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

In three days, Jiang Guo'er went to the embroidery room twice more.

This is the first time they've said the pale yellow silk thread is the wrong color and needs to be replaced.

The second time, they said there wasn't enough gold thread and they needed to add two more feet.

The three embroiderers in the embroidery room looked increasingly grim each time.

The oldest woman, Zhou Xiuniang, put down her worksheet and glanced at her sideways.

"Just how big is the hole in this soft pillow? They've used up almost half a box of gold thread."

Jiang Guo'er smiled but didn't respond. She took out three purple velvet flowers from her sleeve and handed one to each person.

"Sisters, you've worked so hard. This is something I made in my spare time for fun. It's not worth much money; I just wanted it to look nice."

Zhou Xiuniang retorted irritably, "Who cares about your—"

Before he could finish speaking, his gaze fell on the velvet flowers, and he paused.

The petals are layered upon each other, each one so thin that it is translucent, and the stamens are wrapped with extremely fine copper wire, with a small pom-pom at the end.

The color scheme is a gradient from deep purple to light mauve, and the transition is so natural that it doesn't seem like something that could be made by hand.

The other two embroiderers also came over to take a look, exchanged glances, and tucked the velvet flowers into their sleeves.

Before long, the three of them huddled in a corner, studying over and over how the flower was tied.

Once the quiet was over, Jiang Guo'er went upstairs to the second floor and opened the window.

The view of the study across the street is fully visible.

Today, the study door is half open, and the rosewood desk can be clearly seen.

Besides official documents, there was a stack of fancy stationery, piled high.

With her sharp eyesight, she could spot the top few sheets of deep red paper with subtle patterns on the edges—they were Xue Tao paper!

Jiang Guo'er was stunned for a moment.

That thing was specifically used for writing love letters.

The romantic and talented men each carried a stack of these, which they would slip into the hands of their beloved girls during holidays.

Prime Minister Pei...can also write love letters?

The image of that face, supposedly so cold it could freeze someone to death, appeared in her mind as he held a calligraphy brush and wrote sentimental poems.

Good heavens!

A chill ran down her spine, and she rubbed her arms vigorously with both hands.

Just as I was about to close the window, my peripheral vision caught sight of the "Lotus Picking" painting on the inner wall of the study.

After staring at it for a while, a scene from deep within my memory suddenly popped up.

The Lantern Festival when I was fourteen years old was filled with beautiful lanterns.

She took a fancy to a glass revolving lantern and was about to pay when a hand suddenly cut in from the side.

A man wearing a mask with blue fangs also wanted to buy the lamp.

The stall owner, in a dilemma, suggested a poetry contest.

She lost by half a point, and on the spot, she painted this "Lotus Picking Picture" as a reward for losing to the man.

He neither wrote a poem nor signed his name.

How come this painting is hanging in Pei Yan's study?

Could he be the man with the blue fangs mask?

Jiang Guo'er quickly shook her head.

impossible.

Pei Yan is the kind of person who lives like a clay idol in a temple.

How could he possibly go to the lantern festival and make a bet with a fourteen-year-old girl?

Unable to figure it out, she had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being and start thinking about more important things.

Since Pei Yan is fond of stationery, if we can cater to his preferences, we will have another way to get closer to him.

If this were back when the Marquis's mansion was still in existence, her boudoir would have been filled with countless types of ribbed paper, gold-flecked paper, and rippled paper, and even extremely rare coconut shell paper.

You can give him the whole thing!

But now...

Jiang Guo'er was dirt poor. To earn money, she could only embroider things and sell them outside.

However, the Pei family had strict rules that forbade maids from selling needlework on their own.

If we really do that, we'll be sold off in less than two days!

This path is simply not feasible.

Jiang Guo'er sighed, picked out the gold thread from the shelf, closed the window, and left the embroidery room.

On the third day at noon, Jiang Guo'er sat on the bed board and bit off the last piece of gold thread.

The embroidered lotus pattern perfectly covers the burial site, blending seamlessly with the original embroidery.

There are no signs of repair on the front, and the stitches on the back are neat and new.

Jiang Guo'er wrapped the soft pillow in brocade with satisfaction, but didn't rush to send it to Songhe Garden.

Submitting the work too early makes the craft seem cheap.

With nothing to do, she took out a doll from her bosom.

His face was bare and lifeless.

Jiang Guo'er took out the black cotton thread and picked out the finest embroidery needle.

Should the eyes be embroidered bigger or smaller?

She tilted her head and thought for a moment.

It is said that Pei Yan was extremely handsome, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and a nose as straight as a hanging gall bladder.

But she had never seen it with her own eyes, so she could only rely on her imagination.

"Never mind, let's get the eyebrows done first. A man needs thicker eyebrows to look more dashing."

