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

For about half a month, the Pei residence remained peaceful.

After Jiang Guo'er moved into Qingyi Garden, she ate more refined food and slept more soundly than before.

Every morning, after eating an easily digestible breakfast, she would wash the silk doll's face and comb its hair, then place the doll next to a soft pillow while she leaned against the pillow and flipped through medical books.

Xue Lingyi specially selected some books on prenatal care and common pharmacology for her to read.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the northern frontier, war has broken out on all sides.

As expected, the various tribes of the Red Di took the bait.

Upon hearing that the Crown Prince of Great Chu had been deposed and the Emperor was seriously ill, the leader of the Red Di was overjoyed. He secretly gathered 80,000 cavalrymen, preparing to take advantage of the chaos to march south and plunder grain, horses, and women.

Inside the central command tent in the northern frontier, several veteran generals were arguing incessantly around a sand table.

"General Sima, the Red Di are coming with too much force. We should just defend the city. Why should we rashly send troops out?"

"Yes! They have 80,000 cavalry. If we chase after them and fall into an ambush, who can bear the consequences?"

Sima Di stood in front of the sand table, still in his armor, his face bearing the hardened look honed by the harsh winds of the north.

He raised his hand and slammed Pei Yan's secret letter onto the table.

"Do you know why my father named me Di? I, Sima Di, will never return to the capital until I have thoroughly annihilated those beasts of the Northern Barbarians!"

"Grand Secretary Pei has laid out such a good bait for us, how can we not use it?"

"If we miss even such an opportunity, how will you face the fallen soldiers in the future?!"

"The Red Di think we've lost control. Perfect, let's just let them in."

An old general frowned: "But if we let them in, what will happen to the people along the way?"

"Give them advance notice to hide! But don't take any grain or livestock!"

Sima Di raised his head high, his voice as fierce as the west wind.

"When Marquis Dingyuan was still alive, the Red Di dared not cross the border even half a step."

"After the Marquis of Dingyuan died in battle, they treated the northern frontier as their own pasture, coming and going as they pleased."

"Can a city maintain peace for several years?"

No one in the tent dared to make a sound.

Sima Di drew his long sword from his waist, the blade gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

"Anyone who dares to speak of avoiding battle will be court-martialed. In this battle, I will lead the charge!"

Three days later.

Sima Di personally led three hundred light cavalry, deliberately abandoning several supply wagons filled with grain sacks, feigning a hasty retreat.

The Red Di cavalry were overjoyed at the sight, thinking that the Great Chu army was in disarray, and rushed to chase them into Hulu Valley.

The valley was narrow to begin with, and the horses' hooves clattered, raising clouds of dust.

Some people rushed to grab the grain, while others pushed forward, and the line gradually lost its formation.

When the Red Di vanguard reached the heart of the valley while the rear guard remained blocked at the valley entrance, everyone realized something was wrong.

Those carts that looked like they were full of grain and fodder were actually filled with hay and tarpaulins!

At the mouth of the valley, a huge rock suddenly rolled down.

Their escape route has been cut off.

On the cliff, the archers of the Great Chu appeared in unison.

Sima Di reined in his horse at the valley entrance, raised his hand and fired an arrow. The arrow pierced the wind and struck the Red Di army flag squarely.

The flag bearer screamed and tumbled off his horse.

The next moment, he shouted sternly:

"set fire!"

Rockets rained down.

When dry grass meets oil, flames erupt instantly.

Thick smoke, carrying waves of heat, rushed into the valley.

The warhorse was startled, neighing and charging wildly.

The cavalrymen were squeezed and unable to move forward or backward. Some fell off their horses, and some were trampled by their own horses. Screams, curses, and neighing of horses mingled together.

Sima Di took the lead and led his troops to attack from the flank.

His long sword, wreathed in blood, slashed down several men before closing in on the Red Di leader.

The leader brandished his sword to meet the challenge.

As the two horses passed each other, Sima Di dodged the blade to the side, then swung his sword backhand, slashing across the man's neck.

A head flew several feet and rolled down beside a burning haystack.

Sima Di drew his sword and reined in his horse, blood dripping from the tip of the blade.

He raised the head of the Red Di leader high, his voice like thunder.

"Anyone who violates the borders of our Great Chu—kill!"

The suppressed anger of the soldiers in the northern frontier exploded completely at this moment.

"kill--!"

Burning the gourd valley.

The Red Di cavalry suffered heavy casualties, with most of their 80,000 cavalrymen killed or wounded, and the remaining troops fled north in panic.

This battle deterred the Red Di from looking south for several years.

It was also the first major victory that the northern frontier had won after the death of Marquis Dingyuan, Murong Kui.

