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

Jiang Guo'er withdrew her hand, her tiger's mouth aching from the impact.

That slap was so hard that my palm burned.

Lotus covered her face, frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time.

How dare Jiang Guo'er hit her?

On what grounds?

Who does she think she is!

"Do you know what you're saying?" Jiang Guo'er asked in a low voice, her voice filled with anguish.

"You're replacing me in the dark? Do you think the Prime Minister is blind or deaf?"

Lotus's body trembled slightly.

"If discovered, it won't be as simple as being flogged or forced to kneel."

Jiang Guo'er grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up, "If you die, I'll die with you!"

Lotus's lips trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

He knelt down with a thud, hugged Jiang Guo'er's legs, and cried, his whole body trembling.

"Guo'er... Guo'er, I was wrong... I was blinded by greed... I was confused for a moment..."

"I can't... I really can't..."

She buried her face in Jiang Guo'er's skirt, trembling with fear.

"I had nightmares all night last night... I dreamt that my dad, my mom, and Baozhu were burning and slashing with knives underground... They rushed at me covered in blood, screaming for help..."

"I woke up several times, but when I closed my eyes, those same images kept replaying..."

Jiang Guo'er looked down at her, feeling a tightness in her chest.

She recalled the nights she had spent in the Marquis's mansion after escaping, and it had been the same.

With her eyes closed, she saw Qiu Chan kneeling on the execution platform, taking her place in death, blood splattering everywhere, and heads rolling down the stone steps.

She sighed, squatted down, and helped Lianhua up.

"Alright, stop kneeling."

Jiang Guo'er took out a small piece of silver from her purse and put it into Lotus's palm.

"Go buy some calming medicine and get a good night's sleep. Stop overthinking and don't do anything foolish."

Lotus clutched the silver coins, nodded blankly, and hastily wiped her face.

"Guo'er... I'm sorry."

Jiang Guo'er patted her shoulder, said nothing more, and got up and left.

Little did she know that the lotus behind her was staring at her back, her swollen eyes filled with resentment.

Noon.

Jiang Guo'er was about to go find Xue Lingyi to have a meal together.

Passing through the hanging flower gate, you can see Zhao Xiaoshuan, the son of Steward Zhao, entangled with lotus flowers in the alley behind the kitchen.

The boy leaned against the wall, tugging at Lianhua's sleeve in a cheeky manner.

"Lotus, just give me a kiss! No one will see!"

Lotus hunched her shoulders and hid back, her face pale.

Jiang Guo'er paused in her steps.

"Zhao Xiaoshuan! What are you doing in broad daylight?"

Zhao Xiaoshuan turned around and saw it was her. He quickly let go of her hand and forced a smile.

"Sister Jiang misunderstood, I just wanted to say a few words to her—"

"Get out of here after you've said your piece." Jiang Guo'er stood at the alley entrance, unmoving. "If I see you again, I'll report you directly to the Prime Minister!"

Zhao Xiaoshuan's face stiffened, and he shrank back and slipped away.

Lianhua trotted over, her nose red, and pulled out a few warm sweet potatoes from her bosom.

"Guo'er! Here you go! Isn't this your favorite food?"

"I went to the kitchen and took a few extra, and I've been keeping them close to my body ever since!"

Jiang Guo'er initially wanted to refuse.

But Lianhua's eyes were still red and swollen, and she stared at her expectantly, like a puppy that had been beaten but was still wagging its tail desperately.

I just got slapped this morning, and I'm not even holding a grudge...

"...Alright then." Jiang Guo'er took it. "Go eat quickly, don't go hungry."

Lotus nodded vigorously and ran away.

Jiang Guo'er broke off a small piece of sweet potato, put it in her mouth, and chewed it twice.

My stomach suddenly turned inside out.

She leaned against a pillar and gagged twice, feeling nauseous.

She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and put the rest of the sweet potatoes on the table in the side room.

Pei Yan finished his shift early today.

After seeing the memorial from the bandits of Chifeng in the morning, he immediately went to the Qianqing Palace to meet the emperor.

After recounting the story of the bandits, he casually mentioned that the secret letter from Marquis Dingyuan, Murong Kui, treason three years ago was intercepted in Chifeng.

Three years ago in Chifeng, the people lived in peace and contentment, and the world was at peace.

