Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

The county government office study.

Shen Mo yawned and threw a roll of files on the table: "Alright, stop trying to impress your sister-in-law and get down to business."

Pei Zhihui walked in, closed the door, and the cold, fierce aura on his face instantly vanished, leaving only weariness and melancholy.

"There's news from the mass grave."

Shen Mo's expression turned serious: "Found it?"

"Hmm." Pei Zhihui took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over. "The coroner has examined it. The build is similar to your brother's. The fatal injury was from being hit with a stick. Seven ribs were broken and the skull was shattered."

There was a simple drawing of a corpse on the paper, with various wounds marked on it in vermilion.

Shen Mo looked at the picture, his brows furrowing into a deep frown: "That bastard Wen Xiujie, he really went all out."

Pei Zhichao's body was never found. He and Shen Mo searched the mass grave for three days without success, so they had to find someone with a similar build to take his place.

He had considered the possibility that his brother might still be alive, but the howling wolves and the mangled flesh and blood of the corpses around the mass grave made him abandon that idea.

"The body has been secretly sent to the prefectural city and handed over to Prefect Liu for disposal." Pei Zhihui's face remained calm, but his voice was hoarse.

"That's good." Shen Mo nodded. "That old fox Magistrate Zhang has been dismissed and is awaiting trial. The evidence you gave me of him poisoning his own child is irrefutable. His official career is over."

He poured himself a cup of tea and then poured one for Pei Zhihui: "My father also sent a letter saying that he will personally oversee this case and instruct the Ministry of Justice to handle it impartially. Although the Wen family has a strong foothold in the military, this time, Wen Xiujie will be severely injured, if not killed."

Pei Zhihui picked up the teacup, but did not drink it.

"Magistrate Zhang has been operating in Wu County for many years, and you can take this opportunity to remove his confidants in the yamen."

"Don't worry." Shen Mo smiled, revealing a set of white teeth. "What do you think I've been doing these past few days? I've replaced his advisor, the head constable, and several clerks—every single one of them."

"When I first arrived, all I wanted to do was look at a file, but they dared to act like they were old and senior, making excuses and taking it too seriously."

He patted Pei Zhihui on the shoulder with a relieved expression, and became serious for once: "Don't worry about your injury, leave the outside matters to me."

Pei Zhihui looked at him for a long time before finally saying, "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" Shen Mo waved his hand, reverting to his usual nonchalant attitude. "We're practically family. Besides, helping you is helping me. I don't want to leave behind a messy case during my term."

He leaned closer and lowered his voice: "But speaking of which, your sister-in-law is indeed very beautiful. No wonder that scoundrel Wen Xiujie used every means to try to bring her into the Wen family."

Pei Zhihui's hand holding the teacup suddenly paused, spilling a few drops of tea onto the back of his hand, but he seemed not to notice.

He raised his eyes, his gaze dark as he looked at Shen Mo.

Shen Mo felt uneasy under his gaze and chuckled dryly, "Just kidding, just kidding... Why are you looking at me like that?"

Pei Zhihui put down his teacup and stood up.

"Mind your own business."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and left, leaving Shen Mo alone in the study.

Shen Mo touched his nose and muttered under his breath, "He was just being fierce to your sister-in-law, but now he's protecting her."

.

Three days later, in the courtroom of Wu County, the gavel struck with a sharp "snap," sending shivers down everyone's spines.

The people crowded outside the door, craning their necks, making the small courtroom extremely crowded.

Shen Mo, dressed in official robes, sat behind his desk, his usual casual and lazy demeanor completely gone, leaving only a deep and imposing presence.

"Bring your ID card."

Several bound soldiers staggered into the hall and knelt down with a thud. Before they could be asked anything, they began to confess—

"It was Commander Wen... he's the one who made us give false testimony!"

"General Pei's body... was secretly taken away that night, and its whereabouts are unknown!"

……

The hall was deathly silent.

"Upon my investigation, it has been found that the physical evidence in the Pei family case tried by the former magistrate Zhang Yuan was unreliable, and the testimonies were questionable."

