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

Those are 108 precious human lives!

My father has a fragment of an arrowhead embedded in his left knee, which cannot be removed. He suffers so much pain on cloudy days that he can't get out of bed.

It had to be treated with scalding hot medicinal soup until the entire leg turned bright red.

That year, when her brother went to war, she made silk flowers for him. He smiled and pinned them to the breastplate of his armor, saying that with this, even the arrows of the Red Di would have to detour.

None of my five uncles died of old age in bed.

They all died on the battlefield amidst the swirling yellow sand, their bodies wrapped in horsehide.

However, in Lu Bingde's eyes, these were nothing more than... "the duty of a dog".

"ha……"

A very faint, shrill sound escaped from Jiang Guo'er's throat.

Then she chuckled softly, as if she had heard the most absurd joke in the world.

"Ha...hahahaha..."

The laughter was mournful and desolate, echoing in the quiet room, sending chills down one's spine and making one's heart tremble.

I laughed for the third time, and then tears started falling.

Large drops of snowflakes pelted down onto my clothes, some of them rolling down my back before they could even soak in.

She laughed until her whole body trembled, her shoulders shaking, her laughter gradually becoming hoarse, until finally only a sob remained in her chest.

It was not treason, not rebellion, not some earth-shattering conspiracy.

Simply because...Lu Bingde felt they were unworthy!

Pei Yan did not offer any words of comfort.

Because he knew that if a person's inner wounds had been covered up for too long, the rotten flesh and poisonous blood had to be thoroughly dug out and let out before they could possibly heal.

He stood up, walked to the brass basin stand, rolled up his sleeves, and wrung out a warm cloth.

Then he went back to her, half-squatted down, and gently wiped away the crisscrossing tear stains on her cheeks.

"I have jointly submitted a memorial with the three judicial departments... and Your Majesty has approved it!"

Jiang Guo'er raised her red and swollen eyes and looked at him.

Pei Yan placed the slightly cool handkerchief aside and said in a deep voice:

"Killing Lu Bingde alone is not enough; I want to cut off their roots."

"The first rule is that the descendants of the Lu family within five degrees of kinship are not allowed to participate in the imperial examinations for thirty years and are forbidden from serving as officials in the court for life."

Jiang Guo'er's breath hitched slightly.

For thirty years, the Lu family members were barred from taking the imperial examinations, rendering even the best efforts of the Lu family's clan school futile.

Students and old friends will seek other schools, and arranged marriages will be canceled one after another, causing people's spirits to dissipate.

More importantly, there is the clan's land.

With no one in the family holding an official position, the tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land that the Lu family originally owned would become meat laid out on the table.

Local officials, collateral branches of the clan, and clerks in charge—anyone could take a cut.

If the Lu family of Fanyang still exists thirty years later, and their descendants are sent to the grave, will they still have the sense of superiority of the aristocratic class?

No different from those from poor families!

Even if someone were lucky enough to pass the imperial examination, their colleagues would laugh at them for the rest of their lives about their ancestors' affairs.

This move can be said to have severed the foundation of the Lu family!

"Not only that," Pei Yan continued, stroking the corner of her moist eyes with his fingertips.

"All ancestral halls of the Lu family within the territory of Great Chu will be sealed off soon."

"From this day forward, the descendants of the Lu family will no longer be able to worship their ancestors."

Jiang Guo'er was so surprised that she slightly opened her mouth.

For aristocratic clans who valued family honor more than national law, being unable to worship their ancestors was tantamount to having their ancestral graves desecrated!

They have severed the very spirit and lifeblood they were most proud of!

"There's one last thing," Pei Yan reached out and gently pulled her into his arms, his chin lightly stroking the top of her head.

"I order the Lu family to... build a tomb for your Murong clan."

"Lu Xiu must lead the Lu clan to personally build tombs for your father, mother, brother, and all the Murong clan members who died unjustly."

"This tomb must be built to be even taller, larger, and more magnificent than the ancestral tombs of the Lu family of Fanyang!"

Jiang Guo'er suddenly exhaled.

She could picture that scene in her mind.

Minister of War Lu Xiu, along with the Lu family members who prided themselves on their noble lineage, shed their brocade robes and used their hands, which had never touched the water of a house before, to dig mud and move bricks.

Go and build a monument that will awe the world for the "lowly" people they despise!

