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

A gentle breeze stirred up fallen leaves, and the study door was suddenly pushed open.

Xiao San stepped across the threshold and knelt down on the blue bricks with a "plop," bowing his body extremely low.

Pei Yan sat in a large armchair, holding a cup of warm tea in his hand.

The scabs on his back from the cane hadn't scabbed over yet, and with the slightest movement, excruciating pain shot up his spine and straight to his head, but his expression remained calm as still water.

"What's wrong? Why are you so flustered?"

A cold laugh came from the doorway.

"The Grand Secretary has such great official power that he doesn't even go to greet his own mother when she returns home. What a filial son he is!"

Pei Yan's teacup wobbled slightly.

In the slanting light and shadow, a woman dressed in a gray-blue silk Taoist robe was stepping across the threshold.

She held a whisk in her hand, and her hair was not adorned with a hair ornament, but simply held up with a wooden hairpin.

Although she wore no makeup and fine lines were visible around her eyes, her face remained ethereal and otherworldly, beautiful beyond compare.

If she hadn't been so beautiful, her father wouldn't have fallen for her at first sight and insisted on bringing her into the family.

But at this moment, her eyes revealed a harshness that seemed completely out of place with her features.

That was his birth mother, Lady Xiao, who was supposed to "fake death and become a nun" at Chuyun Temple.

Pei Yan turned his head, his eyes as dark and ruthless as knives, and looked down at Xiao San, who was kneeling on the ground.

The elite guards who marched south to Fuzhou were the cream of the crop.

The people sent by the Xiao family to Chuyun Temple should have all been intercepted and killed on the way.

Xiao San broke out in a cold sweat and secretly groaned.

"Your men...did indeed intercept the merchant caravan employed by the Xiao family; not a single one escaped!"

"Alright, stop making things difficult for your lackey." Madam Xiao glanced at Xiao San with disdain and flicked her whisk.

"You really think your little bit of cleverness can fool everyone?"

She walked straight to the armchair and sat down.

"I came because I received a letter."

Xiao stared at Pei Yan's calm face, her smile both contemptuous and gleeful.

"You only care about blocking what's visible, but you've forgotten just how powerful your uncle is!"

"With your meager cleverness... you think you can outsmart your uncle?"

My maternal uncle.

Indeed, the former Grand Secretary Xiao was not only his and his brother's mentor, but also their cousin by blood.

However, his mother was born out of wedlock to a branch of the Xiao family and had always been insecure. She had never allowed Pei Yan to call her that before.

Today, for the first time ever, I brought it up on my own initiative.

"He's been the Grand Secretary for so many years, how could he not see through your little scheme? He already sent another group of people to secretly deliver a message to me."

Madam Xiao gritted her teeth, "You ungrateful beast! You even dared to betray the teacher who taught you; you're utterly heartless!"

The study was deathly quiet.

Pei Yan said calmly, "Go down."

Xiao San felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly retreated, closing the door behind him.

Only the mother and son remained in the house, and the air seemed to freeze.

Meanwhile, inside the Qingyi Garden.

Jiang Guo'er was sitting on the canopy bed, holding a silk doll in her hand and carefully wiping its face with a hot towel.

Her belly has grown rapidly in the past few days, her back aches terribly, and her temper has also become more irritable.

"All he does is stay up late and doesn't eat properly. He'll turn into a skinny old man sooner or later."

She combed the little doll's hair with a small wooden comb while muttering to it in an annoyed tone.

Putting down the comb, she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, so she unbuttoned her clothes and stuffed the little doll into her nightgown, letting it stay close to her heart to keep it warm.

"I only found out this morning that he had a fight with the old lady at Songhe Garden yesterday... I don't know what it was about."

Jiang Guo'er poked the little doll's belly through the thin fabric.

"Instead of backing down, they stubbornly insist on dealing with official documents. Do they think they're made of iron?"

