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

The color drained from Tan Yu's face, her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground.

At this moment, she was truly afraid.

"Your Excellency... Your Excellency, spare my life!"

Tan Yu abandoned all pretense of dignity, crawled on her knees to Pei Yan's feet, and cried with snot and tears streaming down her face.

"I...I was blinded by greed and listened to the slander of petty people! I only spoke recklessly for the sake of the Prime Minister and the Pei family's reputation!"

"I am young and ignorant, please, Your Excellency, for the sake of... for the sake of the Empress Dowager, forgive me this time!"

She placed her last hope on the Empress Dowager.

However, Pei Yan simply lowered his eyes indifferently.

"As the chief minister of the Great Chu, I should naturally abide by the laws of the country."

His voice was as cold as ice.

"Slandering one's true identity and one's family is a family matter, which can be dealt with behind closed doors."

"But you," he paused, each word like an iron nail piercing Tan Yu's heart, "you should never have, ever slandered Xie Qing, a Hanlin Academy scholar of the current dynasty."

"According to the laws of the Great Chu, if someone falsely accuses an official of the court and the evidence is conclusive, he shall be punished with thirty strokes of the cane as a warning to others."

"Xiao San".

He, who had been hiding in the shadows, immediately revealed himself.

"Go and invite Scholar Xie over so he can see with his own eyes how I will clear his name."

A moment later, Xie Qing, pale-faced, was led to the corridor by Xiao San.

He immediately spotted Jiang Guo'er, who was being completely protected in Pei Yan's arms; their posture was incredibly intimate.

Pei Yan, seemingly oblivious to him, lowered his head and gently stroked Jiang Guo'er's bright red lips with his fingertips.

"Just now, Tan Yu falsely accused you of having a secret rendezvous with Scholar Xie in the quiet room and even giving him a sachet as a token of your love."

Pei Yan's voice was deep, with a hint of nonchalant amusement.

Upon hearing this, Xie Qing swayed violently, too frightened to breathe by the sudden disaster.

He was about to speak in rebuttal when he heard Pei Yan chuckle softly in Jiang Guo'er's ear:

"Fortunately, I saw through everything and investigated the truth, clearing your name."

"As for Scholar Xie... after this incident, he will surely be more careful with his words and actions from now on."

Xie Pan clenched his fist until he crushed the jade hairpin in his palm, breaking his skin and drawing blood, but he felt nothing.

He originally intended to secretly give this jade hairpin to Jiang Guo'er.

Jiang Guo'er was dressed very simply, suggesting that Pei Yan had not usually bestowed many pieces of jewelry upon her.

He just wanted her to have a better life; he had no other intentions.

However, seeing the woman who had only ever smiled at him now blushing and nestled in another man's arms, Xie Pan's heart shattered completely.

So, her statement, "Born to be Pei Yan's person, and will die to be Pei Yan's ghost," was actually true...

Pei Yan was extremely satisfied with his reaction, raising his chin slightly.

"Execute."

Two strong guards stepped forward and dragged Tan Yu, who was still crying and begging for mercy, to a bench that had been prepared beforehand.

"Snapped!"

The first strike landed with a solid, muffled thud.

"Ah—!" Tan Yu let out a piercing scream.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

The board struck the flesh repeatedly, the sound dull and terrifying.

Tan Yu's screams went from sharp to hoarse, and finally to just a faint groan.

Blood quickly soaked through her dress, leaving a small, glaring red trail on the bluestone slab.

The maids around him, startled by the broken door, turned their faces away, too frightened to look any further.

Not far away, behind the window of the alchemy room, Consort Yu took in all of this through the crack in the window.

As she watched Tan Yu being beaten until her skin was torn and bleeding, and as she watched Pei Yan protecting Jiang Guo'er with such a matter-of-fact attitude, a chill ran from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

That ruthless and cold-blooded Pei Yan would actually go to such lengths for a mere maidservant!

It's not that he's heartless or indifferent to women; it's just that his heart isn't with anyone else!

Why should I?!

She recalled how, in order to pass the Empress's test, she had learned the "Eighteen Postures of a Beauty" that the Empress had given her, and had practically turned her broken leg into a tool for flattery.

After entering the palace, she had to endure nausea and serve the emperor, who reeked of old age, and willingly endure his perverse tortures...

She has suffered so much and endured so much hardship, how could she not even be able to defeat Jiang Guo'er?

If it weren't for Jiang Guo'er, her leg wouldn't have been broken, and her mother's tongue wouldn't have been cut out!

All of this is because of Jiang Guo'er!

Consort Yu bit her lip until she tasted a hint of blood.

She must return to the palace immediately! She needs to find the Empress!

No matter the cost... Jiang Guo'er must die!

After the caning ended, Tan Yu was dragged off the bench like a lump of mud, already unconscious.

Xie Qing's eyes were empty. He turned and left like a walking corpse, his back view desolate and pathetic.

Xue Lingyi sighed, ordered someone to fetch a doctor to examine Tan Yu's injuries, and then instructed the old woman to carry her back to the quiet room.

No matter what, Tanyu is a member of the Empress Dowager's family, so we can't really kill her.

The farce has finally come to an end.

After giving Xue Lingyi a few instructions, Pei Yan took Jiang Guo'er's hand and walked towards the back mountain.

"I'll take you to see something nice."

On the back slope, large swathes of azaleas are in full bloom, a blazing display, like burning clouds.

Pei Yan conjured a kite from who-knows-where; it was an adorable, chubby-headed fish.

"Come on, write down your wish."

He stuffed the spool into Jiang Guo'er's hand, then pulled the lead thread and ran against the wind.

A dozen or so breaths later, the kite wobbled and soared into the sky.

Jiang Guo'er looked up at the fathead fish swimming freely in the blue sky and white clouds, and a long-lost cheerful smile appeared on her face.

Pei Yan stood behind her, looking at her smiling face, revealing a tenderness that he himself did not realize.

If he truly knows I am Murong Shunshun, then I no longer need to feign deep affection in front of him as I used to.

I came to the Pei residence because of his immense power and influence. Although I have wronged him, I must avenge the massacre of my family!

Before I avenge my family, I have no right to talk about feelings. To indulge in love while simultaneously using him is too unfair to Pei Yan.

The child in my belly... consider this my way of repaying him.

But if he could live past thirty, perhaps...

This heartfelt sentiment came quickly and disappeared just as fast.

Pei Yan stood frozen in place until a gust of wind swept by, scattering azaleas everywhere.

He watched as the crimson petals swirled in the air, fluttering down onto Jiang Guo'er's hair and shoulders. His heart pounded harder and harder, and his chest ached as if it were about to split open.

He raised his palm, caught a falling petal, and handed it to Jiang Guo'er.

"nice."

But they didn't say whether the flower was prettier or she was prettier.

Jiang Guo'er blushed slightly, lowered her head, and muttered something softly.

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

The kite had fallen sometime earlier, and Pei Yan saw the words she had written on the belly of the fathead fish:

May my parents, brothers, sisters-in-law, Chunxiang... be successfully reincarnated.

But what they didn't see was that on the back of the kite, there was a line of small, delicate calligraphy written by her.