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

Su Yue was overjoyed and prostrated herself to express her gratitude.

Half an hour later.

Su Yue, dressed in a green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a white magnolia hairpin in her hair and a sachet given to her by Cui Ping, was led to Pei Yan's inner room.

Only a dim candle was lit in the room.

Pei Yan sat leaning against the couch, wearing a white undergarment with the collar slightly open.

His handsome face, usually as cold as a frozen snowfield, was now flushed with a begonia-red hue, and a thin layer of sweat covered his neck.

Su Yue was mesmerized.

She had never seen Pei Yan like this before.

Suppressing her excitement, she curtsied and said, "Your Excellency, this servant, Su Yue, has come to serve you on the orders of the Dowager Madam."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Pei Yan uttered only one word.

"roll."

Su Yue felt a pang of panic.

But thinking of the mess at home and the empty promises made by Cuiping, he steeled himself, swayed his waist, and boldly approached.

"The old lady is worried about the Prime Minister's health," she deliberately leaned forward, revealing her impressive bosom, "If I were to leave like this, I wouldn't be able to explain myself..."

She spoke in a sweet, coquettish voice, reaching out to grab Pei Yan's arm, which was draped over the edge of the bed.

However, her fingertips had not yet touched Pei Yan.

A powerful hand shot out like lightning, grabbing Su Yue's slender neck and lifting her up!

Su Yue screamed in pain and struggled desperately.

Pei Yan tilted his head slightly, bringing his face close to hers, and his nostrils twitched slightly.

"Why do you smell like springtime in the snow?"

"I only know one woman who frequently uses this fragrance."

Pei Yan narrowed his eyes, his five fingers slowly tightening.

"You belong to the Queen!"

Su Yue was choked until her feet left the ground, and her vision went black.

She futilely gripped Pei Yan's wrist with both hands, her nails almost breaking off, but his hand remained completely still.

"Prime Minister... this servant doesn't know... what 'spring tidings in the snow'..."

Pei Yan remained expressionless, his fingers slightly loosened.

Su Yue had just caught her breath when he suddenly tightened his grip again.

Her face turned a deep purplish-red, and she shook her head frantically, her face streaked with tears and snot.

"Your Excellency... have mercy!"

Pei Yan stared into her dilated pupils and saw the overwhelming fear in her eyes.

He let go.

Su Yue fell directly to the ground and lay there coughing violently.

Pei Yan glanced at the corners of her red eyes, then his gaze moved down to the sachet at her waist.

With a pinch of two fingers, the tie was torn off.

Bring it close to your nose and take a gentle sniff.

Indeed, it is a harbinger of spring amidst the snow!

This incense requires the stamens of snow lotus flowers, a tribute from the Western Regions, to be paired with the first blooms of plum blossoms in early spring.

Of all the palaces in the entire Liang Dynasty, only the Kunning Palace could afford to use it.

"Who gave you this sachet?"

Su Yue lay sprawled on the ground, trembling like a sieve, her teeth chattering.

"Cui... Sister Cuiping..."

Pei Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and his thin lips curved into a smile.

"If you utter a single word of what happened tonight to anyone, you will meet your parents and brothers in the underworld."

Su Yue's forehead slammed against the floor tiles with a thud.

"This servant understands, this servant knows nothing, and will not say anything!"

Pei Yan stopped looking at her, picked up the handkerchief on the table, moistened it with water, and wiped her finger by finger.

After wiping, throw the cloth into the charcoal brazier.

A quarter of an hour passed.

Half an hour passed.

Su Yue knelt on the spot, her knees already numb, but she dared not move an inch.

An hour later, Pei Yan got up, walked to the door, and opened it.

"Bring in water; I wish to take a bath."

Then, in front of the old woman in the corridor, he coldly ordered, "Send her back."

Didn't the Queen want to know who he had touched?

Then let her have her wish.

When Su Yue was helped out, her legs were as weak as noodles.

But to outsiders, it takes on a different meaning.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, the entire Pei residence was in an uproar.

"Have you heard? Su Yue stayed in the Prime Minister's room for over an hour last night!"

"My goodness, the Prime Minister has actually broken his vows?"

"The Old Madam bestowed two boxes of jewelry and four bolts of satin early this morning, and had Granny Li personally help her move them to the first-class servants' quarters!"

"This is like rising to the top in one step!"

Su Yue accepted the reward with a flattered expression, but her fingers trembled violently.

Cuiping found a quiet moment when no one was around and pulled Suyue aside.

"How did the Prime Minister treat you last night?"

Su Yue lowered her head, her ears turning red, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"The Prime Minister... he's so valiant! I fainted halfway through, and when I woke up..."

