Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

Shen Qiongju lowered the curtain, her face expressionless.

"Rumors stop with the wise, but now people just want to watch the show. The more you explain, the more excited they get."

The carriage drove into a quiet alley in the west of the city.

This is the courtyard that Shen Song mentioned in his previous letter. He rented it a long time ago as a place to stay.

The courtyard is small, but it is quiet and peaceful.

When the two old women responsible for sweeping saw the owner arrive, they shrugged and trembled slightly.

Clearly, they had heard the rumors circulating outside.

"Go ahead and get busy."

Shen Qiongju had no time to soothe their emotions and simply threw out a silver ingot.

"Boil water and cook. Also, go outside and find out who is handling this case now, and who else is in the deceased woman's family."

Money makes the world go round.

Upon seeing the silver, the two old women's fear dissipated considerably, and they immediately kowtowed.

Shen Qiongju sat in the chair in the main hall, feeling as if all the bones in her body were about to fall apart.

But she can't rest.

Pei An.

"exist."

"Go keep an eye on things near the yamen and see if you can pass a message to Shen Song. Tell him to stick to the fact that he knows nothing about it and not to say anything else."

Pei An accepted the order and left.

Shen Qiongju rubbed her temples and looked at Gao Hong, who was pouring tea for her.

"Young Master Gao, from now on, we'll have to borrow your influence."

Gao Hong raised an eyebrow: "How so?"

I need to see someone.

Shen Qiongju tapped her fingers lightly on the table.

"The coroner of Liangzhou Prefecture."

"This one? I actually know him."

.

The night was as dark as ink, and the watchman of Liangzhou Prefecture struck the clapper at the third watch.

Pei An, like a black raccoon, silently scaled the courtyard wall.

Instead of going directly back to Shen Qiongju's courtyard, he turned and headed towards a pigeon loft in the south of the city.

A very thin strip of paper was rolled into a small bamboo tube and tied to the leg of a carrier pigeon.

The carrier pigeons flapped their wings and disappeared into the vast night, flying towards the back mountain of the academy outside the city.

The mountains are quiet and cold.

Several thatched huts were hidden deep in the bamboo forest. They looked simple, but were surrounded by sentries.

This place, intended to help his students "calm their minds" while preparing for the exams, was actually more like a prison for house arrest.

Inside, a single lamp cast a dim light.

Pei Zhihui, wearing only a thin undergarment, sat by the window.

He held a book in his hand, but his eyes were not on the words.

The window creaked softly.

A carrier pigeon landed skillfully on the desk.

Pei Zhihui put down his book, his slender fingers untied the bamboo tube, and unfolded the paper strip.

Only a few words.

"The branch office is involved in a murder case. Shen Song has been imprisoned. The young mistress has arrived in the prefectural city and is currently safe and sound."

The note turned to dust at his fingertips.

His once clear and cool eyes were instantly filled with a thick layer of gloom.

"Involving a murder case..."

Pei Zhihui murmured softly, a cold smile curving his lips.

He had studied in the prefectural city for many years, and he knew the intricacies of the officialdom there better than anyone else.

A female corpse suddenly appears in a shop that hasn't even opened yet.

This method is too crude, yet too ruthless.

"Cough cough..."

A suppressed cough escaped from his chest, and an unnatural blush rose on Pei Zhihui's pale face.

He covered his mouth, and although there was no blood between his fingers, he couldn't suppress the murderous aura he exuded.

"Zhang Yan," Pei Zhihui called out.

Zhang Yan, who was on night watch outside, immediately pushed the door open and came in, "Second Master."

"Prepare the ink."

Pei Zhihui spread out a sheet of Xuan paper, picked up his brush, and began to write.

His calligraphy was no longer the dignified and elegant style he usually showed to his teachers; instead, it was sharp and aggressive, exuding a fierce and ruthless air.

After finishing the letter, he didn't seal it, but handed it directly to Zhang Yan.

"Send it to the Zhao residence in the east of the city and hand it over to Master Zhao personally."

Master Zhao was not an official, but he was the biggest local tyrant in Liangzhou Prefecture and one of the people who had received favors from him in the past.

In situations like this, when official channels are blocked, one has to resort to unorthodox methods.

"in addition."

Pei Zhihui paused, then looked out the window at the dark mountains and forests.

"Tell Pei An to make sure his sister-in-law is safe."

"Yes."

Zhang Yan took the letter and felt the suffocatingly low pressure emanating from the Second Master. He didn't dare to breathe and turned to leave.

The room fell silent once more.

Pei Zhihui stared at the flickering candlelight, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Some people just can't learn their lesson.

……

The next morning.

Shen Qiongju was awakened by a commotion.

"Get out! You're not welcome here!"

The old woman screamed from the courtyard gate, followed by the sound of porcelain shattering.

Shen Qiongju put on her coat, got up, and quickly walked out of the room.

The yard was a complete mess.

Several thugs stood in the courtyard, holding sticks and with menacing faces.

The water vat was smashed on the ground, and water was spilled all over the ground.

"Oh, so this is the female owner of that shady shop?"

The bald man leading the group saw Shen Qiongju and whistled frivolously.

"She's pretty, but her heart is too cruel. She ran a shady business that killed people, and now she dares to hide here and enjoy herself?"

Shen Qiongju stood on the steps, looking down at them.

"Who sent you?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"Who sent us? It was God who sent us to act on behalf of Heaven!"

The bald man spat out a mouthful of phlegm.

"The neighbors all say you're a cursed woman, ruining the feng shui of this area! If you know what's good for you, get out of the city right now, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

This is a typical example of a scoundrel.

It's obvious without even thinking that the person behind her hired her to harass her.

Do you want to scare her? Do you want to throw her into chaos?

Shen Qiongju gave a cold laugh.

Pei An.

Before the words were finished, a dark figure leaped down from the roof.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

The bald man who had been shouting just moments before was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the courtyard wall and unable to get up for a long time.

The remaining thugs were terrified.

They never imagined that such a ruthless person was hiding beside this seemingly delicate young woman.

"They're hitting...hitting someone! This shady business is killing people!"

Someone realized what was happening and started to shout.

"Shut up."

Gao Hong yawned as he walked out of the side room, carrying a long, unsheathed sword in his hand.

He looked impatient and was extremely grumpy when he woke up.

"What's all the noise about so early in the morning? Can't you see I'm sleeping?"

He walked up to the group of thugs and patted one of them on the face with the scabbard of his knife.

"Go back and tell your master that such underhanded tactics are too low-level."

"If he wants to play games, he should lay down the law openly. What kind of skill is it to hire a few thugs to scare women?"

The thug's expression changed instantly when he saw the jade pendant on Gao Hong's waist, a token of the Gao family's direct lineage.

People from the Gao family?

Why is the Gao family's little tyrant here too?

"roll."

Gao Hong uttered a single word.

The group felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They dragged the unconscious bald man along and ran away in a panic.

The courtyard returned to silence.

Shen Qiongju looked at the mess on the ground, her expression unchanged.

"It seems they're getting desperate."

She turned to look at Pei An.

"Since they don't want me to have any peace, then I'll just make a scene."

"Prepare the carriage; we're going to the government office."

"I want to beat the drum and appeal for justice."