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

Jiang Guo'er was held tightly by him and could not move.

She was pregnant and couldn't stay up late, so she yawned and snuggled into his arms, falling into a deep sleep.

Hearing the even, long breaths coming from his arms, Pei Yan slowly opened his eyes.

He gently lifted a corner of the brocade quilt, his dark gaze seemingly touching the delicate, white ankles.

His fingertips slid down her delicate calves, finally stopping on the unique red lotus clasp from the previous dynasty.

The image of her, with her soft feet hooked around the back of his neck and her soft panting in the red silk tent, suddenly flashed into his mind.

Pei Yan's prominent Adam's apple bobbed twice.

He forcefully suppressed the maddening urge and quietly slipped two fingers between the ankle bracelet and Jiang Guo'er's ankle...

Taking advantage of that slightly cool touch, in the quiet night...

After a long while, a low sigh, suppressed to the extreme, escaped his lips.

The next morning, Pei Yan got up early to go to court.

When Jiang Guo'er woke up, the bed beside her was already cold.

She had just finished washing up when Lüyi rushed over from the main room.

"Guo'er, someone from the palace has come again!"

Luyi lowered her voice, her face showing a mixture of anxiety and helplessness.

Jiang Guo'er paused in combing her hair.

"What happened?"

Lu Yi pouted.

"The Empress Dowager just sent Eunuch Li, who is with her, along with a respectable young woman, saying she's to be given to our Prime Minister as a concubine!"

Jiang Guo'er blinked in confusion.

"The Empress Dowager?"

"Yes! I heard she's a concubine's grand-niece from the Empress Dowager's maternal family, named Tan Yu, and she just turned sixteen this year."

"The Empress Dowager's decree has been issued, and the Prime Minister had no choice but to accept it. The person has already been settled in the west wing!"

After hearing this, Jiang Guo'er remained silent for a long time.

The Crown Prince had just slept with a foreign woman when the Empress Dowager followed suit.

On the surface, it's a reward of beautiful women, but who knows what they're really up to?

Have there been any major changes in the situation between North Korea and China recently?

It's a pity that she's currently in the inner courtyard; if she wants to inquire about such matters, she'll have to ask the Prime Minister directly.

"What were the Prime Minister's instructions?" Jiang Guo'er asked.

Lüyi sighed, "What else can I instruct? Let Madam discipline them properly."

"I just peeked at her, and that girl, Tan Yu, has... a round face, bright, sparkling eyes, and she smiles at everyone she meets. She seems so childlike, not at all like someone with a scheming mind."

Jiang Guo'er lowered her eyes and didn't reply.

In these grand and wealthy households, the more innocent a person seems, the more dangerous they often are.

After breakfast, Xue Lingyi sent someone to deliver a message, instructing the concubines in the courtyard and the two newly arrived maids to establish proper etiquette.

Jiang Guo'er changed into a light blue Hangzhou silk vest and followed the others into the main room.

Aunt Sha was rather aloof and arrogant, sitting on the lower right and not even glancing at anyone else.

Sitting on the left is the newcomer, Miss Tanyu.

She wore a light red, double-breasted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her hair was styled in two buns, adorned with two round pearls.

Seeing everyone come in, she was not flustered at all; instead, she curiously peeked out to take a look.

When her gaze fell on Jiang Guo'er, her eyes lit up.

"This lady is so beautiful!"

Tan Yu jumped up from the chair like a jubilant little bird, ran over to Jiang Guo'er in a few steps, and took her arm in a familiar manner.

"My sister smells so good, is it jasmine?"

Jiang Guo'er was startled by her sudden intimacy.

The girl in front of me was sweet and lovely, with two shallow dimples at the corners of her mouth when she smiled.

In that instant, a face flashed uncontrollably through Jiang Guo'er's mind.

Haruka.

The little maid who smiled at her as she was being dragged away by the yamen runners to die in her place also had such bright eyes and dimples.

Jiang Guo'er's heart clenched painfully.

"You have a really sharp nose... I do have quite a few jasmine flowers in my purse."

"Did you embroider this purse yourself, sister? It's so beautiful!"

Tan Yu grinned and reached out to take her purse, but Jiang Guo'er immediately dodged to the side.

Xue Lingyi witnessed this scene and quickly said:

"Since Sister Tanyu and Guo'er get along well, if you feel bored in the future, you should go to the side room more often."

