Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

"In that case, let's divorce Pei's eldest daughter-in-law from the Pei family. Since she's not a member of the Pei family, it's fine if she runs away." Pei Junlan's tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

"No, she is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Pei family, who is registered in the family genealogy, and must abide by the Pei family rules," Pei Shoulian insisted.

The young Pei Zhiyan was indignant: "We can't let her go out and continue flirting with other women. It's a disgrace to the Pei family."

Pei Zhihui gave the boy a single glance, and the boy immediately shut up.

Aunt Pei sighed softly, "Let Zhi Chao be laid to rest first."

.

On a barren slope on the outskirts of the city, a thin coffin was laid to rest. There was no ceremony, only a few members of the Pei clan.

Pei Zhihui knelt before the grave, his thin shoulders trembling slightly in the cold wind, yet he knelt upright.

"Zhi Chao was a tough guy." Pei Shoulian said, tears streaming down his face, his voice choked with emotion, "He didn't admit it, he refused to admit it even in death!"

This is both a source of comfort and boundless pain.

It was precisely because they refused to acknowledge him that they were tortured to death; and it was precisely because they refused to acknowledge him that the Pei family members were given a glimmer of hope.

Those who collude with the enemy and betray their country will have their entire clan implicated.

No wonder Grandfather is unwilling to hand over the blueprints; those blueprints are the key to your father and the Pei family clearing their names and returning to the capital.

Seven years ago, the Pei family was involved in a case involving the leak of weapons depot blueprints. Some members were dismissed from their posts, while others were exiled. After arriving in the northern border, only one in ten of the family members survived.

We can't just let this go.

At this moment, the boy named Pei Zhiyan came running down the mountain, his face pale, and before he could even stand properly, he said urgently:

"Clan leader, something terrible has happened! News has come from the county government that they are preparing to arrest the remaining male members of our Pei family, especially our cousin Zhihui, on the grounds of 'assisting in the investigation and remaining suspicions'..."

They said they would "interrogate him thoroughly!"

"What?!" Pei Junlan's vision went black, and she almost fainted.

Pei Shoulian's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Detailed interrogation"?

Everyone knows what kind of place that is! Once inside, you're bound to be subjected to all sorts of torture.

Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of the dead man's mouth, Wen Xiujie was about to pry open a hole in the living man's mouth.

"This is outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous!"

Pei Shoulian sat on the ground, his hand gripping his cane trembling violently, his chest heaving. "What sins did my Pei family commit in our past lives to deserve this utter extermination!"

Pei Zhihui, who had been kneeling silently before the grave, slowly stood up.

He turned to Pei Zhiyan, who had brought the news, and asked in a low, hoarse voice, "Is the news accurate? Is there any official document from the government?"

Pei Zhiyan was startled by his overly calm gaze and quickly replied, "The news leaked from a clerk in the county government office, so it should be true."

"The official statement is that 'relatives involved in the case need to be isolated for questioning.' It seems that the official document hasn't been issued yet, and Wen Xiujie is urging the county magistrate to request approval."

Pei Zhihui spoke in a low voice, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "That's enough."

.

The next day, Wen Xiujie was rebuffed at the county government office.

Magistrate Zhang, speaking in an official tone, said that the matter of arresting people still needed to be "carefully considered and the procedures completed," and told him to be patient.

Wen Xiujie returned to his villa in the city, his face so dark it could drip water. He was seething with anger.

He never expected that the sickly Pei family member could actually persuade that slippery Magistrate Zhang!

The path to getting the Pei family to sign the agreement has been temporarily blocked.

His gaze swept darkly across the table, where a silver hairpin he had pulled from Shen Qiongju's hair lay.

Shen Qiongju...

Wen Xiujie tapped his fingers on the table unconsciously.

After a long while, a cruel and cold smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"Someone come here," he called out in a deep voice.

A trusted bodyguard entered in response.

"Go to Shen Family Tavern in the south of the city and find that old man named Shen Huaifeng." Wen Xiujie's voice was calm and even, yet it carried a chilling undertone.

