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

Jiang Guo'er and Pei Yan spoke in unison.

After the words were spoken, both of them fell silent for a moment.

Jiang Guo'er looked up at him, and Pei Yan was also looking at her.

Just moments ago they were worried about Xiao Yuzhen leaving the Cold Palace, but in this instant, the two of them suddenly thought of the same thing.

A strange sweetness welled up in her heart.

It's not the kind of sweetness that comes from eating candied fruit, but rather like holding a freshly brewed cup of tea on a winter's day, the warmth spreading from your palms all the way into your heart.

Is this what it means to be of one mind?

Jiang Guo'er pursed her lips, not letting herself show too much joy. She moved further into the bed and reached out to take a small rosewood box from beside her pillow.

When the box was opened, it was filled to the brim with small, round South Sea pearls.

Last night, after she tore off the pearl belt, the pearls rolled all over half the room.

Today, Lüyi, accompanied by her maid, squatted under the bed, beside the cabinet, and at the foot of the screen, picking up the stones one by one, then washing them with clean water and drying them.

Jiang Guo'er picked up a bead and gently touched Pei Yan's knee with her toe.

"Prime Minister, hand me that ice silkworm thread."

She ordered around with complete confidence.

Last night, the man ground her like a millstone, and she lost control and tore her waist chain off.

Hmph, it's all his fault!

Pei Yan lowered his eyes, and through the thin silk stockings, his fingertips pressed against her slender wrist. The warmth of his palm seeped in, burning Jiang Guo'er's toes, making her quickly try to pull them back.

"Your Excellency!"

Pei Yan chuckled softly, but didn't loosen his grip.

"Your legs are still sore, why are you moving around?"

"I told you to take the thread, not my foot." Jiang Guo'er's ears burned, but she refused to back down. "The Prime Minister is getting better and better at using his head to take advantage of others these days."

Pei Yan chuckled softly, picked up the extremely thin ice silkworm thread, and handed it to her.

"This delicate work is hard on the eyes, shall I do it?" he said, bending down and his breath brushing against the stray hairs behind her ear.

Jiang Guo'er took the silk thread and deftly picked up a South Sea pearl.

"I have to string this beaded necklace myself to consider it my thank-you gift to you." She glanced at him.

"If you break it again, how are you going to compensate me?"

Pei Yan pulled her, blanket and all, into his arms, his thin lips barely touching the back of her neck, seemingly about to fall.

"The gift you gave me as a thank you is mine. Why should I compensate you for breaking it?"

"...How about I compensate you with a person?"

Jiang Guo'er felt an itch on the back of her neck and almost dropped the bead back into the box.

It should really show those upright officials outside that the Grand Secretary, who usually appears aloof and unapproachable, is so intimate and unrestrained in private.

Pei Yan noticed that her calves were tense, so he stopped teasing her and instead used his large hand to massage her calves gently along her waist.

Jiang Guo'er initially wanted to hide, but later, feeling quite comfortable, she leaned back into his arms, only glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Is Your Excellency being so attentive because you need something from me?"

"Um."

Pei Yan answered frankly.

Jiang Guo'er was speechless, completely stumped.

He tucked the stray hairs behind her ears, brushed the back of his fingers across her earlobe, and spoke in a very low voice.

"Please, madam, be kinder to me."

"Who's your wife?" Jiang Guo'er muttered softly. "I'm just a concubine."

Pei Yan's hand paused for a moment.

Then, he raised his hand and tapped his heart.

"To me, you are."

Jiang Guo'er's heart skipped a beat.

She quickly lowered her head and threaded the beads one by one into the silk thread, refusing to look at him again.

They were discussing serious matters when they suddenly started saying these deceptive things.

Although Lingyi promised that once she had avenged her great grudge, she would voluntarily step down and give up her position as the mistress of the house, could she really do that?

Lingyi treated her well; how could she be ungrateful?

If Lingyi were to be divorced, how would she survive in this cannibalistic world?

"Now that you've guessed it's Xiao Yuzhen, why do you think the Empress Dowager would pull her out of the Cold Palace at this crucial moment?" Pei Yan suddenly asked.

Jiang Guo'er kept moving, her fingertips fiddling with the round beads, her mind already racing with many thoughts.

"Such nonsense as praying for the Emperor's blessings is only good for fooling those who don't know the truth."

She sorted out her thoughts.

"There are only two reasons. First, releasing Xiao Yuzhen would bring the Empress Dowager tremendous benefits. Second, the Empress Dowager had no choice but to release her."

"Let's talk about the first one." Pei Yan was still massaging her legs with his palm, the pressure just right.

Jiang Guo'er threaded a South Sea pearl through the ice silk and slowly said:

"Xiao Yuzhen is now a deposed empress. She herself is not very useful, but the entire Xiao family stands behind her."

