Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

The night was so thick it seemed impossible to see through, and in the Pei residence's study, the charcoal fire occasionally crackled softly.

Pei Zhihui sat at the desk, the red burn marks on the back of his hand untreated, their vibrant color strikingly unsightly.

There were several small paper packets in front of him.

Pei An stood below, not daring to utter a sound.

When the Second Master returned, he didn't say a word. He simply had someone go to the pharmacy to get a few extremely rare medicinal herbs, which he then personally ground into powder. His movements were slow and deliberate, as elegant as if he were blending perfume, but Pei An felt a chill run down his spine.

"Recently, Hu Yuzhen has been staying at the General's Mansion for a while. Every day at dawn, the Hu family's purchasing staff will go to 'Zui Hongyan' to pick up the newly ordered rouge for this season."

Pei Zhihui's voice was very soft, with a hint of barely perceptible hoarseness.

He pushed the paper package over, "Mix this in."

Pei An was taken aback: "Second Master, is this poison?"

"Poison?" Pei Zhihui's lips curled into a mocking smile, but his eyes were filled with a deathly coldness.

"A life for a life. How could I let the Pei family get involved in a murder case?"

His long, slender fingers tapped lightly on the table. "This is powder made from lacquer tree bark, mixed with a little bit of itching powder from southern Xinjiang. It's non-toxic, but no one in the world can detect it."

"It just causes some red rashes after being exposed to heat, and it's a little... itchy."

Pei An stared at the paper package, his scalp tingling. The "slightly" that the Second Master mentioned could probably make someone's skin crawl.

"Since they say my sister-in-law's wine is poisoned, then I'll confirm that it's poisoned."

Pei Zhihui lowered his eyelids slightly, concealing the surging ferocity in his eyes.

"Go ahead. Since Hu Yuzhen loves beauty so much, I'll grant her a grand dream."

.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Before the morning market in Wuxian County had fully come alive, a rumor spread like wildfire through the streets and alleys.

"Have you heard? The wine at Qionghua Pavilion uses a secret imperial recipe!"

"What secret recipe? Wasn't it supposed to be poisonous?"

"That's because General Hu doesn't know what he's doing! That's called 'detoxification'! That 'youth-preserving wine' is very potent; it has to be taken with Manager Shen's specially made 'detoxifying cake'."

"What if you didn't eat that pastry?"

"Oh dear, that would be terrible! Within three days, your face will be covered in red spots, followed by pus and ulceration, until finally your entire face rots away, leaving only bone!"

"Really?"

"Why would I lie to you! My second great-uncle's neighbor works at the General's mansion, and I heard that Miss Hu started scratching her face last night!"

The rumors grew increasingly bizarre as they spread.

.

The General's Mansion, the Embroidered Pavilion.

The sun was high in the sky, and the warm room was filled with a sweet, cloying fragrance.

Hu Yuzhen was awakened by the itch.

The itch wasn't just on the surface of the skin; it felt like countless ants were crawling into the flesh through the pores and gnawing into the bones.

"Cui'er! Cui'er!"

She groaned twice in frustration and reached up to scratch her cheek.

The fingernail scratched across the skin, causing a burning sting, but it did nothing to relieve the excruciating itch.

Cui'er came in carrying a copper basin. As soon as she looked up, the basin in her hand crashed to the ground with a loud bang.

Water splashed everywhere.

"Miss...Miss! Your face!"

Cui'er was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground, pointing at Hu Yuzhen's face with eyes full of terror.

Hu Yuzhen's heart skipped a beat.

She rushed barefoot to the dressing table without even putting on her shoes.

The bronze mirror reflected a face that was once beautiful but was now hideous and terrifying.

On his left cheek, three or four red spots, each the size of a coin, appeared. They were bright red and swollen.

Because of that scratch, one of them has broken the skin and is oozing some yellow fluid.

"ah--!"

A piercing scream nearly lifted the roof off.

That was her most prized face!

"How could this happen... how could this happen!"

Hu Yuzhen reached out with trembling hands to touch it, but dared not touch it, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Just then, the sound of two maids whispering came from outside the door.

"This is terrifying. It seems the rumors outside are true..."

"Yes, I heard that if there's no antidote for the wine from Qionghua Pavilion, your face will rot away..."

Antidote!

Qionghua Pavilion!

Hu Yuzhen turned her head sharply, her eyes bloodshot, and she no longer had any semblance of a well-bred young lady.

She grabbed the scissors on the table and rushed out like a madwoman.

Inside the study.

Hu Biao was frowning as he listened to his subordinates report on the proceeds from the seizure of Qionghua Pavilion.

"father!"

The door was violently kicked open.

Hu Yuzhen burst in with disheveled hair, holding a pair of scissors to her own neck.

"Zhen'er? What are you doing?"

Hu Biao was startled, and when he saw the red spots on his daughter's face, he gasped in shock.

"The antidote! Give me the antidote!"

Hu Yuzhen cried her heart out, "Did you deliberately leave the antidote out so you could take over the Shen family's shop?"

"What antidote? That was a setup to frame the Shen family; there was no poison at all!"

Hu Biao was so anxious that he kept slamming his fist on the table.

"No poison? Then why is my face so rotten?"

Hu Yuzhen pointed to her face, her voice shrill and piercing, "It's all over the place! Without the Shen family's secret antidote, this face will rot to the bone!"

"Father, I only have this one face! If it's ruined, I'll die right here!"

As he spoke, the scissors pierced the skin of his neck, and blood seeped out.

Hu Biao panicked completely.

He only has one precious daughter, and he never gives her anything she asks for.

If he really forced his daughter to her death over a few shops, wouldn't the Hu family line end?

"No! Don't move!"

Hu Biao was covered in sweat. "Father, send someone to the jail right away! Go interrogate that Shen woman!"

"Wow!"

Hu Yuzhen wiped away her tears, her eyes filled with resentment.

"I'll go ask for it myself! If she doesn't give it to me, I'll slash her face!"

.

Deep inside the prison.

The nauseating stench was largely masked by the styrax in the incense burner.

Shen Qiongju leaned back in the armchair, her ankles wrapped in thick white gauze.

That was bandaged by that unfamiliar old woman last night.

The medicine used is excellent; it's cooling and relieves pain, and it's clearly not an ordinary product.

"Young Madam."

The old woman was squatting on the ground, carefully cleaning the ashes in the charcoal brazier, her voice kept very low.

"The Second Master asked this old servant to pass on a message to you."

Shen Qiongju's eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked at her.

"Second Master said, 'Don't be impatient, the show is about to begin.'"

The old woman raised her head, revealing a wrinkled but clear-eyed face. "The second master also said that if anyone comes asking for medicine, the young mistress should just put on airs."

Need medicine?

Shen Qiongju's mind raced.

Recalling Pei Zhihui's question yesterday, "What if there was a poison that could make people ugly?", she instantly understood his scheme.

That's a ruthless move; it hits the woman where it hurts.

Shen Qiongju's tense nerves finally relaxed.

She straightened her slightly disheveled skirt and then tidied her hair in front of the reflection in the copper basin. Since it was an opera performance, the lead actor had to look like one.

"Bang—!" The cell door was violently kicked open.

A flurry of hurried footsteps shattered the silence. "Where's that bitch? Drag her out here!"