How did it become like this in just three years?

But as soon as the emperor heard the name Murong Kui, his face turned visibly ugly, and he said directly, "We'll discuss this later."

Pei Yan had no choice but to take his leave.

By the time they returned to the Prime Minister's residence, it was past noon.

Thinking that Xue Lingyi might be taking a nap, he turned and went to the side room.

The room was empty, with a few sweet potatoes on the table.

It was cold; one of them had been bitten a little, and there were still neat little teeth marks on it.

Pei Yan stood in front of the table, staring at the gnawed sweet potato for a couple of moments.

One can almost imagine how Jiang Guo'er opened her cherry-like mouth, took a bite, and then habitually smacked her lips.

She eats like a little rabbit, which is very cute.

goooo...

Pei Yan's stomach suddenly growled.

He barely touched the lunch provided by the palace; with the emperor present, he had no appetite whatsoever.

Reflexively, I picked up the sweet potato with a bite missing.

As if possessed, he stuffed the rest into his mouth.

It's sweet, soft, and has a slightly caramelized aroma.

After finishing one, I took another.

He stopped eating when he was more than halfway through his second meal.

He, the Grand Secretary, was actually stealing leftovers from a concubine's maid?!

Pei Yan's face darkened. He patted the crumbs off his hands and threw the remaining sweet potato back into the bowl.

He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and left the side room.

The main room is quite lively right now.

Xue Lingyi sat cross-legged on one side of the kang table, while Jiang Guo'er and Lüyi sat at opposite ends. The three of them were engrossed in a game of backgammon.

"Six! Six!" Green Ripple clapped her hands. "Madam, you're going to lose this round!"

Xue Lingyi smiled calmly, "What's the rush? I still have two moves to make—"

"cough."

A soft cough came from the doorway.

All three heads turned around at the same time.

The room fell silent instantly.

With lightning speed, Lüyi swept the chessboard and pieces under the kang table.

Xue Lingyi calmly rose and bowed.

Jiang Guo'er quickly stood up, lowered her head and stood obediently against the wall, looking like she hadn't done anything.

Pei Yan stepped through the door.

Does he have three heads and six arms?

They all looked like they'd met the King of Hell.

The three sat down again, and Pei Yan first exchanged a few pleasantries with Xue Lingyi about matters of the manor.

He then looked at Jiang Guo'er, intending to ask her how much she had eaten that day, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn't make a sound.

Pei Yan frowned, took a breath, and tried again.

The breath in my throat is normal, but I just can't make a sound.

Jiang Guo'er waited for a long time but he didn't say anything, so she looked up in confusion.

He was facing Pei Yan's ashen face.

"Prime Minister?"

Pei Yan's Adam's apple and lips twitched twice, but he still couldn't speak.

Jiang Guo'er jumped up and took two steps closer: "Prime Minister! What's wrong? Does your throat hurt?"

Pei Yan's face was grim. He pointed to his throat and shook his head.

Xue Lingyi's expression immediately changed: "Quickly, fetch the imperial physician!"

Lu Yi took off running.

When the imperial physician arrived, Pei Yan had already drunk two cups of warm tea.

Swallowing is fine, but I can't make a sound.

The old doctor took his pulse and then carefully examined his throat with a candlestick, breaking out in a cold sweat as he did so.

"The Prime Minister's pulse is stable, and there is no redness, swelling, or ulceration in his throat..."

"But the vocal cords in his throat seem to have been paralyzed by the drug and have temporarily lost their function. It must be because he accidentally ingested some kind of poison that causes muteness, and the drug is extremely potent."

Pei Yan picked up his pen expressionlessly: When will it be able to recover?

"It will take one or two days at the fastest, or three to five days at the slowest. I will first prescribe an antidote."

The physician cautiously pressed on, "May I ask, Your Excellency, what has been delivered today?"

Pei Yan took up his pen and wrote down each of the foods he would eat that day on the paper.

The lunch bestowed by the palace, the pastries and tea from the cabinet...

The pen suddenly paused.

There were also the few sweet potatoes that Jiang Guo'er had left over.

But Jiang Guo'er was perfectly fine and had not lost her voice.

Besides, if others knew that the first thing he did after returning home was to run to the servant's room and eat her leftovers...

Pei Yan decisively put the pen back on the pen holder.