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

"Is this old man up to something shady? Could he have embezzled some money?"

Jiang Guo'er peered through the hole, muttering to herself.

His Majesty hates corrupt officials the most. Anyone who embezzles more than 500,000 taels of silver will be skinned alive and their entire family exterminated!

Pei Yan lowered his eyes; he heard the little thing's inner thoughts again.

[Feeling guilty... because of greed]

His lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

Pei Yan tilted his head slightly, his hot breath brushing against Jiang Guo'er's earlobe, making her shrink back in ticklishness.

"Would you like to see how we lure this kind of scoundrel into our trap?"

Jiang Guo'er had a sudden thought and nodded quickly, like a chick pecking at rice.

Give me a kiss.

……what?

Jiang Guo'er stood there dumbfounded, blinking blankly.

Pei Yan was amused by her silly expression, so he reached out and tugged at her earlobe, then leaned down and whispered in her ear again:

"Give me a kiss, and I'll let you see."

Jiang Guo'er's ears turned bright red instantly.

It wasn't anything else, but... even though they had kissed so many times already, her heart was beating faster than when she first served him in bed when she heard this request.

After all, before, it was either for getting pregnant or for detoxification, but now...

She habitually raised her arm and wrapped it around Pei Yan's neck, her eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings in the wind.

Jiang Guo'er tilted her head back and slowly moved closer to his lips.

But just as their lips were about to touch, she suddenly changed direction, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him on the forehead!

He quickly pulled his neck back, lowered his head, and his head slammed into his ribs with a thud.

Pei Yan was taken aback.

A few breaths later, the corners of his mouth turned up, then up again, and he burst out laughing.

"Aren't you always so admirable when you kiss me? Hmm?"

His long, drawn-out syllables spilled from his lips, like countless tiny brushes frantically brushing against Jiang Guo'er's ear tips.

In an instant, her entire ear and neck turned red.

This time, it was far less intimate and wet than the nightly detoxification process; it was so light it felt like nothing was touched at all.

But Pei Yan stared intently at Jiang Guo'er's blood-red earlobes for a long time.

Only after his breathing returned to normal did he raise his free hand, bend his knuckles, and tap a few times on the hidden compartment in the wall.

Three long and one short.

The sound was muffled, drifting faintly through the brick walls to the outside.

Xiao San, who was guarding outside the door, immediately understood. Instead of entering, he deliberately slowed down and paced back and forth on the bluestone slab outside the flower hall.

They walked more than a hundred steps before stopping.

Like a death knell, it pounded on Prefect Zhao's heart.

Were the people outside the door spying on them?

Prefect Zhao was terrified and could not sit still.

A moment later, Xiao San pushed the door open and came in.

Pei Yan whispered an instruction in Xiao San's ear.

Xiao San accepted the order and withdrew.

As soon as he retreated to the outside of the flower hall, Xiao San lowered his voice and deliberately whispered to another guard. The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but it clearly drifted in through the crack in the door.

"The deficit in the Jiangnan salt tax is so bad that it's impossible to investigate."

"His Majesty's meaning is that it is better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free, and that the Prime Minister should... act as he sees fit."

In the flower hall.

"Clang!"

The teacup that Prefect Zhao had just picked up was smashed directly onto the blue brick, shards of porcelain scattering all over the ground, and scalding tea soaking his official boots.

He was completely unaware, trembling like a quail in the rain.

Even the usually composed Madam Zhao, who was sitting quietly to the side, had lost her composure.

His old face was deathly pale, and he didn't even notice the handkerchief in his hand had fallen to the ground.

Jiang Guo'er saw the scene clearly through the hidden hole, her almond-shaped eyes shining brightly.

The Prime Minister's move was brilliant!

A surge of joy welled up in her heart, and her soft waist unconsciously rubbed against his chest.

Pei Yan's breath hitched for a moment, and his large hand around her waist suddenly tightened, pulling her into his embrace.

"If you move again," he said in a low, husky voice, close to her ear, each word dripping with dangerous heat, "I don't know what I might do."

Jiang Guo'er froze, only then realizing what she had bumped into. Her cheeks flushed instantly, and she didn't even dare to breathe.

The play is still going on outside.

Xiao San somehow managed to get the steward and servants from the Xue family.

The two stood under the corridor, their faces contorted with grief, their sobs echoing intermittently into the flower hall.

"Our superiors... they've really messed up this time... why were they raided out of nowhere..."

"It's all over, the Xue family is completely finished... What are we servants going to do..."

Every word and phrase is like a death warrant.

The already taut string of Prefect Zhao snapped completely with a "crack".

"Thump!"

His legs buckled, and he knelt stiffly on the ground.

