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

Jiang Guo'er's mind was filled with those old memories, which began to replay like a revolving lantern.

On his brother's eighteenth birthday, Lu Yunzheng braved the heavy snow to travel hundreds of miles to the deep mountains to find a piece of the finest purple yew wood and personally made a bow for his brother.

When he returned, both his hands were covered in splinters, the flesh of which was not intact. They were wrapped in thick, fine cloth, bulging like two bear paws.

He just stared at his brother with a simple, honest smile.

On another occasion, my brother broke the family rules and was punished by our father by being forced to kneel in the ancestral hall.

Without saying a word, Lu Yunzheng climbed over the wall in the middle of the night and knelt with his brother all night.

She even wrapped her cloak completely around her brother, and then went back home and developed a high fever for three days because she was so cold.

In the past, we only thought they were brothers.

But now that I think about it all, and considering Lu Yunzheng's earlier statement that "I will never marry a woman in this lifetime"...

The more she thought about it, the more her heart trembled.

No wonder Brother Lu was more concerned about overturning the verdict against their family than about his own marriage.

So that's how it is...?

Jiang Guo'er's mouth was slightly open, and her eyes were wide open.

"Brother Lu, you wouldn't happen to be..." Her fingertips trembled slightly as she pointed at Lu Yunzheng's nose, "...like..."

"That...what?!"

Lu Yunzheng seemed to have been struck by lightning; his face, which had turned a deep purplish-red, turned deathly pale in an instant, and he jumped up.

His knee slammed hard against the coffee table in front of him, knocking it over.

The teacup rolled to the ground and shattered into pieces.

"I...I suddenly remembered, I had an appointment to go back to someone in the south of the city!"

His voice even changed tone.

"If we're late, the trail to Gou Liuzhi might be lost! I'll go first!"

Before he finished speaking, he grabbed the hem of his robe and rushed outside.

That usual dashing and sharp-tongued demeanor has long since vanished.

"That's a lame excuse," Jiang Guo'er couldn't help but mutter. "He's cultivated quite a few trusted confidants; can't he at least find someone to relay the message?"

Jiang Guo'er slowly turned her head and looked at Pei Yan, who was sitting in the main seat.

Eyes facing each other.

Pei Yan lowered his long eyelashes and swept the broken porcelain on the table to a spot to prevent her from getting hurt.

"Did you guess it too?" Jiang Guo'er's throat was dry.

Pei Yan stretched out his long arm and pulled her back into his embrace.

His large hand rested on her back, gently stroking her long hair.

"This was his own decision," Pei Yan said in a hoarse voice.

"He doesn't say anything because he doesn't want people to pity him. If we truly consider him a friend, we should just pretend we don't know."

Jiang Guo'er felt extremely bitter.

It turns out that Brother Lu harbored a secret, a secret he could never have answered.

"If it's really as we think," Jiang Guo'er leaned against Pei Yan's chest, her heart heavy with anxiety.

"My brother is gone. Is Brother Lu... really destined to be alone for the rest of his life?"

"This is...too bitter."

Pei Yan's heart trembled.

"Even if your brother were still alive... he couldn't have gotten what he wanted. Your brother was deeply in love with your sister-in-law, and they should be reunited in the afterlife."

A profound sense of sorrow seeped uncontrollably from the very marrow of my bones.

He tightened his jaw and hugged the slender body in his arms tightly.

"Perhaps once the wrongful conviction of the Marquis of Dingyuan is overturned and the Murong family's reputation is restored, he will have done his part and will be able to gradually let go of this obsession."

Pei Yan stroked her back, gently comforting her.

What if he were the one who died?

If one day in the future, my weakened body really can't hold on any longer.

Will Shunshun remember her brother as much as Lu Yunzheng remembers him for the rest of her life?

No, he couldn't bear to part with it.

He couldn't bear to see her suffer like this, couldn't bear to see her spend the rest of her life alone, living only in memories.

But just thinking about how, after she dies, she will be in someone else's arms, smiling at another man, being held down and loved by another man...

Pei Yan felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if it were about to split open.

He knew he was selfish, and when he asked himself honestly, he actually hoped that Shunshun would never forget him for the rest of her life!

But that's not right.

"cough."

A soft cough broke the heavy, oppressive atmosphere in the flower hall.

Xue Lingyi narrowed her eyes, a hint of helplessness in her expression.

"You two."

"Lu Yunzheng knocked over a teacup and ran away, and then you all suddenly huddled together, lamenting his passing. What exactly happened? Tell me about it!"

Jiang Guo'er then remembered that Xue Lingyi was still there.

Her face flushed, and she quickly pulled away from Pei Yan's embrace.

"It's nothing, it's nothing, Lingyi, let's get down to business."

Jiang Guo'er forcefully changed the subject, "Have you decided on what excuse to invite that fiancée from the Lu family over?"

Xue Lingyi saw through it but didn't say anything, and took the opportunity to back down.

"Let's use the excuse of exchanging novelty paper items," Xue Lingyi said, raising her eyebrows slightly.

"In a few days, on a fine, sunny day, I'll say that I've acquired several sets of newly published Chengxintang colored stationery from the south, and I'd like to invite several young ladies from the capital to my residence for their appreciation."

"I'll send her a message later; it's an elegant excuse that won't cause gossip or seem abrupt."

"That's a great idea!" Jiang Guo'er clapped her hands in agreement. "What about Xie Yuan?"

"I will personally visit the Xie family tomorrow." Pei Yan straightened his dark cuffs, his expression returning to its usual cold and dignified state.

