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

"What?!"

Prefect Zhao gasped, and Old Madam Zhao stared wide-eyed at her cloudy old eyes.

"Impossible! Yuan Zhe may be a bit of a womanizer, but he would never do something so disgraceful to the family!"

Madam Zhao tapped her cane and retorted sharply.

Pei Yan smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; they were chillingly cold.

"The ugliest ones are yet to come."

He leaned slightly forward, speaking each word with the sharpness of a knife tempered with ice.

"It is unknown what argument the two had on the bed, but in a fit of anger, Xue Lingfang took a knife and injured Zhao Yuanzhe's genitals."

"The imperial physician examined it overnight, and that thing... is completely rotten and beyond saving."

"In other words, your eldest son, the Zhao family's son, has become a complete and utter cripple."

There was not a sound in the flower hall.

Only the mournful sound of the wind passing through the hall could be heard.

Prefect Zhao was completely stunned; his eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and his mind was filled with a deafening roar.

My reproductive organs... are ruined?

"Impossible! Why would the Grand Secretary make such baseless accusations?"

Old Madam Zhao screamed, her cane trembling and hitting the ground. "How could my grandson... how could he have been castrated! You're lying to me!"

"Don't believe me?" Pei Yan leaned back lazily in his chair. "Brother Xiao, take them to the east courtyard and see the rotten flesh buried in the ground."

Prefect Zhao swayed, his chest heaving violently.

His most beloved second son, the future hope of the Zhao family, was just... ruined by that bitch Xue Lingfang?

"puff--"

A mouthful of blood suddenly spurted out, staining the blue bricks in front of him red.

Prefect Zhao's eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward.

"My son!" Old Madam Zhao cried out in anguish, her eyelids rolled back, and she too collapsed to the ground.

In a dark room.

Jiang Guo'er covered her mouth in shock, her heart pounding wildly.

I felt relieved, but also a little scared.

The Prime Minister's tactic of shifting blame was tantamount to holding the lifelines of both families in the palm of his hand.

It was clearly Lingyi who cut it, yet he could put it on Xue Lingfang's head without batting an eye.

If Prefect Zhao believes it, the marriage alliance between the Xue and Zhao families will be deadly, and they will start biting each other from now on. Who will care about targeting Lingyi?

Then Lingyi was safe.

She gripped the hem of her clothes even tighter.

In the flower hall.

Pei Yan frowned, utterly disgusted by the mess on the ground.

"Splash it to wake me up."

He poured two basins of well water over his head.

Prefect Zhao and his wife were jolted awake, only to be met with Pei Yan's face.

"I haven't finished speaking yet."

Pei Yan squinted, his voice flat.

"If those two are having an affair in private, then so be it; the Xue and Zhao families can handle it behind closed doors."

"But your useless grandson just spouts nonsense and twists the truth."

"He dared to slander my wife, Xue Lingyi, in front of me and a group of court officials, accusing her of having an affair with me and claiming that Xue Lingyi had injured him."

Pei Yan paused, a murderous intent surging in his dark eyes.

"Lord Zhao, I have a question for you."

"How should we settle the score for framing the Prime Minister's wife?"

Upon hearing this, Prefect Zhao's already pale face turned ashen.

Frame the Grand Secretary's wife—that's a capital offense! Especially in front of the court officials!

"Your Excellency! Your Excellency, please investigate!" Prefect Zhao, disregarding the blood at the corner of his mouth, frantically kowtowed on the ground.

"Yuan Zhe must be delirious from the pain, talking nonsense! Please, Your Majesty, spare him this time, considering he's already crippled!"

Old Madam Zhao wailed and cried, "My poor grandson! That little bitch Xue Lingfang dared to be so cruel! I'll skin her alive!"

Separated by a wall, Jiang Guo'er stared intently at the man strategizing in the armchair.

This is Pei Yan.

He wielded immense power, able to manipulate events at will.

He sat there casually, and with just a few words, he cornered the cunning and shrewd prefect, leaving the arrogant and domineering old woman in unbearable pain.

Far from finding him ruthless, she actually sensed a sense of unprecedented security in his swift and decisive actions.

