............
An Sheng was silent for a moment.
Then he coaxed her helplessly, "Be a good girl, A Mei. It is the dead of winter right now, and your constitution is already sensitive to the cold. Your monthly cycle hasn't been fully regulated yet, so it really isn't suitable for you to eat cold things. Let's wait a while until your body is properly conditioned before you have this snowflake cheese, alright?"
Hearing her husband say this, A Mei knew he was only looking out for her, and a sweet sense of happiness filled her heart.
Suddenly wanting to tease him, A Mei pouted her small mouth, gave a little harrumph, and squirmed in An Sheng's embrace. She whined coquettishly, "No, A Mei just wants to eat it. Husband, you clearly just said you would agree to whatever A Mei wanted."
"Hmph, A Mei is going to ignore you." A Mei turned her head and tried to twist her body in his arms, intending to turn her back to him.
Panic flashed across An Sheng's face. He immediately let out an "ouch" and tightened his arms, locking A Mei firmly against his chest. "Oh, my precious darling, no, no, no, my little tyrant, how could I not agree to you? It's just that your body truly isn't suited for this snowflake cheese right now. How about this? I remember that the Eight Treasures Cake and sugar-steamed cheese in the palace have always been favorites among the concubines. I'll go to the palace in a little while and bring some back for you to try, okay?"
A Mei pursed her lips, lifted her head from An Sheng's chest to meet his deep eyes, and blinked. Deciding to quit while she was ahead, she said reluctantly, "Well, fine. A Mei will listen to her husband."
An Sheng held A Mei and coaxed her with sweet words for quite a while longer. A Mei finally couldn't help but smile, clinging to him once more for kisses and hugs. An Sheng, naturally full of tender affection and utmost gentleness, coaxed her until she giggled, allowing him to finally heave a sigh of relief.
......
Emperor Chengde was reviewing memorials. Hearing the report, he raised his eyelids and asked, "An Sheng? Didn't he submit a memorial requesting sick leave this morning? Why has he come to the palace?"
Standing to the side, the head eunuch, Eunuch Li, looked troubled and hesitated to speak. "This..."
Emperor Chengde said lightly, "Speak freely."
"In reply to Your Majesty, the person who sought out this servant was indeed Commander An. He personally came to ask this servant for two portions of food from the Imperial Kitchen."
"What food?"
"A portion of Eight Treasures Cake, and a portion of sugar-steamed cheese." Eunuch Li bowed his body, looking deeply conflicted. "It is just that these two pastries are precious, and the Imperial Kitchen never makes much of them. Only the high-ranking consorts are allotted a share, which is why this servant..."
Emperor Chengde immediately let out a cold laugh. Judging by his tone, he was angry.
Eunuch Li shuddered.
Then he heard Emperor Chengde say breezily, with a faint, mocking smile, "Such a trivial matter, and you needed to come ask Us personally? It seems your time as head eunuch has come to an end."
These words sounded like a death sentence to Eunuch Li. He fell to his knees with a thud, all color draining from his face. In sheer panic, he babbled incoherently, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! This servant just felt that Lord An called in sick this morning, yet right after morning court ended, he entered the palace full of vigor. Such behavior is truly deceiving the sovereign. Seeing this, this servant simply couldn't..."
Emperor Chengde lowered his gaze, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the head eunuch kneeling below him like a mere ant. "How Our officials conduct themselves is none of your business, you dog of a servant. What do you think you are? Slap your own mouth!"
Eunuch Li's face turned ashen, and he immediately began slapping himself fiercely!
Slap! Slap! Slap!
"This servant deserves to die! This servant deserves to die! It's my fault for talking too much! It's my fault for talking too much!"
He slapped himself until his face was swollen and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.
Emperor Chengde raised his eyelids and said indifferently, "Enough. Go prepare what An Sheng asked for, and summon him to see Us at the same time."
"This servant will do so right away!" Eunuch Li heavily kowtowed several times before trembling as he backed out of the room.
Eunuch Li personally held the food box and handed it to An Sheng, smiling with pure flattery. "Lord An, here are the pastries you requested. Also, His Majesty has a matter to discuss and summons you over."
An Sheng's gaze swept over Eunuch Li's red, swollen face. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he smiled without reaching his eyes. "Oh my, it's only been half a quarter of an hour since we last met. What happened to your face, Eunuch Li?"
Eunuch Li looked embarrassed, his eyes darting away. "I just wasn't looking clearly on my way here and accidentally scraped it. I've made a fool of myself in front of Lord An."
"Eunuch Li," An Sheng suddenly sighed.
Eunuch Li looked up and met An Sheng's gaze. He saw that those slender eyes were filled with undisguised malice and icy coldness.
At the same time, they were as sharp as a falcon's, seemingly able to see through everything and pierce straight into a person's heart!
The look made Eunuch Li shudder instantly.
An Sheng curled his lips into a mocking smile. He was clearly smiling, but in Eunuch Li's eyes, he looked like a green-faced, fanged demon, speaking to him in a haunting tone, "I advise Eunuch Li to be very careful with his head when doing things in the future. Otherwise, the next time you accidentally scrape something, it won't be as simple as just your face."
Eunuch Li felt as if he had plunged into an ice cave, freezing in place. He didn't come to his senses until An Sheng had walked far away.
Despite it being the dead of winter, cold sweat had soaked through his clothes, making him shiver from the chill.
"This subject greets Your Majesty!"
An Sheng knelt on the ground to pay his respects to Emperor Chengde.
"Rise." Emperor Chengde remained seated at his desk, processing memorials. He casually set aside a memorial he had just annotated, his gaze falling on the faint dark circles under An Sheng's eyes.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Emperor Chengde asked, "Didn't you ask for leave this morning? Why have you come to the palace? I see your complexion is indeed quite poor. Go to the Imperial Hospital to have your pulse checked before you leave the palace."
An Sheng looked moved and grateful as he faced Emperor Chengde, speaking frankly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am fine. It is just that I didn't sleep at all last night and truly couldn't get up, which is why I asked for leave."
Emperor Chengde frowned. "I haven't heard of any major cases reported by the Inner Depot recently. What exactly could have kept you awake all night?"
Hearing this, An Sheng's face flushed red, and embarrassment showed in his eyes. He immediately knelt down to admit his fault. "Hearing Your Majesty say this makes me feel deeply ashamed. I am unworthy of Your Majesty's profound favor. I... I wasn't up for official business. It was a family matter."
"A family matter?" Emperor Chengde's interest was instantly piqued.
"What, did your wife beat you again?"
As soon as Emperor Chengde said this, An Sheng stiffened, his face turning a spectacular mix of green and red.
Finally, he simply let out a dry chuckle, stiffened his neck, and said shamelessly, "How could that be? Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but I was not beaten. After all, I am a court official with a rank. Whether at the Inner Depot or at home, my word is naturally law."
Emperor Chengde raised an eyebrow, looking at An Sheng with an expression that was truly hard to put into words.
Then he heard the man add brazenly, "It's just that yesterday I upset my wife, so I came to the palace specifically to beg for two portions of pastries to take home and coax her."
Emperor Chengde: ...
In the end, with a wave of Emperor Chengde's hand, the Imperial Kitchen sent over a dozen more types of pastries. He also bestowed a large amount of jewelry, jade, and fine silks, having An Sheng take them all back to the An Manor.
