Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

Since the "Imperial Kitchen" incident at the post station, Pei Zhihui seems to have found a new source of amusement.

He was no longer the gloomy, taciturn, and preoccupied patient, but rather like a rich young master on his first long journey, full of curiosity about everything.

Passing by a field of rapeseed flowers in full bloom, he would stop the carriage and insist that Shen Qiongju accompany him for a walk. But after only a few steps, he was choked by the pollen and coughed violently, which frightened Pei An so much that he almost drew his sword on the spot, thinking that an assassin had poisoned the pollen.

Seeing farmers plowing fields with oxen by the roadside, he would sit by the car window watching for ages. Then, in a serious tone, he would ask Shen Qiongju, "Tell me, how many acres can that ox plow in a day? Compared to the warhorses of the Zhenbei Army, which one runs faster?"

Shen Qiongju replied expressionlessly, "I don't know. Why don't you go down and compare yourself to a cow?"

Pei Zhihui touched his nose and sat back down dejectedly.

He even developed a strong interest in Du Hengniang's son, Ahu. Ahu had just learned to walk, an age that even cats and dogs disliked. But Pei Zhihui didn't mind his noise and often had the wet nurse take Nian'an to the back carriage so he could "borrow" Ahu to play with.

The so-called "play" is just two people, one big and one small, staring at each other in a carriage covered with thick blankets.

Pei Zhihui would take a finger and poke Ah Hu's chubby cheeks.

Ah Hu would use his drool-covered little hands to grab Pei Zhihui's hair.

In one afternoon, Pei Zhihui's carefully tied long hair was completely turned into a bird's nest by Ah Hu. When Du Hengniang came to "claim" her son, she saw her chubby son riding on the shoulders of the current prime minister, holding two strands of hair that had just been pulled from the prime minister's head, laughing so hard that he was drooling.

Meanwhile, the once infamous Yama, who had silenced the entire court, was now holding Ah Hu's bottom with a look of utter despair, preventing him from falling.

"Um... Your Excellency, are you... alright?" Although Du Hengniang didn't have much of a sense of power over Pei Zhihui, her eyelids twitched as she looked at him.

Pei Zhihui remained silent, only gesturing with his eyes for her to quickly get rid of this little troublemaker.

After Du Hengniang took Ah Hu away, Shen Qiongju entered the carriage and saw Pei Zhihui with messy hair, silently taking a piece of pastry that Ah Hu had nibbled on from his clothes.

Shen Qiongju finally couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh out loud.

Pei Zhihui gave her a resentful look.

"What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing." Shen Qiongju suppressed a laugh and handed him a mirror. "It's just that I feel that if the officials in the court saw you looking like this, they would probably write a ten-thousand-word petition in blood on the spot and cry and shout that they would kill themselves in the Golden Palace."

Pei Zhihui looked at his disheveled and disheveled self in the mirror and felt unusually embarrassed.

He cleared his throat, trying to salvage some dignity: "A child's heart is precious and sincere. I'm just... experiencing the lives of ordinary people."

Shen Qiongju laughed even harder, tears welling up in her eyes.

After traveling for more than ten days, the convoy finally entered the Jiangnan region. The desolation of the north was completely left behind, replaced by lush greenery and moist air.

That day, the caravan arrived at a small town called "Wangting Town". The town was not large, but because it was located at a strategic point between land and water, it was quite lively with many merchants coming and going from the north and south.

Pei An originally intended to pass directly through the town and find a quiet place to set up camp.

Pei Zhihui suddenly became interested.

"Let's go down and take a look." He pointed to a restaurant in town with a sign that read "Yuelai Inn." "I can smell the aroma of braised pork belly."

Shen Qiongju had no choice but to order the caravan to stop outside the town. The group changed into ordinary clothes and took only Pei An with them before entering the town.

Yuelai Inn is the largest restaurant in town, and it's lunchtime. The lobby on the first floor is packed. The sounds of chatter, drinking games, and the clatter of bowls and chopsticks mingle with the aroma of food, creating a vibrant, bustling atmosphere.

Pei Zhihui had clearly not been to a place like this in a long time, his eyes scanning the surroundings. His face was too striking, and coupled with his sickly appearance, he stood out like a crane among chickens, attracting a lot of attention.

Fearing that he might be disturbed, Shen Qiongju requested a private room on the second floor.

The waiter was quick-witted; he immediately noticed that these guests were dressed in fine clothes and had an outstanding demeanor, so he quickly bowed and led them upstairs.

The private room's window faces the lobby downstairs, offering a clear view of the area below.