For thousands of years to come, as long as the Murong family's monument stands there, the Lu family will never be able to shake off the shame of framing a loyal minister!

Actually, compared to that, she wanted the lives of everyone in the Lu family even more.

Eat its flesh and drink its blood!

But after calming down and reflecting on it slowly, she understood Pei Yan's good intentions.

The new emperor had just ascended the throne, and his power base was not yet secure. The Lu family's protégés and former officials were spread throughout the Six Ministries. The execution of three generations of their families would inevitably force other aristocratic families to band together and harbor rebellious intentions.

At that time, overturning the verdict against the Marquis of Dingyuan's family would become a problem for the new emperor.

Faced with the collective attack from powerful clans and aristocratic families, what can the new emperor do to resist?

The ringleader was torn apart by chariots, and the rest were exterminated.

My father used to talk about military strategy, saying that the key to winning a war is not killing many people, but cutting off the enemy's retreat.

Cutting them off with one stroke would be too easy for them.

Keep them alive, so that the head of the Lu family can only watch helplessly as his century-old legacy slowly rots and stinks away.

They smashed their proud bones inch by inch and rubbed them into the mud.

This is what it truly means to be worse than dead!

Jiang Guo'er was trembling all over. She looked at Pei Yan, her throat choked, and she couldn't say a word.

She slid off the stool, took a step back, and clasped her hands together in front of her, as if to give him a deep bow.

This bow was to thank him for his strategic planning and help in clearing his family's name.

This bow was a way of thanking him for his swift and decisive actions in avenging her blood feud!

However, before she could even bend her knees, an arm came from behind and gently but firmly helped her up.

Immediately afterwards, his back bumped into a warm, solid chest.

Pei Yan wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her neck, his hot breath enveloping her ears.

I don't want your gratitude.

His slightly hoarse voice carried a hint of stubbornness and grievance that was barely perceptible.

He only wanted Shunshun to love him.

If Master Longchuan's magic fails, after he dies, Shunshun will fall in love with other men, but she will always have a place for him in her heart.

Having battled with court officials in the imperial court and faced the mad dog-like Lu Bingde in prison, Pei Yan's mind was already exhausted.

At this moment, he didn't want to do anything; he just wanted to hold her and absorb her warmth and scent.

Pei Yan hugged her from behind, half-dragging and half-carrying her towards the bed.

Jiang Guo'er was completely glued to him, and staggered as she lay down on the soft bed.

He then covered her, but made no further move.

He simply held her tightly in his arms, burying his head in her neck, like a child who was extremely insecure.

"Sleep with me for a while." His voice grew softer and softer.

Listening to the steady, powerful heartbeat beside her, Jiang Guo'er's turbulent grief and anger gradually subsided.

At this moment, all that heart-wrenching pain finally found a place to be released.

Jiang Guo'er closed her eyes, and soon fell into a deep sleep enveloped by Pei Yan's familiar scent.

She had a dream she hadn't had in a long time.

In my dreams, there is no longer any glaring blood or mournful screams.

The main hall of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion was filled with laughter and joy. Father, beaming with pride, drank sorghum wine, while Mother smiled and placed a piece of perch on her plate.

The older brother, dressed in a dark blue casual suit, strode in.

The woman behind him had a face as beautiful as a lotus flower, and held a few fresh peach blossoms in her hand.

Chunxiang carried a fruit platter into the house from under the eaves and placed it in front of her with a smile.

"Girl, eat up! These loquats are so sweet!"

The whole family sat together and enjoyed a lively reunion dinner.

During the meal, her brother jokingly asked her, "Shunshun, do you have someone you like?"

"Your sister-in-law has seen it all; you've been running around outside these past few days! You've even secretly started embroidering sachets!"

"Quickly, tell me, whose son is he? How old is he? What's his character like?"

She instinctively clutched her handkerchief, stammering, "His surname is Pei, and he's... about ten years older than me."

As soon as he said that, the whole family was in an uproar.

"What? She's so much older than you? No way, I'm the first to disagree!" Mother said urgently.

The older brother's face darkened, and he slammed his wine glass heavily on the table.

"Shameless old man, how dare you steal my beautiful little sister!"

He rolled up his sleeves, ready to go out and settle accounts with Pei Yan.

Jiang Guo'er, with her eyes tightly closed, couldn't help but raise the corners of her lips into a smile.

As she laughed, a single, crystal-clear tear silently slid down her cheek.