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

As dawn broke and the sky began to lighten, the Xue family was already bustling with activity.

Today is the Minister's birthday banquet, and even the floor tiles in the mansion have been polished to a shine.

In the east courtyard, the maid Cui'er, carrying a brass basin, quietly pushed open Xue Lingfang's door.

"Miss, it's time to get up and wash."

The room was quiet, and no one responded.

Cui'er put down the basin of water, took a handkerchief, and walked to the bed with its canopy.

She reached out and lifted the gilded embroidered curtain, peeking out to take a look.

"Small……"

Cui'er's throat felt like it was blocked by a wad of rotten cotton, and she couldn't make a sound.

"Clang!"

The brass basin slammed onto the blue brick floor, splashing water everywhere.

Cui'er's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, her face instantly turning pale.

She scrambled out the door as if she'd seen a ghost, her piercing screams shattering the morning's tranquility.

"ah--!"

In the main room of the main courtyard, Madam Zhao was sitting upright in front of a huanghuali dressing table, with her trusted maidservant adorning her temples with a red gold hairpin.

Hearing the commotion outside, the hand holding the handkerchief paused slightly, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

Become!

So what if Xue Lingyi, that vile woman, becomes the wife of the Grand Secretary?

We still have to be like dogs, letting her do whatever she wants!

"Let's go!" Zhao straightened her back and, beaming, took Xu Mama's arm.

"Summon all the stewards from each room. Let's go to Tingyu Pavilion and see what kind of filthy thing has happened to cause such a commotion!"

A large group of people marched towards Tingyuxuan.

As soon as she kicked open the courtyard gate, Zhao was stunned.

The courtyard was quiet as Lüyi and Jiang Guo'er were serving Xue Lingyi breakfast.

Although Xue Lingyi looked haggard, she maintained a dignified demeanor, with not a single strand of hair out of place.

Zhao's heart skipped a beat.

"Where are they? Didn't they say something happened?!"

A servant boy rushed in, sweating profusely, and slapped his thigh anxiously: "Madam, it's not Tingyu Pavilion, the incident happened in the east wing!"

East Wing?

Isn't that Fang'er's courtyard?

Zhao's heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran up her spine.

She shoved Xu Mama aside, lifted her skirt, and ran wildly towards the east courtyard.

A group of servants had already gathered in front of the door, peeking around curiously.

Zhao's face was ashen as she shouted angrily, "What are you all doing gathered here! Do you want to die? Get out!"

The servants scattered like birds and beasts, but they couldn't help turning back frequently, their eyes filled with barely suppressed shock.

Zhao took a deep breath and tremblingly pushed open the half-closed door.

As soon as I stepped inside, a strong smell of blood assaulted my senses.

Zhao rushed to the bedside in three quick steps.

With just one glance, she felt dizzy and swayed as if she were about to collapse.

On the bed, two bodies were entangled together.

The man, completely naked and dressed in white, was her good nephew, Zhao Yuanzhe.

The woman... was the apple of her eye, Fang'er!

The quilt was a mess, covered in dried bloodstains, a shocking sight.

And under Fang'er's body was a blood-stained handkerchief!

"ah--!"

Zhao let out a beast-like roar, pounced on him like a madwoman, grabbed Zhao Yuanzhe by the hair and dragged him off the bed.

"You beast! You bastard—I'm going to kill you! Kill you!"

Zhao Yuanzhe was pulled so hard that his whole body convulsed violently.

The effects of the centipede and snake slough medicine had taken hold. His lower body was already a bloody mess, and now it was festering from the inside out, making even breathing feel like being cut by a knife.

"It hurts... Aunt... Help, help me..."

Zhao Yuanzhe's face was deathly pale, tinged with purplish-blue, and he pleaded weakly.

This commotion woke up Xue Lingfang from her deep sleep.

She opened her eyes groggily, still feeling a little dizzy, and it took her a while to make out her surroundings.

She froze for a moment, her eyes widening in terror, and then she screamed.

"Ah—! Zhao Yuanzhe, what did you do to me?!"

Without examining her body, Xue Lingfang instinctively felt that she had been defiled.

Using both hands and feet, he scratched and clawed at Zhao Yuanzhe, his sharp nails digging several bloody gashes into his face.

"What's going on? What's all the commotion so early in the morning!"

Dressed in his finest attire, ready to welcome guests, Minister Xue stepped across the threshold with his hands behind his back, wearing a dark purple robe with a hidden longevity character pattern.

He had come to teach a lesson to a servant who didn't know the rules, but when he looked up, he stumbled upon this absurd and shameful affair!

Minister Xue's old eyes widened, his finger pointing at the bed, trembling so badly it seemed about to fall apart.

"You...you all..."

He shouted "You wicked creature!" three times in a row. Overwhelmed with rage, he coughed up a mouthful of black blood, his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward.

"master!"

"Quickly, get a doctor!"

The entire Xue household was in utter chaos.

The front and back yards were in complete chaos, and no one was paying attention to the main gate.

Just as chaos erupted, the gatekeeper scrambled through the inner gate, his voice booming like a broken gong: "The Grand Secretary has arrived—"

Before he finished speaking, Pei Yan strode into the courtyard.

Today he wore a dark brocade robe embroidered with cranes, over which he wore a dark fox fur cloak.

He was extremely tall and had an imposing presence. His overwhelming aura instantly chilled the entire courtyard.

