Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

The air inside the ancestral hall seemed to freeze instantly.

Pei Junlan stopped spinning the prayer beads in her hand, frowned, and apologized, "What did you say? She went to the Wen residence?"

"Absolutely true!" Pei Zhiyan nodded vigorously. "I saw it clearly. She came out of the back gate of the Wen residence, and an old woman was smiling as she saw her off. She didn't seem to be forced at all."

Pei Shoulian's face instantly turned ashen, and he slammed his cane heavily on the ground.

"Excellent! Shen Qiongju is truly remarkable!"

"She actually dared to collude with Wen Xiujie."

"Zhiyan, take your men and bring her back immediately!" He turned to Pei Zhiyan, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger. "I want to see what she has to say next!"

Pei Zhiyan immediately responded and turned to leave.

Pei Zhihui, sitting to the side, trembled; he had overlooked something.

"Wait," he called out to Pei Zhiyan.

He suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but it made everyone stop what they were doing, "Wen Xiujie hasn't touched us yet, not because he's suddenly become kind."

Pei Zhihui turned to Pei Shoulian, "It's not because he found a better breakthrough."

"What do you mean?" Pei Shoulian frowned.

Pei Zhihui's gaze fell on Pei Zhiyan, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"You said Shen Qiongju went to the Wen residence today?"

"Yes! I saw it with my own eyes!" Pei Zhiyan patted his chest to assure him.

"Have you ever thought about why she went there?" Pei Zhihui approached him step by step, his voice growing colder and colder. "She's a weak woman, all alone out there. If Wen Xiujie wanted to capture her, it would be as easy as turning his hand."

"But he didn't."

"Instead, he let her come to him of her own accord."

Pei Zhiyan took a step back under his gaze, his voice trembling slightly.

"So what? Maybe she wanted to go herself!"

"She wants to go herself?" Pei Zhihui sneered. "If she really wanted to curry favor with Wen Xiujie, why would she have fled Wu County overnight? She could have gone directly to Wen Xiujie's residence. Why would she be afraid of our Pei family capturing her and drowning her?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"Wen Xiujie must have taken something to threaten her."

Pei Junlan was startled. "Shen Huaifeng!"

Pei Zhihui nodded.

"The Shen family consists of only the father and daughter, who depend on each other for survival. If Wen Xiujie wants to make Shen Qiongju submit, the simplest way is to arrest her father."

Pei Shoulian's expression changed several times before finally settling into a long sigh.

"So what do we do now?"

Pei Zhihui did not answer, but turned around and strode outside.

"Zhihui, where are you going so late?" Pei Junlan pressed.

"The Shen family."

Without turning his head, his voice carried on the night wind, and then he quickened his pace and disappeared into the night.

.

South of Wuxian County, the Shen family residence.

Pei Zhihui pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate. The courtyard was a mess, with broken wine jars scattered on the ground and a sour, rotten smell of wine filling the air.

He frowned and strode towards the main house.

The door was ajar, and faint groans could be heard from inside.

Pei Zhihui's heart tightened, and he rushed inside.

In the dimly lit room, Shen Huaifeng lay on the bed, his face pale and his forehead covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

His left hand was wrapped in thick strips of cloth, and blood had seeped through several layers.

At the bedside, Shen Qiongju knelt down, carefully feeding her father his medicine.

Her eyes were swollen and red, clearly from crying for a long time.

Hearing footsteps, she turned around abruptly.

She froze the moment she saw Pei Zhihui.

In those swollen, red eyes, first flashed instinctive terror, then guilt, and finally a resigned helplessness of giving up.

"Uncle's here!"

Her voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, with a strong nasal tone.

Pei Zhihui didn't speak, but walked to the bedside and glanced at Shen Huaifeng's bandaged hand.

"What do Uncle Shen's hands look like?"

Shen Qiongju held back the tears welling up in her eyes and said, "We just had the necrotic tissue scraped off. The doctor said that if we had come any later, we might not have been able to save the whole hand..."

Pei Zhihui was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke, "What did Wen Xiujie ask you to do?"

Shen Qiongju's body trembled. "I..."

"He asked you to testify that your brother colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, didn't he?" Pei Zhihui interrupted her, his voice eerily calm.

Shen Qiongju suddenly raised her head and looked at him in disbelief.

"How...how did you know?"

Pei Zhihui did not answer, but instead took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, poured out a few pills, and handed them to her.

"Give this to your father; it will relieve his pain."

Shen Qiongju took the pills with trembling hands, struggled to feed them to her father, and then slumped down on the footstool.

"I didn't mean to, I really didn't want to sign, but my father..."

Pei Zhihui looked at her, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

After a long while, he squatted down and reached out to press his hand on her shoulder.

"You signed it?"

Shen Qiongju froze, tears blurring her vision.

Pei Zhihui's fingers tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white.

After a long while, Shen Qiongju wiped away her tears, stood up with the support of the bedside, and said with a forced smile, "Tomorrow at noon, Wen Xiujie will ask me to go to court again to testify publicly. I will recant my testimony and deny that I signed the document."

She paused, looking into Pei Zhihui's eyes, "But if I don't come back, I'll have to trouble you to take care of my father."

Pei Zhihui did not agree, but turned and walked outside.

He suddenly stopped when he reached the door.

"Sister-in-law."

His voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling undertone.

"Tomorrow in court, you only need to do one thing."

Shen Qiongju held her breath, waiting for him to continue.

"Do as I tell you to do next."

Pei Zhihui stood at the door, his back so thin it seemed as if he were about to be swallowed by the night.

"Do as you say?"

Shen Qiongju was puzzled. "But I've already signed it, and my fingerprint is on that document..."

Pei Zhihui turned around, his dark eyes gleaming coldly in the dim light.

"So what if I sign it?"

He went back inside, sat down at the table, and tapped his long, slender fingers lightly on the surface.

"Wen Xiujie is holding your signature simply to solidify the charge of treason against his elder brother in court."

But he forgot one thing.

Shen Qiongju stared at him blankly.

Pei Zhihui raised his eyes, a cold smile curving his lips.

"His torture of your father and his unauthorized establishment of a court are serious crimes in themselves."

"You're not going to testify against my brother in court tomorrow at noon."

He paused, then lowered his voice considerably, "You went to file a complaint against Wen Xiujie."

Shen Qiongju's pupils suddenly dilated.

"Sue him?"

"right."

Pei Zhihui stood up, walked to the bedside, and glanced at the unconscious Shen Huaifeng.

"The lawsuit alleges that Wen Xiujie abused his power, detained civilians, and used vigilante justice."

"Your father's severed finger is the best evidence."

Shen Qiongju's hands clenched the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white. "But, but Wen Xiujie is a commander of a thousand households. How could Magistrate Zhang possibly convict him?"

"Magistrate Zhang will," Pei Zhihui interrupted her, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his eyes.

"He cherishes his official reputation more than anyone else, so you don't need to worry about that."

Pei Zhihui didn't explain, but continued, "And another thing..."

His gaze fell on her red and swollen eyes, and he softened his voice.

"Tomorrow in court, if Xiujie mentions my brother's treasonous act, you must say you know nothing about it."

"Just focus on the fact that he used torture to extract a confession; I'll handle the rest."

Looking at the sickly young man before her, Shen Qiongju felt as if she were seeing the powerful Prime Minister Pei from her past life.

The same composure, the same meticulous planning.

"Sister-in-law?"

Pei Zhihui's voice pulled her back to reality.

Shen Qiongju snapped out of her daze and nodded. "I...I understand."

Pei Zhihui gave her a deep look, then turned and left.