Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

On her way back, Shen Qiongju went into the brewing workshop in Chenjia Village for a look.

Before even entering the distillery, you could smell the sour, rotten smell of fermented grains in the air.

That was the smell of dozens of jars of fine aged wine being smashed and fermented with soil.

Shen Qiongju stood on the ruins, her feet on the blackened soil.

Chunxing and the others, each holding a shovel, their eyes red and swollen, were still cleaning up the mess on the ground.

"Stop tidying up, go home and rest."

Shen Qiongju's voice was so calm that it didn't sound like that of a boss who had just suffered a major disaster.

"We'll come back to clean it up tomorrow. We'll remove all the soil from this layer, sprinkle it with quicklime, and expose it to the sun. After cleaning out all the dirt from the fermentation tank, we'll fumigate it with mugwort for three days and three nights."

"Everyone was frightened by this incident, so we'll give everyone a raise at the end of this month."

Upon hearing this, the crowd's gloomy faces regained some life and smiles, and they dispersed.

After everything was arranged, it was almost dusk.

Shen Qiongju dragged her leaden legs and boarded the carriage back to the manor.

The wheels rolled on, and while her mind was still calculating the new yeast ratio for Zui Jinghong, her body was already exhausted to the extreme.

By the time we returned to the village, it was completely dark.

As soon as they entered the second gate, they saw Pei An pacing back and forth in the corridor like an ant on a hot plate.

Upon seeing Shen Qiongju, Pei An almost burst into tears.

"Young Madam! You're finally back!"

Shen Qiongju took off her dust-covered cloak, her brows furrowing slightly: "What's wrong? Is something wrong with Second Master?"

"I'm fine, it's just...it just doesn't want to take my medicine."

Pei An lowered his voice, his face full of bitterness and resentment, "The medicine has been brewing for three hours and has been reheated three times, but the Second Master won't drink a drop. The doctor who was supposed to change the dressing was also kicked out. The Second Master said it hurt, and he'd get angry with anyone who touched him."

Shen Qiongju rubbed her throbbing temples.

This is no longer the Pei Zhihui who rose to the position of Grand Secretary; he's clearly just a child throwing a tantrum.

"I'll go take a look."

As soon as I opened the door, a strong smell of herbs hit me.

Only a dim oil lamp was lit inside the room.

Pei Zhihui sat leaning against the headboard, his black hair disheveled, his face still as pale as paper.

His narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes were fixed intently on the doorway.

The moment he saw Shen Qiongju, the gloom that had been building up in his eyes all day vanished instantly, replaced by a wet, almost aggrieved expression.

It's like a wolfhound that's been abandoned by its owner all day.

But he didn't say anything. He just pulled the blanket up to cover half of his face, leaving only his eyes visible as he looked at her.

Shen Qiongju's initial anger dissipated considerably after seeing that look.

She sighed, walked to the table, and picked up the bowl of dark medicine.

"How old are you? Still acting like a child."

She sat down by the bed, stirred the medicine with a spoon, and tested the temperature.

Open your mouth.

Pei Zhihui obediently opened his mouth, letting the bitter medicine flow into his throat without even frowning.

If Pei An outside saw him like this, he would probably be shocked.

The bowl of medicine was empty.

Shen Qiongju took out a handkerchief, intending to wipe the remaining medicine stains from the corners of his mouth.

Just as he reached out his hand, Pei Zhihui suddenly turned his head to the side.

His cheek pressed tightly against her palm.

The cool skin brushed against her warm palm, and Shen Qiongju's hand stiffened for a moment, instinctively wanting to pull it back.

"Don't move."

Pei Zhihui's voice was hoarse, with a barely perceptible stickiness, "My sister-in-law smells of alcohol."

Shen Qiongju lowered her head and sniffed her sleeve, saying helplessly, "I just came back from the winery, I haven't had time yet..."

"Smells good."

Pei Zhihui closed his eyes, took a deep breath, as if trying to etch the taste into his very being.

"It smells better than medicine."

His eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyelids, making him look fragile and harmless.

But only he knew that the hand hidden under the blanket was struggling to suppress the crazy urge to pull the person in front of him completely into his arms.

In the days that followed, Shen Qiongju lived like a spinning top.

Before dawn, I would take a car to the distillery to watch the blacksmith install the new still and personally oversee the fermentation of the yeast.

Every step of the process was related to the lives of more than twenty people in the Shen and Pei families, so she dared not slack off in the slightest.

By the time they finished their work and returned to the village, it was often late at night.

No matter how late it was, the light in Pei Zhihui's room was always on.

He seemed to be using his injuries as leverage to keep her by his side.

