Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

In this area, only Zhao Qiyan's name can currently command respect.

The lobby was deathly silent. Zhao Meng's expression changed.

Clearly, he had also heard of that troublemaker's reputation.

But soon he laughed again, "Young Marquis? He's a nobleman from the capital, far from the emperor's reach. What business is it of his in Wu County?"

"Besides, this is General Hu's order! Even if you were the young marquis's partner, or even if the Heavenly King himself came, I would arrest this man today!"

"take away!"

Two fierce soldiers rushed up and grabbed Shen Qiongju's arms from both sides.

The cold iron chains clicked sharply as they locked onto my wrist.

"Qiongju!"

Shen Huaifeng, his eyes red with anger, was about to fight back when Zhao Meng kicked him to the ground.

"You old fool, if you dare to obstruct me again, I'll arrest you too!"

"Dad! Don't move!"

Shen Qiongju turned around, looked at her father lying on the ground, her eyes red, but her voice was unusually sharp, "I'll go with them! Don't move!"

She knew that the Hu family was after Qionghua Pavilion, or perhaps they were after the money.

She won't die as long as she hasn't gotten her hands on the item.

But if the father confronts them head-on, these thugs really will kill.

"take away!"

Shen Qiongju was pushed out the door, and the wind and snow hit her face, stinging her.

She glanced back; the golden signboard of Qionghua Pavilion swayed precariously in the wind and snow, and two seals were crossed on the door, like a giant fork, negating all her efforts.

That is power.

Faced with absolute power, her business acumen, which she was so proud of, proved as fragile as paper.

……

Pei Residence.

The charcoal fire was burning brightly in the study. Pei Zhihui held a book in his hands, but did not turn the page for a long time.

"Second Master."

Pei An hurriedly pushed the door open and came in, bringing with him a gust of cold wind.

Something's happened.

Pei Zhihui didn't even lift his eyelids. "Speak."

"Something's happened to the Shen family. General Hu sealed off Qionghua Pavilion, saying there was something wrong with the wine, and... he arrested the young mistress and threw her into jail."

"Thud." The book was thrown onto the table.

Pei Zhihui raised his head, his narrow eyes filled with an unfathomable darkness.

A cold, unfeeling smile played on his lips as he muttered to himself, "Isn't Zhao Qiyan a shareholder? Why isn't that young marquis coming to the rescue now?"

Pei An lowered his head, not daring to reply.

The second master's words were filled with bitterness and murderous intent.

Pei Zhihui stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the dark night outside. "That good-for-nothing Hu Yuqing ruined his health by drinking and womanizing, and he still dares to blame it on the Pei family."

His voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling coldness that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Prepare the car."

Pei An was taken aback: "Where is Second Master going? To the prison?"

"Go to the county government office first."

Pei Zhihui put on his cloak, his long, strong fingers holding the ties.

"Since the Hu family wants to play, then I'll play along with them."

He turned around, a hint of violence flashing in his eyes.

.

The air in the prison was rotten.

It smelled of moldy straw, piled-up excrement, and fermented stale blood.

Shen Qiongju was taken to a solitary cell without interrogation or court appearance.

It seems the other party just wanted to leave her there and let her break down in fear.

"Go in!"

The jailer gave her a rough shove, and Shen Qiongju stumbled and fell onto the damp ground, her knee hitting the stone slab with excruciating pain.

The iron gate slammed shut, the sound of the lock echoing in the empty passageway like a death knell from hell.

A deathly silence fell over the surroundings, with only the occasional groans of prisoners coming from afar.

Shen Qiongju curled up in the corner, hugging her knees tightly with both hands.

cold, so cold.

This coldness is not only due to the harsh winter, but also to the indelible fear deep in my memory.

In her past life, she died in a place like this.

It wasn't a dry prison, it was a water prison.

At that time, Pei Zhihui already held immense power in the court.

He took her back, but instead of killing her immediately, he imprisoned her in a water dungeon.

The sewage was up to my chest, and countless leeches and rats swam around me.

She stayed there for a full seven days.

The skin and flesh were ulcerated, and the patient was confused.

Finally, she breathed her last in extreme pain and despair.

At this moment, that feeling of suffocation returned.

Shen Qiongju trembled all over, her teeth chattering.

She seemed to feel those cold, slippery things crawling on her legs again, sewage filling her mouth and nose, and her lungs burning with pain.

"No...no..."

She muttered to herself, her nails digging deep into the flesh of her palms, trying to use the pain to wake herself up.

This is the Wuxian Prison, not the water prison of my previous life.

Pei Zhihui had not yet become prime minister, and he had not yet come to kill him.

But... what if the Hu family really decides to use torture?

If they really torture themselves to death, Shen Mo should be able to stop them, right?

In the darkness, time becomes meaningless.

After an unknown amount of time, footsteps came from the end of the passageway, unhurried, steady, and powerful.

That was the sound of boots stepping on stone slabs, each step feeling like it was stepping on one's heart.

Shen Qiongju raised her head, and the light of the torch gradually drew closer, dispelling the darkness before her.

The figure stretched long in the firelight, tall and thin, exuding a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay. It was neither a jailer nor Hu Biao.

It was Pei Zhihui.

The light and shadows flickered, and footsteps stopped in front of the prison door.

Shen Qiongju struggled to lift her head, and against the light, she saw a patch of snow-white that shouldn't be there.

Pei Zhihui stood outside the fence, his pristine white brocade robe a stark contrast to the moldy, stinking prison cell. Behind him followed a middle-aged man in official robes, his face thin and his eyes shrewd; this was Shen Mo, the magistrate of Wu County.

"Is this what you meant by 'all taken care of'?"

Pei Zhihui's voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling undertone. He covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, his gaze sweeping with disgust over the pile of blackened straw on the ground before finally settling on Shen Qiongju, who was huddled in the corner.

Shen Mo helplessly spread his hands: "Second Brother, this is a prison, not your Pei family's warm pavilion. This is already a 'top-class' room. There are no rats and no puddles. Compared to the water dungeons for death row inmates, this is simply a superior room."

Upon hearing the words "water dungeon," Shen Qiongju trembled violently, her pupils shrinking sharply.

Pei Zhihui keenly sensed her fear. His eyes darkened, and he ignored Shen Mo, directly instructing Pei An behind him, "Go in and change everything."

The cell door was opened.

There was no interrogation, no instruments of torture.

Several nimble servants filed in and, as if by magic, cleared away the pile of moldy straw, laid out a thick woolen blanket, brought in a cushioned armchair, and even lit a cold incense burner in the corner.

The originally gloomy and terrifying cell instantly became strangely cozy.

Shen Qiongju stared blankly at all of this until Pei Zhihui walked up to her and frowned at her.

"stand up."

Shen Qiongju leaned against the wall, trying to stand up, but her legs were too weak.

Pei Zhihui frowned, reached out and grabbed her wrist through her sleeve, lifted her up and pressed her onto the cushioned chair.

"Uncle... Uncle?" Her voice trembled, whether from cold or fear, she didn't know.