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

On the bluestone path, Lüyi carefully helped Jiang Guo'er.

Suddenly, a figure stumbled out from in front, nearly bumping into Jiang Guo'er.

With quick reflexes, Lüyi blocked the person away.

Jiang Guo'er steadied herself and looked up.

The newcomer was dressed in a gray-blue silk Taoist robe, with a wooden hairpin in her hair. Although there were fine lines at the corners of her eyes, they could not hide the beauty of her features.

The nun's eyes were bloodshot and she stared at her with ill intent.

"You... are you that vixen from Qingyi Garden?"

Madam Xiao gritted her teeth, looking Jiang Guo'er up and down, her disgust evident on her face.

"She really does have a vixen-like face! Relying on her looks, she shamelessly seduces her master. What an unruly, lowly wretch!"

She raised her head, adopting the demeanor of an elder, and spoke with righteous indignation.

"I am the Prime Minister's birth mother, the previous matriarch of the Pei family, and I devoted my life to the Pei family's century-old legacy."

"You worthless wretch, I'm going to teach you a lesson in manners today on behalf of the Prime Minister!"

Jiang Guo'er didn't respond, but her bright eyes saw right through the woman.

That day, I overheard the secret while following the Prime Minister. Now, seeing this crazy woman in a Taoist robe appear in the inner courtyard, I suppose she must be my own mother who faked her death and left the mansion, and who is biased to the extreme.

Jiang Guo'er subtly tilted her head and looked at Xiao San, who was nervously lying beside her.

"Xiao San, immediately take men and seal off all the entrances and exits near the study."

She softened her tone, "Not even a fly is allowed in."

Xiao San immediately straightened his back: "I'll go right away!"

"How dare you!" Madam Xiao was furious when she saw that this lowly concubine could order Pei Yan's bodyguards around.

"Who do you think you are? A lowly concubine with no status or title, how dare you put on airs in front of me?"

Jiang Guo'er chuckled softly.

She smoothed her sleeves, slightly raised her chin, and a hint of mockery flashed in her eyes.

"Madam, please be careful what you say," Jiang Guo'er said in a clear voice. "Everyone in the Pei family knows that the Prime Minister's mother passed away long ago."

"You, an unknown outsider, have already committed a serious crime by trespassing into the inner quarters. Now you dare to take advantage of your age to set rules for me in the Pei family?"

This statement, without bias, struck a nerve with Xiao.

If the old lady hadn't blamed her for her eldest son's death and tormented her every day, why would she have faked her death and become a nun?

During her years in the Taoist temple, wasn't she just like a lonely, wandering ghost who couldn't see the light of day?

Xiao was so angry that she trembled all over. She strode forward, her finger almost poking Jiang Guo'er's nose.

"What do you know! That born jinx! He's a cold-blooded monster at heart!"

Xiao began to hurl insults without thinking.

"What kind of good person do you think he is? Sooner or later, he'll kill everyone just like he killed his brother!"

The gentleness on Jiang Guo'er's face completely vanished.

Hearing Xiao curse Pei Yan so viciously, her heart felt like it was being violently rubbed in ice water, aching terribly.

That day, when she learned that Pei Yan had an older brother who had died and that he had taken his brother's place for four years, and that he only had the nickname A Ying, she originally thought he was just unloved.

Looking at her mother's insane state now, one can only imagine the unbearable suffering Ah Ying endured at this woman's hands when she was young!

Anger surged up Jiang Guo'er's chest.

She released Luyi's hand and took a step forward.

"Stop patting yourself on the back!" Jiang Guo'er's gaze was like a knife piercing Xiao Shi's face.

"What Pei family legacy? You put on such a righteous act, but you're just a cowardly, insecure wretch!"

Xiao was stunned by this sharp rebuke.

Jiang Guo'er had no intention of giving her any chance to retaliate.

"You have neither the power to resist the old matriarch's oppression nor the guts to disobey your husband!"

"You live like a coward in this mansion. When you suffer injustice and feel resentful, you have nowhere to vent your anger, so you can only pick on the weak!"

Jiang Guo'er's words were forceful and resolute, ruthlessly tearing away the hypocritical facade of the Xiao family.

"You're venting all your resentment on a defenseless child!"

"Your abuse and mistreatment of him are merely attempts to cover up your incompetence and selfishness as a mother!"

These words were like a sharp blade, shattering the fig leaf that Xiao had been using to deceive himself for so many years.

Xiao's face contorted violently.

"He is my own flesh and blood, how could I not care about him or love him?"

Jiang Guo'er's sharp retort hit the nail on the head:

"Then why don't you fight for him? Why don't you tell your husband and your mother-in-law that what you're doing is wrong!"

