When An Sheng hurriedly returned to his residence in the middle of the night, it was already past midnight, an hour when everyone would normally be fast asleep.
An Gui, a light sleeper, heard the commotion, got up, and opened the door for An Sheng.
An Gui glanced at the collar of the eunuch's uniform visible beneath An Sheng's overcoat, understanding flashing in his eyes. His hoarse voice carried a faint trace of sarcasm: "The house isn't on fire and no one's died, what's the rush to come back?"
An Sheng looked exhausted, his tone tinged with a barely perceptible note of complaint: "Godfather, just look at the fine wife you picked for me. That girl ran to the palace gate today, insisting on following me out on my assignment. Before I could even say anything, she was already weeping and wailing. What a disgrace! She completely humiliated me. You've really spoiled her, made her think she can do anything."
An Gui gave An Sheng a cool glance and said nothing.
An Sheng continued helplessly: "I'm risking my neck on this assignment, how could I possibly look after her? That girl is foolish and clumsy, what good would she be out there!"
An Gui snorted a laugh and said, "Why are you telling me all this? Your affairs are none of my concern. I'm tired, I'm going to bed."
"Godfather, hey..."
Naturally, An Sheng didn't manage to stop An Gui. He was now utterly weary and drowsy, his expression quite grim. After pausing for a moment, he headed towards the bedroom.
A Mei was lying in bed. Perhaps due to the great emotional turmoil of the day, she had been sleeping fitfully. In her groggy state, she sensed movement in the room.
Struggling to open her eyes in her half-asleep state, it was the middle of the month, and the bright moonlight streamed through the window. The first thing she saw was a vague, dark shadow standing right by her bed!
A Mei was startled and let out a frightened "Ah!"
"Don't shout. It's me," An Sheng said calmly.
Hearing the familiar voice, A Mei's racing heart finally settled. She immediately threw off the covers, found the flint, and lit a candle.
A Mei felt somewhat bewildered and wanted to ask why her husband had suddenly appeared here. But then she remembered his words from earlier that day, and a pang of sorrow struck her heart. She could only lower her head and twist her hands nervously, a picture of anxiety.
"Ahem." An Sheng gave a light cough.
Hearing the sound, A Mei instinctively looked up at An Sheng.
An Sheng saw that A Mei's eyes were still slightly swollen and red. A complex emotion flickered in his narrow eyes.
His high-pitched voice betrayed no particular feeling: "Tell me, why did you want to come with me?"
A Mei was stunned for a moment. She pursed her lips, thinking she must explain herself clearly to her husband, and began slowly: "Yesterday, a letter arrived from you. Godfather said you had chosen a very dangerous path, and that you were going on some imperial envoy's mission for the Emperor. A Mei hasn't studied, hasn't seen the world, doesn't understand anything. But A Mei knows it's not easy for you, husband, working alone in the palace to secure our family's future. A Mei... A Mei worries for you."
As she spoke, A Mei felt increasingly wronged and couldn't help but choke up: "A Mei wasn't making trouble, and A Mei isn't ignorant of her place. A Mei just didn't want you to face danger alone. Even if there is danger, A Mei wanted to face it with you."
"A Mei didn't mean to make you angry, husband. Please don't be angry with A Mei."
An Sheng stood perfectly still and silent. He looked down at A Mei, his gaze gradually growing somber, his deep eyes unusually serious, as if he could see straight into her heart.
An Sheng's eyes held emotions A Mei couldn't decipher. She blushed, feeling ashamed of her tears, a belated sense of embarrassment washing over her.
Finally, A Mei swallowed, as if searching for a way to back down: "Husband, I... I won't go. A Mei didn't know you didn't want me to come. A Mei won't go."
The room fell into silence.
If one observed closely, the corner of An Sheng's eye twitched slightly, a clear sign he had reached his limit.
Suddenly, a distinct ripple of amusement appeared in An Sheng's eyes, and his tone softened considerably: "Good, good, good!"
