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

From the small carriage with green curtains at the back, Tan Yu quietly peeked out half of her face.

Her gaze darted back and forth between Xie Qing and Liu Shi, her eyes darting around rapidly.

That Madam Xie actually bore a striking resemblance to Jiang Guo'er.

This is so interesting.

If you go to Qizhen Temple and let everyone put the two faces together for comparison, and someone mentions "old woman, new bride," then the fun will be in full swing.

Tan Yu suppressed the wildly upturned corners of her mouth and quickly lowered the curtain.

At the end of the procession, Pei Yan rode on horseback, his straw hat pulled low.

His eyes were half-closed, with the corners slightly upturned, as if he were smiling, but there was no light deep in his pupils.

kill him!

The instant this thought exploded in his mind, Pei Yan's thumb was already pressing against the hilt of the knife.

But in the next instant, he forcefully suppressed this violent impulse.

As the chief minister of the Great Chu, the most important thing is to be "patient"!

They had to appease the capricious emperor above, suppress the officials with their own ulterior motives below, guard against powerful eunuchs in the middle, and endure the city's condemnation from the outside world.

Only through compromise and forbearance can one carve out a bloody path through the cracks and achieve one's goal!

After silently repeating these warnings in his mind dozens of times, Pei Yan's taut, white knuckles slowly loosened from the hilt of the knife.

After a few incense sticks had burned, the coachmen finally pushed out the Xie family's carriage wheels.

Xie Qing retreated to Liu's side and apologized in a low voice.

Lady Liu simply lowered her head and said gently, "It's good that my husband is alright."

Just that one sentence made Jiang Guo'er feel suffocated.

She didn't intend to harm Liu, but Liu suffered injustice because of her existence.

This world is inherently harsh on women. If a husband has someone else in his heart, that person can at least find some peace and quiet, but where can the legal wife hide?

Xie Pan, you're so foolish!

The convoy resumed its journey.

Xue Lingyi returned to the car and gently patted Jiang Guo'er's hand.

"Don't be afraid, we'll talk about it when we get to the temple."

Jiang Guo'er nodded and used a round fan to cover half of her face.

"I'm not afraid."

She paused, then muttered softly, "I just feel sorry for Liu."

Xue Lingyi sighed.

"This is not your fault."

"I know," Jiang Guo'er said, head bowed. "But knowing is one thing, feeling suffocated is another. Why is being a woman so difficult?"

Xue Lingyi agreed wholeheartedly, shook her head, and said nothing more.

Qizhen Temple is built halfway up the mountain, and carriages and horses can only be parked outside the mountain gate.

The abbot had already received the news and came out to greet them with a young Taoist boy.

The women of the Pei family were settled in the guest courtyard on the east side. The Xie family had also come to offer incense and admire the flowers, so the two families decided to travel together and head into the temple.

As soon as Tan Yu got out of the car, she stuck to Xue Lingyi's side.

"Madam, I've heard that the azaleas on the back hill are the most beautiful. Shall we go take a look later?"

Xue Lingyi glanced at her, "Go offer incense first."

Tan Yu obediently agreed, and in the blink of an eye, she pulled the little maid beside her to a corner.

"Go and invite Madam Xie, and tell her that Madam Pei has invited her to enjoy the flowers together. Also, have someone invite Aunt Jiang over, to make it more lively."

The maid hesitated, "But Madam didn't give any orders..."

Tan Yu slipped her a small silver ingot.

"Madam is kind-hearted and worried that Madam Xie might be bored. You may go ahead."

A quarter of an hour later, Liu arrived as expected by the azalea path.

As Jiang Guo'er was being helped across the corridor by Lü Yi, she saw Liu Shi standing under the flower trellis.

The two stopped at the same time, a few steps apart.

The two Xie family maids behind Liu were stunned on the spot.

Tan Yu held a cup of tea and exclaimed in feigned surprise.

"What a coincidence! Madam Xie and Sister Jiang are standing together, they look like sisters."

Upon hearing this, all the women of the Pei family turned to look at them.

Jiang Guo'er's heart skipped a beat.

coming.

This little girl is quite clever; she knows how to take advantage of situations.

Before she could speak, Madam Liu lowered her head first.

Tan Yu refused to let it go, and her smile grew even sweeter.

"Madam Xie, please don't be shy. Just now on the official road, Young Master Xie was very attentive to our Sister Jiang. I saw it and I'm so happy for you, your husband is so devoted to his old friend—"

"Aunt Tan."

A slightly deep male voice suddenly cut in from the other end of the flower path.

Xie Qing walked extremely fast, completely ignoring the mud splattered on the hem of his jade-white robe.

Tan Yu was surprised to see him and frowned in astonishment.

"Young Master Xie, what brings you here?"

Xie Qin ignored her completely, first bowing respectfully to Xue Lingyi before standing beside Liu Shi.

"My wife isn't feeling well, so I came to take her home to rest."