"Find a pretext... say he's suspected of smuggling government-owned salt, and have him arrested and thrown into the county jail. No need to go through Magistrate Zhang, just have our men lock him up directly."

He paused, then added, "Remember, take one of his belongings and send it as fast as you can to Shen Qiongju's lodging in the prefectural city."

The guard understood immediately, "Understood!"

.

These past few days, I haven't received any response to the letter I sent to my father.

The ominous premonition in Shen Qiongju's heart grew stronger with each sunrise and sunset.

Although her father was obsessed with brewing wine, he was by no means someone who would cause her worry.

In the past, no matter how busy I was, I would always send a reply as soon as I received her letter, even if it was just a few words to let her know I was safe.

This time, it's too unusual.

Life in Liangzhou City was unsettlingly peaceful, but Shen Qiongju felt inexplicably anxious about the delayed reply.

She became restless and would go to the familiar grocery store at the street corner every day to inquire, but there was no news.

That afternoon, she had just returned from the grocery store and stepped into the courtyard when she saw Granny Wang anxiously waiting at the door, holding a wooden box about half a foot square in her hands.

The wooden box was crudely made, with burrs on the edges, and looked like it had been nailed together haphazardly.

When Granny Wang saw her, she immediately hurried over, handed her the box, and pointed outside, gesturing that a man had delivered it.

Shen Qiongju's heart sank.

She took the wooden box; it felt quite heavy. There was no signature on it, only a folded letter tucked into the seam of the lid.

She opened the letter.

The handwriting on the letter was unrestrained and carried a sense of arrogance; it was Wen Xiujie's handwriting.

The letter was simple, yet every word was piercing.

"Madam Pei, your father is a guest in the Wu County prison and misses you very much. He has brought a small gift to ease his longing. If you wish to know that your father is well, please come to my residence tomorrow at noon. I will not wait for you after that time."

A small gift?

Shen Qiongju's breath hitched. She stared intently at the wooden box in her hand, a chill running from her feet straight to the top of her head.

She lifted the rough lid of the box.

"Clang—"

The wooden box slipped from her hands and fell heavily onto the bluestone slab with a dull thud.

The contents of the box rolled out.

That was a severed finger.

The bloodstains were half-dried, turning a dark brown, and congealed on the pale skin and neatly trimmed nails. At the severed base of the finger, the flesh was torn and rolled back, a gruesome sight.

Shen Qiongju recognized it; it was her father's finger. His left little finger had a shallow vertical line on its nail because it had been injured by a wine jar when he was an apprentice in his early years.

"ah--!"

Shen Qiongju's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground.

Her vision went black for a moment, and the whole world seemed to spin.

All she could hear were Granny Wang's frantic gestures and anxious sobs, but she could neither hear nor see anything.

All that remained in my field of vision was that lone, severed finger and that poisoned letter.

Wen Xiujie!

It's him!

In this life, she refused to give false testimony, so he arrested her father to threaten her!

"Grandma..." She grabbed Grandma Wang's clothes, tears streaming down her face, "My father is in an accident... I have to go back."

Grandma Wang couldn't hear her voice, but she could see the pain on her face. The old woman panicked and could only pat her back repeatedly, trying to comfort her.

But this attempt to appease them had no effect.

Shen Qiongju crawled on all fours to the severed finger, carefully picked it up, and tremblingly wiped the dust off it with her sleeve.

The cold touch sent shivers down her spine.

We must go back immediately to save my father!

She staggered to her feet, went back inside to pack her bundle, and then went out into the courtyard, where she flagged down a carriage on the street.

"To Wuxian!" She pulled out the loose silver coins from her pocket. "Hurry!"

The driver was startled by her dark, gloomy face and bloodshot eyes, and hesitated before saying, "Get in."

The carriage sped along the official road, traveling through the night, and finally arrived in Wu County the next morning.

"Miss, we've arrived."