When An Sheng mentioned pocket money, A Mei was instantly dumbfounded. Having been married into the An family for so long, she had truly never imagined that her husband would ever have an empty wallet or find himself tight on money.
She blinked, and blinked again, finally opening her mouth in hesitation, "Husband, you are actually short of money? I thought... I thought you never lacked money to spend."
An Sheng's eyes were full of doting affection. He spoke helplessly, "It's true that we have money, but when I used to work in the palace, how could I carry so much silver on me all the time? When I was on duty, aside from my monthly salary, the rest of my wealth and properties were always kept by my godfather. Later, my godfather gave the responsibility of managing the household to you. Now, apart from the salary issued by the imperial court, I have no spare cash on hand."
A Mei was a little curious. "Then how much is your salary now, Husband?"
"Fifteen taels."
A Mei asked, "Fifteen taels of gold?"
"No, silver."
A Mei's eyes widened instantly. If An Sheng hadn't been holding her down, she definitely would have jumped up. Then, she repeated in unbelievable astonishment, "Ah, fifteen taels of silver!?"
An Sheng was amused by A Mei's shocked appearance. His narrow eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of his lips curled up. "What, you think it's too little? True, this salary really isn't as much as the tributes and rewards I used to receive back in the palace."
A Mei looked honest and innocent. "This... this fifteen taels is actually quite a lot. For an ordinary commoner's family, they couldn't even spend it all in a year. But now, in our An Manor, let alone the daily purchases and the servants' monthly allowances, just the routine maintenance of the garden alone costs more than that."
"Then what about all the wealth you constantly have people send home for me to record and put into the storehouse?"
An Sheng's expression shifted slightly, and without hiding anything, he explained slowly, "Those riches come from many sources. Some are from the confiscations carried out by the Inner Depot, some are tributes from those begging for my leniency, and even more is simply blood money paid openly or in secret to buy people's lives."
Hearing her husband say this so suddenly, A Mei didn't know what to say for a moment. She stared blankly with her small mouth agape. After a good while, she swallowed and asked, "Then... then does His Majesty know about all this?"
An Sheng curled his lips into a cold smile, uttering words that were thought-provoking. "As for His Majesty, he naturally knows what he should know, and knows what he wants to know."
A Mei truly didn't understand this. A trace of confusion and worry flashed through her watery eyes.
Looking at his little wife's ignorant and innocent appearance, a soft spot was touched deep in An Sheng's heart. He softened his tone, lowered his head to peck A Mei's slightly parted, rosy little lips, and coaxed, "Don't worry. Since His Majesty placed me in this position and gave me such power, he will naturally turn a blind eye to many things. Besides, I have exerted effort, killed people, and borne the infamy for His Majesty. Naturally, he will tacitly approve, and it is only right that I get my due share."
Since An Sheng had explained it so thoroughly, A Mei nodded. "Mhm, I mostly understand now. In short, whatever you take is what you deserve, Husband."
Then, A Mei wore a look of adoration and trust. "In my heart, whatever you do is right! You are truly the most, most amazing person!"
Seeing A Mei's delighted and admiring little expression toward him, An Sheng felt both proud and gratified. He pinched A Mei's little nose and directly revealed his heart, "I now have such a lovely wife to support, and I want to grow old in love with you. Naturally, I must work harder. Therefore, I cannot die, nor can I lose my power. Do you understand, A Mei?"
A Mei naturally understood. Deeply moved, she nodded heavily.
But getting back to the main topic, A Mei frowned slightly, her watery eyes staring at An Sheng full of heartache and self-blame. "Oh dear, Husband, then why didn't you say so earlier? It's also my fault. Ever since marrying you, I've grown so used to relying on you that I never even considered the possibility of you being short of silver."
An Sheng's eyes were filled with tenderness. With pity and love, he planted another kiss on A Mei's forehead and coaxed, "I was just teasing you. I hardly ever need to use silver when I'm out. If there's a major expense, I'll naturally order a servant to return to the manor and fetch it. I just want to trouble my wife to prepare some spare cash for me to carry around, just in case of unexpected needs."