"The Xiao family has been established for a century; their clan school, book collection, and reputation are unmatched by ordinary families."

"Many people in the court read books from the Xiao family's collection and follow the paths of the Xiao family's former students and associates."

She looked up at Pei Yan.

"The Crown Prince is absurd, and what he needs most is someone who can guide him and support him in court."

"Could it be... that the Xiao and Tan families are planning a marriage alliance? Otherwise, I can't think of any reason why the Xiao family would support the Empress Dowager."

A hint of interest flickered in Pei Yan's eyes.

The expression was like watching a little fox that was originally nestled in someone's arms for warmth suddenly reveal its claws and precisely scratch its vital spot.

"That makes sense, let's think about it further."

Jiang Guo'er felt a little smug as he looked at her like that.

When she was in the Marquis's mansion, she studied, practiced calligraphy, played the zither, painted, and organized accounts—the things that noble ladies from high-ranking families should learn.

Later, after entering the Pei household and becoming a concubine whom everyone could trample on, I learned that there were some skills that were not in the book.

There are ways to be a servant.

A master of the house can casually utter a single sentence, and servants will run errands, stewards will relay messages, old women will cover for him, and maids will take the blame.

While the masters sit in the warm chamber drinking tea, the servants might fight tooth and nail over a penny, an old garment, or a reward.

Some took the punishment for their masters, some took the blame for their masters, and some, in order to make their lives easier, secretly sold secrets to other households.

Beneath that glamorous facade lie unspeakable, sordid secrets.

Jiang Guo'er gently exhaled.

"Xiao Yuzhen could never willingly assist the Crown Prince."

"A person like her is arrogant and extremely scheming. In her eyes, the Crown Prince is nothing but a hopeless piece of trash."

"If she is truly willing to be on the same side as the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince, it would only be if something earth-shattering happened in the Xiao family that forced her to submit."

"But recently, nothing unusual has been reported about the Xiao family."

Pei Yan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"So, you prefer the second option."

"Yes."

Jiang Guo'er tilted her head back, her nose almost brushing against his cheek.

With just a slight lowering of his head, their lips would touch.

"The Empress Dowager had no choice but to release Xiao Yuzhen."

"Xiao Yuzhen definitely holds some deadly incriminating evidence. It's either the Empress Dowager's personal secrets, or it concerns the very survival of the Tan family!"

Otherwise, given the Empress Dowager's temperament, she would have already sent Xiao Yuzhen to her death with a bowl of poison.

"My Shunshun is truly intelligent." Pei Yan lowered his head and kissed the tip of her nose, his voice full of joy.

Jiang Guo'er's ears felt hot.

She pushed his face away impatiently and muttered, "Stop trying to fool me. These are just guesses. No matter how good your guess is, you still need to find out the evidence."

"Then tell me, how do you plan to verify this?"

Pei Yan looked at her, his eyes filled with indulgence and encouragement.

My heart was filled with an indescribable bitterness.

He might... really not live to see his child born.

In the remaining months, he had to teach her everything he could, so that she could accurately analyze the situation in the court and the power struggles among the aristocratic families, and find a way out for herself and her child.

Even if he were to leave one day, he would still have the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

Jiang Guo'er held a South Sea pearl in her hand, her fingertips slowly stroking its surface.

"The Cining Palace is difficult to investigate. The Empress Dowager is surrounded by old servants who have served her for many years, so we can't reach in. But the Tan family is different."

"The Empress Dowager likely warned the Tan family members, telling them to behave discreetly in the capital and avoid attracting attention."

"But while the master may be able to tolerate it, those who work for them may not be able to hide it."

Jiang Guo'er gave a soft hum, a sly smile playing on her lips.

The secrets and shady dealings within wealthy and powerful families are all that the masters talk about; it's the subordinates who do the actual work.

The servants had to carry the chamber pots for them.

"Prime Minister, tell the guards not to keep an eye on the masters of the Tan family. Instead, keep an eye on the servants who go out to buy groceries, the stewards who run errands, and the maids and servants in each household."

Pei Yan raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Guo'er continued, "Everything, big or small, they wrote down in detail what they did when they went out, who they met, whether they spent money, and whether they gave gifts."

As long as the master gives the order, the servants will get to work and will definitely leave some clues.

Pei Yan looked at her without saying a word for a long time.

Murong Shunshun is indeed Murong Kui's daughter; she is not someone who always needs to be protected under his wing.

She is not a delicate flower who can only depend on men to live.

She was the little fox who could sit side by side with him at the chessboard, find the enemy's weaknesses, and seize the opportunity to take a bite.

How could he not love such a woman? How could he not be captivated by her?