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

Jiang Guo'er pinched the web between the thumb and index finger of her left hand.

Pei Yan's words did make sense, but they sounded rather harsh.

"Your Excellency didn't need to put it so harshly."

Pei Yan looked at her coldly.

Jiang Guo'er's momentum immediately diminished, and she steered the conversation back to the main topic.

"So...you deliberately spread rumors in the capital that I have tinea capitis, actually to... discourage the Crown Prince from having any ideas?"

It seems she had indeed misunderstood him before.

Pei Yan took a few deep breaths, suppressing his anger.

"If you had told me earlier that Salera had painted an ugly portrait, I would not have spread the word about the 'peach blossom rash'."

He reached up and clutched his chest, feeling waves of pain coursing through his heart.

"An ugly portrait, a shameful disease—either taken individually, could have a concealing effect."

"But these two things colliding together actually tells the Crown Prince—the Pei family's attempt to cover up the truth is only making things worse; you and Consort Yu do indeed look alike!"

Jiang Guo'er's heart sank suddenly.

Pei Yan stared at her, his voice growing colder: "Why did you hide such a serious matter from me?!"

"I……"

Jiang Guo'er opened her mouth, and a layer of cold sweat quickly seeped out on her back.

"I didn't know things would be this serious."

In fact, because she was initially framed by Cuiping for killing Suyue, she had always been wary of Pei Yan's power.

Even if they later became close and developed some affection for each other, they could never fully trust each other.

But a mistake is a mistake, and Jiang Guo'er never thought of making excuses.

She hurriedly stepped forward, opened her palm, and gently stroked Pei Yan's chest.

"I'm sorry, but if something like this happens again, I will definitely tell you first and never act on my own."

Pei Yan looked down at her.

She tilted her head back, the annoyance in her eyes genuine, her hand still gently stroking his chest, as if afraid that too much pressure would make him more uncomfortable.

Pei Yan's anger was somewhat dissipated by her, but he still remained silent with a sullen face.

Seeing that his expression had softened slightly, Jiang Guo'er hesitated for a moment and then said, "There's one more thing."

Pei Yan's features furrowed: "Are you hiding something from me?"

"No, no, that's not it. I wanted to ask you... in the future, if the Owl Guards uncover any information secretly, could you please inform me promptly?"

Jiang Guo'er sighed softly.

"If we continue to keep half of our secrets from each other and keep guessing, something bad is bound to happen sooner or later."

"This incident serves as a lesson."

Pei Yan was indeed quite frightened by her just now.

A woman who dared to send herself into the Prime Minister's room to avenge the extermination of her clan, a barbarian woman whose mind was full of thoughts about assassinating the Crown Prince.

If we don't keep a close eye on them, who knows how big a mess they might make?

He rubbed his throbbing temples, remained silent for a long time, and finally relented.

"Alright, from now on, I will promptly inform you of any news related to you and the Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion case."

Jiang Guo'er's shoulder relaxed.

Pei Yan, however, had no intention of letting her off the hook and continued his analysis:

"The Eastern Palace is heavily guarded. Unless Salera uses herself as bait and strikes while serving the Crown Prince in bed, she might not have much of a chance."

"But since the Crown Prince has sent her to the Pei residence, it proves that the Crown Prince has no interest in the Hu woman at all. She has little chance of even getting close to her, unless—"

Pei Yan's voice was cold, "The Crown Prince is willing to come to the Pei residence in person."

"But if the Crown Prince dies in the Pei family, I will definitely be implicated."

Pei Yan walked to the table and pointed to the map of the capital's wards that had not yet been put away.

"When the emperor is enraged, he will surely investigate the Pei family thoroughly, and the other princes and their maternal families will not let this opportunity pass."

"Once the struggle for the crown prince begins, officials will take sides, and factional strife will ensue. At that point, those who can sit at the same table to discuss matters today may be tearing each other apart tomorrow."

He looked up, his eyes fixed on her.

"This isn't just about the death of a crown prince. One wrong move, and not only the court will be thrown into chaos, but the entire capital!"

Jiang Guo'er then realized just how serious this matter was. Fortunately, she didn't agree to Shalaira's request right then and there.

She pondered for a moment, then asked, "So what exactly is your stance on the matter of choosing an heir?"

Pei Yan looked somewhat tired.

He sat down at the table, and after a long while, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Currently, the princes who have come of age are mediocre in talent, and the forces behind them are deeply entrenched. None of them are truly suitable to become the Crown Prince."

