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

Lotus's eyes widened as she listened, her mind racing, and she covered her burning cheeks with her hands.

"Really? The Prime Minister is usually as cold as ice, who would have thought he'd be like this in private..."

After a moment, he sighed dejectedly.

"I'm already twenty years old, the Prime Minister definitely wouldn't look at an old maid like me."

Jiang Guo'er was amused by her half-dead appearance and reached out to poke her forehead.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Twenty is the perfect age for blossoming youth."

"As long as she is healthy and dresses up a bit, the Prime Minister might not dislike her."

She meant it casually as a word of comfort, but it took root in Lianhua's heart.

My heart was filled with excitement, and I imagined myself being pampered.

"By the way, Sister Guo'er, I heard the Xue family is carefully selecting maids, and they'll be sending them over for a trial marriage in a few days."

Lotus lowered her voice, her face filled with righteous indignation.

"A pretty young girl of fifteen or sixteen, relying on the mistress's power, who knows how arrogant she'll be!"

"You'd better do your best and not let her outshine you!"

Jiang Guo'er raised her hand and pinched her cheek, the force neither too light nor too heavy.

"Keep these thoughts to yourself from now on, or you might hear us."

Lotus hissed, pouting, ultimately unwilling to give up.

"I'm just worried about you! You'd better win over the Prime Minister's heart, so that when he promotes a concubine, he can lend me a hand, right?"

Jiang Guo'er didn't reply, but just chuckled a few times.

Which of the concubines in the mansion doesn't have the same idea?

Isn't Aunt Shen, the favored concubine in Third Master's courtyard, someone who worked her way up from a maidservant?

But what she wanted was never Pei Yan's favor.

In the afternoon, the sun was setting in the west.

After finishing the chicken soup, Jiang Guo'er slurped the bones clean, washed the bowl and put it back on the stove, picked up the rag and the wooden bucket, and went to the study.

Pushing open the door, I entered a quiet room.

Yesterday's erotic pictures have been completely cleaned up, and the bookshelves have been rearranged neatly.

The celadon incense burner on the antique shelf still held a lingering scent of agarwood.

She first wiped the tables and chairs, then tidied up the tea set, and then wiped the desk.

As his palm brushed across the upper right corner of the desk, his fingers suddenly stopped.

She remembered that when she looked out the window of the second floor of the embroidery room a couple of days ago, the stack of Xue Tao paper was neatly arranged to the left of the inkstone.

But now, it has been moved to the top of the paperweight.

The pinkish hue of the peach blossoms is adorned with subtle floral patterns.

The topmost piece has a slightly upturned corner, and next to the inkstone lies a purple hair brush that is still covered in ink but has not yet been washed clean.

Jiang Guo'er held the rag, stunned for a long while.

Did the Prime Minister write a letter last night?

to whom?

The paper, made of Xue Tao stationery with a subtle pink pattern, was naturally written for a woman.

Besides Lingyi... who else could it be?

They're getting married next month.

Sending a love letter in advance to cultivate feelings is perfectly reasonable.

But for some reason, a strange, indescribable taste suddenly rose in my mouth.

It's like being unlucky enough to eat an unripe green apricot.

The sourness spread from the back of my tongue all the way to my throat, a fine, dense sensation that made me feel uncomfortable.

Jiang Guo'er slapped her chest.

The chicken soup must have been too greasy!

I should have known better than to put in so many red dates and goji berries!

She quickly pushed the stack of papers back to its original place and turned to wipe the window.

As I wiped, my thoughts wandered in all directions.

It is unknown what Pei Yan wrote.

Will it be like those poor, pedantic scholars, making people's teeth ache with saccharine ugliness?

Or perhaps, it was just something like "Respectfully wishing your beloved child all things go smoothly," which was rigid and uninteresting.

That must have been really tough on Lingyi.

Once Lingyi is married, she will definitely pull her into the quilt and lick Pei Yan from head to toe!

Amidst the ebb and flow of her thoughts, Jiang Guo'er inexplicably put down the rag and picked up the purple-tipped brush in front of the inkstone.

Dip the brush in ink and pick it up.

When I came to my senses, two lines of elegant and beautiful small regular script had already appeared on the blank Xuan paper.

"Bending down to pick lotus seeds, the lotus seeds are as clear as water."

"Place the lotus in your sleeve, its heart is completely red."

Jiang Guo'er shuddered and pinched her thigh hard, feeling a sharp pain.

