Chapter 5: The Family Law is as Ruthless as a Torrential Downpour

Shen Residence, New Moon Quarters.

Lu Jin, who had spent most of the day sitting in a chair, finally regained his senses and understood why Shen Yanxi was so angry. But still, wasn’t that reaction a bit much? He had truly provoked her this time.

His life here was already a blur, muddled and unclear, as if shrouded in the same mist that hung over Qingqiu—nothing could be seen distinctly.

A sense of discouragement crept into Lu Jin’s heart. He had no memories, no golden finger to aid him; in his previous life, he was just an ordinary man. Coming to a new world, changing the inertia of one’s thinking was no simple feat. He kept reminding himself, yet still unconsciously relied on the habits of his former life.

The original owner of this body could at least have left him some memories; if so, he wouldn’t feel so out of place in this world after all this time. How stingy!

The initial conversation had gone smoothly enough; the other party was reasonable, certainly easier to communicate with than the heroines in those “son-in-law” novels he’d read. Perhaps it was this false sense of ease that made him forget the reality of his circumstances as they talked.

All Lu Jin wanted was an answer, but the result was disappointing.

He glanced at the three maids standing in the room, their faces clouded with gloom, and didn’t know what to say. In the end, it was his fault.

“Master, what on earth did you say to the young lady to make her leave so upset?” The head maid, Caiyun, felt she had to step up and ask. At least if she was going to die, she wanted to die knowing why. It looked like the master was doomed; how could things turn out well for her?

Lu Jin was at a loss for words.

He reached for the teacup on the table to take a sip, when he noticed a stack of folded papers.

Ignoring the maid’s question, he picked up the papers and began to look through them.

One sheet was titled “Examination Pass.” Down the center was his name, Lu Jin, with supplementary information flanking it: a pupil from Shangqing County, Jiangzhou Prefecture, of medium stature, fair-skinned and beardless, residing at Record Twelve. Nothing else was written, except for a garish, unrecognizable stamp.

It looked very much like an admission ticket for an exam... Aside from the name Lu Jin, which he already knew, he found a key piece of information: a pupil from Shangqing County, Jiangzhou Prefecture.

He had assumed that since he was sitting for the exam in Jiangzhou, he must be a local, but he couldn’t be certain—he wasn’t familiar with the historical details, nor whether there were cross-regional exams, especially in this world, which was entirely foreign to him.

But now, he could be reasonably sure: Shangqing County. That meant his family should be there, though where exactly, he still didn’t know. Still, it was something.

“Where is Master Lu?”

Just as he reached for another sheet, a voice called from outside the courtyard.

Lu Jin set down the papers and hurried out with the maids. Three men stood in the courtyard, dressed in rain cloaks; at the front was an elder well past fifty, followed by two young men dressed as warriors, swords at their sides, standing tall in the rain, their faces cold and murderous.

What was this about? Lu Jin was bewildered. Could this really be retribution for angering Shen Yanxi? That couldn’t be, could it?

“I am he,” Lu Jin replied, forcing himself to calm down.

The elder in dark attire stepped forward, his bronzed face and hawk-like eyes fixed unflinchingly on Lu Jin.

“That’s good. Master Lu, the family head summons you!” His voice was like a heavy hammer, each word striking like a blade, shattering any hope Lu Jin had managed to hold onto.

Lu Jin’s mind went blank. What was meant to happen, had happened at last.

The group walked in silence down the corridor, led by Steward Jiang, the butler of the Shen Residence’s Plum Garden, whose steps were steady and forceful. Trailing behind was a young man in plain dress, his cheeks thin and pale, expression wooden. Rain trickled down his face and into his collar, but he paid it no mind, simply following the butler. At the rear were two warriors in black, hands on their sword hilts, eyes hard as iron, faces expressionless.

Passersby glanced their way, curiosity written on their faces, but hurried on, for the rain was growing heavier.

No one knew what trouble the young man had gotten into, but the scene was intimidating.

