Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

Pei Junlan tried her best to take charge, but the successive blows had already exhausted her body. In just half a day, her face turned pale and she could barely stand.

The aunts from the collateral branches could only cry, and Liu was completely lost. Only Pei Zhiyan, the half-grown boy, knelt before the coffin, his eyes red, mechanically burning paper money.

The entire Pei family was like a leaky, dilapidated ship, teetering on the brink of collapse amidst their sorrow.

Shen Qiongju walked to Pei Junlan's side, who was swaying precariously, and said in a soft but unusually calm voice, "Aunt, you should go and rest. I'll take care of things here."

Pei Junlan looked at her, her lips moved, but she didn't say anything.

Shen Qiongju said nothing more, turned around and walked towards Liu Shi, taking the book and pen from her.

"Second Aunt, please go to the kitchen and keep an eye on the medicine and meals. There may not be many neighbors coming to pay their respects, but a bowl of hot tea and a simple meal are always necessary."

She then looked at the women from the collateral branches of the family: "Aunties, please cut the white cloth, and prepare the mourning clothes and belts."

Her arrangements were methodical and her voice was soft, yet it subconsciously gave the panicked crowd a sense of direction, prompting them to take action.

In the mourning hall, only she, Pei Zhiyan kneeling and burning paper money remained, along with Pei Zhihui, who stood beside the coffin like an ice sculpture from beginning to end.

Shen Qiongju walked up to Pei Zhihui, deliberately avoiding his gaze, and handed him a heavy cloth bag with her head down.

"This is... all the money I have right now, a total of thirty-seven taels. My grandfather valued dignity the most when he was alive, so his funeral... cannot be too simple."

She knew that this money was just a drop in the ocean for the Pei family in the past, but for them now, it was a lifeline.

This was her pledge of allegiance, and also the money she used to save her life.

She bet that no matter how much Pei Zhihui hated her, he wouldn't use the last vestiges of the Pei family's dignity to humiliate her.

Pei Zhihui lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the old money bag.

He didn't answer.

The air was deathly still.

Shen Qiongju's hand was raised in mid-air, her fingertips gradually becoming icy cold.

After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"You certainly know how to win people's hearts."

Shen Qiongju's heart sank.

She gripped the cloth bag tightly, her face unmoved: "Right now, all I want is to do something for the Pei family. Is your pride more important than your grandfather's funeral arrangements?"

Pei Zhihui didn't look at her again, but turned to Pei Zhiyan and said, "Zhiyan, go to your sister-in-law to get the money to purchase the necessary items for the funeral. Make sure everything is done properly."

His words were tantamount to tacit approval.

Shen Qiongju secretly breathed a sigh of relief, stuffed the money bag into Pei Zhiyan's hand, and turned to devote herself to the complicated funeral arrangements.

For the next two days, the Pei family's residence was deserted. Apart from a few distant relatives and neighbors who had received favors from the Pei family, there was no one else around.

But Shen Qiongju handled this somber funeral with utmost care and attention.

With the thirty-odd taels of silver, she hired musicians, bought plenty of paper money and incense, and even had the opera troupe perform two excerpts in front of the coffin, based on the tunes her grandfather loved to listen to when he was alive.

She said, "My grandfather loved excitement and a respectable life. We are a small family, so let the sounds of gongs, drums, and operas accompany him on his way."

No one knew that she hadn't slept for almost two days and two nights.

She personally handles everything from major purchasing arrangements to minor details like the saltiness of a bowl of tofu soup.

Pei Junlan was in poor health and spent most of her time resting in her room. Occasionally, she would come out and see how well the mourning hall was arranged inside and out, and look at Shen Qiongju's tired but still focused face, her eyes filled with relief.

Pei Zhiyan's opinion of his sister-in-law completely changed. Several times he saw her so tired that she would hold her head and pretend to sleep, but she would turn around and continue to arrange the next thing without a word of complaint.

He couldn't help but say to Pei Zhihui, "Second brother, sister-in-law... she actually had a tough time too. Before, in Dabao Village, she took care of my aunt and the others so they wouldn't suffer. She even gave money for grandfather's medical treatment. Otherwise, grandfather probably wouldn't have lived to see the Pei family's exoneration."

Pei Zhihui stood under the eaves, watching the slender figure busy in the courtyard, without saying a word.

The wind and snow started again, and she was directing her servants to reinforce the shed. Her thin shoulders looked particularly frail in the wind.

Shen Qiongju stood ramrod straight, her voice clear, and she had arranged everything perfectly.

When she was serious, she didn't try to please him; instead, she exuded a calm yet undeniable power.

The hard, icy shell in his heart seemed to have been unknowingly pierced by these trivial, everyday scenes, creating a tiny hole.

The hatred still surged, but beneath that hatred, something was quietly changing.

The third day was the day of the funeral.

For several days in a row, Pei Zhihui knelt before the coffin, fulfilling his filial duty to his grandfather in his final moments.

He was already severely injured and exhausted from working tirelessly to overturn the case, coupled with overwhelming grief, leaving him at his last gasp.

As the first rays of dawn shone into the mourning hall, the figure who had been kneeling upright suddenly swayed violently.

"Second Brother!"

Pei Zhiyan exclaimed in surprise and reached out to help, but only touched something burning hot.

Pei Zhihui fell straight backward and completely lost consciousness.

Chaos erupted in the mourning hall.

When Shen Qiongju rushed in, Pei Zhihui had already been carried back to his room. His lips were chapped, his face was flushed, and he was in a deep coma.

The best doctor in town was inside, stroking his beard and shaking his head repeatedly.

"Exhausted, chilled, and burning with fever... This high fever came on so suddenly, if it doesn't subside tonight, I'm afraid... it will damage my brain."

Several bowls of bitter herbal medicine were swallowed, but to no avail.

Pei Zhihui's body temperature rose instead of falling, and his forehead was alarmingly hot.

Pei Junlan's face turned pale instantly, and she gripped the doctor's hand, her fingers trembling uncontrollably. "Doctor, please, you must save him. The Pei family... he's the only one left in the Pei family!"

The doctor was at a loss and could only prescribe some common antipyretics before leaving with a sigh.

Despair once again enveloped the Pei family.

Shen Qiongju looked at Pei Zhihui, who was burning up and unconscious on the bed. If he died like this, it would save her trouble and prevent her from worrying about him taking revenge on her after he was promoted to a high-ranking official position.

But he cannot die yet.

With him dead, Wen Xiujie will have no more scruples, and her fate will only be more tragic than in her previous life.

A thought suddenly popped into my mind.

"Liquor! Strong liquor!" She turned abruptly and shouted at the stunned Pei Zhiyan, "Quick! Go to my courtyard, under the osmanthus tree, and dig up the Daughter's Red wine I buried back then!"

Pei Zhiyan was stunned: "Sister-in-law, what time is it? Why are you still drinking...?"

"Help!" Shen Qiongju's voice suddenly rose, filled with an urgent urgency that brooked no argument. "It's a method I heard about—wiping the body with strong liquor can lower the fever! Go quickly!"

The light in her eyes was so unwavering that Pei Zhiyan dared not doubt it any longer and ran out.

Soon, the two jars of wine that had been sealed away for a long time were unearthed.

As soon as the clay seal was broken, the rich aroma of the wine instantly filled the entire room.

Shen Qiongju disregarded everything else, poured out the wine, soaked a cloth in it, and said to Pei Junlan, "Aunt, in this emergency, we must act expediently."

As she spoke, she reached out to unbutton Pei Zhihui's clothes.