As soon as the hour of Yin arrived, An Sheng woke up.
"A Mei." An Sheng gently moved the arms and legs wrapped around him, then rolled over, propping himself up on his arms to hover over A Mei, and called out softly.
At this moment, A Mei was sleeping soundly, her face peaceful and charming. Disturbed by An Sheng, she smacked her little lips, and then the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, as if she was having a sweet dream.
Looking at his little wife's adorable and endearing posture beneath him, An Sheng felt his heart soften completely. Naturally, he couldn't bear to wake her, and was just about to get up.
Perhaps feeling a bit chilly, A Mei habitually reached out in her sleep to pull the blanket. With a random grab, she hugged An Sheng's warm head and pressed it into her embrace.
An Sheng naturally didn't want to forcefully break free. Following the pressure on his head, his cheek gently bumped against the two soft mounds on A Mei's chest.
As those soft mounds trembled slightly, the sweet fragrance and tenderness that belonged solely to An Sheng washed over him, and he suddenly felt his mouth go dry.
He subtly lifted his eyes to look at A Mei's innocent sleeping face, and simply lowered his head, taking that... into his mouth.
This spot had always been A Mei's sensitive area. In her sleep, she immediately shivered, let out a soft moan, and groggily opened her eyes.
When she realized what her husband was doing, her whole body trembled with a tingling sensation, and her small face instantly turned red. "...Ah... Husband... why are you... don't..."
Unable to bear it, A Mei let out a delicate pant and twisted her body, struggling slightly. "What time is it... um... get up..."
A Mei naturally couldn't break free. It wasn't until An Sheng had finished his satisfying taste that he reluctantly got up from her.
A Mei was fully awake now. She sat up, reached out her little fists to pound An Sheng's chest, her watery eyes blinking with shyness and charm, complaining coquettishly, "Really, Husband is too bad, bullying A Mei so early in the morning."
An Sheng grabbed those ticklish fists, a wicked curve forming at the corner of his mouth. He leaned close to A Mei and deliberately breathed against her rosy cheeks, "I was just trying to wake you up."
A Mei felt her cheeks burning hot, as if a fire had burned straight into her heart.
Despite her husband acting like this, A Mei was actually secretly delighted in her heart. However, she still pouted her little mouth, gave An Sheng a sidelong glance, and put on a straight face.
"Alright, Husband, hurry up and get out of bed. You need to prepare for the morning court."
"A Mei will serve Husband in getting dressed."
Staring at A Mei's shy and affectionate, pretty appearance, An Sheng felt delighted. He stopped teasing her, a smile playing on his lips, and said, "Alright."
A Mei carefully helped An Sheng put on his official uniform, finally draping a cloak over his shoulders. Her bright, watery eyes were filled with unconcealed admiration and worship.
"Husband looks so majestic in this official uniform. You look exactly like a great official, so handsome."
An Sheng had a pale complexion. The custom-made official robe was purplish-black, making his figure appear even more lean. Wearing the black cloak, he looked increasingly mysterious and noble.
Fully dressed, An Sheng scooped with his large hand, pulling A Mei, who was only in her inner garments, into his arms. The smile on his lips could not be suppressed. "Does A Mei think I look that good?"
A Mei pursed her lips, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled. She nodded heavily and said sweetly, "Handsome! Husband is the most handsome!"
An Sheng was in a great mood, his face completely relaxing. He reached out and tapped the tip of A Mei's little nose. "As long as A Mei likes it."
"Alright, I have to go now. Go back to bed and catch some more sleep."
A Mei pouted her little mouth, muttering reluctantly, "Without Husband here, A Mei doesn't want to sleep anymore."
An Sheng's eyes held a smile as he said softly, "We went to sleep early yesterday, so you must be hungry. If you don't want to sleep, instruct the servants to prepare and have your meal early."
Truth be told, hearing her husband say this, A Mei really did feel hungry. She rejoiced in her husband's thoughtful consideration, her face full of charming happiness, and obediently hummed in agreement.
Seeing that A Mei was happy, An Sheng finally stepped out and left.
Today's imperial court was surging with hidden currents, treacherous and unpredictable.
Especially when An Sheng, the Commander of the Inner Depot, submitted his first memorial upon returning to the capital; it stirred up a thousand waves with a single stone.
None of the people present expected that, starting today, a bloodbath in the officialdom lasting half a year would begin, and the sharp blade of this imperial power would be the Inner Depot.
From then on, Inner Depot Commander An Sheng became synonymous with notoriety, supreme evil, rampant brutality, and bloodthirstiness.
He became an existence that everyone in the officialdom utterly despised and hated to the bone, yet simultaneously feared and avoided at all costs.
A Mei, of course, knew nothing of this at the moment. After eating and drinking her fill, seeing that it was still early, she went to the storehouse.
Now, as the mistress of the house, A Mei naturally had to worry about matters both inside and out.
The An family had acquired quite a lot of properties over the years. Coupled with the occasional rewards from His Majesty, tributes from subordinates, gifts from others, and the assets secretly or openly confiscated by the Inner Depot during house raids, the amount was quite massive.
A Mei spent an entire noon calculating. Facing such a massive sum, she had long gone from initial shock to inner numbness, feeling no ripples in her heart.
At most, she would sigh in admiration that her husband was truly capable!
At noon, the porter came to pass a message, saying that the wife of the Minister of Justice, Cui Gudao, had submitted a calling card at the door and come to visit.
Oh right, this Cui Gudao had been promoted today. The former Minister of Justice, Lord Zhuang, had requested to retire and return to his hometown this morning. His Majesty had approved it and personally appointed the Vice Minister of Justice, Cui Gudao, to succeed Lord Zhuang as the Minister of Justice.
A Mei was taken aback at first, then her brows furrowed slightly, revealing a serious expression. She turned to look at An Gui beside her. "Godfather, this Madam Cui surely wouldn't visit without a reason. Since she has come to the gates of our manor, it definitely isn't a trivial matter."
A Mei's words were correct. Since she started accepting invitations and socializing over the past three months, she could naturally see that everyone was polite to her, mostly keeping a respectful distance, afraid to offend her.
Although she didn't know much about what her husband did on a daily basis, she had a rough idea. People didn't dare to get too deeply involved with the An Manor.
This unprecedented first visit from an official's wife meant that, no matter how naive and innocent A Mei was, she knew things were not simple.
An Gui nodded, his cloudy eyes showing a trace of appreciation toward A Mei. "Godfather will teach you a trick: respond to all changes by remaining unchanged. Just receive her normally. You don't need to speak or ask questions; just listen to what she says and watch what she does."
Hearing this, A Mei nodded in agreement.
"Mm, I understand, Godfather. Husband has often taken A Mei along to receive guests and handle matters in the past, so I know what to do."
A Mei added, "I have met this Madam Cui twice, but we haven't spoken. Her visit is naturally related to her husband, Minister Cui. Husband has just returned, and she is in such a hurry to visit. It's likely that Husband has some leverage over them. I will listen to what she has to say first."
Saying this, A Mei's brows relaxed, her expression turning composed, and she instructed the servants, "Go and welcome Madam Cui in. Do not neglect our manners."
