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

Pei Yan's hand was still lingering near her lips.

Even through a plain handkerchief, the temperature of my fingertips was still scalding.

The two were so close that Jiang Guo'er could see the curve of his eyelashes and the tip of his nose, which was as high as a mountain peak.

The candlelight fell on his brow bone, casting a shadow that made his already outstanding face even more handsome.

Jiang Guo'er had known for a long time that he was handsome.

Otherwise, no matter how flexible she was, she might not have been able to convince herself to get into his bed so easily.

Knowing it is one thing, but seeing it up close is another.

His two fingers still supported her chin, his gaze fixed on her lips, a hint of lingering darkness beneath his cold demeanor.

Jiang Guo'er should have stepped back.

But her eyes seemed to be drawn to something, first looking at his eyebrows, then at the bridge of his nose, and finally, uncontrollably, lingering on his thin lips.

Beauty truly leads people astray.

She had barely uttered a curse in her mind when her breathing became erratic.

The warmth from that bowl of porridge seemed to surge up all at once, burning from my chest to my ears.

She was clearly awake, but she seemed bewitched by the face in front of her, not even noticing when her fingers gripped his sleeve.

By the time she came to her senses, she had already tilted her face up and touched his lips.

The taste of fish slices still lingered on Jiang Guo'er's lips, and the light scent of soapberry wafted into her nose with each breath.

Pei Yan's Adam's apple bobbed, and his hand, which had been steadily holding the handkerchief, immediately tightened.

He instinctively raised his hand, wanting to hold the back of her head.

I wanted to deepen that fleeting, light touch, to press her into the soft pillows of the daybed, not allowing her to retreat even an inch.

But just as his hand was about to strike, he suddenly heard what she had said earlier.

My entry into your household was solely to leverage your power, not because I admire you.

Pei Yan's hand paused in mid-air for a moment before finally resting lightly on her waist.

Through the silk robe and vest, he could feel how slender her waist was, and he could also feel her trembling slightly.

He couldn't bring himself to push her away.

When he lowered his head to respond, he restrained himself from pulling her into his arms, only letting the kiss slowly deepen.

It felt like a caged beast was trapped in his chest, his breathing grew heavier and heavier, but his hand remained at her waist, never crossing the line.

After a long while, the two finally separated.

Jiang Guo'er's cheeks flushed, and she lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him.

What did she just do?

Ming had already made up her mind to distance herself from him, so why did her bones go weak after just two glances from him?

No ambition.

Being born too handsome can also be a way to harm others.

She pursed her still slightly numb lips, her mind in turmoil, but she forced herself to remain calm and moved back half an inch.

"Yesterday... I already asked Master Longchuan yesterday, and the poison that caused you to become mute has been almost completely cured."

Pei Yan watched as she stepped back half an inch, his eyes slowly darkening.

Jiang Guo'er pinched her palm with her fingertips, forcing herself to finish the second half of her sentence.

"So, this is the last time I'll detoxify you."

The room fell silent.

The tender moments that had just been entwined between the two were instantly dispelled by those words.

Pei Yan stared at her bright red ears.

She was clearly moved, her breathing was still ragged, yet she insisted on keeping her head down and using the words "detoxification" to deny the kiss she had just shared.

Sure enough, once her identity was revealed, she refused to be close to him for even a moment longer.

Pei Yan felt a chill in his chest, but his face returned to calm.

He stood up, slowly straightening the dark blue sleeves she had crumpled, his voice so calm it betrayed no emotion.

"Alright."

"Now that the poison has been neutralized, there's no need for me to stay here and cause trouble."

He turned around, but his eyes were still on her out of the corner of his eye.

"I'll sleep in the study tonight. You're pregnant, so please take good care of yourself."

He felt that this wasn't enough, so he added another sentence.

"From now on, you won't have to force yourself to pretend to be affectionate towards me anymore. You must be very happy inside."

These were genuine words spoken in anger.

His intention was to provoke her, hoping she would speak up in rebuttal, even if it was just a simple "I'm not happy."

But Jiang Guo'er sat there quietly, her lips pursed, and didn't make a sound for a long time.

She could tell, of course, that he was just saying it in anger.