"This humble official knows his crime! Your Excellency, spare my life! Spare my life!"

He was crying and his voice was hoarse.

"The 100,000 taels of silver from the river works three years ago were not all pocketed by me! It was Minister Xue who suggested splitting it in half!"

"I was confused for a moment, and I will return it all. I beg Your Excellency to show mercy and spare my life!"

In a dark room.

Jiang Guo'er was so shocked that her mouth was slightly open and her eyes were wide open.

The Prime Minister clearly didn't say anything!

They didn't even know about the 100,000 taels of silver, yet they managed to uncover the major embezzlement case of a second-rank official just by knocking on the wall a few times and saying a few false words!

"The Prime Minister is amazing! He's incredible! So wise and powerful!"

"He's practically a modern-day Zhuge Liang! No, even Zhuge Liang isn't as cunning as him! He wins battles without bloodshed, killing without a trace!"

"If I can learn even half of it, I can achieve great things! That's fantastic, I absolutely love it!"

Jiang Guo'er roared inwardly, looking at Pei Yan as if he were a shining, living Buddha.

Pei Yan heard the voice echoing in his mind.

[The Prime Minister... a living Zhuge Liang... likes...]

The man's cold, hard features softened, and the corners of his lips curved upwards uncontrollably.

I don't find his methods ruthless at all; on the contrary... do I like them?

Pei Yan felt a surge of warmth in his heart, lowered his head, aimed at her slightly parted red lips that resembled peach petals, and pecked them.

It really was a peck.

Like a bird pecking at its master's finger, like a bee sipping honey from a flower's heart, it was both light and swift.

Jiang Guo'er was stunned for a moment, and thought she was dreaming.

What does this mean?

The Prime Minister seems a little different today than usual.

Pei Yan only lingered with her for a moment before releasing her, slowly smoothing out non-existent wrinkles on his brocade robe, though the dark ink in his eyes still lingered.

"Stay here and watch."

After saying this, Pei Yan pushed open the hidden door and stepped into the flower hall.

The suppressed desire I had just felt in the dark room vanished completely.

At this moment, his back was straight and his face was expressionless, instantly switching back to the unapproachable, cold and ruthless living Yama.

Prefect Zhao was crying his eyes out when he looked up and suddenly saw Pei Yan walking out of the wall. He was so frightened that he almost flew out of his skin.

It turns out the Grand Secretary had been listening in from next door all along!

Prefect Zhao trembled even more violently. Just as he was about to speak in his defense, he met Pei Yan's calm and unwavering eyes.

"Lord Zhao, I have never had any patience."

"You're so smart, you probably don't want to go to the Dali Temple, right?"

This sentence became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

With trembling hands, Prefect Zhao unfolded his handkerchief, bit his finger, and hastily wrote a confession, drawing and writing at the same time.

"Your Excellency, this is my confession. I will present the 100,000 taels of embezzled funds within seven days... I beg Your Excellency to have mercy and spare my life..."

Pei Yan glanced down at him.

Xiao San stepped forward, took the blood-written letter, and handed it to Pei Yan.

Pei Yan pinched one corner of the blood-stained handkerchief with only two fingers and dusted it off with disgust.

"This 100,000 taels can only temporarily store your head with me."

After a long while, he looked at Prefect Zhao with a half-smile.

"Lord Zhao, after all these years in Suzhou, have you only embezzled a paltry 100,000 taels?"

Prefect Zhao felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, and his teeth were chattering.

If he were to renege on the huge deficit of 700,000 taels of salt tax in Suzhou, it would be a capital offense punishable by the execution of his entire family!

I mustn't say it, I'd rather die than say it!

He lay prostrate on the ground, kowtowing desperately, not daring to utter a single word.

Pei Yan realized that he was hiding something.

However, he wasn't in a hurry.

To deal with this kind of person, you have to use a slow and gentle approach.

Pei Yan sat down in the armchair with an air of authority, picked up the freshly brewed tea, and slowly stirred the floating leaves.

"Alright, stop kneeling. I invited you all here from Suzhou overnight, not for this matter."

Prefect Zhao, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised his head, his face full of astonishment.

If it's not for the money, then what else could it be for?

Old Madam Zhao stood up from the chair with trembling steps, her voice weak.

"Then... what exactly is the matter, Your Excellency?"

Pei Yan put down his teacup, the porcelain clinking together with a crisp sound.

"For your good grandson, Zhao Yuanzhe."

Madam Zhao was taken aback: "Yuanzhe? What happened to him?"

Pei Yan raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Last night, Zhao Yuanzhe broke through the window and sneaked into the east wing of the Xue residence in the middle of the night."

"He committed illicit acts with Xue Lingfang, the second young lady of the Xue family, on the bed."