"This matter should be done sooner rather than later. I will send him an invitation under the guise of a personal relationship and invite him to sit at a teahouse outside."

"Find out his character and intentions first, then talk about other things."

The next day, at the beginning of the 11 PM.

On East Street in Beijing, in the elegant room of Wangyue Tower.

Pei Yan sat upright in a mahogany chair, with a set of white porcelain tea set in front of him.

The young man opposite him wore a bamboo-green straight robe, as if he were made of jade from piled stones, or pine trees with verdant green leaves. He waved a folding fan in his hand, exuding a sense of unruliness.

This was Xie Yuan, the younger brother of the Minister of Works.

The two chatted for a few rounds.

Xie Yuan had traveled extensively for many years and had his own insights into the landscapes, local customs, and people's lives in various places.

When he mentioned the factional strife in the court, he made no attempt to hide his annoyance, clearly showing his disdain for attaching himself to any side.

The Xie family has produced an oddball.

Pei Yan thought to himself, "It's quite rare to see someone with such a promising future choosing to live a life of leisure and wandering."

After several rounds of tea, Pei Yan prepared to steer the conversation toward marriage.

"Brother Xie has traveled extensively for many years and has broad knowledge." Pei Yan picked up the teapot and personally poured half a cup for Xie Yuan.

"When does Brother Xie plan to settle down? Have your elders in your family made any arrangements for your marriage?"

"Brother Xie, what kind of woman do you find yourself drawn to?"

Xie Yuan, who was fanning himself with a folding fan, suddenly stopped upon hearing this.

He looked at Pei Yan with a half-smile.

"So, the Grand Secretary invited me here today to act as a matchmaker." He closed his folding fan and gently tapped it on his palm.

"However, compared to my marriage, I have an important matter to discuss with the Grand Secretary first."

Pei Yan's eyes remained unchanged. "Thank you, Brother Xie, please speak."

Xie Yuan leaned forward and lowered his voice.

"The Grand Secretary has been sending people to keep an eye on the Xiao family, hasn't he?"

"The Xiao family has already realized this, so they haven't used anyone from their household, and they dare not take the usual route."

He tapped the table lightly with his folding fan.

"They bribed a merchant caravan from Fuzhou that had business dealings in the capital, and disguised them as spice traders. They secretly headed south yesterday."

Pei Yan's gaze suddenly darkened.

Xie Yuan continued, "A few years ago, I traveled in Fujian and received help from several maritime merchants, and I also helped them out of trouble."

"I heard about this from them yesterday."

Pei Yan put down the teapot, his expression unchanged.

"Where to go south?"

"Fuzhou, Chuyun Temple," Xie Yuan uttered these five words.

Pei Yan's hand holding the teacup tightened little by little.

The veins on the back of his hand bulged out.

The tea swayed slightly, splashing a few drops onto the rosewood tabletop, creating a dark stain.

Earlier that morning, the guards had sent a message saying that a group of people from the Xiao family had disguised themselves as assailants and left the city through Zhengyang Gate.

To avoid alerting them, they simply followed from a distance, unaware of the group's destination.

The information provided by Xie Yuan filled in the most crucial gap.

Fuzhou, Chuyun Temple.

To the outside world, the Pei family had already held a funeral for their birth mother.

People in the capital all believed that his birth mother had passed away many years ago due to poor health.

In reality, Xiao was still alive.

For years she has been wearing Taoist robes and practicing asceticism at the Chuyun Temple in Fuzhou.

That painful past was like a barbed knife, cruelly tearing open the scab-covered wound in Pei Yan's heart.

His birth mother, Lady Xiao, was not a legitimate daughter of a prestigious family, but rather a concubine's daughter from a branch of the Xiao family.

Her father fell in love with her at first sight and insisted on bringing her into the Pei family as his principal wife.

Despite marrying into a family of vastly different social standing, she received no respect from others, only endless scrutiny, criticism, and disdain.

In order to gain a foothold in the Pei family and to prove that she was worthy of her husband, her mother placed all her hopes on herself and her brother.

The elder brother was the eldest son, exceptionally intelligent, and was born to inherit the family business and bring glory to the family.

Xiao gave all her tenderness, expectations and favoritism to her brother.

He was the second son.

It's my brother's shadow.

She is the one who will be pushed out to shield her brother if anyone tries to harm him.

Xiao was very strict with his education. If he wrote even one wrong word in his homework, he would be whipped hard.

"Remember this! Your life exists to protect your brother!"

"Others are plotting against the Pei family, plotting against your brother; you must be even more ruthless and vicious than them!"

There was no care, no praise, no gentle words, only day after day of beatings and scoldings.

Pei Yan closed his eyes, suppressing the surging anger in his chest.

The Xiao family is desperate and resorting to such measures.

In other words, Xiao Yuzhen and her master finally made their choice.

Once the new emperor ascends the throne, he will settle accounts for the corruption of the Xiao and Tan families, and the Xiao family's empire will collapse.

The Xiao family is my mother's kinsman, and they have always known the secret of Chuyun Temple.

They're trying to force him to stop by using his birth mother!

If he refuses to compromise, the Xiao family may reveal the secret that he is a double for his twin brother, leading to a fight to the death with the Pei family.

Pei Yan suddenly stood up, his wide sleeves sweeping across the edge of the table.

"Thank you for informing me, brother."

He immediately summoned Xiao Wu.

"Pass down the order." Pei Yan's voice was extremely low, carrying a chilling undertone.

"Mobilize the elite of the elite guards and send them south to Fuzhou at top speed! We must stop the Xiao family!"