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

Hearing the noise, Pei Yan raised an eyebrow and glanced out the window.

A gray cat happened to dart across the wall, flicked its tail, and leisurely disappeared behind the corrugated roof.

Pei Yan withdrew his gaze, his voice low and deep.

The staff below dared not utter a sound; the table had been shaken by that slap earlier, and they were still shaken.

"For the official positions to be assigned after the New Year, especially the prefects of the Jianghuai and Liang circuits, do any of you have other candidates in mind?"

The staff members looked at each other in bewilderment.

They had already carefully considered the matter and recommended Xiao Liyuan, the Empress's younger brother and a scholar of the Hanlin Academy.

The Xiao family is powerful, and Xiao Liyuan and the Prime Minister were classmates in childhood. Sending him to Jianghuai is the most suitable option...

As a result, the Prime Minister almost shattered the table with a single slap.

Several people broke out in a cold sweat and quickly changed their tune.

Some say it was Xu Mingtang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, while others say it was Qian Shiyuan, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Pei Yan remained expressionless and denied everything.

One of the aides, steeling himself, spoke up:

"I believe that Wu Chengyuan, the Assistant Censor of the Censorate, is an honest and upright man with experience serving as a county magistrate for three terms."

"He made significant contributions to water conservancy and canal transportation, and treated the people well... but he came from a poor family..."

"Can."

Pei Yan made the final decision.

The staff members, who had been holding their breath, finally breathed a sigh of relief and took their leave as if fleeing.

When I left the study, the back of my clothes was soaked with sweat.

The door closed, and the study became quiet.

Pei Yan hadn't sorted out the political affairs in his mind, but his body was inexplicably hot.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and went to the bookshelf to find a book.

My fingers traced over "Baopuzi" and "Daxue Yanyi Bu", finally stopping on a volume of "Jinsi Lu".

Just as I was about to pull it out, my gaze inexplicably drifted upwards.

The top floor.

The box was filled to the brim with hundreds of beautifully bound brocade books.

The edges are outlined in gold lacquer, and the subtle patterns are exquisite.

From the age of fifteen, in order to "enlighten" him, the old lady sent people every year to collect erotic pictures from all over the Great Xia.

The titles, such as "Flower Camp Brocade Array," "Exquisite Romance," and "Secret Manual of Mandarin Ducks," are all more offensive than the last.

Fourteen years have passed, and he hasn't opened a single one of them; they've all been gathering dust there.

But last night...

Pei Yan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

He had never even heard of the "Joyful Buddha" technique that Jiang Guo'er used, but she acted as if it were perfectly natural.

Does he really need a maidservant to teach him this kind of thing?

Pei Yan's face darkened. He moved over a rosewood armchair, lifted his robe, and stepped onto it.

I was going to pick out a few exquisite and elegant books, but as soon as my finger touched the outermost one, the stack of books suddenly tilted to one side!

Pei Yan: "..."

He hurriedly withdrew his hand, but it was too late.

Whoosh—!

Hundreds of erotic picture books, along with their brocade boxes, were rained down on him!

The brocade book box crashed down, several books falling open to reveal the richly colored traditional Chinese paintings inside.

Each with its own unique posture, vibrant and full of life.

Pei Yan was unable to dodge in time and was hit squarely.

At this moment, she was buried in a pile of erotic pictures, her hair was askew, her jade crown had slipped behind her ears, and her robe was covered in dust.

The servant outside the study was terrified when he heard the commotion.

"Prime Minister! Prime Minister, are you alright?!"

Pei Yan gritted his teeth, crawled out of the pile of books, and looked up: "It's nothing!"

"But Your Excellency, just now inside..."

"Are you deaf? I said I'm fine!"

The servant shuddered and withdrew his foot.

In the study, Pei Yan looked at the mess on the floor, his brows furrowing into a deep knot.

If this gets out, will Pei Rangzhi ever have any face left?

He could only resign himself to his fate, squat down, and patiently pick up the books one by one.

Unfortunately, these booklets are all different sizes, some big, some small, some square, some flat, so they can't be stacked neatly no matter what.

How exactly did he stuff it in there?!

I had just stuffed two books in when three more slipped out and lay open at my feet.

The image stopped right on a page, showing a woman lying on her back, her neck taut in an arc...

Pei Yan's face turned ashen, and he slammed the book shut.

The more you collect, the more you find; the more you gather, the more chaotic it becomes.

He had been tossing and turning all night, and now, squatting and bending over, he felt a dull ache in his lower back.