Two rows of sword-wielding guards spread out in perfect unison, and the entire audience fell silent.

What's even more dangerous is that following Pei Yan are seven or eight high-ranking officials from the imperial court, dressed in various official robes.

They brought gifts and came early to wish Minister Xue a happy birthday.

Pei Yan stopped and glanced indifferently at the panicked servants of the Xue family.

He took off his hairpin and pen and wrote on the wooden board he carried with him.

What happened? Isn't today Lord Xue's birthday banquet? Where is he?

The old butler knelt down with a thud, trembling all over, and stammered for a long time, not knowing what to say.

"Grand Secretary...Master...he..."

Pei Yan slightly raised his eyelids and turned his head to look at Xiao San beside him.

Xiao San understood immediately and disappeared in a flash.

A moment later, he quickly turned back and whispered a few words in Pei Yan's ear.

Pei Yan raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on his face.

But instead of keeping quiet, he pressed the butler to tell him in public what had just happened.

When the court officials heard the words "the Minister's eldest daughter committed adultery with her cousin," "the bed was covered in blood," and "the Minister was so angry that he vomited blood," they all gasped in shock.

Several upright officials couldn't contain themselves and started cursing on the spot.

"Even a rat with skin knows shame; these two are unworthy of being called human!"

"A pair of adulterers! One's a horse without a bridle, the other's a bitch in heat!"

"Lord Xue has failed in his duty to educate his daughter; what face does he have left to stand in the imperial court!"

"The world is going to the dogs! The world is going to the dogs! Their filthy flesh, aren't they afraid of rotting and infesting maggots!"

Pei Yan pinched his thumb to suppress a laugh, and waited until they had finished cursing before shaking his sleeves.

[Gentlemen, please be mindful of your words. The truth of the matter is still unknown.]

The Xue family can't cover up this mess anymore, no matter how hard they try.

In less than half a day, the news would spread throughout the entire capital and reach the ears of the Emperor.

At this moment, inside Tingyuxuan.

Jiang Guo'er slowly poured Xue Lingyi a cup of ginseng tea from a small white porcelain cup.

"Judging from the commotion outside, my dad must have fainted from anger."

Xue Lingyi, feeling refreshed, pinched a piece of jujube paste cake, her gloom of the past few days completely gone.

Jiang Guo'er curved her lips into a smile, about to speak, when Lü Yi ran in from outside the courtyard with a beaming smile.

"Madam, Guo'er! The Prime Minister has arrived! He's brought quite a few officials with him, and they're all in the front hall right now!"

"This play doesn't even need to be performed today; it's already caused a huge uproar!"

Jiang Guo'er's hand trembled as she held the teacup, spilling a few drops of tea onto the back of her hand. Her heart skipped a beat.

Why did he arrive so early?

Didn't you say you'd come after the morning court session?

Jiang Guo'er's mind raced, and she immediately stood up.

"Lingyi, hurry!"

Xue Lingyi immediately understood, picked up the prepared headband and wrapped it around her forehead, and smeared some soot on her lips.

His brows furrowed slightly, immediately revealing a sickly air about him.

Jiang Guo'er and Lü Yi pinched each other's arms hard, forcing their eyes to turn red.

"Let's go to the front hall."

The atmosphere in the lobby was extremely tense.

Minister Xue had just been woken up by pinching his philtrum and was carried out by two servants, one on each side, to greet the guests.

His face was ashen, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

"This humble official... greets Your Excellency the Grand Secretary." Minister Xue's legs trembled as he was about to perform the salute.

Pei Yan didn't even spare him a glance.

His gaze swept over the crowd and landed steadily on Jiang Guo'er, who had just stepped across the threshold.

The little one was wearing a pale yellow jacket and skirt today, her hair was slightly messy, and her eyes were red like a bullied rabbit.

She supported the weak Xue Lingyi, and upon seeing him, she felt as if she had found a lifeline, stumbling and rushing towards him.

"Prime Minister..."

Jiang Guo'er's voice trembled, thick with nasal tone, and a tear clung to the corner of her eye, threatening to fall.

Pei Yan lowered his eyes and looked down at her.

That little liar.

Last night, when he stayed up late and directed Lüyi to sprinkle poison powder on Zhao Yuanzhe's wound, he didn't look like this at all.

He could clearly see the fierce glint in those eyes.

Keep performing.

Pei Yan chuckled softly, but he still gave him plenty of face.

He stretched out his long arm, gently wrapped it around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace.

How did it get like this?

This sentence, gentle and low-pitched, reveals genuine concern.

Jiang Guo'er sniffed, reached into her sleeve, pulled out the box of bath beans, and stuffed it directly into Pei Yan's hand.

"Prime Minister, you must do justice for the Lady!"

She sobbed, her voice crisp and clear, loud enough for everyone present to hear.

"Yesterday, Madam Xue sent over this box of bath beans. After using it a few times, the lady started bleeding!"

"Only after careful examination today did I discover that there is saffron powder in this!"

"Everyone knows pregnant women shouldn't touch saffron, what is Madam Xue trying to do!"

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

After the eldest daughter's affair with her cousin, the mistress of the Xue family plotted to harm the wife of the Grand Secretary.

Hey!

This Xue family is truly remarkable.

Minister Xue's vision went black for a moment, and his legs went weak. He was only able to stay upright because his servants held him up.