"Truly a fine wife Godfather picked for me."
Seeing An Sheng's entire demeanor change from before, A Mei was momentarily dumbfounded, unsure how to react.
An Sheng casually took off his overcoat and tossed it onto a nearby clothes stand, revealing his eunuch's uniform with its dark patterns on a red background.
As he undid his buttons, he looked at the confused A Mei: "What are you standing there dumbly for? Come to bed."
A Mei uttered an "Oh," hurried to the bedside, reached out to take the clothes An Sheng had removed, hung them up properly, and then climbed into bed.
The two of them lay down side by side.
An Sheng suddenly spoke, his voice taking on a sharper edge: "I didn't climb to my position today by heaven's grace, nor solely by His Majesty's favor. I got here by daring to risk my life to seize, to snatch, to exchange."
"To catch His Majesty's eye, you have to prove you have what it takes. This trip is crucial for me."
A Mei understood and softly murmured an acknowledgment.
"It's not that I can't protect you. But as a eunuch, if you go out with me, the gossip and slander you'd face would be endless. You're young and thin-skinned; you couldn't bear it."
The environment An Sheng grew up in had long since molded him into a ruthless and harsh person. He never imagined a day would come when such words would leave his mouth.
In some ways, this stemmed from An Sheng's almost pathological possessiveness.
In An Sheng's mind, A Mei had already become his person. And An Sheng naturally protected what was his.
A Mei understood. Her crystal-clear eyes shone as she replied: "To A Mei, husband is the best husband in the world. A Mei isn't afraid of any gossip or slander."
Her words pleased An Sheng. He reached out and stroked the black hair on A Mei's head: "Good. Worthy of being An Sheng's wife. In that case, I'll take you along."
A Mei, unsettled by An Sheng's mercurial and unpredictable moods, felt insecure. She shrank back timidly, feeling wronged and unable to hold back a complaint: "When A Mei said she wanted to go with you, husband scolded me. When I said I wouldn't go, husband says he'll take me. In husband's eyes, what exactly does A Mei count for?"
Feeling upset, A Mei simply turned over, presenting her back to An Sheng.
An Sheng raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that this girl's courage was indeed growing. His thin voice held a trace of imperceptible helplessness: "So now you're blaming me? I never noticed before how eloquent you could be."
A Mei remained silent, sulking.
An Sheng remembered how timid and shrinking A Mei had been at first, and looked at this current display of petulance, feeling a vague headache coming on.
But A Mei's aggrieved appearance did soften An Sheng's heart a little. He didn't know how ordinary couples interacted. He thought for a moment, then reached out and pulled the A Mei who had turned her back to him into his embrace. Thanks to A Mei's restless sleeping habits, the two had grown accustomed to sleeping in each other's arms. An Sheng, mindful of his pride, adopted a deliberately stern tone: "I am the husband, you are the wife. The wife follows the husband's lead. What I say naturally goes. As long as you listen to me properly, I will naturally treat you well!"
A Mei nestled in An Sheng's arms, breathing in his pleasant scent. She took a deep breath, her tone laced with a newfound dependence. "Then you mustn't be harsh with me anymore, husband."
An Sheng recalled that his tone during the day had indeed been too severe. A Mei was young, and being in public, she naturally couldn't bear it. Yet, upon reflection, he had said far worse things to her in the past. A ripple of emotion stirred within him.
Finally, he asked, "Does your foot still hurt?"
Remembering how An Sheng, despite his anger, had still arranged a carriage to take her home during the day, A Mei felt a wave of relief. "It doesn't hurt anymore."
An Sheng gave a soft hum in response, his voice tinged with weariness. "We must return to the palace before the hour of Yin. Sleep now."
A Mei calculated the time in her heart; from now until Yin hour was at most only about two hours. She sighed inwardly at her husband's hardship and immediately lay still, obediently drifting off to sleep.