After ordering a few signature dishes, Du Hengniang took Ah Hu to the courtyard to look at the goldfish. Only Shen Qiongju and Pei Zhihui remained in the private room.

Pei Zhihui didn't touch his chopsticks, but rested his chin on his hand with great interest, listening to the guests downstairs chatting and joking in various accents.

"...You didn't see it! A while ago at Zhengyang Gate in the capital, the blood flowed so much that it dyed the moat red! Prince Shou's head was hanging on the city gate, his eyes wide open!" A man with a full beard spoke, spitting as he spoke.

"If you ask me, this whole thing is the fault of that regent surnamed Pei! He's so young, but his heart is so black! I heard he looks like a woman, but he's full of evil intentions!" A skinny peddler who looked like a monkey chimed in.

Pei An stood behind Pei Zhihui. Upon hearing this, his hand was already on the hilt of his sword, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

Shen Qiongju's heart tightened, and she subconsciously looked at Pei Zhihui's reaction.

Pei Zhihui, far from being angry, listened with great interest, a faint smile playing on his lips. He even picked up his teacup and offered a distant toast to the table downstairs.

"Well said," he muttered to himself.

Shen Qiongju: "..."

She began to suspect that Ghost Hand Zhang's pills might have messed up this man's brain as well.

The discussion downstairs continued, and the topic quickly shifted from the bloodshed in the capital to the regent himself.

"I heard from my cousin who works in the capital that Pei Zhihui is actually a consumptive and won't live much longer! This trip south is ostensibly for inspection, but actually he's afraid of dying in the capital and is looking for a place to prolong his life!"

"Indeed! I also heard that he handed over all military power! What's the difference between a Regent Prince without military power and a tiger with its teeth pulled? I think the world of Da Sheng is about to change!"

"If you ask me, he deserved it! He did so many bad things and got his comeuppance! It would have been better if he had died on the way, so he wouldn't have to cause any more trouble for us ordinary people!"

……

The language was foul and offensive, and it was unbearable to hear.

Pei An's face was so dark it could drip ink. He stepped forward and whispered, "Master, I'll take care of it."

"What are you dealing with?" Pei Zhihui asked slowly, taking a sip of tea.

"Their tongues." Pei An's voice was filled with murderous intent.

"No need," Pei Zhihui waved his hand. "Can you silence their mouths, or silence the hearts of the people?"

He put down his teacup, looked at Shen Qiongju, and a sly glint flashed in his peach blossom eyes.

"I think they have a good point. What do you think, madam?"

What could Shen Qiongju say? She could only manage a couple of dry laughs.

Just then, the conversation at the table downstairs suddenly took a turn.

"Hey, have you heard? Although that King Pei is a scoundrel, his wife is a celestial being descended to earth, a living Bodhisattva reincarnated!" The skinny peddler spoke, lowering his voice and speaking mysteriously.

"Oh? What do you mean?" The bearded man became interested.

"Think about it, why hasn't the price of rice in the capital risen? It's all because the Grand Secretary's wife is subsidizing it behind the scenes! I have a relative who works in one of the thirteen trading companies, and he said that the lady gave a strict order: even if it means emptying the family coffers, the people of the capital must have affordable rice to eat!"

"Furthermore, after Prince Shou fell from power, were all those seized lands returned to us? That was also the Lady's idea! She sent people to Jiangnan to collect all those petitions one by one, and managed to bring down even the Vice Minister of Revenue!"

"Let me tell you, this King Pei's current state is all thanks to his wife's good deeds! If it weren't for her protecting him, he would have been struck dead by lightning eight hundred times over!"

His words drew nods of agreement from everyone around him.

The atmosphere in the private room was quite awkward for a moment.

Pei An lowered his head, his shoulders swaying, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

Shen Qiongju's face flushed red and then turned pale, then red again, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

She secretly raised her eyes to look at Pei Zhihui.

The man who had just been "sentenced to death" by the people was now holding a teacup, his face solemn, his brows furrowed, and he had a sorrowful expression that showed he "felt the people's suffering as if it were his own."

But the slight upturn of his lips and the barely concealed smile in his eyes completely betrayed him.

"Ahem." Pei Zhihui cleared his throat, put down his teacup, and said to Shen Qiongju in a serious tone, "Madam, I cannot express my gratitude enough. From now on, my life will depend entirely on your good deeds."

Shen Qiongju picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of piping hot braised pork, and expressionlessly stuffed it into his mouth.

"Do not speak while eating or sleeping. (Eating)"

The convoy arrived in Suzhou Prefecture in late March.

