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

Hongzhu was half a head taller than Zhou Xiuniang and wore a light red vest, the kind only a head maid in Songhe Garden would wear.

With a small gilded phoenix hairpin in her hair, she exudes an air of authority as she stands at the top of the stairs.

She glanced at the silk and gold-embroidered satin spread out on the table, then looked at the brass key in Jiang Guo'er's hand, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Sister Zhou, please calm down."

Hongzhu held down Zhou Xiuniang's arm, speaking calmly and slowly, as if she had come specifically to mediate the fight.

"According to the rules of our household, only the Old Madam and Granny Li have access to the storeroom keys."

"No matter who it is, anyone who takes it without permission will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane at the very least, and will be expelled from the government office at worst."

She turned to Jiang Guo'er, a slight smile on her face.

"Miss Jiang, I don't mean to make things difficult for you."

"But the key's origin is unknown. If this gets back to the old lady, it won't be as simple as just getting a beating."

Jiang Guo'er understood.

Zhou Xiuniang is foolish, but Hongzhu is shrewd.

She didn't trust Zhou Xiuniang, but deliberately used the household rules to pressure her.

On the surface, they were helping her out of a predicament, but in reality, they were pinning the accusation of "stealing the key" on her.

Jiang Guo'er didn't respond to her comment, but instead laughed.

"Is Sister Hongzhu praising me?"

Hongzhu was taken aback.

"How come I didn't know I was so capable, managing to steal the storeroom key without anyone noticing, right under the noses of so many people at Songhe Garden?"

Jiang Guo'er placed the key on the table with a crisp sound.

"Why does having the key automatically mean it was stolen?"

The smile on Hongzhu's face faded for a moment, then returned.

"So, according to Miss Jiang, this key fell from the sky?"

Jiang Guo'er remained calm and composed, neither humble nor arrogant.

"This key was handed to me by Ah Ping, the prime minister's servant, at the end of the morning."

"If Sister Hongzhu doesn't believe me, she can bring Aping here for a face-to-face confrontation."

Hongzhu gently patted her sleeve, unhurried.

His gaze seemingly casually swept over Jiang Guo'er's collar.

I caught a glimpse of several dark red marks on the collar of her undergarment.

His eyes suddenly darkened, and the corners of his mouth turned up.

"Miss Jiang is indeed clever; she has even paved the way for her own escape route."

She deliberately took two steps forward, bringing her chin close to Jiang Guo'er's nose.

"Yesterday evening, Miss Jiang served the Prime Minister in his study until dark."

"This morning, he secretly exchanged keys with his servant Ah Ping, and then went to the storeroom alone to pick and choose..."

She deliberately emphasized the words "alone" and "privately," drawing out the last syllable, and her smile became even gentler.

"Miss Jiang, aren't you afraid the Prime Minister will find out about your actions?"

Jiang Guo'er suppressed her smile.

He put the hat on even bigger than before, thinking that this would intimidate her.

Seeing that she remained silent, Hongzhu put on a warm and gentle expression.

"This matter isn't a huge deal, but it's not insignificant either."

"If you honestly admit you were confused for a moment and return the keys, I'll cover for you in front of the old lady and make this a small matter..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Guo'er interrupted him loudly.

"This is a matter of great importance!"

"Since Sister Hongzhu insists on investigating the origin of the key, then let Granny Li conduct the interrogation."

Hongzhu's expression changed drastically.

"Jiang Guo'er! I kindly gave you a way out, but you're ungrateful!"

"If Granny Li intervenes, it's tantamount to alarming the Old Madam. If things get investigated, who can you, a mere maidservant, expect to protect you?"

A few drops of cold sweat seeped from Jiang Guo'er's forehead, but she didn't retreat even half a step.

"Sister Hongzhu, I obtained this batch of fabric to complete a task the Prime Minister has given me within three days. If it's delayed..."

She paused for a moment, then looked calmly at Hongzhu.

"Can you handle the consequences?"

Hongzhu's fingernails dug into her palm.

She certainly dared not delay her duties as prime minister.

But she was born into a family and grew up under the care of the matriarch.

A few days ago, the eldest daughter of the Xue family came to Songhe Garden and praised her to her face for her beautiful features and graceful demeanor.

What is Jiang Guo'er anyway?

A wild girl who suddenly appeared out of nowhere ended up in the Prime Minister's bed.

Her mother always said it wasn't the right time and wouldn't let her go to the inner room to serve the emperor.

On what grounds?

Hongzhu took a deep breath, her complexion returned to normal, and a smile even reappeared on her lips.

After scanning the room, he said, "What are you all standing around for? Quickly, invite Miss Jiang downstairs!"

