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

On the way to Songhe Garden, Pei Yan held Jiang Guo'er's hand and walked very slowly.

He stopped when he was almost at the moon gate.

After a slight hesitation, he briefly recounted how he had proposed to his grandmother a few days earlier to abolish the rule that "the twins of the Pei family's main wife should be raised by one parent," and how he had been beaten by his grandmother afterward.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Guo'er froze for a few moments.

She hurriedly walked behind him, lifted the corner of his clothes, and wanted to see the wound on his back.

"You said you were hiding something from me? You're really good at hiding things!"

She clenched her fist and pounded it on Pei Yan's shoulder, but she didn't want to hit him too hard, which made her grind her teeth in anger.

"You should have told me something this important sooner! This child is both ours, why are you shouldering this burden alone?"

This jerk, did he grow up spending all his time alone in the attic, keeping everything bottled up inside?!

Pei Yan let her vent her anger.

His jawline was taut, and his voice was deep:

"As a husband, if I can't even protect you and our unborn child, I'm unworthy of being called a man!"

This was a chronic problem for the Pei family, and Shunshun shouldn't have to bear it as well.

"Knowing that Grandma's attitude is like this, aren't you... upset? Don't you feel wronged?"

How cold-blooded and absurd are the rules of the Pei family.

She is currently pregnant with three children. According to ancestral rules, she would face a choice after giving birth. How could any mother not be terrified?

Jiang Guo'er's chest heaved as she let out a long sigh of frustration.

"Of course I felt upset, wronged, and angry!"

She looked up at the still-fading red marks on the man's cheek. "But as long as you're here, I'm not afraid."

Pei Yan's breath hitched suddenly, and his eyes stung and burned.

"However," Jiang Guo'er changed the subject, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Even if Grandmother is stubborn and inflexible, she is already quite old. If you keep arguing with her head-on and make her sick, aren't you afraid of being drowned in her spittle?"

She didn't want her man to be branded as disobedient and unfilial.

In this world, believing in loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness, with filial piety being paramount, can truly be suffocating.

"So what do you plan to do?" Pei Yan asked.

Jiang Guo'er winked mischievously and beckoned him to lower his head.

She tiptoed and whispered a few words quickly in Pei Yan's ear.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan's two sword-like eyebrows instantly furrowed into a tight knot.

"That won't do."

"Why not?" Jiang Guo'er gently shook his arm, scratched his palm with her fingers, and softened her voice.

"Your Excellency, please try my method. I guarantee it will work. Will you trust me this once?"

That sweet, coquettish "Prime Minister" sent a shiver down Pei Yan's spine.

He couldn't resist her coquettishness and had no choice but to nod helplessly.

If that doesn't work, he can always break ties with his grandmother again.

The two stepped into Songhe Garden.

The old lady was slumped on the daybed, a headband tied around her forehead.

Looking up, she saw that Pei Yan had not only arrived, but was also holding Jiang Guo'er's hand tightly.

The old lady's face instantly darkened, and she cursed inwardly that this little brat was truly bewitched.

She immediately clutched her chest and cried out in pain.

"What a tragedy... I dreamt of your grandfather last night."

The old lady was panting heavily.

"In my dream, he pointed his finger at me and cursed, saying that if the Pei family's century-old foundation were destroyed in my hands, he would immediately lift the coffin lid and take me down with him..."

Pei Yan hadn't even sat down when he burst out laughing in anger.

"Is Grandma determined not to change the rules?"

The old lady simply turned her face away and continued to feign illness with her eyes closed.

Granny Qin approached with a pained expression.

"Your Excellency, the old lady has no appetite today, and had a terrible headache last night. Please don't upset her."

"Granny Qin," Pei Yan said sharply, sweeping over her, "Go to the small kitchen, brew a pot of jujube tea, and bring it over."

Qin Mama was so frightened that her knees buckled, and she quickly bowed and retreated, closing the door behind her.

Only the three of them remained in the room.

Pei Yan stepped forward, a hint of a smile in his eyes, but his tone was chilling.

"If Grandmother doesn't want to change the rules, that's fine too."

Following Jiang Guo'er's instructions, he pretended to back down, saying, "Then please grant me two requests, Grandmother."

Upon hearing that things were taking a turn for the better, the old lady immediately stopped complaining and sat up straight.

"What are the conditions?"

"First," Pei Yan said with a slight smile, "please allow Yi to step down from the hall and help Guo'er to become your principal wife."

"Secondly, if twin boys are born, they can be raised separately, and the existence of one of them can be kept secret from others."

"But—they must receive absolutely equal treatment; there must be no favoritism!"

The old lady was dumbfounded.

She stared wide-eyed at her grandson in disbelief.

"This...this is impossible!"

The old matriarch angrily pounded the pillow, "Lingyi is the lawfully wedded mistress of the house, why should she be divorced?!"

"If word gets out, what will people say about the Pei family behind their backs?"

The second condition is clearly wishful thinking.

"As for twins, the best strategy is for one to be in the open and the other in the shadows. How can they possibly be treated exactly the same?!"

Pei Yan casually flicked his sleeve.

"Grandmother, I'm not afraid to tell you the truth, but since we got married, I have never touched Lingyi. We have only ever been a fake couple."

These words struck the old lady like a thunderbolt, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

Before she could recover, Pei Yan's expression turned completely cold.

"Grandmother keeps saying that offspring are the most important thing, so why can't you even treat them all equally? In the end, you still have your own selfish motives."

His words were piercing and merciless.

"If you hadn't constantly imposed rules on Mother back then, using her status as an illegitimate daughter as an excuse, Mother wouldn't have become so twisted and extremely biased!"

"If my brother and I hadn't received such drastically different treatment, I wouldn't have harbored such deep resentment!"

The old lady, her sore spot touched, turned purplish-red and stammered, trying to smooth things over.

"That...that's your mother's own fault for being confused! Besides, we're all family, blood relatives, why be so petty..."

"Why can't I hold a grudge?!"

Pei Yan interrupted her sharply, a terrifying ferocity surging in his eyes.

Why should I be the one to suffer that injustice?

"What's even more ridiculous is that your so-called favoritism isn't because you love your brother that much, but simply to maintain your status and power in the Pei family!"

The old lady pointed at Pei Yan with a trembling finger.

She finally understood.

This kid even shouted out the Pei family's biggest secret without any attempt to hide it, which clearly means Jiang Guo'er knows everything.

"You...you actually told this woman such a secret!"

The old matriarch beat her chest and stamped her feet, then turned to glare angrily at Jiang Guo'er, "A beautiful woman is a source of trouble! Truly a beautiful woman is a source of trouble!"

Jiang Guo'er stood quietly to the side, her head bowed, without uttering a word.

Pei Yan shielded Jiang Guo'er completely behind him and let out a mocking sneer.

"A beautiful woman is a source of trouble? Has Grandmother forgotten that she is my destined daughter?"

He looked down at the old man on the bed.

"Without her, I, Pei Yan, would surely be childless and the lineage of the Pei family would end with me!"

"Now that she's finally pregnant with triplets, instead of praying to gods and Buddhas to protect her, you insist on bringing up those outdated and corrupt rules."

"This kind of ungrateful behavior, like discarding a used tool after it has served its purpose and cutting off one's lineage, is sure to damage one's moral character and incur divine retribution!"