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

The next morning, Daoist Longchuan suddenly came to the main room, insisting on seeing Jiang Guo'er.

The old Taoist priest twirled his white beard and shook the tortoise shell in his hand with great seriousness.

"Young Master Jiang, last night I observed the celestial phenomena and cast a divination for you. The divination indicates that your trip to Qizhen Temple will be fraught with danger but ultimately safe."

He lowered his voice and leaned closer mysteriously.

"When you're out and about, everything else is fine, but remember to keep the silk doll close to your heart and never let it leave your side."

Jiang Guo'er nodded obediently.

The Taoist priest cleared his throat and then gave instructions:

"If you really encounter any danger, just tickle the soles of its feet as hard as you can, and divine soldiers will come to your rescue."

Jiang Guo'er's lips twitched slightly, and she almost couldn't help but laugh.

Out of the corner of her eye, she had already caught a glimpse of the dark blue hem of a garment being gently swayed by the breeze outside the latticed window behind the warm pavilion.

A sweet feeling welled up inside her, but she deliberately pretended not to care.

"You're overthinking it, Daoist Master." She straightened her skirt and raised her voice slightly.

"The lady will be taking thirty guards with her to admire the flowers this time, plus a whole host of maids and servants—dozens of people in total. With so many people following her, what could possibly go wrong?"

Behind the latticed window, Pei Yan's expression turned cold.

He lowered his eyelashes, and his thin lips suddenly pressed into a straight line.

That ungrateful woman!

On the tenth day, the Prime Minister's entourage set off in a grand procession.

Tan Yu was seated in a small carriage with blue curtains in the back. She lifted a corner of the curtain and looked at the bustling street scene outside, unable to stop the corners of her mouth from turning up.

Jiang Guo'er, once you arrive at Qizhen Temple, let's see how you'll hide your true colors.

The main vehicle at the front was spacious and comfortable, with a small pot of chilled plum drink placed in the corner.

The weather in April wasn't too hot, but it was still a bit stuffy with several people crammed into the carriage.

Jiang Guo'er and Xue Lingyi sat side by side.

"Did you bring that thing?" Xue Lingyi nudged her with her elbow.

Jiang Guo'er pressed her hand to her chest through the pale yellow double-breasted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

The doll was resting securely against her heart.

As the weather gets hotter, her breasts, which are stuffed up like this, are full, round, and very noticeable from the outside.

If it weren't for what Master Longchuan said, Jiang Guo'er would have really wanted to take it out and put it in the purse at her waist.

But in the end, she just tugged at her collar and picked up a round fan to fan herself.

The convoy left the city gate and onto the official road leading to Qizhen Temple.

After traveling for about 15 minutes, the carriage suddenly stopped.

Jiang Guo'er stumbled forward, but Xue Lingyi quickly grabbed her arm.

"Lvyi, what's going on outside?" Xue Lingyi lifted half of the curtain.

Green Ripple leaned closer to the window and replied:

"Madam, the road ahead is too narrow. A carriage's wheels are stuck in a mud pit, blocking the way."

"Judging from the lantern emblem hanging on the carriage, it looks like it belongs to the Xie family, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works."

The Xie family?

Jiang Guo'er's heart skipped a beat, and her fingertips instinctively gripped the brocade cushion beneath her.

What bad luck! Why did we have to run into the Xie family here?

Could Xie Pan be here too?

Xue Lingyi knew about Xie Qing and Jiang Guo'er's past, and frowned slightly, pressing down on the back of her hand.

"Don't panic, stay in the car and don't show yourself. I'll go down and check."

A warm male voice came from outside, tinged with urgency:

"Are you referring to the women of the Prime Minister's household? I'm so sorry, my wife's carriage accidentally got stuck in the mud."

"I will have someone hurry up and carry it, so as not to delay your wife's schedule."

Jiang Guo'er was so shocked that she held her breath.

Xue Lingyi put on her veil and, with Lüyi's help, got off the carriage.

