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

Pei Yan released her, pulled up his collar, and his tone returned to its usual coldness.

"Wait for me to come back."

Jiang Guo'er slid down from the stove, her legs still a little weak. She bent down to tie the belt of her cloak and hummed in agreement.

After Pei Yan's figure disappeared into the wind and snow, she poured the remaining cold glutinous rice balls back into the pot.

An urgent summons from the palace late at night must be no small matter.

After cleaning up the stove, she returned to the side room, where she sat on the edge of the bed, hugging the doll and lost in thought.

"What exactly does he want...?"

Jiang Guo'er poked the doll's head, muttered something under her breath, tucked it into the innermost part of the blanket, and turned over to sleep.

Pei Yan changed into his court robes and rode his horse to the palace gate, by which time the snow had already fallen heavily.

Eunuch Chen personally waited by the Jinshui Bridge, bent down to hold an umbrella for him, and led him with small, quick steps to the side hall of the Qianqing Palace.

The hall was heated by an underfloor heating system, making it somewhat stuffy.

The emperor lay slumped on the soft couch, his face sallow and his eyes dark and swollen.

Pei Yan performed the grand ceremony, knelt on the prayer mat, and waited for the time it takes to drink a full cup of tea before the emperor finally spoke.

"Rangzhi, I have a question for you, and you must answer truthfully."

"Your Majesty, I respectfully obey your decree."

The emperor waved his hand to dismiss all the palace servants in the hall, and even Eunuch Chen was driven to the corridor.

"The Consort Shu spoke a few words to me the day before yesterday."

The emperor paused, his face extremely gloomy.

"She said... a young eunuch in her palace caught the Crown Prince wandering outside Kunning Palace late at night. Not just once, but several times."

Pei Yan raised his head, his expression of shock genuine.

"His Majesty--"

"I know what you're going to say," the emperor said, raising his hand to stop him, his voice hoarse.

"I don't believe it either. But I had someone check the daily records of the Crown Prince's palace, and there were indeed blanks for those days."

Pei Yan's back was covered in a layer of cold sweat.

Crown Prince Liu Quan was of mediocre talent and always acted in a conventional manner.

Over the years, he had seen many memorials impeaching the Crown Prince in the court, which were nothing more than saying that the Crown Prince was not smart enough and had an indecisive nature.

As for Xiao Yuzhen—

That day suddenly flashed through his mind.

She took off her outer garment, her body reeking of the sweet scent of aphrodisiacs, and grabbed his hand, pleading, "Cousin, please be gentle with me."

Pei Yan felt a chill run through his body.

"Does Your Majesty have any witnesses or physical evidence?"

"No." The emperor pinched his brow in annoyance. "The eunuchs on Consort Shu's side only caught a glimpse of her back from afar and didn't dare to approach."

Pei Yan was terrified.

"Since there is no concrete evidence, I humbly request Your Majesty to reconsider."

"The Consort Shu and the Empress are not on good terms. If we investigate this matter based solely on one side's account, it may damage the dignity of the imperial family and further chill the heart of the Crown Prince."

"How could I not know this principle?" The emperor sat up straight, then coughed, and it took him a while to catch his breath.

He stared at Pei Yan and suddenly asked a very abrupt question.

"You and the Empress were childhood sweethearts. Do you think... she's that kind of person?"

Pei Yan tightened his knuckles, hiding them in his sleeve.

"Although the Empress and I are cousins ​​and had frequent interactions in our childhood, we reduced our contact after the age of twelve. The Empress has been in the palace for many years, and I dare not speak presumptuously about her character."

"And what about the Crown Prince?"

"Although His Highness the Crown Prince is not as talented as His Majesty, he has acted cautiously over the years, has never formed cliques for personal gain, and has never been the subject of any rumors of debauchery."

The emperor remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, he waved his hand wearily.

"Alright, you can go back now. What we said tonight, we'll keep to ourselves."

"Your subject obeys the decree."

Pei Yan kowtowed and left the side hall. As he walked down the corridor, the night wind carrying snowflakes rushed towards him, and he realized that his inner shirt was already soaked with cold sweat.

Xiao Yuzhen, how many more troubles are you going to cause?

Riding his horse back to the mansion, Pei Yan went straight to his study.

He ground ink and laid out paper, then wrote a secret letter to the former Grand Secretary, Lord Xiao.

The wording was extremely restrained, yet every word carried immense weight.

He relayed the emperor's concerns from tonight, adding a sentence at the end: "I hope my uncle will quickly send my aunt to the palace to visit her and put her mind at ease."

After writing it, he sealed it with sealing wax and summoned Xiao San.

"Deliver it to the Xiao residence overnight, and be sure to hand it over to Lord Xiao personally."

Xiao San accepted the order and disappeared into the swirling snow.

Pei Yan sat behind his desk and let out a long sigh.

