Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

The air inside the room seemed to freeze.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Zhao De's forehead. He hadn't expected this seemingly weak woman to have such a sharp eye.

"This...this must be a mistake by the accountant..." he said, trying to remain calm and make excuses.

"You've misremembered?" Shen Qiongju chuckled lightly, her laughter devoid of any warmth. "Then why don't we invite the accountant over and confront him face to face?"

As she spoke, her gaze turned toward the door.

Uncle San and young Zhang Yan, along with several emaciated tenants, had somehow appeared at the door.

Suppressed anger was written all over everyone's face.

"Zhao De!" Uncle San strode in, leaning on his cane, and slammed his hand heavily on the ground. "You still have the nerve to talk about repairing the house? Last winter, the snow was so heavy that half of Li San's roof collapsed, and the whole family almost froze to death. Did you provide even a single brick or tile?"

"And my family!" a man cried, his eyes red-rimmed. "I begged you to lend me a few planks to block the wind, but you said you'd have to trade them for grain! That was my family's last lifeline!"

"He embezzled our rent! And he even lent us money at exorbitant interest rates!"

Each accusation struck Zhao Dexin like a heavy hammer blow.

His face turned deathly pale. He abruptly stood up from his chair, pointed at the tenants, and shouted angrily, "You...you're slandering me! A bunch of worthless bastards, daring to defame me!"

His fierce demeanor was no longer that of someone who was arrogant but actually weak; he was a far cry from his earlier bravado.

"Stain?"

A clear, cold voice finally rang out from the corner.

Pei Zhihui, who had been silent all along, slowly put down his teacup.

He stood up and walked over to Zhao De.

The boy was thin and pale, and looked somewhat sickly.

But when those dark eyes looked over, Zhao De felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, his legs went weak, and he almost couldn't stand up.

"I remember there's a rule in the Pei family's family rules." Pei Zhihui's voice was soft, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Those who deceive their masters and embezzle family property shall first be slapped thirty times in the face, and then handed over to the authorities for investigation."

He paused, then turned his gaze to his servant outside the door.

"Shall we do it, you or me?"

The servant was an old servant of the Pei family. Upon hearing this, he immediately understood, rolled up his sleeves, and came forward.

Zhao De panicked completely. He knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly to Pei Zhihui.

"Second Master, spare me! Second Master, spare me! I'll never dare to do it again! I was just confused for a moment..."

Pei Zhihui didn't even glance at him, but only said to the servant, "Send him to the county office and hand him over to Magistrate Shen. Tell Magistrate Shen that the Pei family has cleansed itself up, and there are witnesses and physical evidence. Please ask him to punish him severely according to the law."

"yes!"

Zhao De was dragged out by the servant like a lump of mud, still begging for mercy incoherently.

The room returned to silence.

The tenants were stunned by what they saw; their faces showed shock, relief, and a hint of bewilderment.

Shen Qiongju stood up, walked in front of them, and her gentle smile returned to her face.

"Fellow villagers, I'm sorry to have caused you all this trouble."

She gave a curtsy, her voice gentle yet firm.

"From this day forward, I will take over this estate. All old leases are hereby void."

Upon hearing this, everyone held their breath.

"There are three new rules."

"First, land rent will be reduced to 40%, and may be further reduced if there is a disaster year."

Upon hearing this, a collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Forty percent rent—in Wuxian, this was an unthinkable act of kindness.

"Secondly, a public warehouse will be set up in the village to purchase seeds and farm tools in a unified manner, distribute them as needed, only calculate the cost, and deduct it from the harvest at the end of the year."

"Third..." Shen Qiong paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone, "I know that relying solely on farming will still make life difficult for everyone."

"After spring, I will open a distillery in the village. During the off-season, everyone can work at the distillery, and wages will be settled daily without delay."

"In this way, we can have an extra source of income and avoid running out of money. Especially now, my family's winery is short-handed. Anyone who wants to come can sign up with my assistant, Shen Song."

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Everyone stared at her in a daze, as if listening to a dream that was far beyond their reach.

After a long pause, the third uncle finally spoke in a trembling voice, "Young...Young Madam, what you said...is it all true?"

"Of course it's true," Shen Qiongju said with a smile. "If Third Uncle doesn't believe me, we can draw up a written agreement right now."

"We believe! We believe!"

Someone shouted first, and then all the tenants in the courtyard knelt down with a thud.

"Thank you, young mistress!"

"The young mistress is a living bodhisattva!"

Suppressed sobs and grateful kowtows mingled together.

Shen Qiongju quickly had her third uncle help everyone up, and then offered a few words of comfort.

They rushed to register with Shen Song before being allowed to disperse, and were told to report to the winery early the next morning.

The storm has thus subsided.

Only a few of them remained in the courtyard.

Shen Qiongju walked up to Zhang Yan, who had been standing in the corner, squatted down, and looked him in the eye.

"You dared to go to court to seek justice for your father; you're very brave." She looked into the boy's eyes. "What's your name?"

"...Zhang Yan." The boy pursed his lips, his voice still a little hoarse.

"Have you been to school?"

Zhang Yan shook his head, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes.

Shen Qiongju smiled, stood up, and turned to look at Pei Zhihui.

"Zhihui, what do you think of this child? It just so happens that you need a pageboy."

Pei Zhihui's gaze fell on Zhang Yan, and he sized him up for a moment.

Although the boy was dressed in rags, his back was straight and his eyes were stubborn; he was a man of principle.

"It's acceptable," he said calmly.

Shen Qiongju said to Zhang Yan, "Would you like to follow this Second Master Pei? He is well-read and knowledgeable. Following him will not only allow you to learn to read and write, but you may also have a bright future."

Zhang Yan suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He looked at the frail, aloof young man, then at the gentle, smiling woman before him. Finally, he knelt down heavily and kowtowed to Pei Zhihui.

"I, Zhang Yan, am willing to follow you, sir!"

Pei Zhihui remained silent, which was taken as tacit approval.

On the return journey by mule cart, the atmosphere remained silent.

After a long while, Pei Zhihui suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of inquiry.

"Sister-in-law, you were both kind and strict today, and you acted swiftly and decisively. I have truly been impressed by you."

He paused, his gaze falling on her slightly lowered profile, trying to find some flaw in her calm and expressionless face.

"However," he changed the subject, his tone full of inquiry, "I remember when you first came to the Pei family, your aunt asked you to try managing the household's daily expenses. You often made mistakes even in the simplest accounts, and the old women below laughed at you for it."

Shen Qiongju paused almost imperceptibly in the movement of her fingertips.