Upon receiving the order, Zhou Xiuniang rolled up her sleeves and rushed over.

Jiang Guo'er dodged to the side, and the slap missed its mark, grazing her ear.

Zhou Xiuniang lost her momentum and her forehead slammed against the window frame with a thud.

"Ouch--"

She covered her forehead and squatted down, tears streaming down her face.

Do you know who Red Pearl's parents are?

Zhou Xiuniang was so angry that she bared her teeth and her voice trembled.

"Her mother is Granny Li! Her father is Steward Zhang! Dare to lie to her, believe me, she'll sell you off tomorrow!"

Jiang Guo'er's heart sank.

Is this Li Mama's daughter?

No wonder they act so recklessly.

The two seamstresses, not daring to disobey Hongzhu's orders, also stood up tremblingly.

Zhou Xiuniang grabbed her right arm, and two seamstresses held her shoulders on either side, pulling her towards the stairwell with all their hands.

The doll inside Jiang Guo'er's inner garment was instantly squeezed, its cloth body twisted into a ball.

She held her clothes with one hand and gripped the edge of the table with the other, her nails digging into the wood.

"Let go!"

But one person can't fight four hands in the end, so Zhou Xiuniang gritted her teeth and tried to pry her fingers off.

With great effort, they finally managed to drag her down from the second floor, along with the needlework woman, and shoved her outside the embroidery room.

With a sharp tearing sound, a hole was ripped open at the collar of her undergarment!

Not satisfied with that, he added:

"Strip her naked, let's see how she still dares to talk back!"

Jiang Guo'er's mind went blank.

If she were truly stripped naked in public, even if the Prime Minister were willing to stand up for her afterwards, her reputation would be completely ruined.

How could a woman who had been stripped of her clothes by the servants of the mansion have the face to enter the main room to serve?

Finding an opening, he twisted his body and kicked Zhou Xiuniang in the lower abdomen.

Zhou Xiuniang screamed and flew backward, crashing into the needlework woman behind her. The three of them fell flat on their backs.

Before Hongzhu could react, Jiang Guo'er took off running outside.

"Stop her!"

Hongzhu's scream exploded behind her.

Jiang Guo'er ran headlong, her torn collar fluttering in the wind, the cold air blowing straight into her collar.

Go through the first moon gate, then turn into the second one.

The footsteps behind me were chaotic and getting closer and closer.

Behind the third moon gate, a rockery with flowers and trees is revealed.

Several Taihu stones were piled up at different heights, with withered vines wrapped around the crevices, and there was a hole in the middle big enough for a person to curl up.

Jiang Guo'er immediately slipped inside.

He crouched in the cave, hugging his knees with both hands, and panting with his mouth covered.

The footsteps quickly caught up.

"Where is she? She clearly ran this way just now!" It was Zhou Xiuniang's voice.

"Keep looking over there, quick!"

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Jiang Guo'er pressed the back of her head against the cold stone wall, her heart pounding so hard it hurt her chest.

She bent down to touch the doll; it was still there.

The tearing and pulling earlier had left it all twisted and crooked, the tiny undergarment all crumpled into a ball.

Jiang Guo'er carefully straightened it, gently smoothed out the wrinkles on its body with her fingertips, and patted its cloth head.

"That scared me to death..." She rubbed its little face with her thumb. "Luckily it ran fast, otherwise we would both be doomed today."

After saying that, my nose suddenly felt a little sore.

She quickly tilted her head back, forcing back the tears that were about to fall.

The opening of the Taihu stone faces north, and gusts of wind blow into it.

Before long, Jiang Guo'er's teeth were chattering from the cold.

But she didn't dare go out.

Hongzhu wasn't a fool like Zhou Xiuniang; she might just be lying in wait nearby.

I don't know how long I squatted, but my calves were so numb I could barely feel them anymore.

The sound of servants running could be heard in the distance, followed immediately by someone shouting from the gatehouse, "The Prime Minister has returned!"

Jiang Guo'er rubbed her stiff knees and tilted her head to look out of the cave entrance.

Seeing that no one was around, he then climbed out, supporting himself against the stone wall.

I stood up straight, baring my teeth, my legs feeling numb as if they were being pricked with needles.

go!

While Hongzhu was preoccupied with her, he quickly went to the study.

She wrapped her torn clothes tightly around herself and jogged along the base of the low wall.

Passing through the hanging flower gate, you will see the artificial lake in the back garden.

Just as she stepped over a patch of withered grass, a hand suddenly reached out from behind her.

I pushed her lower back with a quick and forceful push!

Caught off guard, Jiang Guo'er fell forward.

Splash! She fell into the icy pool water.