Jiang Guo'er sat inside the carriage, peering out through the gap in the curtain.

A magnificent carriage was parked beside a mud pit not far away.

Xie Qing, dressed in a moon-white long robe, was bending over and directing the coachman to pry open the wheels.

His once gentle features were now tinged with a heavy melancholy, and his figure looked much thinner than it had been a few days ago.

As Jiang Guo'er was watching, she suddenly saw the curtain of the green-canopied carriage being lifted, and a young woman dressed in turquoise was being helped down by her maid.

Hearing the maid's address, she immediately realized that this was Xie Qing's legal wife, Liu.

Liu steadied herself and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.

He glanced up unintentionally, and his gaze happened to pass over the crowd, meeting Jiang Guo'er's eyes right in the gap between the carriages.

Jiang Guo'er was stunned.

The woman named Liu had delicate and beautiful features, especially her slightly upturned almond-shaped eyes. Upon closer inspection, they bore a six or seven-tenths resemblance to my own when I came of age!

Jiang Guo'er gasped.

Liu Shi obviously saw her too. She was stunned at first, and then disbelief appeared on her face, her cheeks turning white inch by inch.

Xue Lingyi quickly stepped forward and subtly blocked Liu's view.

"So it's Young Master Xie and his wife. It seems the car repairs will take some time. Why don't you rest for a while in our empty car behind us?"

Xie Qing intended to politely decline, but his gaze involuntarily swept along Ling Yi's side, and he suddenly froze.

A gust of wind swept by, lifting the curtain of the carriage where Jiang Guo'er was.

Jiang Guo'er quickly lowered her head, but the familiar silhouette and figure instantly broke through her defenses.

Xie Qing's pupils suddenly contracted, and his breathing became erratic.

Ignoring the fact that Madam Liu was still beside him, and disregarding the astonished gazes of the servants from the two surrounding families, he walked straight toward the carriage as if he had lost his soul.

"Shunshun... This is wonderful! Heaven has opened its eyes and allowed me to see you again."

At this moment, at the end of the escort team accompanying the Prime Minister's residence, a tall rider wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat slowly raised his head.

Beneath the low brim of his hat, Pei Yan's face was ashen.

He changed his clothes and followed her all the way, originally intending to secretly keep an eye on Tan Yu in case Jiang Guo'er and Xue Lingyi were in any danger.

Unexpectedly, Xie Qing appeared out of nowhere!

Pei Yan watched as the man abandoned his newlywed wife, stumbled to the window, and, in a trembling voice, inquired about Jiang Guo'er's well-being.

"How are you? At the Prime Minister's residence... have the people there mistreated you?"

Xie Qing's eyes were filled with pain and suppressed longing, and her hands even trembled as she tried to lift the curtain.

Jiang Guo'er's whole body stiffened.

The silk doll she pressed against her heart seemed to sense her surging emotions and suddenly became scalding hot.

Immediately afterwards, Pei Yan clearly heard her thoughts echoing in his mind.

[It's only been a few days, how come Brother Xie looks so haggard?]

That Liu woman looks just like me in the past. Why does she demean herself and others like this?

[With Madam Liu right there, how can he ignore her like this? How is she supposed to face him? It's utterly absurd!]

Fortunately, the Prime Minister wasn't here, otherwise how could I have explained myself?

Pei Yan couldn't help but smirk, his slender fingers resting on the sword at his waist.

His fingertips gently caressed the patterns on the knife handle, producing a chilling, subtle friction sound.

She has nothing to do with Xie Pan anymore; she's Pei Yan's woman now!

She was carrying his child, yet she was thinking about another man.

Does she really need this stranger to care whether she's doing well or not?!

That thick, viscous resentment, threatening to crush my internal organs, was stuck in my throat, impossible to swallow or spit out.

Pei Yan knew that Jiang Guo'er hadn't done anything wrong.

But he just couldn't stand it.

I can't stand even a single word!