Pei An could also change the dressing, but Pei Zhihui refused to.

As soon as Pei An gets close, those phoenix eyes shoot out daggers, scaring Pei An so much that his hands tremble like he has Parkinson's and he can only go to Shen Qiongju.

Unfortunately, Shen Qiongju had no choice but to take on this job.

The charcoal fire inside was burning very brightly.

Shen Qiongju washed her hands and carefully cut open the gauze on Pei Zhihui's chest with scissors.

In some places, the gauze was stuck to the flesh and blood, and it would be extremely painful to tear it off.

Pei Zhihui remained silent. He was shirtless, his lean chest rising and falling slightly with his breath.

The gruesome cut that stretched from the left shoulder to the ribs was grotesque and terrifying, with the flesh torn and scabbed over. Even though it had scabbed over, it was still a sight to behold.

Shen Qiongju's hands trembled slightly as she used a cotton ball soaked in medicated wine to gently wipe away the blood around the wound.

Because they were so close, her breath sprayed onto his skin.

Pei Zhihui's Adam's apple bobbed violently.

He lowered his eyes, his gaze tracing her downcast eyebrows and eyes.

A tiny bead of sweat glistened on the tip of her nose, and her lips were slightly pursed in concentration.

This unguarded intimacy made his blood boil.

"Does it hurt?"

Shen Qiongju noticed his muscles were tense and asked softly.

"It hurts." Pei Zhihui stared at her neck, his voice hoarse. "Sister-in-law, blowing on it will make it stop hurting."

Shen Qiongju paused, looked up and glared at him, only to see that his eyes were clear, even carrying a hint of roguish smile.

"I don't think you're injured badly enough."

She applied more pressure as she applied the new ointment.

Pei Zhihui groaned, but a pleased smile appeared on his lips.

In the stillness of the night, Shen Qiongju, utterly exhausted, fell asleep fully clothed on the couch in the outer room.

Pei Zhihui lay in the inner room, listening to her even breathing. His strong will finally relaxed, and he fell into a deep sleep.

The dream came like a tidal wave, not the warmth of the past few days, but boundless darkness and bloodshed.

In the Golden Palace, he wore a purple-gold python robe, with countless human corpses beneath his feet.

He wielded immense power, ruling above all others.

But the empty Prime Minister's residence was as cold as an ice cellar.

The scene shifts to that dark and damp water dungeon.

The icy water reached above her chest; the once radiant and beautiful woman was now disheveled, chained in the middle of the water.

Her skin was so pale it was almost transparent.

Pei Zhihui stood on the shore, looking down at her with a cold gaze as if he were looking at an ant.

"Pei Zhihui..." The woman raised her head, her voice hoarse and broken, filled with endless hatred.

"I curse you... to lose your love forever and die alone."

"No……"

Pei Zhihui wanted to explain and rush down to save her, but his body was out of his control.

He heard himself coldly utter a single word:

"You're the one who deserves to die."

He then pressed the button himself.

The water level rose rapidly, instantly engulfing that frail figure.

"No--!"

Pei Zhihui suddenly woke up from his dream, feeling as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

His heavy breathing was exceptionally clear in the quiet night, and his heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly, the pain almost suffocating him.

That was him in his past life; that was the sin he himself committed.

Startled awake by the noise, Shen Qiongju, who was outside, hurriedly ran in, throwing on her clothes.

"What's wrong? Did your wound reopen?" She anxiously walked to the bedside, holding the candlestick.

The flickering candlelight illuminated Pei Zhihui's deathly pale face, which resembled a ghost.

He was covered in cold sweat, his eyes were empty and terrified, as if he had seen something extremely frightening.

"Sister-in-law..."

Pei Zhihui's voice trembled as he suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly.

The force was so great that it made Shen Qiongju's bones ache.

"I'm here." Shen Qiongju put down the candlestick, wanting to check his injuries.

The next second, she was pulled away by a strong force.

Pei Zhihui buried his head in her arms, his whole body trembling.

"Don't go...don't leave me..."

His voice carried an unprecedented vulnerability and fear, a despair seeping from the depths of his soul.

Shen Qiongju was stunned; she had never seen Pei Zhihui like this before.

Even when facing thousands of troops or the brink of death, he had never lost his composure like this.

"I'm not leaving."

She hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and gently patted his sweaty back. "It was just a dream. You'll be fine when you wake up."

Pei Zhihui didn't speak. He listened to her strong heartbeat and felt her vibrant body temperature, and his chest gradually calmed down.

He can't wake up.

The evil spirit that killed her lives inside his body. Even if this is a second chance at life, that sin can never be washed away.