"Godfather, what did you mean by 'the most dangerous path'? Will my husband be in danger?"
A Mei asked aloud, her heart pounding with alarm.
An Gui remained silent for a time, ignoring A Mei's question, before finally letting out a long sigh.
Seeing her godfather so heavy-hearted, A Mei could no longer sit still. Summoning a rare burst of boldness, she snatched the letter and turned it over in her hands. A Mei could not read, yet her illiteracy only made the characters seem all the more terrifying, like fierce beasts ready to devour her. Her heart raced as she stared at the paper, as if trying to bore a hole through it with her gaze.
An Gui took in A Mei's anxious, fearful expression. His own face remained exceptionally solemn as he finally spoke. "A Mei, I am a man of little talent. The only things I can claim are that I have seen a bit more, heard a bit more, suffered a few more hardships than others, and simply lived a little longer."
"Sheng'er has a mind of his own. No matter what he chooses to do in the future, you must support him." An Gui’s cloudy eyes rested on the bracelet adorning A Mei’s wrist. "Since he has chosen to accept you as his own, I believe he will keep you safe. You, in turn, must never fail Sheng'er."
Her godfather’s words felt somewhat abrupt. A Mei only half-understood his meaning, but she nodded earnestly nonetheless. "Rest assured, Godfather. My husband treats A Mei so well; A Mei will certainly treat him well in return."
"Go and burn this letter."
An Gui watched as A Mei carefully reduced the letter to ashes. He lowered his head to take a sip of tea before speaking slowly. "Sheng'er wrote that the war in the North has reached a critical stage, yet the land, salt, and customs taxes from the South have been delayed this year. The Emperor is furious and has specially appointed Imperial Envoys and officials from the Censorate to investigate the situation. Sheng'er volunteered to share the Emperor’s burden and accompany these officials. His Majesty has granted permission."
A Mei’s eyes widened. She had heard every word her godfather said clearly, yet strung together, they made no sense to her.
In A Mei’s understanding, her husband was a eunuch, and eunuchs were meant to serve noble personages within the palace. How had he suddenly become involved with wars and Imperial Envoys?
An Gui did not offer further explanation, simply adding, "This is a state secret; the decree will not be issued until tomorrow. When you went to the palace today... well, the palace is full of loose lips, so Sheng'er certainly would not have revealed a word to you."
A Mei nodded. Indeed, her husband had not mentioned any of this to her.
"As for what I meant by 'the most dangerous path,' you wouldn't understand even if I explained it now. In time, you will come to understand."
...
That night, A Mei lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Her mind raced as she recalled every moment since she had arrived at the An household. Before she was married, she had known only that having a full belly and warm clothes was a blessing. But now that she was living a good life, she felt unsettled, as if she had begun to desire something more.
A Mei felt that her husband treated her very well. He had even spoken of buying a larger house for her father and brother. No one had ever been so kind to A Mei. Although her husband had an eccentric temper and sometimes spoke harsh words, she truly enjoyed her life with him—if only he didn’t have to go to the palace for his shifts.
A Mei pondered these thoughts over and over. She didn't know how much time had passed, but just as she was finally drifting into a daze, on the verge of sleep, the rumbling crash of thunder startled her awake. In that instant, the thoughts that had churned in her mind all night crystallized into a decision!
It rained during the night, and the temperature dropped. By the season's reckoning, early autumn was fast approaching.
Early the next morning, A Mei cooked breakfast for the household. She hastily shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice porridge into her mouth and told her godfather she had something to attend to. An Gui nodded but asked no questions. A Mei then hurried out the door.
Aside from the family visitation days on the second of each month, when eunuchs were on duty at the palace gates, the entrances were usually guarded by imposing imperial guards. A Mei was timid and had grown up with little contact with men outside her family; she had always been terrified of officials. Although she had delivered a letter once before, her heart still trembled with fear. Nevertheless, she stepped forward with determination.
A Mei clutched the token Sheng'er had given her tightly in her hand. As she approached, the sharp gazes of the guards fell upon her. Summoning her courage, A Mei held up the token, took a deep breath, and spoke in a trembling voice. "Officer... Sirs, my husband is on duty in the palace. This is his token. I... I have an urgent matter to discuss with him. Could I trouble you to send someone to notify him?"
Those serving in the palace were either eunuchs, maids, or older matrons. A Mei’s words successfully caught the guards' attention. They exchanged glances, and the leader, a man with a square jaw, stepped forward to take the token from A Mei’s hand. He looked closely and was shocked to see it was the waist token of Sheng'er, the Chief Eunuch of the Palace of Heavenly Purity!
"Are you saying this Eunuch An is your husband?" the guard blurted out.
A Mei nodded, her face the picture of earnestness. "Yes, yes. My husband’s name is An Sheng. He is indeed Eunuch An."
The guard immediately fell into a solemn silence, while the men behind him looked at one another in disbelief.
Suddenly, unscrupulous, mocking laughter erupted from the side. "Heh, even a eunuch can take a wife? Without the necessary equipment, what’s the point of taking her home?"
"She doesn't look like she's lying, though."
"So she really married Eunuch An? A young lady like her being a living widow... what a sin."
"You don't know? Eunuchs have their own ways of playing..."
A Mei froze where she stood.
The square-faced guard immediately glared and shouted, "Watch your tongues!"
The other guards finally fell silent.
Startled by the shout, A Mei snapped back to reality. It dawned on her then that they were mocking her and her husband. A Mei was not stupid; she could see the contempt and disdain in their eyes. Anger rose in her face. She wanted to curse at them, but she had never spoken a harsh word in her life. Her face flushed red with suppressed emotion, and it took a long moment before she could open her mouth to defend him. "My husband is the best husband in the world."