When she kissed him just now, he didn't refuse at all, but the moment he did, he brought up the lie she had told before. How could a member of the Cabinet be so narrow-minded and hold such a grudge!

Can't you just talk to her properly?

Pei Yan's temper flared up instantly, and he flung his sleeves toward the door.

He strode forward, feigning indifference, but the closer he got to the threshold, the slower his steps became, and his ears were secretly perked up.

One step, two steps...

If we don't stop him, he'll really leave!

Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps behind him, and a small hand reached out from behind and grabbed his wide sleeve.

Pei Yan stopped in his tracks, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up half an inch.

She still has some conscience; she knows to soften her stance and keep him.

He suppressed his eagerness to turn around, maintaining the composure of a prime minister, and slowly turned back.

"How come you know now—"

Jiang Guo'er's expression was serious, and she lowered her voice, saying, "Don't leave yet, I have something important to discuss with you."

Pei Yan's second half of the sentence stuck in his throat.

"...Is it something important?"

"Um."

Jiang Guo'er pulled him back, made sure the doors and windows were closed tightly, and then recounted how Sha Laila had come to her for cooperation, using her pregnancy as leverage, and offering her pledge of loyalty.

"Salara wants to join forces with me to kill the Crown Prince. If this succeeds, will it be beneficial or detrimental to the current political situation and the Pei family?"

Pei Yan remained silent.

He gazed at her silently for a moment, and the slight joy he had felt from her plea to stay shattered completely in that instant.

"You went to all this trouble to stop me," Pei Yan's eyes darkened, "just to discuss with me whether or not we should join forces with another woman to kill the Crown Prince?"

Otherwise, this is a big deal.

Jiang Guo'er ignored his comment and dropped another bombshell:

"Not only that, Salera has discovered my pregnancy. She's using this as leverage, demanding cooperation as a condition for secrecy."

"I didn't agree immediately; I only asked her for three days to consider it."

Pei Yan's expression suddenly changed.

The slight jealousy and awkwardness in my heart instantly vanished.

He grabbed Jiang Guo'er's wrist and looked her up and down.

"How was she so sure? Did she touch you? Or did she secretly drug you?"

The guards are incompetent! Why didn't they notice something so important?

Change the penalty!

Seeing how nervous he was, Jiang Guo'er's heart pounded, and she shook her head.

"She didn't touch me, nor did she drug me."

"She was a Hu person, and her sense of smell was more sensitive than that of people from the Central Plains. She could smell the scent on a woman's body after she became pregnant."

Pei Yan frowned, clearly disbelieving.

He leaned down, his tall figure completely enveloping Jiang Guo'er, his nose close to the side of her neck.

Warm breath brushed against her skin, and Jiang Guo'er felt a tingling sensation on her neck, causing the fine hairs on her skin to stand up, and her rounded ear tips to gradually turn pink.

She instinctively wanted to dodge, but remembering that he was confirming something important, she forced herself to stay still.

Pei Yan sniffed carefully. At first, he could only smell the familiar scent of soapberry, but when he calmed down and listened more closely, he could indeed detect a very faint sweetness hidden beneath the soapberry.

It's not cosmetics, nor is it clothing fragrance.

The sweetness was subtle, almost imperceptible, as if it emanated from within the skin.

Pei Yan had smelled it when he held her recently, but he assumed it was the smell of the candied fruit she had eaten and didn't think much of it.

Now, upon hearing it again, I realize that this is not the case.

"Can you smell it?"

Jiang Guo'er blinked uncomfortably and subtly shrank her neck.

"Do you think the Crown Prince will fall for it if she deliberately drew an ugly portrait to appease him?" Pei Yan was taken aback.

"An ugly portrait? You mean... Salera deliberately painted you to be incredibly ugly to deceive the Crown Prince."

Jiang Guo'er nodded, "Yes, although her method is a bit outrageous, it's also out of good intentions, to protect me."

Pei Yan closed his eyes, his breath caught in his throat, and he felt a tightness in his chest.

"Although the Crown Prince is indulgent and fond of wine and women, he is not a fool."

"Salara is being too clever by sending the ugly portrait back; it will only pique his curiosity even more!"