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

Pei Yan's breath hitched, and even his hands hanging at his sides tightened a little.

He didn't urge her, but sat quietly, letting her hand reach to his collar and unbutton his clothes.

With her everyday clothes removed and her inner garments falling away, the distinct lines of her shoulders, neck, waist, and abdomen were revealed.

Jiang Guo'er ran her fingertips along his waist and felt his body tense up. A strange sense of pride welled up inside her.

It turns out this person isn't as composed as he seems.

The air was slightly cool, which caused a fine layer of goosebumps to rise on his skin.

But the next moment, a cool, strange sensation touched his waist and abdomen.

It seemed to be a string of beads, thin and with a heavy, dangling feel.

Jiang Guo'er's fingertips traced his lumbar spine intentionally or unintentionally, causing him to gasp.

"Alright, Your Excellency, you may open your eyes now."

Pei Yan ripped off the silk ribbon covering his eyes and looked down.

A slender waist chain made of hundreds of pearls the size of rice grains was seen encircling his strong waist.

The pearl's lustrous sheen, set against his tanned skin, created an extremely alluring visual impact.

The waist chain was very long, with a long section hanging down at the end, resting on his hips.

Pei Yan's eyes suddenly darkened, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "What does this mean?"

Jiang Guo'er's ear tips were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

She bit her lower lip, raised her shimmering eyes, and stared straight at him.

"You're allowed to encircle me with that gold-inlaid jade anklet..." Her voice trembled slightly, yet remained firm, "But am I not allowed to encircle you with this beaded chain?"

That's really bold.

If it were someone else, they would surely scold her for not knowing her place.

I really need to teach her properly what the Three Obediences and Four Virtues are, and that she should take her husband as the head of the household.

Pei Yan chuckled softly and reached out to pull her in front of him.

An indescribable surge of ecstasy and excitement washed over him, like a torrential downpour.

"May."

Pei Yan laughed, his chest heaving with laughter, a wicked glint in his eyes and brows.

Pei Yan took her hand and placed the dangling part of the beaded necklace into her palm.

"You can have it however you want."

Jiang Guo'er gripped the beaded necklace tightly, her palms burning, but she wouldn't let him off the hook.

"Your word is your bond, Prime Minister."

Pei Yan lowered his head, his breath brushing against her ear, his voice low and husky.

"Tonight, I'll do whatever you say."

"If you want it to be faster, pull it upwards."

"If you want it to go slower, pull it down."

Pei Yan took the opportunity to embrace her and they fell together onto the soft brocade quilt, while he used his other hand to tear off the bed curtain tie.

Inside the dimly lit canopy bed, only the intertwined breaths of the two remained.

The sound of pearls jingling in the tent was faint and intermittent.

Jiang Guo'er was so coaxed that she lost her temper and could only clench the beaded necklace in her palm, mumbling, "Say less."

Pei Yan responded softly, his breath falling on her neck.

"it is good."

But not long after, he whispered in her ear, "Shunshun, does it hurt?"

Jiang Guo'er was extremely embarrassed and annoyed, and she pulled the beaded chain upwards with all her might.

The soft, tinkling sounds were like the gentle chirping of insects.

"Sweetie, pull tighter..." he panted, beads of sweat on his forehead hitting her collarbone, making her shiver.

How could he do this!

Didn't we agree that she would control the pace? Why is she tempting me at every turn?

The sound of the beads sliding gradually became more frequent and intense, like a sudden rainstorm hitting banana leaves, making a crackling sound.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Guo'er completely lost control of her strength.

Snapped--

The silk thread strung with pearls finally gave way and snapped.

Hundreds of South Sea pearls, each the size of a grain of rice, were instantly freed from their restraints, shattering into pieces and crashing onto the bed.

Then, following the edge of the bedding, it rolled down to the ground like a broken curtain of rain.

Pei Yan bent down to brush the wet hair from her forehead, his voice hoarse but filled with undisguised joy.

"I really like this thank-you gift."

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

The side gate of the Danfu residence in Kyoto creaked open a crack.

Several heavy camphor wood chests were silently carried inside by a few men in gray short-sleeved shirts.

The leader was an ordinary-looking but Jiangnan-born guard disguised as a servant. He looked travel-worn, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and bowed and scraped as he approached.

"Second Master Tan, Lord Zhao instructed me to deliver this by fast horse."

He spoke in a soft, gentle Wu dialect.

Master Tan gripped his rosewood cane, not immediately responding, his expression haughty.

He took two steps forward, used the tip of his cane to flick open the lid of the box in front of him.

A whole box full of yellowed, rare books from previous dynasties.

Master Tan's brows furrowed instantly, and the flesh on his face trembled violently.

"What is Prefect Zhao up to?"

"What Kyoto has in abundance is these pedantic and tattered books."

"He went to all that trouble to have several boxes of this stuff carried here, is he trying to fob off a beggar?"

The servant quickly put on a smiling face and bowed even lower.

"Second Master, please calm down."

"My master acquired some rare and unique books in Jiangnan. Knowing that Second Master is a refined person who loves books, he sent me to deliver them day and night."

"As for the rest, I'm just a lowly errand boy, I really... know absolutely nothing about it."

While the servant chimed in, he awkwardly reached for the top stack of books, intending to hand them to Master Tan for a look.

With a slip of his hand, the two books fell to the ground with a "thud".

With this fall, the hard object underneath, tightly wrapped in dark red silk, was revealed without being noticed.

Master Tan, with his sharp eyes, only glanced at it before his heart skipped a beat.

The subtle pattern woven on the silk was a combination of auspicious cloud patterns and twin lotus flowers.

He's an expert at this trick!

The maternal family of Prefect Zhao's wife owned the largest silk shop in Jiangnan, and this pattern was a unique trademark.

The doubts in my heart vanished instantly.

Master Tan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, cursing inwardly, "You Zhao fellow know what's good for you."

The Tan family is currently overwhelmed with the mess caused by the deaths of more than a dozen people in Suzhou.

The deceased's family filed complaints everywhere, and the local gentry, villagers, and county officials all had to be bribed to keep quiet. However, he had just taken two concubines and bought two properties, and he was short of money.

The 100,000 taels of silver arrived at just the right time.

"You're very kind, Lord Zhao."

Master Tan waved his hand, signaling his trusted aides to take the person away to see the reward.

As soon as the person left, he couldn't wait to have the silk strips to be torn apart, and the gleaming silver ingots were dazzling.

The situation was urgent, and he didn't have time to send a message to the palace to ask the Empress Dowager for instructions; he made a decision immediately.

"Go and call the third brother here."

Within half an hour, the two groups of people quietly left the Tan residence.

A group carrying silver ingots rode swiftly to Suzhou, intending to use money to silence the rioters and those in the know.

Another group of people stuffed silver ingots into antique vases and then entered Lord Xiao's mansion.

Although Lord Xiao has retired, as the former Grand Secretary, his students and old friends are all over the court and the country. He has people in the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and even the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

As long as the Xiao family accepts this gift, even if the case is brought to light in the future, it can be easily suppressed.

Master Tan had a very good plan.

Little did they know that just as these two groups stepped out of the Tan residence, several ghostly figures followed them from the shadows of the alley behind them.