After finally managing to stuff most of them back onto the shelf, Pei Yan stood up, supporting himself on his knees, slightly out of breath.

It's all Jiang Guo'er's fault!

He walked to the door and called out, "Where's Jiang Guo'er?"

The servant boy reported nervously, "Your Excellency, Miss Guo'er is doing needlework on the second floor of the embroidery room."

Pei Yan snorted coldly, displeased, "Don't you know the rules! Since she's my personal attendant, she should be waiting wherever I am!!"

"Go tell her to come over and make tea!"

"yes!"

The servant jogged along, and bumped into Green Ivy carrying a food box halfway there.

Cuiping was demoted, and Green Luo was promoted to the next rank, becoming the new head maid in charge, a time when she was full of vigor and ambition.

She was born to a maid who accompanied Pei Yan's mother in her dowry, and considered herself superior to others.

Her fox-like eyes were naturally expressive, and her figure was voluptuous, far superior to Jiang Guo'er's dry, bean sprout-like appearance.

"What are you doing in such a hurry?"

"The Prime Minister was furious and ordered me to call Miss Guo'er to make tea."

Green Ivy's eyes flickered slightly.

Although the news of Jiang Guo'er serving the emperor was not publicized, who in the inner courtyard didn't have eyes?

The girl stayed in the inner room all night and didn't come out until dawn, her legs swinging like noodles.

But he was rejected after just one night?

Green Ivy felt so comfortable.

Sure enough, all men are the same. No matter how proper they seem on the surface, they still prefer women with charming faces and voluptuous figures.

With Jiang Guo'er's frail figure, it's no wonder she's not favored!

Green Ivy smiled and said, "Go and call someone; I'll make the tea."

She hurried to the tea room, selected the finest pre-Qingming Longjing tea, and brewed it with boiling water.

She deliberately loosened the top two buttons of her cross-collar jacket, revealing a section of her fair neck.

He bit his lips until they were bright red and moist, then picked up the tea tray with satisfaction and swayed his hips as he went to the study.

Pei Yan was still squatting on the ground picking up books, and he didn't even look up when he heard footsteps.

"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and come lend a hand."

Green Ivy put down the tea tray, walked closer, and was immediately stunned.

Picture books were scattered all over the ground. The Prime Minister's jade crown was askew, and his robe was covered in dust. He was squatting there tidying up, looking rather disheveled.

She bent down, picked up a book, and curiously opened it.

The first thing you see is an exquisite painting of a man and woman engaging in sexual intercourse, with the expressions of the figures depicted in great detail.

Green Ivy's face flushed red instantly, her fingertips trembled, and her heart pounded like a drum.

Prime Minister, Prime Minister, what does this mean?

She picked up another book, the images of which were even more explicit.

But instead of being afraid, the pothos plant became thirsty and dry-mouthed.

It's not that the Prime Minister is indifferent to women; it's just that his standards are too high, and he hasn't met anyone who suits his taste yet!

Holding the books, she repeatedly bent down while stacking them, exposing the view of her neckline to Pei Yan's eyes.

Her shoulder brushed against his arm almost imperceptibly.

Seeing that he did not reject her, Green Ivy was overjoyed.

Little did they know that Pei Yan's fingers, gripping the spine of the book, were already tense, his pupils were slightly constricted, and his eyes were as dark and deep as a cold pool.

"Your Excellency, these books... I'll put them away for you."

Green Ivy's voice was soft and alluring as she reached out her fingertips to brush away the stray hairs at his temples.

Pei Yan's face darkened, and he abruptly turned his head away.

Just then, the study door creaked open.

Jiang Guo'er stood at the doorway holding a tray, dumbfounded as she watched the enchanting and ambiguous scene inside.

Green Ivy's dress was wide open, almost revealing half of her chest.

Pei Yan's clothes were disheveled, his hair was loose, his jade crown was askew, and his breathing was even a little unsteady.

What's even more outrageous is that their fingertips were less than an inch apart, and the ground was covered with colorful... boudoirs!

Jiang Guo'er's hand trembled, and the scalding hot tea was instantly spilled onto the back of her hand.

Good, good, good. I exhausted her last night, and today she's looking at erotic pictures with another maid?

Could it be that you want to do it in the study...?

That scoundrel! Once he's tasted the meat, there's no stopping him!

She gripped the tray and tried to back away, pretending she hadn't been there.

"stop!"

A cold, low shout sent chills down Jiang Guo'er's spine, and she froze on the spot.