What is she doing?!

He hurriedly crumpled the Xuan paper into a ball and walked to the bronze candlestick.

As soon as it approached, the flames instantly engulfed the ink characters, turning them to ashes in an instant.

Jiang Guo'er shoveled the ashes into the spittoon and then wiped the area around the candlestick with a rag.

The jumbled thoughts in my mind have finally cleared up.

She took a deep breath and returned to the desk.

Why waste such a great opportunity on such nonsense?

She carefully moved the paperweight and took out several official documents that were underneath.

Most of them were copies of transfer orders from the Six Ministries and a few memorials to the throne.

The appointment of the prefect of Jianghuai, the approval of the Ministry of Revenue for grain allocation, the list of candidates for the autumn review by the Ministry of Justice...

But what Jiang Guo'er was looking for was some clue related to the wrongful conviction of the Marquis of Dingyuan's family.

There was definitely more than one person who reported my father and brother at that time.

For those fabricated pieces of evidence to be presented to the Emperor, they had to be reviewed and approved by the Cabinet at least first.

As the chief minister, Pei Yan could not possibly ignore it.

Preserving copies is a duty that cabinet ministers should fulfill.

He must have saved it.

She flipped through the pages extremely quickly, reading ten lines at a glance.

He searched the desk and drawers, then the cabinet, turning everything upside down, but found nothing.

It wasn't until she squatted down that she discovered a hidden compartment at the very bottom of the cabinet.

A brass lock hung on the door.

My heart suddenly skipped a beat.

This is it!

Eight or nine out of ten documents related to major and serious cases are locked inside!

Just as her fingertips touched the brass lock and she figured out the shape of the keyhole, the servant's clear voice suddenly rang out from outside the door.

"The Prime Minister is back!"

"You're here early today. Have you had lunch yet?"

No sooner said than done.

In the blink of an eye, Pei Yan's footsteps had reached the corridor!

Jiang Guo'er quickly closed the hidden compartment, pushed back the door of the low cabinet, picked up a rag, returned to the window frame, and began wiping with her eyes lowered.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of my throat.

The door opened.

A strong smell of alcohol, carried by the cold wind, wafted into the room.

Pei Yan stepped across the threshold, his black cloak soaked with night dew, leaving a large wet patch on his shoulders.

His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes still held a cold and aloof air that kept people at a distance.

He kept his eyes straight ahead, as if he hadn't seen anyone standing in the room at all.

He turned the door bolt back on and started unbuttoning his clothes.

One, two, three.

The brocade robe slipped off his shoulder and he flicked it casually.

Jiang Guo'er immediately stepped forward to catch it.

He then ripped off his dark blue jacket and tossed it aside.

She answered again.

Pei Yan only stopped when all that remained was the moon-white undergarment.

The ties of the inner garment were loose, and the neckline was wide open.

Sweat trickled down his broad shoulders and back.

Following his neck, past his prominent Adam's apple, into the hollow of his collarbone, until it disappeared into the belt around his waist...

His undergarment was half-soaked with sweat and clung to his body, revealing the firm texture of his muscles underneath.

The waistline narrows, and the outline of the abdominal muscles is faintly visible, like bronze bones wrapped under honey-colored satin.

He had clearly drunk alcohol, but showed no signs of being drunk.

Instead, it's like a long sword drawn from its sheath—young, fiery, and full of vitality.

Jiang Guo'er's cheeks suddenly flushed, and she abruptly lowered her eyes.

Pei Yan had already sat down with an air of authority.

His two long legs were casually spread out, facing directly in her direction.

Leaning back in his chair, one hand resting on the armrest, his slender fingers tapping rhythmically.

A sinister, cold light gleamed in his eyes.

"...Was the secret letter from Marquis Dingyuan, Murong Kui, regarding treason intercepted in Chifeng... or Xuanfu?"

He wasn't talking to her.

Instead, he was questioning someone in his mind.

Jiang Guo'er pressed her back tightly against the window frame, the cold wooden strips digging into her spine and making her shiver.

"Murong Kui's eldest son...Murong Sheng..."

Pei Yan frowned, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"You said the Ministry of War issued a document ordering him to lead troops to Chifeng on the eighth day of the third month. Was it really submitted to the Cabinet for review?"

A transfer order from the Ministry of War? What transfer order?!

Jiang Guo'er nearly bit through her lower lip with her teeth.

She stared intently at Pei Yan's profile, forgetting even to blink.