Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

"This lady." Shen Qiongju stood at the bottom of the steps, her voice not loud, but as cold and desolate as the falling snow.

"Your man embezzled the master's money and is now a prisoner. This estate belongs to the Pei family, not to that manager. If you really want to die, I can't stop you, but the blood splattered here will bring bad luck to this land, and your child will have to watch his mother die."

The woman froze, then subconsciously turned to look at a little girl huddled behind the threshold.

Shen Qiongju ignored her and turned to look at the foreign woman hanging on the white silk.

"And you, if that stool were kicked over, your tongue would stick out and your eyes would pop out of their sockets in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea—a truly gruesome death. With your beauty, are you really willing to do that?"

The foreign woman trembled, and the stool beneath her feet wobbled, but she ultimately didn't dare to kick it out.

Seeing this, Shen Qiongju chuckled and instructed Shen Song, "Go, bring two chairs and invite these two concubines to sit down. Since they don't want to die, let's talk about how to live."

After a cup of tea, inside the main hall.

The fire in the charcoal brazier was reignited.

The woman with the scissors was named Cui Ya. She was originally the daughter of a tenant farmer in the area, but the foreman forcibly took her as a concubine. The woman from another ethnic group was named Suolan. She was a Qiang woman who had been sold to this area by slave traders in her early years and eventually ended up in the foreman's hands.

Both of them had their heads down, looking somewhat awkward. The suicidal urge they had just displayed had long since dissipated under Shen Qiongju's eyes, which seemed to see right through people.

Neither of them intended to die like that; they just wanted to scare away the people who had driven them out of the house.

"Tell me, why don't you leave?" Shen Qiongju held her teacup and gently skimmed off the foam. "Now that the manager is in jail, if you leave, you'll be able to keep yourselves from starving, as long as you're physically fit."

"You won't starve?" Cui Ya sneered, raising her head with eyes full of resentment. "Miss, you're a rich girl, how could you know our suffering? If I go back to my parents' home, my greedy parents could easily sell me into a brothel to pay for drinks. With a child, where else can I go besides here?"

Solan also whispered, "I am a Qiang person, without a household registration. If I leave this door, I will be taken by the government to be forced into prostitution, or I will be sold again."

Shen Qiongju nodded and put down her teacup.

"Since you have nowhere to go, you might as well stay and work for me."

The two of them looked up abruptly, their faces filled with disbelief.

"You... what did you say?" Cui Ya's eyes widened. "We're the ones in charge, aren't you going to hold a grudge against us because of our connections?"

"I only care if it's useful." Shen Qiongju's gaze fell on Suolan. "You're a Qiang person, do you know how to dance the Hu Xuan dance?"

Solan paused for a moment, then nodded subconsciously. "Yes... I learned it when I was little, but I haven't danced it in a long time."

"You're still in shape, you can practice a bit." Shen Qiongju looked her up and down.

"My tavern will open in a few days, and we need a star performer. If you're willing, you can dance on stage from now on. Food and lodging are included, and you'll receive two taels of silver per month. If customers tip, we'll split it 70/30, you get 70% and I get 30%."

Solan's eyes lit up instantly.

In this world, two taels of silver was the monthly salary of a first-class maid in a wealthy family, not to mention the share of tips.

"I do!" she blurted out, then hesitated, "But... to be in public..."

"We can't even survive, what do we care about saving face?" Shen Qiongju said indifferently. "Besides, we're jumping around on my turf, no one dares to lay a hand on us."

Having dealt with one, Shen Qiongju then looked at Cui Ya.

"As for you..."

"I can do the math!" Cui Ya blurted out, her feisty edge returning.

"That damned manager is a complete incompetent. For the past two years, I've been secretly handling all the accounts for him. And I know exactly who the tenants are—who's diligent and who's lazy!"

Shen Qiongju was somewhat surprised. She had only intended for this woman to do some manual labor, but she hadn't expected her to be such a hidden talent.

How many characters do you know?