The lead guard’s expression remained steely as his gaze swept over A Mei’s slightly youthful face. He confirmed once more, "This waist token is certainly authentic. Are you truly Eunuch An’s wife?"
Right now, A Mei’s only desire was to see her husband. She forced down her grievance and anger, speaking stiffly, "Yes. My husband and I have exchanged marriage documents. Sir Officer, could you please notify my husband?"
The lead guard nodded. He immediately handed the token to one of the men behind him. "You. Take this token to the Palace of Heavenly Purity and pass on the message."
Seeing the man turn and leave, A Mei finally relaxed. "Thank you, Sir Officer."
A Mei waited and waited. She waited for a long time, until her legs could barely hold her up, before finally hearing a commotion at the palace gate.
An Sheng walked out, surrounded by a cluster of guards and eunuchs.
Upon seeing her husband, A Mei’s lips trembled and the rims of her round eyes turned pink. Disregarding the inquisitive and curious gazes from the people behind him, she immediately rushed up to An Sheng and called out softly.
"Husband."
Looking at A Mei's aggrieved and pitiful appearance, An Sheng's brow twitched. During the morning court today, the Emperor had flown into a terrible rage, leaving everyone in the palace, from top to bottom, fearing for their lives. The morning assembly had not even concluded yet. Serving closely by the Emperor's side, An Sheng had been so exhausted that he had not even had the chance to take a sip of water. The moment he finally caught a brief respite, he heard that A Mei had submitted a visitation plaque outside the palace gates. He was instantly struck with both anxiety and anger, but in the end, he still rushed over to see her.
An Sheng waved his hand, and the few attendants behind him tactfully retreated a fair distance.
Staring gloomily at A Mei, An Sheng spoke in a shrill voice, "You had better have a matter of life and death to discuss, otherwise I will not let you off so easily."
Meeting her husband's hostile expression, A Mei felt an unprovoked sense of unfamiliarity and fear, but more than anything, she felt deeply wronged.
Her eyes immediately turned red, and large tears began to patter down her face.
A Mei's lips trembled slightly. She desperately wanted to say, "I am scared, Husband, please do not be so harsh with me," but her mouth simply refused to obey. When she finally managed to part her lips, she said pitifully, "Husband, my feet hurt."
An Sheng felt his breath catch in his throat, his chest full of fury landing on something as soft as cotton. A trace of complexity flickered in his eyes. His tone was exasperated, yet he still said, "Serves you right! Who told you to come looking for me this early in the morning? I am so busy my feet barely touch the ground. Where would I find so much free time!"
"Alright, stop crying. What do you look like, weeping and wailing like this!"
Reaching into his robes, An Sheng pulled out a handkerchief and said impatiently, "Hurry up and wipe your face!"
Only then did A Mei feel a sense of embarrassment. Finally stopping her tears, she carefully took the handkerchief and wiped her cheeks. Remembering her purpose for coming, she looked left and right to ensure the attendants behind them could not hear their conversation. She lifted her face, gazing up at An Sheng, and whispered, "Godfather told A Mei that Husband is going out with some imperial envoy to handle affairs for the Emperor. A Mei does not understand anything, but A Mei wants to follow Husband too. A Mei cannot rest easy with Husband out there all alone, and A Mei will miss Husband. So, Husband, take A Mei with you, alright?"
"Nonsense!" An Sheng's eyes widened in a fierce glare, the anger he had just suppressed flaring right back up. His voice grew even sharper, "Godfather is also fooling around with you. You simply do not know the immensity of heaven and earth!"
Startled by An Sheng's sudden burst of rage, A Mei shrank back with a shudder. Her face turned pale as she timidly explained, "A Mei did not tell Godfather about this."
Seeing An Sheng keep a cold face and remain silent, A Mei mustered her courage, tugged at his sleeve, and said hoarsely, "Husband, if I accompany you, I can also take care of you."
An Sheng laughed out of extreme anger, his eyes surging like a raging fire. "A Mei, you have a lot of nerve!"
A Mei froze, staring blankly at An Sheng's terrifying gaze. She did not quite understand. She just wanted to be with her husband. She was merely worried about him traveling to such a faraway place all by himself. Why was he so angry? Actually, before she arrived, she had been fantasizing that if she told her husband she wanted to go with him, he would be delighted...
"Daddy, when is Sister coming back? Douzi is hungry."
A hoarse, shrill voice came from behind.
"Be a good boy, Douzi. Uncle has something delicious here. Come, come and eat," An Gui said as he slowly walked over, holding a plate of pastries.
"Thank you, Uncle!" Douzi ran over. He picked up a pastry, not forgetting to share with his Uncle and Daddy first before happily eating it himself.
After finishing the pastries, Douzi grew sleepy, so A Mei's father took Douzi for an afternoon nap.
An Gui remained sitting in the courtyard, calm and composed.
Whoa...
The sound of a horse carriage halting came from outside the door.
The main gates of the An residence were open. From inside the courtyard, one could see A Mei being helped down from the carriage.
A Mei did not know how she had made it back home. Her entire being was in a daze. When she finally came back to her senses, the first thing she saw was her godfather's inquiring and worried gaze.
A Mei pursed her lips and said hoarsely, "Godfather, A Mei is back late. Is everyone hungry? A Mei will go cook right now. What does Godfather want to eat? We still have some baby bok choy and tofu at home. A Mei will make a tofu soup for Godfather, and a plate of stir-fried sliced meat for Douzi..."
However, as she spoke, she felt more and more miserable. Her tears streamed down uncontrollably. Amidst her crying and sobbing, her words finally dissolved into a single sentence:
"Godfather, A Mei made Husband angry."
