events, he was indeed drugged.
Most likely, it was this constable who slipped the drugs.
The constable wept miserably. “Captain, I’m telling the truth.”
“I deliberately shouted loudly to threaten the Song family so they wouldn’t run.”
Zhang Huai wiped water from his face and stood up.
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He stepped forward and delivered a heavy kick to the constable’s chest, sending him coughing blood.
“Do you think I’m stupid?”
He hated people like this most—those who abused their authority escorting prisoners, bullying them, and even taking liberties with female prisoners.
The constable’s face twisted in pain as he continued to plead, “Captain, I’m telling the truth.”
“Don’t be fooled by the Song family. They’re trying to use you.”
He couldn’t understand why things had turned out this way, why the Song family hadn’t fallen unconscious.
According to his plan, after drugging everyone, they would pass out, and he could easily destroy Song Shiwei and the others’ honor.
But in reality, the Song family not only stayed awake, his mission failed utterly.
Zhang Huai pressed his sword against the constable’s throat, his face fierce.
“I’ll give you one last chance.”
“Confess why you did this, and I might spare your life.”
He added, “You should know that on prisoner escorts, some constables ‘accidentally’ have mishaps.”
He emphasized the word ‘accidentally.’
Understanding the threat, the constable trembled and shook his head like a rattle. “Captain, you can’t do this.”
“If something happens to me, none of you will have a good end.”
Zhang Huai had anticipated sabotage and had left a will with his family as soon as he received the mission.
“Are you brainless?”
He scoffed, “Promises from above at times like this are never to be trusted.”
“If the Song family suffers an accident, you’ll be killed.”
“After all, a dead man’s mouth is the strictest.”
The constable refused to believe this; he trusted the promises made to him—promotion and wealth awaited if he succeeded.
“Captain, the Song family are rebels. They won’t live long.”
Zhang Huai saw through his intentions, his gaze darkening.
“If you choose death, I’ll grant it.”
“I cannot allow unstable elements to remain.”
The journey was perilous, but he would not be foolish enough to preserve a threat for the sake of camaraderie.
Seeing Zhang Huai was serious, the constable panicked.
“Captain, if you kill me, those behind me won’t let you live.”
“I advise you to think of your family—they’re still in the capital.”
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