"I secretly studied with the village tutor for a few years, and I can recognize most common characters." Cui Ya straightened her back. "As long as you give me food, a place to live, and don't let my daughter be sold, I'd sell my life for you!"

Shen Qiongju smiled.

Cui Ya is feisty and knowledgeable about accounts, making her perfect for keeping things under control.

Taverns are places where all sorts of people mingle, and without a capable female manager, they really can't be kept in check.

"Okay." Shen Qiongju took out two pre-prepared contracts from her sleeve. They were originally intended for Chunxing and Da Niu, but could be modified to be used now.

"Once you sign this contract, you'll be a member of the Shen family. The Pei family will be moving to the estate in a few days, so you'll be responsible for clearing out this courtyard and cleaning it up. Once the tavern is repaired, you can start working there."

Cui Ya and Suolan exchanged a glance, and without saying a word, they picked up pens and pressed their fingerprints on them.

The two women, who had just been on the verge of death, now had tears welling up in their eyes as they looked at the contract. It was the joy of escaping death.

Shen Qiongju put away the contract and walked out of the main hall.

The snowstorm seemed to have subsided a bit.

Shen Song followed behind, unable to resist giving a thumbs up. "Sis, you're amazing! Just a moment ago you were about to hang yourself, and now you're practically begging to be kowtowing to you. That's what you call... what's it again?"

"Make the most of everything." Shen Qiongju tightened her cloak. "There are no useless people in this world, only talented people in the wrong place."

She glanced back at Cui Ya, who was directing the maids to tidy up the room, and Solan, who was trying to get a feel for things by turning around in circles under the corridor.

A signboard featuring a talented singer and dancer, and a shrewd and ruthless manager.

Add to that rectified spirits and card games.

Her money-spending den is now fully staffed.

.

Liangzhou Prefecture City, behind Luming Academy, Sixue Cliff.

This is a desolate place. It is surrounded by cliffs on three sides, connected to the outside world only by an iron suspension bridge, where the howling wind sounds like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.

A few thatched huts stood forlornly on the cliff top, surrounded by a tightly enclosed fence.

Pei Zhihui sat by the window, wrapped in two thick cloaks, holding a hand warmer that had long since lost its warmth.

The teacher said that he was not focused on his studies and punished him by making him stay at the Si Xue Cliff to reflect on his mistakes.

Not only did he have to memorize the vast amount of coursework he had missed during this period, but there was also a whole page of policy essay questions on the side, and he could only leave the Cliff of Repentance when he finished writing them.

"Cough cough..."

Pei Zhihui coughed twice, his pale fingertips tracing across the yellowed pages of the book.

A grayish carrier pigeon flew through the wind and snow, flapped its wings, landed on the window frame, and cooed as it pecked at the window paper.

Pei Zhihui's eyes flickered slightly as he untied the bamboo tube from the pigeon's leg.

Unfold the letter, and familiar handwriting comes into view.

It's Shen Mo.

The letter was long, and the handwriting was somewhat messy, clearly written in a hurry.

Pei Zhihui scanned the text quickly, and a layer of frost gradually settled on his originally calm face.

The Pei family's old house was almost taken away.

The official in charge of the government office, surnamed Liu, was holding a suspicious contract and was about to kick the Pei family out.

Pei Zhihui's fingers tightened suddenly as he gripped the letter, his knuckles turning bluish-white.

He was arrogant and intelligent from a young age, but dared not get involved in money matters or trivial affairs.

His aunt and brother used to take care of all the household affairs, and he had very bad luck with money since childhood; you could even say he was extremely unlucky.

He always loses his purse when he goes out to buy books, and the business he handles has an extremely high loss rate.

His family was aware of this problem and never allowed him to interfere with the family's assets, in order to avoid excessive losses.

There's nothing else to it, the main issue is whether I've actually gotten my hands on it.

Unexpectedly, someone exploited a loophole in such an important matter as the property deed.

The style of the letter changes abruptly in the latter half.