Accompanied by the pounding of his heart, these two complaints reached Pei Yan's mind.

Pei Yan, who was initially filled with overwhelming anger because of Xiao Shi's appearance, was strangely calmed down by this heartfelt message.

He stood up and walked to the sandalwood tea table.

Lift the copper kettle on the red clay stove, pour boiling water into the Jian kiln teacup, and the tea leaves tumble and swirl.

He picked up the teacup, walked to Madam Xiao, and handed it to her with both hands.

"Fuzhou is far from Beijing, and my mother must be thirsty after such a long journey."

He spoke calmly, "Have a sip of tea to moisten your throat, then please continue."

This seemingly respectful posture, however, made Xiao feel greatly provoked.

"Snapped!"

She raised her hand and slapped the teacup to the ground.

The teacup shattered on the blue brick.

The scalding tea splashed onto the hem of Pei Yan's official robes and also onto the back of his fair hands.

"How dare you call me mother?!"

Xiao pointed at Pei Yan's nose, her chest heaving violently.

"Ever since I married into the Pei family, haven't I been walking on thin ice every single day? Haven't I been constantly watching how others treat me?"

"I finally gave birth to a legitimate son, but it turned out to be twins!"

"I hadn't even finished my postpartum confinement period when the old matriarch forced me to personally send you to that dark and gloomy attic! Do you think I didn't feel heartache and sadness?"

"But I have to do it. I married into the Pei family, so I can only abide by the Pei family's rules!"

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, her eyes filled with self-pity, sorrow, and grievance.

"As my son, if you care about me, you should understand my hardships! You should behave yourself and share the burdens of your mother and brother!"

"But what about you? After taking your brother's place, you rebelled against the Heavenly Gang! Now that you've grown powerful, you're even trying to kill your own family!"

Every word and phrase struck at the deepest, most painful part of his heart.

Four years ago, when A-Ying heard these words, she was devastated and felt that she owed her brother something.

He cried all night, not knowing how to make amends.

What frightened him even more was his mother's blame and disgust.

But now, Pei Yan looked down at the broken porcelain shards on the ground.

I felt nothing; in fact, I found it somewhat ridiculous.

It's always the same few sentences, nothing new except blaming him for all the mistakes.

He took out a handkerchief and very slowly wiped the tea off the back of his hand.

Seeing that he was so unyielding, Xiao felt her blood boil.

"Don't think that keeping quiet will make this all go away!"

"You're a born jinx! If your brother were still alive, he would be sensible and considerate, always putting the greater good first, and would never be as heartless as you!"

She brought out what she thought was her most lethal weapon.

"Your brother was so kind, always protecting you, and you killed him!"

"After his death, you usurped his position, and now you're even disgracing him!"

Pei Yan stopped wiping the back of his hand and casually tossed the handkerchief onto the table.

He raised his head and quietly looked at the woman who had given birth to him.

"Mother, do you think that because my brother has been treated like your only treasure since he was little, he will be overwhelmed with gratitude?"

Xiao was stunned.

Pei Yan took a step forward.

His tall figure exuded an immense aura of power, forcing Xiao Shi to unconsciously retreat.

"You think that's a tremendous blessing? That's what he wanted?"

Pei Yan's voice was low and hoarse, yet it carried a chilling aura.

"I'm not afraid to tell you... the attic caught fire that night."

"He was clearly watching the fireworks outside, surrounded by a bunch of maids and servants, standing in a safe place."

Pei Yan's eyes suddenly turned bloodshot.

"The fire was so big, why did he insist on turning back and rushing into the flames to save me?"

Xiao's face turned pale, and she stammered in rebuttal:

"That's because he's kind-hearted! He cares about his brothers, unlike you, a cold-blooded monster!"

"Brotherly affection?"

Pei Yan suddenly burst out laughing.

Laughter echoed in the empty study, carrying with it an undercurrent of suppressed sorrow.

"Hahaha, that's because—he's had enough!"