A Mei nodded like a chick pecking at rice. "Mhm, I will prepare it for you in a little while, Husband."
Her hair was almost dry. An Sheng fetched some clothes from the clothes rack. He untied the robe wrapped around A Mei's body, revealing her smooth and tender figure. His gaze fell upon the mottled love marks scattered across her body, and his throat instantly tightened. Suppressing the clamor in his heart, he personally attended to dressing A Mei.
"Will you do my makeup for me, Husband? I want to go out and stroll around with you today. I heard there are grand markets and temple fairs from the first to the fifteenth day of the lunar month."
An Sheng skillfully took out A Mei's cosmetics box and raised his eyebrows slightly. "You want to go to Fayin Temple in the south of the city?"
A Mei blinked her sparkling eyes. "Mhm, I want to go offer incense and pray for blessings with you."
An Sheng sneered, his eyes revealing disdain. "Hmph, what's there to worship about those bald donkeys? It's better to rely on oneself than on others. Having struggled and fought my way up for so many years, I've never believed in such things."
A Mei pouted her little mouth and whined softly, "I don't care whether you believe it or not, Husband, but I want to pray for our family. Husband, I want to go."
An Sheng immediately agreed, coaxing her while applying her makeup, "Alright, alright, we'll go. Since my wife wants to go, we will go."
A Mei instantly beamed with joy. "You're the best, Husband."
Once she was dressed and her makeup was done, An Sheng put his arm around A Mei and led her out the door. The two of them talked slowly as they walked toward the main hall.
The faint sound of firecrackers could be heard from outside. Perhaps an auspicious hour had just passed, as the noise of the firecrackers suddenly grew louder, rising and falling in succession. From the sound of it, firecrackers were even being set off in the front courtyard. An Sheng chuckled dryly, a flash of impatience in his eyes. "This racket is really giving me a headache."
A Mei shot An Sheng a reproachful look and said daintily, "Husband, it's the New Year. Setting off firecrackers to liven things up is wonderful. I think you're the only one who finds it noisy."
An Sheng immediately dropped his impatient look, his expression softening. "In the past, I never thought a lively atmosphere was a good thing. But now, since my wife likes it lively, I no longer find it noisy."
This seemingly simple and casual sentence fell upon A Mei's ears, making her heart ripple with tender affection and sweetness like a pool of spring water. Her entire being felt incredibly relaxed. Her crystal-clear eyes blinked as she gazed at An Sheng, the love and attachment in them shining as brightly as stars, instantly illuminating the depths of An Sheng's heart.
Their eyes met, and An Sheng's breath hitched. Then, he raised an eyebrow slightly, his lips curling into a gentle smile as he said knowingly, "Look at you, still blaming me for always pestering you and bullying you. If you didn't constantly entice me like this, your eyes clearly signaling for me to kiss and hold you, how could I always lose control?"
These words made A Mei freeze for a moment. When she realized what he meant, she stamped her foot in shy indignation. Her face flushed slightly, and she finally glared at An Sheng playfully. "Husband!"
As she spoke, she reached out to pinch An Sheng's waist.
An Sheng dodged to the side, deliberately teasing her as he evaded, "Look at you, I hit the nail on the head, didn't I? Are you lashing out from embarrassment?"
A Mei's face flushed a deep crimson. She immediately planted her hands on her hips. "Alright then! You did that on purpose, Husband. Just wait and see how I deal with you today!"
With that, she lifted her skirts and dashed after An Sheng. For a while, the two of them chased each other, laughing and playfully squabbling.
Such a scene not only left the passing servants with their jaws on the floor, but even Xiao Zhengzi and Wu Da, who had been by An Sheng's side for so many years, stood absolutely dumbfounded, their faces etched with sheer disbelief.
...