The Shen Residence was vast; few had seen Lu Jin, and fewer still knew he was the son-in-law. In a grand house such as this, a son-in-law was hardly worth a second glance.

Of course, had they known he was Shen Yanxi’s husband, it might have been a different story.

Lu Jin, inwardly, was at peace now—what did it matter anymore? Yet he was startled by the scale of the reception. Was it just for that one remark?

Or was there something more? A sliver of hope lingered in his heart.

After a long walk, they finally reached a cluster of residences. Despite the dire situation, Lu Jin was once again struck by the grandeur of the Shen estate.

He had never entered the Plum Garden; his activities were mostly confined to New Moon Quarters, and what he knew of the estate’s scale came from the maids’ chatter and the route to Beihai.

The Plum Garden was exquisite, a scene at every turn—by modern standards, a top destination for social media, especially in the rain, exuding the charm of the southern riversides.

He wondered if he would ever get the chance to properly explore Shen Garden.

At the entrance, the butler continued inside, but the swordsmen holding umbrellas stopped. Lu Jin followed the butler, but was barred by a sword across his path.

He could only sigh inwardly. In the history he knew, aristocratic clans had indeed wielded great power for a time; in the Eastern Jin, there was even the saying, “Wang and Ma share the world,” and Wuyi Lane was synonymous with noble families. By the Tang dynasty, the five surnames and seven families were well-known, and only after centuries of turmoil did the great clans fade, replaced by minor landowners and scholar-gentry.

But still, did they really carry swords at home, ready to strike at any moment? Was this how it all ended for him?

If he couldn’t enter, so be it—he’d stand in the rain with the rest.

Watching the old steward go inside, Lu Jin decided not to think further and simply waited.

The luxury of the great house was evident—servants everywhere, at least several visible even from where he stood, with more coming and going.

Bored, Lu Jin glanced around, unable to make out the voices from within.

“Kneel!” came a stern order—the butler, newly emerged from the house, his face as dark as iron.

Kneel? He could forget that. Lu Jin stood his ground.

A sudden, sharp crack.

“Aah!”

Just as Lu Jin held out, one of the swordsmen behind him struck the back of his knee with a sheathed blade. Lu Jin’s knees buckled instantly, slamming onto the stone slabs.

He gritted his teeth, pain shooting through his knees.

Damn it!

He struggled to rise, bending forward, only to be struck again by the sheathed blade.

The pain was numbing.

Lu Jin had never suffered such humiliation. In his former life, if things didn’t work out, he could just leave—there were always other opportunities elsewhere.

Propping himself up with his hands, he tried to rise again. A real man’s knees are worth their weight in gold.

“Master Lu, do you think your knees are harder, or my blade?” The swordsman behind him spoke coldly, while the other glanced back with a blank expression.

Fine. The wise man submits to circumstances—for now. One day, let’s see who holds the power!

“Lu Jin, the son-in-law, ignorant of rank and propriety, spoke out of turn. According to the Shen family rules, twenty strokes with the rod! Kneel until midnight!” The butler’s voice was cold as steel.

Lu Jin was stunned. Of all the possibilities he’d considered, he had never imagined such a harsh punishment for such a trivial matter.

After all that walking, he’d followed them here, thinking he’d have a chance to argue his case. It was, after all, an unintentional slip—hardly a grave offense. Yet, without seeing a single member of the family, he was sentenced on the spot?

Was there no justice? No law?

“I protest!” Lu Jin shouted, forgetting all decorum, and lunged forward in hopes of pleading his case.

He barely made it a few paces before the two swordsmen dragged him back.

Lu Jin’s heart sank into despair. His body was limp, and he allowed himself to be dragged away.

The rain, relentless, fell like steel needles on his face, striking his heart with each drop—as if mocking him: Welcome to the new world.

Inside, Shen Hao, who had already risen, watched through the lattice window, his expression clouded and uncertain.