Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

However, the next two days became a nightmare for everyone.

No matter how the proportions were adjusted, and no matter how well Shen Huaifeng, the experienced brewer, controlled the heat, the newly brewed wine was still a series of failures. That sour, rotten smell was like a curse, impossible to get rid of.

Shen Qiongju's eyes were bloodshot, her lips were chapped and peeling, and she had lost a lot of weight.

On the evening of the third day, a carriage slowly pulled up in front of the winery.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Pei An helped Pei Zhihui down.

Pei Zhihui, draped in a thick cloak, was still pale, pausing to catch his breath after every step. But his eyes, sharp as a hawk's, swept over the three distraught men in the tavern.

"Second Master, what brings you here? The doctor said you shouldn't be exposed to the wind." Upon seeing this, Shen Qiongju quickly put down her work and went to greet him.

Pei Zhihui ignored her concern and went straight to the failed wine jars.

He didn't taste it, but instead stretched out his slender fingers and gently wiped the inside of the jar, then brought it to his nose and sniffed it.

"vinegar."

Pei Zhihui parted his thin lips slightly and uttered a single word.

"What?" Zhao Qiyan was taken aback. "If the wine turns sour, it will naturally taste like vinegar. What's so strange about that?"

"It's not vinegar that's formed from sour wine." Pei Zhihui raised his eyelids, his gaze coldly falling on a group of workers who were working with their heads down not far away. "Someone coated the inside of the wine jar with a very thin layer of vinegar paste and mixed in a little alum."

"This stuff is colorless and odorless. Once it comes into contact with strong liquor and gets heated, it will dissolve quickly, disrupting the fermentation of the yeast and causing the entire jar of liquor to turn sour and spoil within half a day."

These words shocked everyone present.

Shen Qiongju suddenly realized: "No wonder! No wonder only that old earthenware jar was successfully brewed, because I brought that jar from home; it didn't go through anyone else's hands!"

"A traitor!" Shen Huaifeng trembled with rage. "We have a traitor among us!"

Pei Zhihui took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and slowly wiped his fingers, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather: "Now that we know it's an inside man, things are much easier."

He turned to look at Shen Qiongju, a cold smile curving his lips: "Sister-in-law, let's brew another batch. This time, we'll lure you into a trap."

The night wind howled, swirling the remaining snow against the windowpane.

The distillery bustled with activity once again.

"Listen up, everyone!" Shen Qiongju stood on the high platform, her voice clear and bright.

"This is our last chance. If this batch of wine fails, our entire distillery is finished! I'm personally overseeing this; no one is allowed to slack off!"

The men responded and began moving the newly purchased wine jars.

Pei Zhihui sat in the corner armchair, holding a hand warmer in his hands, his eyes half-closed, as if he were asleep.

Zhao Qiyan leaned against a pillar, looking bored, playing with a folding fan in her hand, while her eyes kept glancing into the crowd.

Time passed by, bit by bit.

Late into the night, the last batch of wine was sealed in jars and moved into a greenhouse to ferment.

The men gradually dispersed, leaving only a few on night watch.

At 3:45 AM (丑时三刻).

A dark figure sneaked in through the back door. The person moved very quietly and entered the greenhouse with practiced ease.

The greenhouse was filled with the aroma of wine.

The shadowy figure pulled a paper packet from his pocket and was about to sprinkle something into the seal of one of the wine jars.

Just then, torches suddenly lit up all around.

"Chunxing, it really is you."

Shen Qiongju's voice came from behind, filled with undisguised disappointment and heartache.

The dark figure froze, and the paper package in its hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

Chunxing turned around abruptly, and by the firelight, she saw Shen Qiongju, Shen Huaifeng, and Pei Zhihui, who was sitting in a chair with a sinister look in his eyes, like Yama.

"Miss..." Chunxing knelt on the ground with a thud, trembling like a leaf. "Miss, spare me! I... I was forced into it!"

Shen Huaifeng was furious: "Why? Girl, the Shen family has treated you well, how could you do such a thing!"

Chunxing was kicked to the ground, but ignoring the pain, she scrambled to her feet and frantically kowtowed to Shen Qiongju: "Miss, I really didn't mean to harm you! It was... it was Lord Wen! Lord Wen captured my Little Tiger!"

"Little Tiger?" Shen Qiongju's heart skipped a beat.

Tiger is Chunxing's only son. He has just turned three and is usually very well-behaved.

"Lord Wen said that as long as I destroy this batch of wine, he will release Xiao Hu and give me a large sum of money so I can run away..." Chunxing cried with tears streaming down her face, her forehead bleeding profusely from the banging.

"Miss, I'm a mother! I can't just stand by and watch Tiger die!"

Shen Qiongju closed her eyes, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

It's Wen Xiujie again.

This man always manages to pinpoint the weakest spot on everyone's rib.

"Because your child is a life, but the lives of dozens of people in the Pei and Shen families aren't lives?" Pei Zhihui's voice suddenly rang out, cold and devoid of any warmth.

He slowly stood up, walked to Chunxing, and looked down at her.

"You believe someone like Wen Xiujie would release someone?" Pei Zhihui sneered, his eyes full of mockery. "I'm afraid you'll find your son's corpse in a mass grave the day after you ruin the wine."

Chunxing's face turned deathly pale, and she collapsed to the ground: "No...it can't be..."

"Take her away and lock her in the woodshed." Pei Zhihui waved his hand, and Pei An immediately stepped forward and dragged Chunxing away.

The room fell silent again.

Shen Qiongju leaned against the table, feeling somewhat exhausted. Although she had caught the mole, the current predicament was still unresolved.

"The wine jars have all been tampered with. Even if this batch of new wine is ready, it won't ferment in time," Shen Huaifeng said with a worried expression. "At this temperature, it will take at least another ten days for the wine to mature. We... are too late."

There are only five days left until the day we set off for Beijing.

Even a god couldn't ferment the wine within five days and then send it to the capital.

Zhao Qiyan also put away her fan, her face solemn: "Manager Shen, this time... I'm afraid you really have to listen to me and use another kind of wine instead."

"No need."

Pei Zhihui suddenly spoke.

He walked up to the only successful jar of "Zui Jing Hong" and gently tapped the jar with his fingers, producing a crisp sound.

"Since there's not enough time, let time run on the road."

Shen Qiongju was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Pei Zhihui turned around, looking intently at her: "From Wu County to the capital, it takes seven days by water and five days by fast horse over land. But these past few days, the wind and snow have been heavy, making the land route difficult to travel; only the water route is stable."

"We seal the raw materials and yeast directly into jars and load them onto the ship." Pei Zhihui spoke slowly but clearly. "The temperature at the bottom of the ship's hold is constant, and the slight rocking of the ship actually helps the wine to blend and ferment."

"Considering the journey, by the time the ship arrives at the capital's dock, this wine... will be ready."

Shen Qiongju's eyes gradually brightened.

That's an absolutely brilliant idea!

Flow fermentation saves time and utilizes the transportation process.

"But..." Shen Qiongju frowned, "the temperature is extremely difficult to control. If the temperature changes along the way, or if the shaking is too violent..."

"I'll go with you," Pei Zhihui interrupted her.

"No way!" Shen Qiongju refused without even thinking. "You're injured, how can you withstand the long journey? The humidity on the water is terrible for your lungs..."

"Sister-in-law."

Pei Zhihui stepped forward, getting closer to her.