These ruthless methods and overwhelming power are exactly what she wants most on her path of revenge!

"I want to see Yuan Zhe!" Prefect Zhao suddenly roared, as if he had gone mad. "I want to ask that rebellious son myself what exactly happened!"

Pei Yan readily agreed.

"Granted." He stood up and ordered Xiao Da, "Bring Zhao Yuanzhe over."

After saying that, he didn't even glance at the two men again, turned around, pushed open the hidden door, returned to the secret room, and closed the door behind him.

The light suddenly disappeared, and Jiang Guo'er shivered from the chill emanating from him. He then pulled her back into his arms, her back pressed tightly against his firm, warm chest.

"Watch the show," his deep voice sounded above her head.

Soon, Zhao Yuanzhe was carried into the flower hall by two elite guards on a board.

He looked worse than yesterday; the stench of his festering sores was nauseating, and he was delirious with fever, muttering incoherently.

"Yuanzhe! My son!"

Prefect Zhao rushed over anxiously, and upon seeing his son's wretched appearance, tears immediately streamed down his face.

Zhao Yuanzhe was startled awake by the call. His cloudy eyes barely focused, and upon seeing his father and grandmother, the resentment and pain that had been building up all night instantly erupted.

"Grandmother! Father! It was that vile woman Xue Lingyi! She's the one who ruined me! That poisonous woman..."

"Shut up!" Prefect Zhao was terrified and lunged forward to cover his mouth.

Old Madam Zhao was also jumping up and down anxiously, desperately trying to wink at her grandson, but Zhao Yuanzhe couldn't understand at all; he was only focused on venting his frustration.

"...And that Pei Yan! He set me up, he wanted me dead! He deserves to die a horrible death..."

"You're insane!"

Prefect Zhao failed to cover his mouth properly. Hearing him dare to curse even the Grand Secretary, he was so angry that his blood rushed to his head. Without thinking, he raised his hand and delivered a resounding slap.

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound echoed in the flower hall.

Zhao Yuanzhe's cursing stopped abruptly.

His head lolled to the side from the blow, his body convulsed violently, his eyes rolled back, and he fell silent.

Prefect Zhao's hand was still frozen in mid-air as he stared blankly at his son.

"Doctor! Call a doctor! Help!" He realized what was happening and frantically shouted at the door.

Upon receiving the news, the steward of the Xue family rushed off to fetch Minister Xue.

A moment later, Minister Xue arrived in a hurry with the imperial physician and saw Zhao Yuanzhe lying motionless on the mat.

The imperial physician stepped forward, checked the patient's breath, examined the eyelids, and finally shook his head: "Please accept my condolences, the person is... gone."

Prefect Zhao could not believe his ears. He stared blankly at his son, who had died on the table, and then at his own trembling hands.

He...beat his own son to death?

The immense grief and regret instantly transformed into a raging inferno.

He turned around, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Minister Xue, and with a howl, he pounced on him like a wild beast cornered in a desperate situation.

"Give me back my son's life!"

In the dark room, Jiang Guo'er was held by Pei Yan, who took in the whole scene through the small hole.

Good riddance! What a wonderful death! Now it's truly a dog-eat-dog world, a real mess!

How did the Prime Minister's brain work?

Everything was meticulously planned, each step calculated ten steps ahead, leaving everyone thoroughly ensnared.

Her shoulders trembled with excitement, and she couldn't help but turn her head and raise her eyes to look at the man pressed close behind her.

Pei Yan's jawline was taut, like an unapproachable deity.

I want a kiss.

Jiang Guo'er couldn't help but think.

It wasn't the kind of kissing with ulterior motives that happened in the past, but rather a pure desire to satisfy her inner longing at that moment, to be close to Pei Yan, to hold him close, to be nestled into his flesh and blood, and to kiss each other's necks.

It wasn't a fleeting touch, but a kiss where tongues intertwined, making her toes curl and her entire body tremble.

Am I sick?

Jiang Guo'er was flustered and clutched Pei Yan's clothes with both hands.

"My lord, I...I...can't breathe..."