With a single needle, the eyebrow shape is delicately drawn.

At this time, the Cabinet is on duty.

Pei Yan was having lunch, holding a celadon bowl.

He picked up a piece of pork skin jelly with his chopsticks, but before he could even bring it to his mouth, his brow twitched suddenly.

Something... was touching his brow bone.

The touch is extremely light and fine, like the tip of a needle gliding across your skin, or like a feather brushing against you.

It didn't hurt, but it itched so badly that his scalp tingled.

He put down his chopsticks, raised his hand to touch his brow, but there was nothing there.

The sensation didn't stop; it slowly traveled along the tail of my eyebrow, again and again.

Pei Yan straightened his back.

After Jiang Guo'er finished embroidering the eyebrows, she changed the thread and embroidered the eyes.

"As for the eyes... let's embroider long and narrow ones, to make them look fierce, to match his status as the prime minister."

She held the doll's small head, pressing her thumb against its forehead to hold it in place, and then moved the needle tip up and down at the eyes.

"A straight nose and thin lips... are good, men with thin lips look cold and unfeeling."

She became more and more engrossed in embroidery, and couldn't help but hold the doll up to her eyes to examine it closely, her warm breath washing over its face.

In the cabinet office, Pei Yan had already put down his chopsticks and bowl.

That eerie sensation was now brazenly roaming over his eyelids.

Moreover, it was as if his nose bridge was being gently pinched and played with by an incredibly soft finger.

Next came the lips.

A fingertip with calluses kept grinding against his lips.

From the full arch of the upper lip to the slightly concave cupid's bow, and then repeatedly rubbing against the edge of the lower lip, it is extremely intimate.

He never imagined that a pair of hands would so brazenly caress his features.

His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

His knuckles, gripping the edge of the table, trembled slightly uncontrollably.

Pei Yan's earlobes were covered in a large blush.

Unconsciously, she lowered her head, her thick eyelashes concealing the turbulent emotions surging in her eyes.

"My lord?" The vice minister opposite him looked up at him with some apprehension. "You don't look well."

Pei Yan had already stood up.

Excuse me.

A gust of wind stirred up the hem of his robe, causing the pages of the documents in the duty room to turn.

Turning into the corridor, I pushed open the door to the washroom and bolted it shut behind my back.

His tall frame pressed against the door, his eyes closed, his chest heaving violently.

The sensation continued.

It felt as if someone was holding his chin in both hands, teasing his tightly clenched teeth with their fingertips over and over again.

Pei Yan gritted his teeth and pinched his inner thigh mercilessly.

The pain barely suppressed the tingling sensation that surged up my spine.

He gasped for breath and increased the force of his blows.

He only let go when the sensation finally stopped.

Looking down, I saw that my thigh was covered in bruises.

Pei Yan slowly tilted his head back, his head hitting the cold door panel hard.

Fine beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, soaking his impeccably plain white collar without him even realizing it.

That damned woman, what on earth did she do to his doll in broad daylight?!

Jiang Guo'er finished the last stitch, bit off the end of the thread, and picked up the doll to look at it from left to right.

All facial features are present.

So cool!

She nodded in satisfaction and gently rubbed the doll's little face with her fingertip. "You'll look like this from now on, don't think it's ugly."

The puppet naturally wouldn't answer.

She tucked it back into her bosom, put away the needle and thread, and waited for it to get dark.

At the end of Shenshi (3-5 PM), Jiang Guo'er, carrying a soft pillow wrapped in cotton cloth, went to Songhe Garden.

Granny Li was directing the maids to hang lanterns in the corridor when she saw her coming. She waved her hand and said, "Let me see it."

Jiang Guo'er presented it with both hands and stepped back to stand properly.

Granny Li unfolded the cotton cloth and examined the soft pillow three times, turning it over and over.

He ran his fingertips over the patchwork lotus flowers, then turned the fabric over to check the stitches, remaining silent for a long while.

Jiang Guo'er waited patiently.

"Excellent craftsmanship." Granny Li finally looked up, her eyes filled with appreciation.

"The stitches on both sides are exactly the same. I've lived for fifty years and this is the first time I've ever seen someone actually do that."

A humble and appropriate smile spread across Jiang Guo'er's lips.

"You flatter me, Granny. It's just a bit of hard work and takes a little time."

Granny Li wrapped the soft pillow again and pondered for a moment.

"Tomorrow is the old lady's fifty-eighth birthday, and the family will be holding a banquet."

"I see you're quick and efficient, and quite clever. Would you be willing to come to Songheyuan and serve drinks?"

Jiang Guo'er's heart pounded like a drum, revealing a mixture of fear and overwhelming gratitude, and she performed a deep bow.

"Thank you for your kind words, Granny. I will certainly not let you down."