The good news was delivered by express courier, traveling 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) all the way to the capital.

When the news reached the cabinet, the ministers were greatly encouraged.

Pei Yan held the victory report, still smelling of gunpowder, his gaze falling on the eight large characters: "Eighty thousand enemies annihilated, the Red Di flee in disarray."

He slowly stroked the edge of the paper; this was only the first step.

The crimes borne by the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion...

He would also help her get her money back, one by one.

He took the report of victory and went to the Cining Palace.

The Empress Dowager has been extremely worried these days because Emperor Zhaode is seriously ill and the Crown Prince is confined to his quarters.

Upon hearing of the great victory in the northern frontier, a genuine sense of relief finally appeared on his face.

"Good, good!" The Empress Dowager nodded repeatedly, her gaze toward Pei Yan growing increasingly warm.

"It is all thanks to your strategic planning in the court, Minister Pei, that Sima Di was able to achieve such a great victory. Minister Pei, you are truly a pillar of the nation."

"Your Majesty flatters me. I dare not claim credit for myself. The soldiers of the northern frontier fought valiantly to defend our land. I have merely done my duty as a subject."

The Empress Dowager dismissed the palace servants, leaving only her trusted nanny standing guard not far away in the hall.

"Minister Pei, I have been thinking about the matter of the Crown Prince's Palace for a long time."

"Although the Crown Prince made a mistake, he is still young and easily deceived, and also bewitched by sorcerers."

She paused, her gaze falling on Pei Yan.

"The position of crown prince is a matter of national importance and should not be easily changed."

"Of all the civil and military officials in the court, you are the one I trust the most."

"I intend to appoint you as the Crown Prince's tutor, so that the Crown Prince can perform the ceremony of formally becoming his teacher. With you personally instructing him, the stability of the Great Chu empire can be ensured."

When the crown prince ascends the throne, he will be the rightful imperial tutor.

The Empress Dowager was both showing goodwill and testing the waters.

The Pei family's power will rise even higher, making them the most powerful family in the entire Great Chu!

Such temptation, who could resist?

However, Pei Yan did not agree.

He lowered his eyes and spoke calmly, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager's kindness is something I should not refuse."

"But this matter is of great importance, and His Majesty is still not awake, so I dare not instruct the Crown Prince in private."

Pei Yan was reminding the Empress Dowager that trying to win over the Crown Prince while the Emperor was unconscious would only make the Emperor dislike the Crown Prince even more.

"However, I have a matter I would like to ask the Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager was taken aback, then breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good to make requests.

I'm not afraid of my subjects making demands; I'm afraid of my subjects having no weaknesses.

"What is it? Please speak, Pei Qing."

Once his demands are met, half the battle is won in binding him to the prince's ship.

"I've heard that when the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion was raided, the Marquis's wife had a set of kingfisher feather and pearl-adorned headdresses as part of her dowry."

"I am short-sighted, and my parents died early. My grandmother raised me with great difficulty for many years, and now she is all white-haired."

"Your Majesty, I wish to find it and present it to my grandmother as a birthday gift. Does Your Majesty know its whereabouts?"

"So that's what it is. I didn't think it was a big deal." The Empress Dowager smiled and whispered a few words to her trusted nanny.

Before long, the old woman came out carrying an exquisite box.

The Empress Dowager opened the box herself.

"This headdress was originally a gift from Empress Xiaoyi to the wife of the Marquis of Dingyuan. Later, when something happened to the Marquis's residence, the Embroidered Uniform Guard sent it to the palace."

"Over the years, the beads and kingfisher feathers have become somewhat loose. I had them put away, and they have remained untouched ever since."

"Pei Qing, take it back and find a good craftsman to re-inlay it."

Pei Yan's eyes darkened slightly.

The confiscated property of the Marquis of Dingyuan should have been registered and put into the internal treasury.

But this headdress had been in the Empress Dowager's private treasury all along?

If he hadn't asked, the Empress Dowager might have decreed that it be kept and then become the private property of the Tan family!

Pei Yan remained expressionless and reached out to take the box.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty."

When the Empress Dowager saw that he had accepted it, her smile deepened.

"I have considered the problem you are worried about. Let's wait for the emperor to wake up and ask him to issue an edict appointing you as the Crown Prince's tutor."

"Your subject takes his leave."

Pei Yan, holding the box, turned and left Cining Palace.

The wind was cold outside the palace, and the palace walls felt oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

The broken gold wire base inside the box looks like a thorn.

Of the items confiscated from the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence, how much ended up in the Empress Dowager's private treasury?

How many of them ended up in the hands of the Tan family?

He slowly tightened his grip.

The sandalwood box made a very faint cracking sound.

Tan family.

We can't keep it.