Tan Yu blinked. "But Madam Xie looks perfectly fine with a rosy complexion!"

Xie Qin stared at her for a moment.

He's usually mild-mannered, but he's suddenly become quite assertive.

"Aunt Tan, I mistook you for someone else on the official road just now, offending the women of the Prime Minister's household and neglecting my wife. I have already apologized to Madam Pei."

"If you continue to gossip about this matter, you'll be forcing me to write down what happened today and send it to the Prime Minister's residence and your elders to properly explain the rules!"

Tan Yu's smile faltered.

Xue Lingyi readily agreed and responded very quickly.

"Young Master Xie is right. Aunt Tan is young and doesn't know her place. Today she will go back to the guest courtyard and copy 'Admonitions for Women' ten times."

Tan Yu bit her lower lip in resentment.

"Madam, I only thought they looked alike... I didn't say anything else."

Xue Lingyi's phoenix eyes turned cold. "Lvyi, escort Aunt Tan back."

Green Ripple stepped forward and reached out her hand without giving him a chance to refuse.

"Aunt Tan, please."

Tan Yu's chest heaved with anger, but she could only lower her head.

"This servant knows her mistake."

She took a few steps, then turned back to look at Jiang Guo'er.

Jiang Guo'er didn't even glance at her, only quietly watching Liu Shi.

Liu's face turned pale, but she still maintained proper etiquette and curtsied to Xue Lingyi.

"Thank you, Madam."

Xie Qing hurriedly helped Liu Shi leave.

When they reached the fork in the road, Liu gently withdrew her hand.

Xie Qing's hand missed its target, and he paused for a moment.

Jiang Guo'er saw this and felt even worse.

She turned to Xue Lingyi and whispered, "Lingyi, do me a favor."

Xue Lingyi looked at her.

"I need to make things clear with Xie Qing. If we drag this out any longer, it will only harm both of us."

Xue Lingyi was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"I'll have Lüyi guard it."

After a short while, in a quiet room in the temple, Jiang Guo'er stood coldly by the window.

When Xie Qing came in, he still had a happy look on his face.

"Shunshun, you were looking for me?"

Jiang Guo'er raised her head.

"Young Master Xie, please don't shout. My name is Jiang Guo'er."

Xie Qing stopped in her tracks.

Her words hurt him even more than if he had been directly scolded.

I know you blame me.

"I don't blame you," Jiang Guo'er interrupted him.

"I remember every single thing you did to protect and help me. I am so grateful that I could never repay you, even if I were to repay you with my life. But Murong Shunshun is already dead."

Xie Qing's face turned ashen instantly.

"No...don't curse yourself like that."

"She died on the day the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion was raided, in a pool of blood on the executioner's block. She's long dead!"

Xie Qing clutched the hem of her clothes in heartache, her voice hoarse and barely audible.

"My mother forced me to marry Liu; I've never truly loved her—"

"shut up."

Jiang Guo'er frowned, scolding him with exasperation:

"Whether you married Liu willingly or unwillingly, now that you've gone through the wedding ceremony, you should treat her well!"

"I find her gentle and kind, and she must be a humble person in general. Even after such an embarrassing situation, she didn't speak ill of me. She must be an exceptional woman! How can you let someone else down?"

Xie Qing's eyes suddenly reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"I know, I know everything. But... but I can't control myself whenever I see you."

"Then let's never see each other again!"

Jiang Guo'er's words were very sharp.

Her mother used to teach her to leave room for maneuver when speaking to anyone, but not with Xie Pan.

She had to make Xie Pan give up.

"If you have children in the future, you should focus your attention on your family. Don't hurt the living for the sake of a dead person."

Outside the window, Pei Yan stood at the base of the wall, his five fingers gripping the window frame. When his gaze fell on Xie Pan's face, his pupils suddenly narrowed, devoid of any warmth.

He originally came with Tan Yu.

After being sent back to the guest courtyard by Lüyi, the girl secretly slipped away again.

He followed her all the way, but unexpectedly, he discovered Jiang Guo'er's secret rendezvous with Xie Qing here first.

Pei Yan's anger flared up again.

Xie Qin still dared to call her by her old name.

They still dare to move forward!

At this moment, Xie Qing boldly opened his arms to Jiang Guo'er.

"I just want to hug you, just once. Shunshun, please... just consider it your last thought."

Jiang Guo'er immediately took three steps back.

"No, a true man stands tall between heaven and earth, he should be able to take things up and let them go. Don't make me look down on you."

Xie Qing's raised arms froze in mid-air.

Pei Yan, standing outside the window, had already hunched over, ready to break in at any moment.

If he dares to touch Guo'er, I'll break his hand!

However, Jiang Guo'er's resolute voice came first.

"I am the Prime Minister's woman, he is mine in life and he is mine in death! My body and my heart belong to him!"

Pei Yan's handsome face, filled with a sinister expression, suddenly froze.