Early on the morning of the first day of the New Year, A Mei followed An Sheng into the palace.
They had stayed up late the night before to see the old year out, so A Mei had a hard time dragging herself out of bed at dawn. An Sheng personally helped her wash and dress, and even took care of applying her makeup all by himself.
The special mandated wife's uniform made by the Ministry of Rites featured a stand-up collar and a loose, deep crimson design. Worn by most of the older titled ladies, it indeed looked dignified and grand, but on A Mei's petite frame...
"Husband, do I look good in this? Why are the sleeves so wide?" A Mei tugged at her cuffs and twirled twice in front of An Sheng. Although the Ministry of Rites designed the uniform according to her measurements and the skirt length was fine, the style simply made the garment look far too big.
The corners of An Sheng's eyes twitched slightly, and his lips curled up into a faint smile. "You look beautiful. My wife always looks beautiful in whatever she wears."
A Mei pursed her lips, shot him a sidelong glance, and pouted. "Hmph, you only know how to coax me. You'd say I look good no matter what I wear. But this color is so old-fashioned. I don't think it looks good at all."
An Sheng suddenly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He reached out and poked her little forehead, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled. "What am I going to do with you? There are millions of women in this world who could never dream of wearing this mandated uniform, yet here you are, picking flaws in it."
A Mei wrinkled her nose at him, looking incredibly playful and adorable, and whined coquettishly. "I'm not picking flaws. I'm only saying this because I'm with you. If it doesn't look good, it doesn't look good. Can't I even speak my mind in my own room? Husband, don't you think I'm right?"
An Sheng immediately lost any trace of exasperation and could only coax her, "Yes, yes, yes, my lady is absolutely right. It's about time, hurry and follow me into the palace."
A Mei obediently hummed in agreement and let her husband lead her out the door by the hand.
Once inside the palace, carriages were no longer allowed, so An Sheng held A Mei's hand as they walked along the palace paths.
Although today was officially the day for titled ladies to enter the palace to offer New Year's greetings to the Emperor and Empress according to protocol, over the years, it had become a tradition for these ladies to enter alongside their official husbands. Just like An Sheng, there were quite a few officials walking along the palace roads.
At this hour, everyone was rushing into the palace, so bumping into one another was inevitable.
And since they bumped into each other, exchanging greetings and New Year's wishes was unavoidable.
An Sheng did not have a good reputation among his colleagues in the officialdom, and everyone usually avoided him like the plague. Nowadays, rumors circulated privately throughout the court that eunuchs held the power and the government was in turmoil!
The reason was simple: the Inner Depot held too much authority and was excessively cruel and dictatorial. Furthermore, His Majesty had granted Commander An the privilege to execute first and report later. As a result, the Inner Depot acted with absolute impunity, frequently confiscating properties and beheading people. Even the senior cabinet ministers had to take a detour when they saw him.
It was one thing to take a detour on a normal day, but now that they were meeting face-to-face, they feared that failing to greet the petty, cruel, and bloodthirsty Commander An would earn his grudge. Therefore, regardless of their rank, whenever anyone saw the couple, they had to reluctantly approach and wish them a Happy New Year.
As more people came over, they couldn't help but notice that Commander An, who usually had a face as cold as frost, glaring eyes, a harsh and gloomy complexion, and rarely smiled, actually had a touch of softness in his eyes today. Perhaps because it was the New Year, he looked much milder overall.
Especially with the smiling Madam An by his side, he appeared far more approachable.
After A Mei finished dealing with a few titled ladies, she turned her head and looked up at her husband, who was speaking with several men in official robes. She saw him narrowing his slender eyes, his chin slightly raised, and his lips curled into a half-smile. An older official beside him said something, and her husband suddenly let out a sharp laugh. His posture was full of arrogant abandon, clearly enjoying the feeling of being flattered.
Taking all this in, A Mei's heart couldn't help but pound. She couldn't suppress the leaping joy and pride in her heart; her husband truly was the most incredible man.
The New Year's greeting process was the same as in previous years. The officials and titled ladies stood separately, arranged by rank, and collectively knelt to offer their blessings to the Emperor and Empress.
Then, the Emperor and Empress bestowed their blessings and gifts.
A Mei indeed received sparkling jewelry. She hadn't been able to resist secretly lifting the cover for a peek. Although everyone's rewards were covered with red silk, A Mei could tell from the height of the silk covering that her reward was definitely more substantial than the others'.
A Mei felt sweet joy in her heart. She knew this was the special treatment the Emperor and Empress gave to the families of their favored officials. Ultimately, it was all because of her husband's capabilities.
Everyone withdrew from the Emperor's palace, men and women divided into two lines. Once they exited the front courtyard, they could reunite with their spouses and leave the palace together.
A Mei walked in the back, holding her reward. As soon as she stepped out of the palace hall, her eyes met her husband's, who was waiting for her not far away. She decisively blinked at him once, then blinked again.
An Sheng understood her signal and simply slowed his pace.
Finally, the couple fell to the very back of their respective lines and successfully reunited.
A Mei first showed off the reward in her hands to An Sheng. "Husband, lift the cover and look. His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress rewarded us with wonderful things."
An Sheng asked, "How do you know?"
A Mei stuck out her tongue. "Just now in the great hall, I secretly lifted it and took a peek."
An Sheng raised an eyebrow. "Just one peek?"
A Mei smiled sheepishly, carrying a trace of embarrassment at being seen through, and answered honestly, "Actually, it was quite a few peeks."
Thinking about how everyone else entered the palace behaving with strict propriety for fear of making a mistake, while A Mei still had the mind to sneak peeks, An Sheng couldn't help but laugh. He helplessly rested his forehead in his hand. "You silly, hopeless thing."
A Mei pouted her little lips and muttered softly, "It was already rewarded to us, so what's wrong with me looking at it?"
An Sheng was amused by A Mei's twisted logic, but having no other choice, he simply indulged her. "Alright, there's nothing wrong with it. Look at it if you like."
How could A Mei not know of her husband's indulgence and doting? She giggled, her moist eyes blinking. Looking a bit foolish but with her eyes full of An Sheng, she said, "You are the best, husband."
An Sheng's eyes curved into a smile. He couldn't resist tapping A Mei's nose, his tone gentle. "Oh, you."
An Sheng reached out and took the wooden tray from A Mei's hands. Supporting the items with one hand, he grasped A Mei's small hand with the other. "I'll carry it, so you don't get tired."
A Mei's heart felt sweet, and she obediently let An Sheng lead her toward the palace exit.
However, before they had taken many steps, A Mei tilted her head and asked, "Husband, can I go see the place where you used to live in the palace?"
