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

Once inside the inner courtyard, Granny Liu and Granny Yu immediately adopted the airs of palace servants.

The two exchanged a glance without making a sound, and then scanned the entire warm pavilion.

"Oh dear, the furnishings in the warm chamber of the Grand Secretary's residence are so crude and unrefined."

Granny Liu, with her triangular eyes, spoke in a shrill voice, finding fault.

"How can this rosewood screen face the main entrance directly? Not only does it block good fortune, it also attracts negative energy!"

"The underglaze red vase on the display cabinet is an even more inauspicious object; isn't it afraid of offending the owner's fate?"

Granny Yu picked up the tea that Green Ripple served, glanced at it from the lid, and then slammed it down on the table.

"This Lu'an Melon Seed tea hasn't even had its leaves properly steeped! The maidservant who serves the Prime Minister's wife can't even properly serve a cup of tea."

"With such clumsiness, if he were brought into the palace, he probably wouldn't even know how he died."

"If the mistress of the house is so incompetent that she can't even manage a servant, how can she be expected to control this vast Prime Minister's residence?"

Xue Lingyi sat upright in the main seat, her face slightly pale, but she did not argue, only listened with her eyes lowered.

In an effort to fake her pregnancy, she has been wearing two sand-filled sachets around her waist lately, and her posture has become somewhat sluggish, typical of pregnant women.

The two old women exchanged a glance.

Judging from her figure, she really does look pregnant; I couldn't see any flaws.

Seeing that Xue Lingyi was keeping quiet and not talking back, Granny Liu sneered and simply changed the subject.

"Madam, are you aware of a major case from the previous dynasty? That noblewoman, as pampered as you are, was born with a wicked nature. Behind her husband's back, she slept with the stable boy in the manor, and even tried to create an illegitimate child to obscure the bloodline!"

Granny Liu leaned forward, her eyes filled with malice.

"The Prime Minister went to great lengths to protect the Pei family's reputation."

"Madam comes from a scholarly family; she should know that such a shameless harlot deserves to be struck by lightning!"

These words were extremely malicious, clearly a stab in the heart to Xue Lingyi's face, implying that her affair with Zhao Yuanzhe was real.

Green Ripple stood to the side, her knuckles cracking as she clenched her hairpin, wishing she could tear the old hag's mouth apart.

Jiang Guo'er stood meekly behind Xue Lingyi, her palms already bearing two deep red marks from pinching.

These old scoundrels in the palace have mouths that stink worse than a latrine.

Jiang Guo'er took a deep breath, concealing the coldness in her eyes, and quickly forced a fawning smile onto her face as she walked up to them.

"Oh dear, the two old ladies are absolutely right. Their words have truly awakened us from our delusion."

She gestured as if looking around, "This warm room is a bit cramped, and the furnishings are rather cheap."

"These two matrons are well-informed and have the sharpest eyes in the palace. Would you please move to the inner room?"

"Take a look at the interior furnishings and see if there's anything that might be considered taboo."

No one dislikes being fawned over, especially these old fogies who are used to bullying others in the palace.

Upon hearing Jiang Guo'er's compliment, Granny Liu and Granny Yu let out a soft snort and walked towards the inner room with their pigeon-toed gait.

Once inside, the two of them couldn't stop talking.

"How did you place this vase? How could you put it in such a drafty spot!"

"The bright red feather-lined cushion on that couch was so frivolous and vulgar that it was simply an eyesore!"

While the two were picking and choosing, they took the opportunity to put Xue Lingyi underfoot, and didn't forget to praise Jiang Guo'er.

"If you ask me, you've got a very clever and quick-witted mind, much better than your silent mistress."

Granny Liu glanced sideways, making no attempt to hide her disdain for Xue Lingyi.

Xue Lingyi frowned slightly, twisting the silk handkerchief in her hand, her face growing increasingly grim.

This frustrated yet daring-to-vent expression perfectly satisfied the two nannies' sadistic desires.

In reality, Xue Lingyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and went along with their words, playing the role of the bullied girl perfectly.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Jiang Guo'er solicitously led the two nannies to two rosewood armchairs by the window.

"The maids must be tired from standing all day, please have a seat."