His voice was clear and resonant, each word distinct, carrying throughout the courtroom: "The original verdict was riddled with flaws and lacked sufficient evidence; it was a miscarriage of justice!"

Shen Mo stood up, his gaze sweeping over the emaciated Pei family members below, and pronounced his verdict, word by word:

"I hereby declare that the charge of treason against Pei Zhichao is unfounded. The entire Pei family is innocent and is hereby released!"

Upon hearing the final result, some of the Liu family women hugged each other, weeping with joy. Pei Zhiyan was so excited that he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

Pei Junlan stood ramrod straight, but tears silently streamed down her thin face.

Only Shen Qiongju, standing at the end of the crowd, finally felt the huge weight that had been hanging over her heart for so long lifted.

She subconsciously glanced at Pei Zhihui standing to the side. He was still wearing that thin blue robe, his expression calm, showing no surprise at the outcome.

But when his gaze inadvertently swept over her, the unfathomable chill made her freeze instantly.

The crowd gathered and returned to the back room, the joyful atmosphere almost lifting the thin roof off.

However, this overwhelming joy came to an abrupt end the moment he stepped into Pei Shoulian's room.

The old man, who had been surviving on ginseng soup, suddenly had a startling light flash in his cloudy eyes after hearing Pei Zhiyan whisper the words "innocent" in his ear.

As if experiencing a final burst of energy before death, he grabbed Pei Zhihui's hand beside him.

That hand was as thin as a rake, yet it was clenched with all its might, the knuckles turning white.

"Grandfather!" Pei Zhihui immediately bowed down.

Pei Shoulian's lips moved, and he made a "hoarse" sound in his throat. His cloudy eyes were fixed on Pei Zhihui. With his last bit of strength, he squeezed out a few broken syllables.

"Protect...the blueprints, overturn...the verdict..."

As soon as he finished speaking, his tightly clenched hand suddenly loosened, his head tilted to the side, and the light in his eyes went out completely.

He passed away suddenly.

Pei Zhihui's eyes dimmed. He understood that his grandfather meant returning to the capital to clear his father's name and to clear the Pei family's name.

The blueprints left by my father back then were not limited to the mechanical crossbow.

The room, which had been filled with laughter and joy just moments before, was instantly swallowed up by immense grief and deathly silence.

"grandfather!"

Pei Zhiyan's heart-wrenching cries shattered the silence. The Pei family members were struck dumb, and the joy of their recent rebirth was instantly overwhelmed by the immense grief of their patriarch's death.

The sound of crying filled the small courtyard.

In the chaos, someone spoke first, and an aunt from a collateral branch of the family cried as she pointed the finger at Shen Qiongju in the corner.

"It's all her fault! If she hadn't stolen those blueprints, how could our Pei family have suffered such a calamity! And how could the old man have..."

A barrage of accusations came her way, but she didn't refute them; arguing with these people was pointless.

"Shut up!"

With a sharp shout, Pei Junlan stepped forward. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was deathly pale, yet she still maintained the dignity of the matriarch.

"The most important thing right now is to arrange Father's funeral! Everything else can be dealt with later!"

Her words silenced everyone, leaving only suppressed sobs.

Pei Junlan took a deep breath and said to Pei Zhihui, "Zhihui, let's go back to the Pei family ancestral home and bring the coffin we prepared for your grandfather so that he can leave in a grand manner."

But they soon discovered that even greater embarrassment was yet to come.

The Pei family's ancestral home had long been searched and confiscated; it was completely empty, not even a chair remained, let alone a coffin.

The shops and land under Pei Junlan's name were also sold off at a low price by Magistrate Zhang, and the deeds were all changed.

The entire Pei family was truly destitute.

Shen Mo rushed over upon hearing the news, looking equally helpless.

Magistrate Zhang absconded with all the money in the county government's accounts. This new official was penniless, and his stepmother only gave him a monthly allowance, which was far from enough to fill this hole.