Spring in Jiangnan is like a painting unfolding amidst the misty rain. Willows sway gently, a hazy drizzle falls, and even the air is filled with a sweet floral fragrance.

Instead of staying at the official post station, Pei Zhihui and his party quietly moved into a garden in the south of the city.

This garden, named "Zhenliu," was originally the private property of Qian Wanjin, the president of the Jiangnan Salt Merchants Association. After the case of Prince Shou came to light, the Qian family, as Prince Shou's largest source of wealth in Jiangnan, was completely eradicated. This extremely luxurious garden naturally became the spoils of war for the Pei family.

The carriage entered the garden gate, rounded a huge Taihu stone screen wall, and suddenly the view opened up before them. Pavilions and terraces, winding streams, verdant rockeries, and exotic flowers bloomed in profusion. Compared to the Pei Mansion in the capital, it possessed a more refined and graceful charm unique to the Jiangnan region.

Du Hengniang, holding Ah Hu, stared at him intently as soon as she got off the carriage.

"My goodness, this isn't a house, it's a paradise!" She tugged at Shen Qiongju's sleeve, her eyes sparkling. "Qiongju, let's live here from now on and never leave, okay?"

Shen Qiongju smiled but didn't speak. She looked at the magnificent garden, but she knew very well that it was nothing more than a more luxurious cage.

Pei Zhihui was helped down from the carriage by Pei An. He had traveled a long distance and caught a cold, so his complexion was even worse than when he was in the capital. He stood under the eaves, looking around, his gaze sweeping over the carved beams and painted rafters, finally settling on a black lacquered plaque with gold lettering above the door.

"Pillow Stream Garden," he murmured, a cold smile playing on his lips. "A fine name. Qian Wanjin probably never imagined that he would truly spend his entire life resting on the waters of the underworld."

These words, spoken so casually, made the surrounding air feel several degrees colder.

Du Hengniang shrank back, no longer daring to make a scene. She realized that even though this Grand Secretary was dying, he was still the living Yama who could decide the life and death of others with a mere laugh.

After settling in, Shen Qiongju began her work as the "housewife".

The main study in the garden was converted into her temporary courtroom. Secret reports, account books, and intelligence reports sent from all over Jiangnan piled up on her desk like snowflakes.

She gets up before dawn every day to review documents, meet with managers from thirteen trading companies, and formulate the next steps in the liquidation plan. Often, she's busy until late at night.

Pei Zhihui, on the other hand, became a complete "idle man".

His tasks were to recuperate and take care of the children.

Early in the morning, while Shen Qiong was in the study, racking her brains over the messy accounts of the Jiangnan salt administration, Pei Zhihui was lying on the chaise longue in the courtyard, directing the maid to read storybooks to him.

"...Sun Wukong swung his golden cudgel and shouted, 'Hey! Monster, where do you think you're going!' With one blow, he smashed the White Bone Demon's brains..."

"Stop." Pei Zhihui frowned. "Change to another one."

The maidservant asked timidly, "Sir, do you not like this copy of 'Journey to the West'?"

"Too noisy," Pei Zhihui commented. "All that fighting and killing is boring."

He pointed to a stack of books next to him: "Read that one."

The maid picked it up and saw three large characters written on the cover: "Jin Ping Mei".

The maid's face flushed red instantly, and her hand holding the book trembled.

Pei Zhihui, however, remained calm: "Why wouldn't I read it? This is the work of a great master from the previous dynasty, with superb writing and a keen insight into human nature and the world."

The maid Xiao Tao held the book "Jin Ping Mei" in her hands, her face as red as a monkey's bottom, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Then...then Ximen Qing...held Jinlian in his arms and untied her..."

Xiao Tao couldn't read any more and looked pleadingly at Pei Zhihui, who was lying on the chaise longue. "My lord, this servant... this servant can't read anymore."

Pei Zhihui half-closed his eyes, toying with two walnuts in his hand. "Can't read? Weren't you reciting 'Journey to the West' quite fluently just now? Continue."

Xiao Tao was about to cry.

The window of the main study was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang.

Shen Qiongju stood behind the window, a vermilion brush still clutched in her hand, her chest rising and falling slightly. She strode out of the study, walked to the chaise lounge, and snatched the book from Xiao Tao's hand.

"Get out of here," Shen Qiongju ordered coldly.

Xiao Tao felt like she had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the yard.

Shen Qiongju rolled up the thick book and smacked Pei Zhihui on the shoulder in annoyance. "Pei Zhihui, are you tired of living? Ghost Hand Zhang told you to be celibate, but you, in broad daylight, have a young girl read this rubbish to you!"