She couldn't continue, twisting her handkerchief and biting her lower lip, forcing out a blush.

Cuiping stared at her face for a long time.

Su Yue dared not raise her eyes.

Cuiping laughed and patted her shoulder: "Oh, you're still shy. I wasn't lying to you, was I? Serve the Prime Minister diligently, and you'll have many more blessings to come."

Turning back to her room, Cuiping's smile vanished completely.

She took out a thin piece of paper, dipped it in ink, wrote a few lines of tiny characters, blew on it to dry, folded it, and stuffed it into a bamboo tube.

He quietly approached the side gate and handed it to a servant.

"Send it to the Xiao residence immediately!"

In the afternoon, Suyue's doorstep was almost worn out by people walking on it.

The maids and servants swarmed in, some bringing jade bracelets, some bringing silver ingots, and one servant even brought a pair of pearl earrings.

People who usually ignore her are now calling her "Sister Suyue" all the time, it's sickeningly sweet.

Jiang Guo'er and Lianhua were among them.

She didn't have anything valuable, so she took out a pretty piece of yarn from her basket and spent half an hour making a pink velvet flower.

The petals are layered upon each other, and the stamen is wrapped with pale yellow silk thread to create a gradient of colors, which is very delicate.

But when she handed over the velvet flower, several old women burst out laughing.

"Hey, what's this? Did you pluck it from a feather duster?"

"Su Yue is wearing pure gold now, and you're giving her this... tsk tsk."

Jiang Guo'er remained expressionless and placed the velvet flower on the table with a smile: "It's worthless, it's just a token of my appreciation. Congratulations, Sister Suyue."

Su Yue took the velvet flower and gently stroked it a few times. "Thank you."

Lianhua squeezed through the crowd, tugged at Jiang Guo'er's sleeve, and took two steps back, whispering:

"Ignore those gossipy people, your velvet flowers are so beautiful! I've seen the velvet flowers made by the imperial workshops in the Old Madam's room, but none of them are as lively as yours!"

Jiang Guo'er smiled but didn't reply.

At this moment, her attention was entirely focused on Su Yue.

Su Yue sat on the chair with her back straight and her legs naturally together.

When he gets up to see guests off, his steps are light and quick; when he sits down to drink tea, his posture is relaxed.

There was no leg-clamping, no cautiousness, no deliberate attempt to conceal stiffness.

Jiang Guo'er lowered her eyes.

She grew up in the Marquis's mansion, and from the age of thirteen, her mother had her governess teach her about matters between men and women.

A woman who receives the emperor's favor on her first night will have marks left on her body, no matter how gentle the man is.

Her thighs would feel tight, she would unconsciously squeeze them together when walking, she would turn slightly to the side when sitting, and there would be an unconcealable shyness or discomfort in her eyes and brows.

But Su Yue had none of those things.

She was not a virgin.

What exactly did Pei Yan do while keeping her in the room for an hour last night?

Why did they have to hide this from the old lady and put on such a show?

Jiang Guo'er's mind raced.

In a secluded mansion, if a man pretends to favor a woman, there are only two possibilities.

Either it's to divert attention and protect the people you truly care about.

Either it's for someone else's benefit.

Regardless of which one...

Pei Xiang's thoughts were far deeper than she had imagined.

But that's alright.

The deeper a person's thoughts, the less easily they fall in love.

In the future, when she gives birth to her child, finds out the truth, takes revenge, and leaves, there won't be much entanglement.

"Let's go." Jiang Guo'er tugged at Lianhua's sleeve.

The two left Suyue's room and walked back along the covered walkway.

Lotus kept glancing at her with her eyes along the way, unable to suppress the smirk on her face.

Jiang Guo'er glanced at her: "What are you laughing at?"

Lianhua leaned closer, her voice extremely low: "I was thinking, if the Prime Minister can even fancy someone like Suyue, then don't other people have hope too?"

She sighed softly, "But I'm already twenty, there's no hope left."

He changed the subject abruptly, his eyes scanning Jiang Guo'er up and down.

"But you're different! Look at those cherry lips, those big, watery eyes, those willow-leaf eyebrows, that widow's peak—you're so much better than Su Yue!"

"Guo'er, don't worry, I will definitely help you!"

Jiang Guo'er chuckled and waved her hand.

"Sister Suyue has only just gained favor. Anyone who goes up to her now would be asking for trouble. I don't have the guts."

Lotus pouted, wanting to say something more, but Jiang Guo'er had already turned through the moon gate.

"Sister, you should go back first. I still need to go to Songhe Garden to chop firewood."

Lotus sighed behind her: "Go on, go on, I really don't know when this will end."

Jiang Guo'er turned around, her face immediately darkening, and she quickly walked towards Songhe Garden.