"Because you're afraid. You're afraid that if you disobey them, you'll be kicked out of the Pei family and will never again enjoy the treatment and glory of the Pei family's matriarch!"

Xiao completely lost her mind, her lips trembling uncontrollably.

"What do you know? Do you know how difficult it is for a concubine's daughter... to get to that point?"

As a concubine's daughter from a branch of the Xiao family, her mother was originally a courtesan. Her father redeemed her from her brothel because he coveted her beauty and took her as a concubine.

Their lives in the mansion were extremely difficult. If the stepmother was slightly displeased, she would summon the mother to set rules and instead try to humiliate her.

When she reached marriageable age, her mother went to serve her stepmother every day in order to find her a good marriage.

She endured slaps, needle pricks, oil splattering, and being forced to kneel... without a single complaint.

Even so, her stepmother still wanted to marry her off to a middle-aged official in the Ministry of Personnel as his second wife!

How could she accept this!

She knew she had nothing of value except her looks, so she took a gamble.

She shamelessly begged her cousin to take her out of town for a spring outing, saying that she wanted to have some fun before getting married.

She thought that no matter which noble family's young master she met, as long as he took a liking to her, even being a concubine would be better than marrying an old man in his forties.

Unexpectedly, fate smiled upon her, and she met her future husband, Pei Gong!

The thought that her good days would come to an end after Pei Gong's death filled Xiao with grief.

"You bitch! I'll tear your mouth off!"

She screamed and raised her hand to slap Jiang Guo'er's cheek.

Lu Yi was prepared and immediately took half a step forward.

Her legs, already straining beneath her skirt, were poised to kick the old nun away the moment she dared to bring her hand down.

Jiang Guo'er sneered and took two steps back.

She stuck out her belly, raised her chin slightly, and her eyes were full of undisguised mockery and coldness.

"The babies I'm carrying are the Prime Minister's triplets, the future three grandsons of the Pei family. If you dare to slap me today..."

Jiang Guo'er paused, a cold smile appearing on her lips.

"Without the Prime Minister lifting a finger, the Old Madam could skin you alive and grind your bones to dust!"

"Why don't you try hitting it?"

Xiao was struck dumb.

Her raised hand froze in mid-air, trembling as if she had been struck hard with a club.

His hand was only an inch away from Jiang Guo'er's cheek, but he just couldn't bring it down.

The old lady's obsession with having offspring was clearer to her than anyone else.

If anything were to happen to the child in this woman's womb, let alone her "dead body," the old matriarch would not hesitate to wipe out the entire Xiao family.

The madness in Xiao's eyes was instantly swallowed by fear.

She glared at Jiang Guo'er with resentment, her lips trembled a few times, but in the end she didn't dare to say anything. She stumbled around, turned around, and ran away.

A long wind swept through the courtyard, scattering a few fallen leaves on the bluestone slabs.

Jiang Guo'er stood still, took two deep breaths, and forcefully suppressed her surging emotions.

She turned around, her gaze falling on the slightly ajar carved wooden door of the study.

Pei Yan stood at the boundary between Yin and Yang at the entrance.

His tall frame was taut, one hand gripping the door frame tightly.

Just a moment ago, when Xiao raised her hand, he truly had murderous intent.

When he heard Shun Shun ruthlessly tear off Xiao's mask, the violent killing intent in his heart was completely dispelled by a bittersweet warmth.

Jiang Guo'er looked at him quietly.

The sunlight shone obliquely, falling directly on half of Pei Yan's face.

His jade-like cheeks were swollen high, and five clear red finger marks were shocking to see.

Jiang Guo'er's heart skipped a beat.

She lifted her skirt and walked up to Pei Yan.

With great foresight, Lüyi retreated to a distance.

"Does it hurt?"

Jiang Guo'er tilted her head back, her brows furrowed tightly.

She involuntarily tiptoed, stretched out her soft fingers, and gently covered the red marks on his cheek.

Pei Yan lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed on her face.

The heartache in her eyes was so intense it couldn't be dissolved, and the warm touch from her fingertips ignited his heart, which had been barren for over twenty years.

"It doesn't hurt."

Pei Yan's voice was terribly hoarse, revealing a craving that even he himself was unaware of.

He stretched out his arms, pressed his thumb against her soft nape, and rubbed her delicate spine hard with his thumb.

Jiang Guo'er leaned forward instinctively, her chest pressed against his burning hot chest.

He lowered his head, his thin lips brushing against her earlobe, his warm breath flowing directly into her ear.

"Since Shunshun cares about me, please treat me properly."

Before Jiang Guo'er could answer, Pei Yan turned his head and sealed her lips with his.