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

Inside the main hall of Songhe Garden.

Old Madam Pei was holding Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, resting with her eyes closed.

Just as Granny Qin brought over a bowl of ginseng soup, Pei Yan rushed in like a gust of wind and closed the door behind him.

"grandmother."

Pei Yan stood in the center of the hall, his figure as straight as a spear.

The old lady lifted her eyelids slightly, quite surprised.

"What brings you here at this hour?"

"Grandson has come because there is something important that I must explain to Grandmother." Pei Yan took a few deep breaths and dismissed his attendants.

"Guo'er is carrying three."

The old lady paused slightly as she fiddled with the prayer beads, but she was not as shocked as Pei Yan had expected.

"I thought it was some earth-shattering event. I was there when Xue Lingyi took Guo'er's pulse that day, so I already knew."

"This is a joyous occasion; you should be happy."

"Thanks to the blessings of my Pei family ancestors, the destined daughter truly lives up to her name; Guo'er's belly is indeed fertile..."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan's expression darkened further.

"If any of these three children are twin boys, I will never allow one of them to become the shadow of the other."

"Also... I need to save the mother during childbirth."

The room fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The old lady's expression suddenly froze.

After a moment of shock, a storm of anger erupted.

"Are you crazy?!"

"When it comes time for childbirth, the child must be saved! She's just a concubine; if she dies, she dies—that's her fate!"

The old lady slammed her cane heavily against the blue brick.

Pei Yan gave a wry smile and shook his head repeatedly.

"Grandmother, you know she's my destined daughter, how can you treat her like this?!"

"If I had known you were so selfish and cruel, I shouldn't have gotten her pregnant in the first place!"

The old lady's face turned pale instantly.

This was the first time she had seen Pei Yan defy her.

"This is a rule passed down from our ancestors! Whenever twins are born into the main branch of the Pei family, one must be born openly and the other secretly!"

"This matter concerns the Pei family's century-old legacy; no one is allowed to disobey it!"

She stretched out her withered finger and pointed it at Pei Yan's nose.

"I think you've let your heart grow wild these past few years!"

"If your brother were still alive, he would never have uttered such disobedient and unfilial words!"

"He's been steady and sensible since childhood, always putting the family first. Unlike you, now all you can think about is that woman!"

brother.

These two words, like a rusty, dull knife, were tearing back and forth at the old scars in Pei Yan's heart.

A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips as he forcefully suppressed his surging anger.

"Why is Grandmother bringing up my brother? No matter how good he was, he's already dead."

"Shut up!" The old lady was so angry that her lips trembled.

"With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, our Pei family, as the first meritorious official, will surely rise to a higher level."

Pei Yan refused to back down and pressed on relentlessly.

"I wield immense power, and the network of undercover agents I've cultivated over the years is spread throughout the capital. There's no need to resort to the methods of the past to protect the future head of the family!"

He took a step forward and declared in a cold voice:

"In my opinion, if the Pei family wants to prosper, it must completely change its old, shameful rules."

"From this day forward, all sons of the main wife and sons of concubines from other branches will be treated equally and will study and practice martial arts together in the clan school!"

The old lady gasped, staring at him in disbelief.

"What nonsense are you spouting... Since ancient times, legitimate and illegitimate children have been incompatible..."

Pei Yan ignored him, raising his voice and speaking with conviction: "Regular assessments, clear rewards and punishments. The future head of the Pei family will be the most capable!"

"How dare you!" The old lady overturned the ginseng soup on the table.

The scalding soup splashed onto Pei Yan's knees, but he didn't even flinch.

"What's Grandmother so angry about?" Pei Yan looked at her mockingly. "After my brother died, you deliberately had the other branches of the family move into the Prime Minister's residence to live with us. What was your purpose?"

His words were like knives, mercilessly tearing apart the seemingly harmonious facade of the Pei family.

"You're keeping them under your nose just to warn me..."

"If I, as a substitute, fail to perform my duties properly and make any mistakes, my half-brothers will pounce on me at any moment and devour everything I have!"

"You, you wretched child..." The old lady's chest heaved violently, unable to catch her breath, and she slumped into her round chair.

"Are you trying to drive me crazy?!"

Pei Yan stood stubbornly in place, "This kind of life of mutual scheming and suspicion shouldn't befall my child..."

"Who do you think I'm doing this for?" The old lady recovered, her eyes red and her voice trembling.

"I'm doing all this for your own good, for the sake of the entire Pei family! How can you think of my good intentions in such a negative light?"

Her tone softened, carrying a hint of earnest pleading.

"Aying, calm down. Grandmother knows that you were hidden in the attic since you were little, and you suffered a lot of grievances and hardships that ordinary people cannot endure."

The old matriarch looked at her grandson, who had already risen to the highest position in the court.

"But all of that is in the past!"

Pei Yan chuckled softly, his eyes filled with an intense, unyielding gloom.

"make life difficult for."

"Grandmother, I've tried... but some things... just can't be overcome."

He pointed to his heart.

"That attic was dark and cold, devoid of sunlight. Every day, every moment, I felt like I was living a life worse than death."

"You think you can get through because the person in the attic isn't yourself."

The old lady was terrified by his treasonous words.

She finally realized that this "shadow grandson" who had once been so obedient had completely slipped out of her control.

"If you insist on breaking the rules, I'll die right here in front of you today!"

The old lady picked up her cane, stood up shakily, and was about to crash into the pillar next to her.

Pei Yan stood still, not even blinking.

He watched this scene indifferently, his tone icy: "Grandmother, if you want to crash, then crash."

"If you die today, I will hold a funeral according to the rules, and I can change the rules however I want without having to consider anyone else."

"If you still want to live but do not agree to change the rules, then I will reveal the secret of these twins to the whole world."

Since the Xiao family is already planning to do this anyway, he might as well expose it himself first.

The old lady paused, turning her head to look at him in disbelief.

Pei Yan's thin lips curled slightly, and what he said next was even more insane.

"Anyway, I'm going to die soon. I don't even know if my frail body can survive until all three children are born."

"Whether the Pei family falls from grace or becomes infamous by then, what does it matter to me?!"

"At worst, we'll all go to hell together. I'll take the entire Pei family with me to be buried with my brother!"

The old lady completely broke down.

"You beast! You unfilial beast!"

She swung her cane with both hands and smashed it against Pei Yan's back like a madwoman.

boom!boom!

The heavy cane slammed down on Pei Yan's broad back, one blow after another, each one harder than the last.

Soon, blood began to seep from Pei Yan's back.

Pei Yan stubbornly endured it, not moving an inch, and coldly watched the old lady vent her anger.

Finally, with a snap, the cane broke in two.

The old lady collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, tears streaming down her face.

"You beast... How can you face the ancestors of the Pei family? How can you face me... How can you face your parents?"

Pei Yan remained unmoved. Was he unfilial?

As a child, he was weighed down by the mountain of "filial piety".

No matter how sad or desperate I feel, I always remember that as a child, I should be filial to my parents and grandmother, and I dare not disobey them...

But now that things have come to this, he suddenly feels that being unfilial is actually a good thing!

He died young, so what harm is there in bearing the stigma of being unfilial?

Pei Yan had made up his mind that no matter how the old lady threatened him, he would never compromise on this matter.