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

In the brief silence, Pei Yan slightly lifted his eyelids and caught Xiao Yuzhen's gaze as she looked at Hongzhu.

The next moment, a delicate cry of surprise rang out, and Hongzhu, like a puddle of water, slumped softly at the emperor's feet.

Her slender fingers, painted with nail polish, grasped the hem of the emperor's bright yellow robe.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid..."

"Who in the palace would dare to use such a vicious method as witchcraft?"

Hongzhu bit her lip, hesitated, and finally lowered her voice to a very soft and weak tone.

"Unless it's someone who's constantly eyeing the crown prince's position, hoping their own son will ascend to the throne..."

What a clever tactic of diverting the blame.

In the harem, besides the Crown Prince, the only prince qualified to compete for the throne was the Third Prince, the son of the Imperial Concubine.

The emperor was already furious, and several old memories flooded his mind, causing his anger to flare up and burn towards the imperial concubine.

How many years did that woman fight with the Empress?

Everyone knows she's determined to push the Third Prince to the top!

"Sun Fuhai!" the emperor shouted sternly.

Sun Fuhai, who had been huddled in the corner, quickly crawled over.

"Take your men back to the palace immediately! Search every inch of the Consort's chambers! Dig three feet into the ground, find that evil spirit!"

"Your servant obeys!"

Sun Fuhai responded and left, his footsteps quickly disappearing outside the hall.

The emperor, panting heavily, had just turned his head to continue interrogating Minister Gong on the ground when his expression suddenly changed.

A strange flush quickly crept up his neck and onto his cheeks.

His breathing became heavy and labored, his previously furious gaze began to wander and become fixed, and his Adam's apple bobbed incessantly.

Hongzhu, kneeling to the side, lightly brushed her fingertips against the emperor's leg, exuding an irresistible charm.

The emperor ripped open his collar, bent down, and picked up Hongzhu in his arms.

"Prepare the carriage for the side hall!" the emperor's voice was hoarse.

A group of palace maids and eunuchs immediately surrounded the emperor and Hongzhu, and hurriedly escorted them away from the main hall.

The vast hall fell silent instantly.

Xiao Yuzhen made up an excuse and sent the Imperial Guards away.

Now only Pei Yan, Xiao Yuzhen, and Minister Gong, who had already fainted on the ground unconscious, remained.

The sandalwood smoke in the incense burner seemed to have solidified.

Xiao Yuzhen raised her chin, and the fear on her face vanished.

She took two steps forward, looking down at Pei Yan, who was still kneeling on the ground.

"My cousin really has some clever tricks up his sleeve."

Xiao Yuzhen's voice was mocking, carrying an extreme sense of madness.

"With just a few words, she defused the deadly trap I had carefully laid."

As she spoke, she slowly circled around Pei Yan.

"Do you think you've won?"

Xiao Yuzhen bent down slightly, her smile full of malice.

"You went to great lengths to eliminate the Zhao family and drive the Xue family to their doom, wasn't it all just to avenge that Xue Lingyi?"

"You like her that much?!"

Pei Yan did not get up, but kept his head down, the curve of his back revealing a strong sense of exhaustion and helplessness.

"Yuzhen, why are you doing this? Everything I've done is for the sake of the Great Chu, I have no choice but to act against you. Why do you have to be so confrontational?"

This tone of forbearance and concession was like feeding Xiao Yuzhen a piece of pine nut candy with precision.

Xiao Yuzhen thought she had finally got this arrogant man under her control.

I can no longer care about being reserved.

Xiao Yuzhen lunged forward, wrapped her arms around Pei Yan's shoulders, and pressed her red lips against his earlobe.

"Cousin, from childhood to adulthood, whatever I want, I must get!"

"If you're willing to agree, I can sit alongside you in this Great Chu realm!"

"Cousin, look at me..."

She even grabbed Pei Yan's hand and tried to press it against her chest, disregarding everything else.

Pei Yan felt a churning in his stomach.

He resisted the urge to kick the crazy woman in front of him, determined to keep up the act.

Suddenly, he felt a gentle touch between his brows.

Whether it was sweat or tears, it seemed to drip onto his skin from afar.

Immediately afterwards, a familiar voice echoed in his mind:

[Ouch...embroidery needle...Prime Minister...what is it?]

[It won't be... dangerous...]

Guo'er is worried about him!

Pei Yan's irritability and nausea were instantly soothed.

He grabbed Xiao Yuzhen's wrist and shoved her away violently, as if shaking off a stinking dead rat.

Xiao Yuzhen exclaimed in surprise, staggered backward, and took several steps back before barely regaining her balance, her hair disheveled.

"Your Majesty, please have some self-respect."

Pei Yan stood up, pulled out a snow-white handkerchief from his sleeve, and vigorously wiped his fingers that she had just touched.

He casually tossed the handkerchief into the incense burner beside him.

"The mother of a nation, in order to secure her favor, has to offer up a crippled, lowly son."

Pei Yan straightened his clothes, his tone calm, yet every word was piercing.

"Does Your Highness know how the powerful and influential families in the capital secretly ridicule you these days?"

"They said—Her Majesty the Empress has reached her wit's end and has even abandoned her last shred of dignity."

"you!"

Xiao Yuzhen trembled with anger, her sharp nails digging into her palms.

Being humiliated like this in front of the man she longed for, no matter how she tried to appease him, threaten him, or use any means necessary...

The way he looked at her was always as if he were looking at something dirty.

Why should I?!

Her chest heaved violently, and she suddenly let out a hysterical, sinister laugh.

Xiao Yuzhen took two steps forward and lowered her voice.

"Don't be too smug! Judging by the time, the governess I specially arranged is already at the gate of the Prime Minister's residence."

She tried to see panic on Pei Yan's face.

"I'd like to see if your newlywed wife, Xue Lingyi, with her delicate frame, can withstand the palace's particularly torturous rules!"

Pei Yan's expression suddenly turned cold.

The first person that came to his mind was not Xue Lingyi, but Jiang Guo'er!

The palace governesses were sharp-eyed and used all sorts of insidious methods.

What if it turns out that the one who is truly pregnant is Guo'er...

An uncontrollable storm surged in Pei Yan's eyes.

At the same time, at the Pei residence, several dark blue sedan chairs landed.

Two burly palace governesses with slanted eyebrows led a line of palace maids carrying rulers and teaching aids, and strode into the Pei family's inner courtyard.

"By order of Her Majesty the Empress, the Xue family has been found to have improper conduct. We, your humble servants, have been specially dispatched to properly instruct the Prime Minister's wife on proper etiquette!"

The head servant, Granny Liu, had a sharp voice that immediately silenced all the servants in the courtyard.

Upon hearing the news, Old Madam Pei rushed over, leaning on her cane, accompanied by Granny Qin.

"My two grandmas, my granddaughter-in-law is currently pregnant, and I'm afraid she won't be able to learn the proper etiquette."

"Your Excellency is mistaken."

Granny Liu gave a forced, insincere smile.

"Her Majesty said that we old servants will only teach you manners, and will never use violence."

"Furthermore, being pregnant makes it even more important to be mindful of one's actions, lest one bring disaster upon the Prime Minister and the child in her womb!"

Having said that, he didn't give the old lady a chance to refute him at all, and waved his hand dismissively.

"Guards! Keep watch at the gate! Don't let anyone in!"

The two matrons ordered the palace maids to block Old Madam Pei from entering the room, and the two of them strode towards the warm pavilion where Xue Lingyi was.