As she spoke, she took advantage of the moment she offered them seats, and under the cover of her wide sleeves, she flicked her wrist and slipped several gold coins into the hands of the two men.

It feels warm and smooth to the touch, and has a very generous weight.

Granny Liu and Granny Yu's expressions immediately softened considerably. They exchanged a knowing glance and settled comfortably into their armchairs.

He who takes a bribe should be silenced for a while, right?

Granny Yu's eyes darted around, and she waved to the palace maid following behind her.

"Madam's health is as frail as paper. Her Majesty the Empress, out of compassion, specially sent us with the palace's secret tonics."

"Madam, please eat it while it's hot!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the palace maid stepped forward carrying a white porcelain jar decorated with gold.

Upon opening the lid, a pungent, fishy smell instantly filled the air.

Xue Lingyi instinctively peeked out and felt a sudden nausea.

Inside the porcelain jar was a full jar of fat, black worms that were still wriggling!

Xue Lingyi's face turned deathly pale, and she took several steps back, her hands trembling uncontrollably in her sleeves.

"What... what is this filthy thing?!"

"This is a sacred item from the palace!"

Granny Liu suddenly raised her voice, her triangular eyes flashing with malice.

"The ladies of the harem who are pregnant with the emperor's child all take this to protect their pregnancy. This is a gift from the Empress, so please don't be ungrateful, Madam."

"Eat up! Not only do you have to eat, but you have to eat it all up!"

Jiang Guo'er was so angry that she almost ground her back teeth to powder.

The old hag isn't afraid that the strong wind will hurt her old tongue.

Is Xiao Yu really jealous that Lingyi married Pei Yan? That's incredibly despicable!

Xue Lingyi bit her lower lip hard and took a deep breath.

She is now the mistress of the Pei family and Shun Shun's protector. She must not show weakness at this critical juncture, and she must not clash with the Empress's people.

She gritted her teeth, stepped forward, her hands trembling, and picked up the porcelain jar.

"lady!"

Jiang Guo'er was so anxious that a layer of fine sweat seeped out of her forehead.

She can't let Lingyi eat this kind of thing!

Jiang Guo'er lowered her head, her gaze fixed on the two rosewood armchairs under the two old women's bottoms.

Just as Xue Lingyi closed her eyes, resigned to her fate, and was about to pour the worm into her mouth at the critical moment—

"Snap!"

"Snap!"

Two sharp cracking sounds of wood breaking suddenly rang out in the quiet interior.

Before anyone could react, the two huanghuali armchairs collapsed like rotten wood!

"Oh my God—!"

Granny Liu and Granny Yu let out a bloodcurdling scream, like pigs being slaughtered, and fell flat on their backs.

The sudden turn of events threw everyone into chaos.

Lu Yi reacted quickly, pretending to be extremely anxious, and rushed over to help him up.

"Oh dear! Granny! Are you two alright?"

As Lüyi called out, she secretly picked up a broken splinter from the ground and stuck it into the soft flesh of their thighs under the guise of helping them up.

Taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on the two old women, Jiang Guo'er quickly snatched the porcelain jar from Xue Lingyi's hands.

She walked quickly to the back window, flicked her wrist, and poured the half-full jar of dark insects into the holly bushes outside the window with a "whoosh".

Then he put the empty can upside down on the table.

"My back, damn it!"

Granny Liu clutched her lower back, wincing in pain, tears streaming down her face. She managed to stand up with the help of a palace maid.

She pointed angrily at the broken pieces of wood on the ground and began to curse:

"Is Madam deliberately trying to harm us? Using a broken chair with missing arms and legs to ambush this old servant!"

Jiang Guo'er hurriedly stepped forward, revealing a frightened yet innocent expression, and waved her hands repeatedly.

"Oh dear, Granny, this is a terrible injustice!"

She widened her eyes dramatically and pointed at the wood on the ground.

"These huanghuali armchairs are antiques passed down through the Pei family!"

"Not only has the current matriarch sat here, but even the deceased Old Master Pei and his great-great-grandfather sat here!"

Jiang Guo'er deliberately emphasized the words "dead".

"It always worked perfectly before, as stable as a mountain, without making a sound. How come it collapsed as soon as those two old ladies sat down?"