Upon receiving the letter, Lord Xiao will surely send his wife to the palace immediately to give Xiao Yuzhen some pointers.

Within a short period of time, she would definitely not dare to provoke him again.

In the following days, the emperor did not mention the matter again, and things remained calm in the court.

The wedding date for Pei Yan and Xue Lingyi was finally set.

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the day before the Lunar New Year, the Xue family officially sent out their betrothal letters, and the wedding was scheduled for the third day of the Lunar New Year.

The news spread throughout the Prime Minister's residence, keeping everyone busy from top to bottom.

Granny Qin led a group of old women to renovate the main courtyard, cutting new curtains, replacing door curtains, pasting up double happiness characters, and pruning all the dead branches in the courtyard.

Jiang Guo'er was assigned to organize the wedding tents and quilts in the storeroom, and together with all the embroiderers, to rush to make wedding clothes for the Prime Minister.

He runs back and forth in the mansion every day, so busy that his heels are practically touching the back of his head.

But she noticed that Pei Yan had been in an exceptionally good mood these past few days.

In the past, when he dressed and put on his hat in the morning, he hardly spoke, his face as stern as a block of cold iron.

Recently, however, she has been saying a few more words, and once, when she was adjusting the jade pendant at her waist, her fingers touched his palm, and he did not move them away.

Instead, he gently squeezed her fingertips before letting go.

The wedding date has been set, and the Prime Minister should be happy.

Lingyi comes from a prestigious family and is both beautiful and intelligent. From now on, all the affairs of the inner courtyard will be managed by the mistress.

Jiang Guo'er was self-aware and did not want to cause Lingyi trouble in the future, so she deliberately distanced herself from Pei Yan outside of the time she was serving him in bed.

Add tea when it's time to add tea, serve dishes when it's time to serve dishes, don't say a word more than necessary, and don't give a smile more than necessary.

Pei Yan seemed unaware of anything unusual.

That evening, Jiang Guo'er had just returned from the warehouse when Lianhua, with red eyes, blocked her way at the door of her side room.

"Guo'er, I'm truly desperate, please help me!"

Lotus clutched her sleeve, tears streaming down her face.

"My mother came over a few days ago to tell me that my younger brother is of marriageable age, but the family can't afford the dowry..."

"The spots in the embroidery room are full, so I won't go in. The allowance is only so little..."

She bit her lower lip, and it took her a while to finish her sentence.

"I want to make an appearance before the Prime Minister. Even if I don't get to show my face, just a word of praise would be enough to ask Granny Qin for a few more months' worth of wages!"

"If all else fails, I'll have to ask the old nanny for permission to leave the mansion and go home to get married."

Jiang Guo'er pulled her into the house, poured a cup of hot water, and put it in her hand.

"You know massage, don't you? Then how about tomorrow night... you help me bathe the Prime Minister and give him a good massage?"

Lotus nodded vigorously, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Guo'er, thank you so much! By the way, my parents are coming to visit again tomorrow. Could you please handle things with them for me?"

Jiang Guo'er agreed, determined to help.

The following evening.

Jiang Guo'er carried the monthly allowance that Lianhua had wrapped in advance and walked towards the side gate.

Three people were standing outside the side gate.

A thin, bony woman and a short, stout man were Lotus's parents.

There was also a young man, about seventeen or eighteen years old.

"Where's Lianhua? Why isn't she coming out?" Lianhua's mother asked, her face falling as she looked Jiang Guo'er up and down.

"Lianhua is on duty and can't leave, so she asked me to deliver this in her place."

Jiang Guo'er handed over her monthly allowance.

Lotus Maiden snatched the purse, weighed it in her hand, and pouted in dissatisfaction.

"That's all? My daughter serves the Grand Secretary, and this is all the money she gets in a month?"

Lotus's father rubbed his hands together in support.

"Our Lianhua is beautiful and hardworking, how come she's not respected? Is it because you people won't let her stand up for herself?"

Jiang Guo'er sneered inwardly.

I never ask whether my daughter is doing well or poorly.

They demand money the moment they meet, and even after counting it, they still complain it's not enough.

These aren't parents, they're a pair of bloodsucking leeches!

"Lotus's food, clothing, and daily necessities are all provided within the manor, without spending a single penny. She saves all her money for you. If you think it's not enough..."

Before she could finish speaking, the young man suddenly took a big step forward and grinned as he moved closer to her.

"Sister, you must be Jiang Guo'er, right? I've heard you mentioned before."

"He's... really handsome."

As he spoke, he reached out his hand towards Jiang Guo'er's wrist, trying to pull her.

Jiang Guo'er hurriedly took half a step back, her face suddenly turning cold.

"Are you Lotus's younger brother?"

"Hehe, yes, my name is Baozhu." He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Sister is even prettier than those Yao girls! Now that the Prime Minister has blessed her, will she receive many more rewards every day?!"