From that day on, Tan Yu became completely attached to Jiang Guo'er.

"Sister Guo'er, what are you embroidering? These shoes are so cute, are they for the baby who's about to be born?"

"Sister Guo'er, do you still have the sour plums you gave me yesterday? They were so delicious!"

She is innocent and straightforward, and speaks her mind directly.

Jiang Guo'er was initially wary, but when faced with a face that looked so much like Chunxiang's, her guard inevitably lessened.

That afternoon, Jiang Guo'er was sitting on the rose chair by the window, sorting out her threads. In the basket were several pieces of fabric that were not yet finished being embroidered, and a few small sachets that she had made a few days ago.

Tan Yu leaned half her body against the window frame, gazing at her expectantly.

"Sister Guo'er, the pomegranate flowers outside are in bloom. Shall we go pick some together?"

Jiang Guo'er curled her lips into a smile: "I'm not going. The pollen keeps making me sneeze."

"Oh? But it's so boring for me to pick flowers all by myself!"

Tan Yu immediately pouted and grabbed her wrist, shaking it back and forth.

Unable to resist her persistent pestering, Jiang Guo'er had no choice but to cover her face with a veil before going to the courtyard with her.

The two picked petals under the pomegranate tree for a quarter of an hour when Tan Yu suddenly clutched her stomach and said she felt unwell. She hurriedly ran away and handed the basket to Jiang Guo'er.

Jiang Guo'er didn't pay much attention, took the basket full of pomegranate flowers back to the east wing, and then went straight back to the side room.

She had just sat down to continue her work when her gaze swept over the basket on the table, and her brows furrowed slightly.

There were originally three small sachets in the basket, which she had prepared to store mosquito-repelling herbs, one for herself, Lingyi, and Lüyi.

But now, only two remain inside.

Jiang Guo'er searched the room carefully, but found nothing.

Could it have been stolen?

But that sachet isn't worth much, so why would you steal it?

Perhaps because she had been living too comfortably lately, Jiang Guo'er lowered her guard and didn't even realize that someone was watching her.

She immediately took the basket and went to discuss it with Lingyi.

If the thief only liked her sachet and stole it for himself, that would be fine. But what I'm afraid of is...

This person has ulterior motives; he wants to use her embroidered sachet for some purpose.

Unbeknownst to her, the vanished sachet was lying quietly in Tan Yu's palm.

Tan Yu stood in the corner with her back to the light, her innocent and carefree demeanor completely gone.

Instead, he exudes a calmness and sternness that are completely out of character for his age.

She held the small sachet in her hand and examined the stitches carefully.

The needlework technique used on this sachet is exactly the same as that used on the sachet that the Empress had shown her.

This is the double-needle braid embroidery technique created by Hu Meiniang, an embroiderer from the previous dynasty. It uses two threads, one thick and one thin, to work together. The thick thread is used as a knot, and the thin thread is used to thread the knot and tie it tightly.

Women in the common people had no way of contacting them; only the embroiderers and nannies in the palace knew a little about them.

This Jiang Guo'er is definitely not some orphan girl from the Wu Jiang clan!

Although Tanyu was from the Empress Dowager's family, she was always suppressed by the mistress as a concubine's daughter. This time, the Empress specially selected her to come to the Pei residence as a spy.

She was ordered to find out Jiang Guo'er's true identity, obtain evidence, and then expose her in public.

Although the Empress has been banished to the Cold Palace, she still holds leverage over the Empress Dowager, so it's only a matter of time before she regains her status.

If she can handle this matter well, Her Majesty the Empress promised to make her the future Crown Prince's concubine!

"Jiang Guo'er, I have no grudge against you... but who told you to block the Empress's path?"

Tan Yu curled her lips into a cold smile and stuffed the sachet into the lining at the bottom of her vanity case.

When she stepped out the door again, she was once again the innocent and naive girl she once was.

She casually brushed the dust off her skirt and hummed an unknown tune as she walked towards the laundry room.

The place has the most maids, the hardest work, and the most humiliation.

She refused to believe that Jiang Guo'er, who had been in the manor for several months, could have been completely clean and without making any enemies.

As long as she finds someone who harbors resentment towards Jiang Guo'er, she can uncover more clues!