The Grand Secretary has no heir? His concubine gives birth to triplets.

Outside the open pavilion, the stage was neatly set up.

Colorful ribbons were tied to the nanmu pillars, the table was covered with red felt, and curtains painted with peonies and phoenixes hung on both sides.

Old Madam Pei sat upright on the daybed in the center, and the other wives took their seats in order.

Xue Lingyi sat in the rosewood official's hat chair on the right, while Jiang Guo'er stood behind her with her head bowed and eyes lowered, holding a bowl of rock sugar pear and lily soup that had just been warmed.

On stage, the most tragic scene from "The Story of the Lonely Phoenix in Blood" is being sung.

The lead actor in the Hualin troupe was indeed skilled. His voice, delivered in a mournful and poignant tone, accompanied by prop blood deliberately sprinkled on the stage, vividly portrayed the tragic scene of the entire family being executed.

Jiang Guo'er's expression suddenly froze.

The white silk and blood on the stage, and the desperate faces, like vengeful ghosts, overlapped with the night in her memory when her family was destroyed.

She bit her lip and tasted the rust.

Beneath her pale peach-red sleeves, her hands gripped her knees tightly, yet she could not suppress the pain seeping from the very marrow of her bones.

Pei Yan, who was sitting next to the main seat, was casually drinking his tea, but his eyes never left that petite figure.

When he saw the broadsword being swung down on the stage, and the most bloody scene was being performed, Pei Yan's expression changed drastically.

He had clearly told the troupe leader long ago to skip the cruel and bloody scenes at the beginning, but this old scoundrel actually sang them verbatim just to make people cry!

Pei Yan suddenly stood up, and the Jian kiln rabbit fur teacup in his hand fell onto the table with a "clatter," splashing tea onto the hem of his straight robe.

Unaware that his toes were unconsciously pointing towards Jiang Guo'er, he saw that Xue Lingyi had already turned around, gently holding Jiang Guo'er's trembling hand and whispering words of comfort.

Pei Yan swallowed back all his worries and sat back down heavily in his chair.

He turned his head and waved to the butler who was not far away.

"Go tell that troupe leader that his pay today is halved! Make him perform the next act immediately!"

The butler shuddered in fright, quickly agreed, and retreated.

With Xue Lingyi's soft words, Jiang Guo'er managed to calm herself down.

Her face was ashen, and she managed a weak smile.

"It's nothing, I just felt sorry for the character in that play..."

She spoke sweetly, but the silk doll pressed against her heart conveyed her truest emotions to Pei Yan without reservation.

[How unjust is Heaven! The blind emperor listened to the one-sided story of the eunuch faction! My father, an upright man throughout his life, ended up with his head severed from his body!]

Before my older brother was beheaded, his kneecaps were removed in prison. My mother... was tortured until she was skin and bones in prison...

[And Chunxiang, she was humiliated by the yamen runners for impersonating me, and on the day she was killed, blood spurted high from her neck...]

[Father, Mother, Brother... Life is so hard. I've been woken up by nightmares so many times. I wish I could go with you!]

But I can't. If I go with you, Chunxiang's death will have been in vain!

These heartfelt words, each one dripping with blood, poured straight into Pei Yan's heart.

His eyelashes twitched suddenly, and a dull pain flashed across his eyes.

She carries a deep-seated hatred; how much blood and tears must she have swallowed in secret these past few days?

Pei Yan hates being deceived the most. He is angry that Guo'er has been hiding her identity and deceiving him, and even now she refuses to tell the truth.

However, at this moment, this feeling was shattered by an indescribable pity.

He even wanted to immediately pull Jiang Guo'er into his arms and tell her that with him there, this injustice would be exposed sooner or later!

"Prime Minister, your clothes are wet. Please go to the bathroom and change into something clean," the maid, Green Ivy, reminded him when she noticed his expression was off.

Pei Yan then came to his senses, concealed the strange expression on his face, and stood up to walk towards the washroom.

Just as he stood up, a jade pendant with a whitish tassel slipped out of his wide sleeve and fell onto the chair cushion.

Jiang Guo'er had come to tidy up, but her gaze inadvertently swept over the chair, and her heart was instantly gripped by a large hand.

This jade pendant!

The jade pendant is tied with a faded blue double-fish sash, which she made herself years ago.

There was a tiny chip on the edge of the jade pendant, which was broken when Xie's brother fell from the tree while picking elm seeds for her.

Jiang Guo'er suddenly felt her hands and feet were ice-cold, and a fine layer of white sweat broke out on her back.

How did Xie's brother's jade pendant end up here? Was he arrested by the Prime Minister? Tortured? Did the Prime Minister deliberately leave the pendant here as a warning?

Pei Yan, who was changing clothes in the side room, suddenly froze.

The pity and heartache that had just arisen vanished in an instant with these few heartfelt words.

Instead, there is a lingering jealousy and restlessness.

Why is she still thinking about him even at a time like this?

She also said she was sad because of his distrust!

They're taking advantage of him and trying to fool him!

What's so great about Xie Pan? He's a complete coward! If he were truly capable, he should have helped the Murong family uncover the truth back then!

Pei Yan hadn't even buttoned his shirt properly when he strode back, exuding a menacing aura.

While everyone was watching the play and no one was paying attention, Iron Arm stretched out and precisely grabbed Jiang Guo'er's wrist, dragging and pulling her behind a latticed window.

"Your Excellency!"

Jiang Guo'er was startled. Just as her back was about to hit the wall, the man's large hand had already placed a cushion on the back of her head and back.

Immediately afterwards, his tall, imposing figure pressed down like a mountain, trapping her firmly between the wall and his chest.

Pei Yan stared down at her, his heavy breaths spraying onto her fair neck.

He wanted to say that he had accidentally dropped the jade pendant, and that he had only tested Xie Qing without arresting or torturing him.

But his inherent pride and uncontrollable jealousy intertwined, making it impossible for him to lower his head.

He grabbed Jiang Guo'er's chin, forcing her to tilt her head back, and his thin lips pressed down on hers, fiercely sucking on her lips.

Jiang Guo'er turned her head away, pressing her hands against his hard chest, her voice trembling.

"Prime Minister... I just asked Master Longchuan yesterday, and the poison in your body has dissipated considerably."

"Now I only need to spend the time of an incense stick every two days to be close to you. Today... the time for detoxification has not yet arrived."

Pei Yan paused, almost laughing in anger.

Should we use the old Taoist priest's words to shut him up?

Great, that's fantastic!

He lowered his eyes, his voice sinister: "Was that play just now good?"

Jiang Guo'er's heart skipped a beat. Suppressing her panic, she forced herself to appear shy yet grateful, and replied in a gentle tone:

"Your Excellency, the character in the play is too tragic; his entire family is implicated."

"Fortunately, I am lucky to be able to stay by the Prime Minister's side. The Prime Minister and his wife treat me so well. I cannot repay them enough in this life. I will repay them even in the next life..."

[If I can use the Prime Minister's power to clear my family's name and avenge them, I will risk my life to give the Prime Minister a healthy child!]

This heartfelt sentiment contained no complaints or grumbling, only the desperate and tragic nature of a last-ditch effort.

Pei Yan's heart suddenly ached.

Who asked her to risk her life?

If it takes her life to have the child, he'd rather not have it!

Pei Yan never thought that offspring were that important. He continued the family line only to appease the old matriarch and fulfill the responsibilities left by his elder brother.

He himself has lived in darkness since birth.

What if Guo'er also gives birth to twins? Must one of the children suffer the same fate as him, going through the same hell he went through?!