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

Jiang Guo'er squatted down and lifted a corner of the bedding.

The strand of hair she had deliberately placed under the mattress was gone.

Her heart started racing, but she calmly tucked the blanket back in.

Someone climbed over her bed.

The movements weren't rough; in fact, they deliberately restored the original placement.

If she hadn't left a mark beforehand, no one would have noticed.

who is it?

She had nothing of value.

Who would bother with this task if a concubine was living in a drafty servant's room?

Could it be... that her identity has been exposed?

A chill ran down my spine.

She quickly went through her recent words and actions in her mind.

There are no flaws.

She never showed off her knowledge in front of others, and she only said that she learned her embroidery skills from her mother, making her story very convincing.

But if Pei Yan becomes suspicious, he might send his secret guards to investigate—

Jiang Guo'er clenched her fist, then slowly relaxed it.

wrong.

If Pei Yan really suspected a concubine, he didn't need to search for evidence; he could simply issue a command to drag her out and have her beaten to death!

Since she is still alive, it means that this search was not aimed at her.

What are they investigating?

Jiang Guo'er touched the doll in her arms; its hard outline pressed against her chest, warm.

...They couldn't have come here for this thing, could they?

It's just a puppet. Even if it's related to witchcraft, that's the old lady's business. Why would it alarm the prime minister?

She took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in her mind, and turned to go to the servants' kitchen to get her dinner.

A bowl of sorghum rice, half a dish of pickled radish, and a small bowl of cabbage and tofu soup.

Two thin, translucent slices of meat floated in the soup. They were given to Granny Zhang, the cook, because she remembered how kind she was to Granny Zhang last time she mended her apron.

Jiang Guo'er squatted on the steps at the kitchen door, holding a bowl.

The room was full of people, but she was too lazy to squeeze in.

The pickled radish was so salty it hurt her throat, so she soaked the rice in the broth and ate it.

The tofu was stewed until it was soft and melted in my mouth, finally bringing some warmth to my stomach.

Halfway through the meal, Lianhua came over with her bowl and plopped down next to her.

"They steamed sweet potatoes on the stove today, and I took an extra one."

Lotus took a golden-brown roasted sweet potato out of her sleeve and put it in her hand.

"Quick, eat it while it's hot, it'll get hard when it cools down!"

Jiang Guo'er didn't stand on ceremony. She broke open a sweet potato, which was steaming hot, with orange-red flesh and a sweet aroma.

Thanks.

"Don't be so polite with me." Lotus slurped up her soup. "By the way, did you hear? Second Master just took his eldest son to the front yard to pay his respects."

Jiang Guo'er took a bite of sweet potato and didn't reply.

"That child was only five years old, yet he recited the entire Classic of Filial Piety right outside the Prime Minister's study!"

Lotus clicked her tongue twice. "Guess what the Prime Minister said?"

"How so?"

Lotus pouted: "Go back after you've finished reciting it, without even raising your head."

Jiang Guo'er was not surprised at all.

When news of Su Yue's favor spread, several collateral branches were bound to be restless.

Pei Yan had no sons, and these people coveted Da Zong's wealth and reputation, wishing they could force their own sons to be adopted.

Now that the eldest son's wife has had her first child, if she were to actually give birth to a legitimate son, all their plans would fall through.

There will definitely be more action in the next few days.

After finishing her meal, Jiang Guo'er washed the bowls and chopsticks, put them back on the shelf, and went back to her room.

The bolt was secured, and the candle stub was lit.

There is no wind tonight, and it is not as cold as it was a few days ago.

Jiang Guo'er took the doll out of her bosom and made it sit against the sewing basket.

"Good boy, just sit here and watch me work."

She opened the bundle, took out the gold-threaded soft pillow, and picked out the pale yellow silk thread and gold thread she had taken during the day from the basket, and threaded the needle.

"Do you know how many people live in the Pei family?"

Their hands were busy, and their mouths were busy too.

"The master alone has four wives. The eldest wife is our Prime Minister, who is all alone."

"Second Master Pei Duo is his cousin, with two sons and a daughter. Third Master Pei Zhang is his younger cousin, with three daughters and a son."

"As for Fourth Master Pei Lu, he got married just two years ago and already has a son and a daughter."

A needle tip picks up a golden thread and sews it in, following the veins of the lotus leaf.

"Isn't it infuriating? Other women are in their early twenties with both sons and daughters, while our Prime Minister is twenty-nine and has only just begun to favor a concubine."

She couldn't help but chuckle.

"But it's for the best. If he had started having children early on, I wouldn't have had a chance."

After embroidering for about half an hour, she stopped to stretch her fingers.

The gold thread stitching fits perfectly with the original embroidery pattern, and the scorched hole has been partially covered.

Jiang Guo'er nodded in satisfaction, then lowered her head and continued.

"The old lady's birthday is in three days. If I can embroider this soft pillow perfectly, Granny Li might be so pleased that she can transfer me to work at Songhe Garden."

"When the Prime Minister goes to pay his respects, I will be able to see him."

She smiled at the doll.

"Don't you think I'm pretty smart? The books I stole from my older brother weren't wasted after all."

The doll sat on the table, its blank little face staring blankly at her, without any expression.

Jiang Guo'er chuckled and lightly tapped its little head with her finger.

"Alright, alright, I'm not going to argue with you anymore, getting the work done is the priority."

After that, she quietly began embroidering and never touched the doll again.

Meanwhile, in the study.

Pei Yan stood behind his sandalwood desk, holding five iron plum blossom darts in his hand.

The dart was icy cold, pressed against my palm, making me focus intently.

Xiao San's voice came from the shadows: "I have secretly searched all the residences of the maids and servants in the inner courtyard, but found no trace of the doll."

Pei Yan's eyes remained unmoved.

"What about the two-bedroom, three-bedroom, and four-bedroom apartments?"

"We haven't investigated yet; I'll go tonight."

"Hmm." He paused for a moment. "Is it possible that this woman carries the doll with her at all times?"

Xiao San remained silent for a moment.

"...No way. What woman is so bold as to carry a doll on her person? Doesn't she fear being discovered?"

Pei Yan remained silent.

The woman probably had no idea what the doll was for.

I just felt it was warm, so I carried it close to my body.

But this is just speculation.

After Xiao San left, he called in a servant and ordered a pot of cold tea.

He poured two full cups of wine, then laid out the plum blossom darts on the table, lining them up in a row.

That previous commotion... was utterly absurd.

The soft, warm, skin-hugging touch spread from his chest down to his lower abdomen, burning him so intensely that he almost lost control.

He must be fully prepared.

When that feeling returned, he picked up a plum blossom dart and plunged it into his thigh.

However... an hour passed.

His body was unusually calm.

There was no heat, no tingling sensation; that soft, tingling touch that made your scalp tingle never returned.

Pei Yan slowly put down the plum blossom dart in his hand.

His brows were so furrowed they could trap a mosquito.

That woman didn't touch the doll tonight?

He remained on high alert for a full hour.

I drank two pots of herbal tea, and my hands were sweating from gripping the darts so tightly.

The result—waiting in vain.

Pei Yan took a deep breath, put the plum blossom dart back into its box, and picked up the official document with a blank expression.

It was as if nothing had happened.

Inside the Kunning Palace, a piece of paper was slowly unfolded by a pair of hands painted with red nail polish.

After reading the contents, Xiao Yuzhen picked up the paper with her fingertips and placed it on the candle flame, whereupon it instantly burned to ashes.

"Su Yue?"

She read the name aloud, a cold smile playing on her lips.

"I want to see what kind of woman could make my cousin make an exception for her."