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

After listening to Xue Lingyi's tearful accusations, Jiang Guo'er felt a lump of water-soaked cotton stuck in her chest, both swollen and suffocating.

She grasped Xue Lingyi's icy hand, her expression resolute.

"Lingyi, I'll help you."

Xue Lingyi raised her tear-filled eyes and stared blankly at her.

"Your grudge is my grudge. Those who have humiliated you and belittled you, we will make them pay, one by one, with interest!"

Jiang Guo'er spoke each word with conviction.

"We're in the same boat now. Helping you is helping myself!"

Xue Lingyi wasn't stupid; she understood what she meant instantly.

She wiped away her tears and tightly grasped Jiang Guo'er's hand, saying, "Alright! From now on, we sisters will be of one mind."

"But... there are too many people and too many eyes at the Prime Minister's residence, how should we proceed?"

"On the surface, you are still the high and mighty mistress, and I am still that lowly concubine. There's no rush to elevate me to the rank of concubine."

Jiang Guo'er quickly calmed down, her mind racing.

"We must be cautious in everything we do, and we must not let the Prime Minister see through the slightest clue."

"In private, I'll be your eyes and ears."

"If any maid or servant tries to cause trouble, or if the second, third, or fourth wives make any moves that are detrimental to you or the Prime Minister, I will tell you immediately."

Xue Lingyi nodded vigorously; this was exactly what she needed.

She was new to the place and knew nothing about the mansion; traps lay everywhere.

Jiang Guo'er changed the subject: "In return, when I need your help in investigating my father and brothers' wrongful convictions, you must not refuse."

"Of course!" Xue Lingyi readily agreed.

Jiang Guo'er recalled the brass key that had fallen under the bookshelf, and a pang of regret crossed her mind.

Pei Yan moved the items from the hidden door, so it was no use for her to retrieve the key.

Forget it, I'll just ignore it!

When she was making the key pocket, she deliberately used an uncommon stitch, just in case the truth came out in the future, so she could deny it to the death.

The most worrying thing right now is actually Cuiping.

She lowered her eyes, then looked up after a moment, her gaze clear and bright.

"Although Steward Zhao hasn't found any concrete evidence yet, on the day of the wedding, I personally saw Cuiping acting suspiciously in the front yard. Those red centipedes were most likely put there by her."

"I want to push her to the brink, do you agree?"

"How do I do it?" Xue Lingyi's eyes lit up; she was fed up with being tricked.

Jiang Guo'er lowered her voice and leaned close to her ear.

"...When you send Lüyi to the servants' quarters for dinner, casually let the word out that the rash on your body hasn't gone away since you were bitten by a poisonous insect."

"The royal physician examined you and said that you have a special constitution and there is one thing you absolutely cannot touch: musk! Even just smelling or touching it is forbidden!"

Lu Yi was taken aback.

"Why insist on calling it musk? Where would a lowly maid like Cuiping get such a precious substance?"

Jiang Guo'er raised an eyebrow slightly, confident in her plan.

"Of course she couldn't get it, but she used to be a head maid in the inner courtyard, serving the Prime Minister for several years."

"He must know that the Prime Minister's study contains a large collection of medicinal ink specially made by Mr. Fang Yulu."

"That ink...contains musk."

Xue Lingyi instantly understood, clapping her hands and sighing softly, "I get it! You want to lure her to steal the Prime Minister's ink, and then use that ink to harm me!"

What a clever trick to lure someone into a trap and then use them as a tool to kill them!

Xue Lingyi looked at Jiang Guo'er with amazement and admiration in her eyes.

"Shunshun, how come I never realized before that there are so many profound thoughts hidden in your little head?"

She immediately made the decision and proceeded with the plan.

Even after the matter was settled, Jiang Guo'er still felt somewhat uneasy.

Verbal agreements are ultimately meaningless.

People's hearts are fickle. Today's sisters may turn into enemies tomorrow.

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Lingyi, let's put it in writing and draw up a contract."

Xue Lingyi was taken aback, then smiled knowingly.

Yes, only written agreements provide the most reassurance.

"Okay, tell me how to write it."

Lüyi quickly brought out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Jiang Guo'er personally wrote down two identical covenants.

There were no titles or names on it, only an agreement on each other's responsibilities. If either party betrayed the agreement, they would be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!

The two men each pressed their bright red fingerprints at the signature area.

Two copies, bound by a vow of life and death.

Xue Lingyi carefully folded her share and whispered instructions to Lüyi:

"Put it in the hidden compartment at the very bottom of my camphor wood chest, and make sure no one finds it."

Lü Yi nodded solemnly.

After they left, only Jiang Guo'er remained in the side room.

She took the doll out from her chest.

Locate the stitching on the doll's abdomen, use small scissors to open it, and carefully insert the contract, folded into a small square, inside.

He threaded the needle and stitched it tightly, leaving no trace.

After doing all this, I breathed a long sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, in the study.

Pei Yan is copying Wang Xizhi's "Timely Clearing After Snowfall".

The moment the pen touched the paper, my lower abdomen tightened suddenly!

A secret, unbearable itch crept in from the tailbone and climbed up the spine.

Immediately afterwards, a strange sense of fullness, as if being slowly drawn into and then properly settled by something external, began to gnaw at his mind.

His hand trembled, and a drop of thick ink smeared on the rice paper, ruining the entire piece of calligraphy.

"..."

Pei Yan pinched his temples, but a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Is this little thing throwing a tantrum at him again?

He admitted that throwing Xue Lingyi to the ground upon seeing her at dusk was not the behavior of a gentleman.

Xue Lingyi was, after all, his lawfully wedded wife; he couldn't very well keep a concubine locked in his arms in front of her.

That would be too disrespectful to Xue Lingyi.

That blush-tinged little face suddenly and inopportunely entered my mind, along with her charmingly naive appearance after getting drunk.

Pei Yan's lips curved into a wider smile.

No matter how obedient she is in public, in private she still tries to find ways to stick to him.

If only I could make her even smaller, so I could hold her in my arms every day.

But the fire inside me has been ignited, how can I resist?

Pei Yan confirmed that the candlelight in the inner room had been extinguished and that Xue Lingyi was asleep. Then, like a raccoon cat, he skillfully made his way to the window of the side room.

He pushed open the window and climbed inside.

Under the moonlight, Jiang Guo'er was fast asleep, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she were dreaming of something troubling her.

Perhaps because she had drunk too much alcohol during the day and was exposed to a cold wind, her forehead felt a little hot.

Pei Yan's inner turmoil was immediately extinguished by worry.

He opened his long arms and gently embraced that small, warm body.

Jiang Guo'er smelled the familiar scent of ink, unconsciously snuggled closer to him, found a comfortable position, and fell into a deep sleep again.

Pei Yan lowered his eyes, reached out and affectionately flicked the bridge of her nose, "You little ingrate, you're already asleep?"

What should he do then?

He looked up at the top of the tent, held back for a few breaths, but finally couldn't resist. He quietly grabbed her small hand and borrowed it for a moment.