It was already afternoon when An Sheng returned to the manor.
At this hour, A'mei's father had already gone to the Imperial College to pick up Douzi. A'mei was not around, and only An Gui was waiting for him in the main hall.
"Godfather," An Sheng called out.
An Gui raised his eyes. "You're back."
An Sheng nodded, sweeping a glance around. "Where is A'mei?"
An Gui coughed softly, his face crinkling into a smile as he said meaningfully, "They all say a man forgets his mother once he gets a wife, but I see you've forgotten your godfather."
An Sheng sat down beside An Gui, leaning lazily against the back of the chair. He rubbed his temples, looking slightly exhausted, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Godfather, there's no fun in saying that. You were the one who arranged this marriage for me. Who was it that said last time that as long as she entered our An manor, we had to treat her well?"
"Alright, alright, it was all your godfather's words. Don't worry, your wife is very comfortable and at ease right now. She's still taking her afternoon nap at this hour. It's almost time for dinner, so you can go wake her up in a bit."
An Sheng couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up and said, "I'll go over right now."
An Gui's face turned green. He stared at An Sheng with a complicated expression and said in annoyance, "What's the rush? You haven't been back for so long, yet you don't even know to chat more with your godfather. It's not that I want to scold you, but you are now a dignified high-ranking court official shouldering heavy responsibilities. You can't spend all day focusing your mind on these romantic affairs."
An Sheng raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a sarcastic smile. "Godfather, you haven't married a wife, so naturally, you don't know the benefits of having one. Don't be a case of sour grapes."
An Gui: ...
An Sheng was successfully kicked out of the room by An Gui.
In a cheerful mood, An Sheng hummed a little tune as he strode toward the backyard.
When he reached the bedroom, he heard from the serving maid that his wife had not yet woken up, so he opened the door and entered quietly.
Looking up, he first noticed a few boxes of jewelry and a letter placed on the table. An Sheng glanced over them without much care, and then his gaze landed on the bulging quilt on the bed.
An Sheng moved over silently.
Only a round little head poked out from the quilt. The young woman's face was free of makeup, yet her cheeks were rosy, looking fresh and charming. Her eyes were closed, long eyelashes drooping slightly, and her fair little face was peaceful as she slept soundly.
An Sheng looked at A'mei. Because she was lying on her side, her soft pink cheeks were slightly puffed up, adding a touch of innocent childishness. Remembering that his little wife would only be barely seventeen after the new year, his eyes instantly filled with a doting warmth.
An Sheng sat on the edge of the bed, lost in a trance. For a moment, he actually forgot the time, only snapping back to reality when A'mei groggily opened her eyes.
"You're awake?"
Once A'mei saw An Sheng clearly, her eyes lit up at once. She immediately broke into a big smile, both surprised and delighted. "Husband! You're back!"
Saying that, A'mei threw off the quilt and threw herself into An Sheng's arms.
"I'm so happy! To think I'd see my husband the moment I opened my eyes!"
An Sheng caught her steadily in his arms, then took advantage of the momentum to fall back. With A'mei on top and him on the bottom, he brought her down onto the bed with him. An Sheng didn't do anything else; the two of them just embraced like that.
After a good while passed like this, A'mei shifted.
"Husband, are you done with the matters at the Inner Depot?"
A'mei rested on An Sheng's chest, asking softly.
An Sheng hummed in acknowledgment. Suddenly, he turned his head and caught A'mei's ear between his teeth, gently nibbling on the soft flesh.
A'mei trembled from the strange sensation, but in her husband's arms, she felt exceptionally content.
An Sheng finally let go of the ear that had turned red from his nibbling, trailing gentle kisses down her neck.
A'mei giggled. Tickled, she shrank her neck back and coaxed, "Husband, it tickles. Stop kissing me."
An Sheng simply propped himself up, bringing A'mei to sit up on the bed with him, and pulled the quilt over to cover her.
A'mei rested her head on An Sheng's shoulder, narrowing her eyes in comfort.
"Husband, what time is it?"
An Sheng told her the time.
A'mei opened her eyes and let out a soft gasp. "It's so late. It's almost time for dinner. I slept for so long."
A smile played on An Sheng's lips, his eyes full of indulgence and tenderness. "You woke up too early today, so it's normal to sleep a little more."
A'mei nodded.
An Sheng asked again, "Are you hungry?"
A'mei shook her head. Remembering something, she pointed at the things on the table, signaling An Sheng to look.
"Husband, we had a guest today. I have something to tell you." As she spoke, A'mei slid off An Sheng and tugged at his sleeve. "Husband, get up. Let's go to the table to talk."
An Sheng got out of bed right away. He grabbed one of A'mei's outer robes from the side and draped it over her. Before A'mei could move, he leaned down, gently wrapped his arms around her body, and with a slight heave, lifted her steadily into a bridal carry. He then walked steadily to the table and set A'mei down on a stool.
Before A'mei could explain, An Sheng spoke up directly, "Cui Gudao's wife is actually Lord Zhuang's niece. Lady Cui's parents died early, and she was raised in the Zhuang household. Lord Zhuang has always loved her like his own daughter, and he has supported Cui Gudao along the way as if he were his own son-in-law. Now that His Majesty is punishing Lord Zhuang, they are naturally panicking."
A'mei listened with a serious face. "Mhm, don't worry, Husband. I don't understand court affairs, but since it's His Majesty's decision, there must be a reason. I didn't promise her anything. It's just that at the end, she insisted on leaving these things behind as if her life depended on it. I couldn't argue with her, so I accepted them for now, thinking I would send someone to return them later."
An Sheng suddenly chuckled. "Since they've reached our hands, there's no reason to send them back. If you like them, just keep them."
With that, he tore open the envelope, took out the letter inside, and casually read through it.
After he finished reading, he handed the letter straight to A'mei, who was burning with curiosity. He lifted his chin slightly and lowered his eyes, gesturing for her to read it herself.
A'mei eagerly began to read. As she read, she heard her husband say coldly:
"I truly didn't expect Cui Gudao to be this sensible. It's quite a cause for celebration! Lord Zhuang really has a good nephew-in-law." An Sheng's eyes flickered with light and shadow, full of calculating shrewdness.
A'mei was completely confused by what she heard and what she read. She pestered An Sheng to explain exactly what it meant.
An Sheng gave a soft laugh, then lowered his voice, speaking patiently to A'mei, "Court affairs have always been intricate and deeply rooted. If I say too much, you'll only get more confused. I'll keep it short. Minister Cui paid a massive price to save Lord Zhuang. It's a great benefit to me, but to him, it's fatal. The fact that he's willing to hand such a deadly vulnerability into my hands shows his sincerity. Do you understand now?"
A'mei's bright, watery eyes lit up, and she nodded heavily.
An Sheng raised an eyebrow, just about to praise his wife for getting smarter and smarter.
But then he heard A'mei say obediently, "Actually, I still don't completely understand. But I know one thing: as long as my husband says it's good for us, then it's fine. I don't want to know too much about the rest anyway."
An Sheng: ...
An Sheng suddenly let out a low chuckle and planted a firm kiss on A'mei's small face. "I just realized that my wife actually possesses great wisdom."
A'mei: ...