"No matter who sits on the throne as crown prince, I will always have a mess to clean up."

"My original plan was to wait a few more years until the princes in the harem grew up a bit more, and then see if any of them were promising talents."

As Jiang Guo'er continued to think along with his words, her eyes gradually brightened.

"In that case, let's play along."

Pei Yan raised an eyebrow, signaling her to continue.

"First, accept Salera, form an alliance with her, and keep her in check."

As Jiang Guo'er pondered, she slowly pieced together the clues.

"Find another suitable excuse to distract her from her plan to assassinate the Crown Prince."

"As long as she trusts me, we can use her old way of delivering messages for the Crown Prince to find out his whereabouts."

She paused, her expression becoming serious.

"But you have to promise me one thing."

"explain."

"Save Salera's life."

Pei Yan did not agree immediately.

Jiang Guo'er whispered, "If she hadn't been driven to the brink, she wouldn't have risked her life."

"Moreover, the fact that she was willing to use an ugly portrait to appease the Crown Prince shows that she did not want to harm the innocent in order to seek revenge."

In a short time, she found a loophole to exploit in a ridiculous assassination attempt.

Pei Yan looked at her, and most of his anger dissipated.

She truly lives up to her reputation as the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan's family.

If the Murong family hadn't met with misfortune, she should have been raised like a precious jewel, instead of changing her name and becoming his concubine.

But the thought that she had to hide even her intelligence and guard against him for so long made Pei Yan's expression turn even colder.

"What if I disagree? Would you secretly agree to Salera's request behind my back?"

"Won't."

Jiang Guo'er answered very decisively.

Pei Yan finally relaxed a little.

The next moment, she continued:

"Not only will I not, I will also find ways to keep her in check."

"I can't let someone who knows I'm pregnant run rampant under my nose."

The silk doll hidden in her inner garment pressed against her chest, rising and falling gently with her slightly rapid heartbeat.

She, like me, carries the burden of a family massacre. I genuinely want to help her, and also want to take this opportunity to cultivate a few people who can truly be of use to me.

But if Pei Yanruo doesn't agree, I have no choice but to give up.

He was someone I carefully selected, my strongest ally in my revenge scheme. His safety is at stake, so naturally I must consider him first.

His clear thoughts were transmitted into Pei Yan's mind without missing a single word.

Pei Yan's hand, which was resting on the edge of the table, trembled slightly.

The first person she considered was him.

An indescribable sweetness spread from his heart, and the coldness in Pei Yan's eyes slowly dissipated.

But before that joy could settle, the word "ally" gave them another blow.

She had a child with him, and even put his thoughts first, yet she still refused to treat him as a husband she could entrust her life to?

He was filled with mixed emotions, and after a long while, he finally said in a muffled voice:

"You don't need to worry about Salera's safety."

Jiang Guo'er breathed a long sigh of relief: "Okay."

After the business was finished, the atmosphere in the room quieted down once again.

Pei Yan stood still, staring at her intently.

He is waiting.

When she picked up the topic she had just changed the subject with, she asked him if he really wanted to go to the study tonight.

If she showed even the slightest reluctance, he would reluctantly stay.

He had already thought of all the steps.

She was pregnant and needed someone to look after her at night.

He stayed not out of soft-heartedness or reluctance, but simply to spend more time with his children.

Very reasonable.

Jiang Guo'er felt uncomfortable under his gaze. She knew what he was waiting for, but the thought of kissing him impulsively made her feel confused and timid.

She had just said that it was the last time she would detoxify him, and then she immediately asked him to stay. Wasn't that contradicting herself?

Moreover, if this person really stays, who knows what ways he'll find to torment her at night.

"Um..." Jiang Guo'er's ears burned, and she secretly twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers, "I've already finished the fish porridge."

Pei Yan waited for two breaths, but didn't hear anything more.

He shouted coldly towards the door, "Lvyi, come in and pack your things!"

Luyi, who had been waiting under the eaves, was startled and quickly ran in with her head down.

She deftly put the porridge bowl and spoon into the food box, barely daring to breathe.

Pei Yan's face was frosty. He didn't look at Jiang Guo'er again, turned around and strode out of the room towards the study.

Jiang Guo'er looked at the swaying curtain and her lips moved slightly.

His hand was already outstretched in mid-air, but in the end, it fell down.