Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

Three poles in the sun.

Shen Qiongju was awakened by hunger.

She opened her eyes groggily and saw the familiar bed canopy and the soft quilt beneath her.

She sat up abruptly and found herself in bed, while Pei Zhihui was leaning against the headboard reading a book. When he saw her wake up, he put down the book he was holding.

How did she end up falling asleep on this bed last night?

Shen Qiongju patted her forehead, surprised that she could sleep so comfortably next to someone she was so afraid of.

"woke up?"

His voice was still a little hoarse from his illness, but it had a reassuring gentleness about it.

Shen Qiongju was somewhat disoriented: "How could I...?"

"When I opened my eyes this morning, I saw my sister-in-law sleeping in my bed. Zhihui knew that my sister-in-law was tired, so he did not disturb her."

Pei Zhihui spoke casually, as if he wasn't the one who cried and called for his sister-in-law last night and pulled her into his arms.

Is that right?

Shen Qiongju didn't want to listen to Pei Zhihui's nonsense. Just as she was about to get out of bed, she heard Pei Zhihui say again:

"I've heard everything from Pei An about the distillery."

He looked at her with sincere eyes: "The tribute wine was destroyed because of me. If you trust me, sister-in-law, leave the rest to me. Whether it's rebrewing or dealing with the palace, I have a way."

This is the truth. With his methods, he could quell this matter flawlessly, even if it meant deceiving the emperor.

Shen Qiongju paused, turned her head, and looked at him with an extremely complicated expression.

Pei Zhihui thought it was a feeling of being moved.

However, the next second, Shen Qiongju waved her hand while putting on her shoes, her tone firm and leaving no room for doubt: "No, please don't."

Pei Zhihui was taken aback: "Why?"

Shen Qiongju stood up, straightened her skirt, and said with a serious expression, "Uncle, you should focus on recovering from your injuries. Passing the imperial examinations in the future will be the greatest help you can give to the winery. As for business matters... you'd better not get involved."

Pei Zhihui frowned slightly: "Does my sister-in-law think I'm incompetent?"

"It's not incompetence."

Shen Qiongju sighed, hesitated, and finally told the truth: "Your luck with money... is just too bad."

Pei Zhihui: "..."

"I asked you to deliver that batch of aged wine to the neighboring county a few days ago, and what happened? As soon as it arrived, the buyer packed up and ran away, without even leaving the deposit."

Shen Qiongju counted on her fingers, looking pained: "And this time, you just put the name of our tribute wine on our label, and the distillery was smashed. Uncle, your destiny is too precious; our small business really can't withstand your constant disruption."

Pei Zhihui's face, which had been full of affection, instantly turned half dark.

Are you being criticized for "leaking money" again?

"That was an accident," he tried to explain.

"Once is an accident, twice is death." Shen Qiongju patted his shoulder earnestly. "Take your sister-in-law's advice and focus on your studies. Leave the mundane things like earning money to support the family to me."

After saying that, she didn't even look at Pei Zhihui's fascinating face, turned around and walked out, muttering, "No, I have to go to the temple to pray to the God of Wealth today to get rid of the bad luck."

Pei Zhihui sat on the bed, looking at that back view that showed no hesitation, so angry that the wound in his chest ached faintly.

it is good.

well.

You think he's a spendthrift, right?

.

A few days later, the sky cleared up.

The snow in front of Qionghua Pavilion had been swept clean, and a luxuriously decorated carriage was parked at the entrance, attracting the attention of passersby.

Zhao Qiyan, dressed in a fine brocade coat and fox fur, swaggered in, carrying two walnuts in her hands.

"Manager Shen! Head Manager Shen!"

Before you see him, you hear his voice.

Shen Qiongju was doing accounts at the counter when she heard the noise, and her brows, which had been furrowed for several days, finally relaxed a little.

"Young Master, you're finally back."

Zhao Qiyan plopped down in the armchair, picked up her teacup, and took a swig. "Don't even mention it. That person in the palace was pressuring me, so I rushed back to get the wine. I heard that bastard Wen Xiujie, while I was away, colluded with his father-in-law to bully you?"

He slammed his fist on the table with a deafening roar: "He's gone too far! He dares to touch my partner?"

Shen Qiongju smiled bitterly: "The distillery was smashed, and those dozens of jars of tribute wine..."

"So what if they've smashed it!"

Zhao Qiyan waved his hand, pulled out a thick stack of silver notes from his pocket, and slammed them on the table with an air of grandeur: "I've brought money! I won't take the previous dividends; consider them all as investment! With this, is it enough for you to start over?"

Shen Qiongju's eyes lit up when she saw the stack of silver notes.

This is what a big spender looks like!

"Enough! That's more than enough!" Shen Qiongju smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Don't worry, young marquis, the new wine is already being brewed, and I guarantee it will be even better than the previous one."

Zhao Qiyan felt pleased to see her greedy look and waved her fan: "That's right. Come on, let's go to the Pei family. It's been a long time since I've tasted your chef's roast meat. Let's also see if your unlucky brother-in-law is dead yet."

Pei Residence.

The atmosphere inside the main hall was somewhat strange.

Pei Zhihui was wearing a moon-white robe today. Although he still looked sick, he was already able to walk.

He sat to the left of the main seat, holding a cup of tea, his eyes coldly fixed on Zhao Qiyan, who was serving food to Shen Qiongju.

"Here you are, Manager Shen, these duck feet are quite good, they're good for your health." Zhao Qiyan was very attentive.

Shen Qiongju accepted the gift with a smile: "Thank you, Young Marquis."

The lid of the teacup in Pei Zhihui's hand made a crisp "clattering" sound.

"Young Master has been away from Wu County these past few days, yet he looks radiant." Pei Zhihui said with a forced smile, "It seems the feng shui of the capital is indeed more nurturing than this poor, remote place."

Zhao Qiyan sensed the barb in his words, but she wasn't annoyed. Instead, she smiled and said, "Of course. I, the Marquis, am born with a life of wealth and nobility, unlike some people who are not only physically weak but also carry an aura of poverty and bad luck."

He turned to look at Shen Qiongju, his words carrying a hidden meaning: "Manager Shen, I heard that you asked him to help deliver goods the other day, and he ended up losing everything? Tsk tsk, I knew it, doing business is all about presence. Some people are just born to scatter money."

Shen Qiongju coughed awkwardly and lowered her head to eat her rice.

How come this person knows about this?

Pei Zhihui's face darkened. He put down his teacup and said slowly, "What the young marquis says is true. However, I am curious, this tribute wine was specifically requested by the young marquis, and it's an order under your manor's name. How come when this wine was smashed in Wu County, not a single person from the young marquis's household was seen?"

He raised his eyelids, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Is this what the young marquis calls 'aura'? He can't even protect a few jars of wine, and his sister-in-law has to work tirelessly day and night to make up for it."

Zhao Qiyan's smile froze on her face.

This was indeed his oversight.

"That was Wen Xiujie's dirty trick!" Zhao Qiyan retorted stubbornly. "If Master were here, he wouldn't dare do it even if he had ten lives!"

"It's a pity the young marquis isn't here."

Pei Zhihui added casually, "What's the use of money if you mess things up at crucial moments? If Wen Xiujie really had murderous intent that day, I'm afraid my sister-in-law wouldn't even be able to eat this meal."