When A Mei woke up in the morning, An Sheng was already gone from beside her, as if he had never been there last night.
A Mei thought about how her husband had made a point of coming home last night. Although he hadn't said much, A Mei understood that he still cared for her. With the rift between them gone, her heart felt at ease, and her whole demeanor brightened.
Meanwhile, back at the palace, An Sheng returned to his quarters with a grim expression. Soon, the sound of a shattered cup came from within his room.
The young eunuchs attending outside nudged each other, none daring to enter and clean up the mess.
"Oh dear, Lord An is in a terrible rage right now. We wouldn't dare risk crossing him!"
"Exactly! That Minister Cui, really, how could he speak so bluntly? No wonder Lord An is furious!"
"Thankfully, His Majesty was considerate and didn't heed Minister Cui's words..." ...
It all started at the morning court session. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue had gotten into another argument over military pay.
This soon escalated into a one-sided confrontation by the entire court against the Ministry of Revenue.
The root cause was the Ministry's failure to collect sufficient revenue, leaving the imperial treasury depleted and causing all these troubles.
The Minister of Revenue, Lord Su, broke down in tears right there in the grand hall. He was having a hard time too! In previous years of favorable weather, the court's annual tax revenue could reach around twenty million taels of silver. But this year, several provinces in the south suffered from floods and waterlogging in the first half of the year. Not only were the land taxes uncollectable, but the major revenues from salt and customs taxes had also only yielded fifty percent. All told, they had only collected eight million taels so far!
Lord Su was more anxious than anyone about the shortfall. With the northern war intensifying, the Ministry of Revenue couldn't produce the funds. Not only was the Emperor enraged, but everyone in the court was suffering, and now they were all targeting his Ministry. He felt more wronged than Dou E ever was.
The Emperor sat on the dragon throne with a dark countenance. As the supreme ruler, he understood better than anyone that corruption among officials was a common plague throughout history. For the sake of balance, he had turned a blind eye in the past. But this year was different. With frequent conflicts in the north, war consumed national strength and wealth. That these corrupt officials dared to act this way now filled the Emperor with a hatred so deep he wished he could slice the guilty gentry and officials a thousand times to vent his fury!
"This subject has a matter to report!"
"The discrepancy in this year's tax silver revenue is truly incomprehensible. This subject implores Your Majesty to order a strict investigation and verification. If treacherous individuals are obstructing matters, the stability of the state is at risk!"
...
In the end, the Emperor appointed Minister Cui Gudao as Imperial Commissioner to thoroughly investigate the tax collection issues. He also specially permitted the eunuch An Sheng to accompany the Commissioner to assist in the investigation.
Minister Cui immediately accepted the assignment but argued that Lord An was an inner palace attendant, unfamiliar with court affairs, holding no official post or authority, and that his assistance would not command respect.
In short, the implication was that An Sheng, as a eunuch, was neither qualified nor fit to represent the Son of Heaven in this mission alongside him.
This...
His Majesty ultimately rejected Minister Cui's argument. He additionally bestowed a squad of imperial guards to follow An Sheng's orders. Outsiders said the grudge between the two men was now firmly set.
Creak. The tightly shut door opened.
The young eunuchs waiting outside immediately fell silent, trembling as they stood to the side.
An Sheng walked out with a sullen expression, his sharp gaze sweeping over them. Suddenly, he let out a scornful laugh, his smile seeming to carry a venomous edge:
"For this trip, I'll take two of you. Any volunteers?"
As soon as he spoke, the group immediately knelt on the ground, trembling, none daring to make a sound. It was clear no one wanted to go.
An Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, his smile not reaching them. "Xiao Liuzi, how about you?"
The eunuch on the far left immediately kowtowed, his voice quivering. "This slave is deeply grateful that Lord An remembers me. But... these past few days, my headaches have been acting up. I only find relief by taking medicine daily. I truly fear that going along would not only mean poor service to you, Lord, but might even hold you back."
"Oh, is that so? What a pity then." An Sheng scoffed inwardly. No wonder even the official from the Censorate, whom His Majesty had preliminarily chosen the other day, suddenly took to his bed pleading illness. Even these lowly servants knew this assignment was a poisoned chalice.
Squinting his eyes, An Sheng thought about how this hot potato was now something no one dared to catch. He recalled the Emperor's grim expression and felt a faint thrill of excitement. This... was getting interesting.
Thinking this, An Sheng gave a cold laugh and arbitrarily assigned two eunuchs. Meaningfully, he added, "Accompanying me out of the palace on this assignment could be considered your good fortune. Where is that palace maid sent from the Empress's palace last time?"
"Replying to you, Lord, that maid, Hehua, is currently in the Laundry Service."
An Sheng snorted. "My wife needs someone to attend to her. We'll take her along."
...
A Mei was sunning herself in the courtyard with her godfather when she heard movement at the gate. It was An Sheng returning.
"Leaving so soon?" A Mei's mouth opened slightly in surprise.
An Sheng raised an eyebrow, sounding displeased. "Who dares delay an assignment for His Majesty? If I didn't have to fetch you, I'd already be on the road!"
Hearing this, A Mei, forgetting her astonishment, immediately made to run and pack their belongings.
It was An Gui who stopped her with a low cough. "What's the rush? Let Sheng'er come inside first. Your father and Little Bean haven't met Sheng'er yet."
A Mei quickly nodded. Before she could call for them, her father and Little Bean, hearing the commotion, came out of the house.
A Mei's father was seeing his son-in-law for the first time and felt somewhat awkward.
Little Bean, however, threw himself into his sister's arms, peeking out and blinking his eyes at An Sheng, curious and a little excited. "Sister, is this my brother-in-law?"
An Sheng, who had been wearing a stern expression, was taken aback. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Yes. Come on, Little Bean, call him brother-in-law." A Mei's face flushed slightly. She pressed her lips together and nodded emphatically.
Little Bean's eyes lit up. He called out, "Brother-in-law!"
A flicker of some unreadable emotion passed through An Sheng's eyes. He lowered his gaze to look at Little Bean, then gave a noncommittal "Hmph" in response.
"Quite a clever child. Here, I grant this to you." An Sheng casually took off the jade pendant hanging from his waist and handed it to Little Bean.
A Mei, standing beside them, immediately waved her hands, murmuring timidly, "Husband, that's too valuable. Little Bean is still young, he might break it later."
An Sheng snorted, his expression dismissive. "It's just a trinket. Since he's my brother-in-law, what does it matter if he breaks one a day for fun!"
A Mei didn't know what to say. Thinking of her father behind her, she grew a bit nervous, wringing her hands. She glanced back at her father and introduced softly, "Father, this is my husband."
A Mei's father looked uncomfortable. He gave a dry laugh. "Son-in-law."
An Sheng's expression wasn't particularly warm. He glanced down at A Mei, who was looking down and wringing her hands, and acknowledged with a flat tone, though he still addressed him, "Father-in-law."
Without the usual pleasantries between in-laws, the atmosphere became somewhat cold and awkward.
A Mei's father felt apprehensive and didn't dare look at An Sheng too much. After a moment's thought, he gritted his teeth and said, "Worthy son-in-law, I entrust A Mei to you. This child has had a hard life since she was young. She's inexperienced and not particularly clever. In the future, if she angers you in any way, please don't hold it against her."
Ansheng's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he scoffed, thinking to himself that this girl was getting more and more clever. His pitch-black eyes gazed thoughtfully at A Mei as he said slowly, "Rest assured, father-in-law. A Mei is part of our family. As long as she is obedient, our family will naturally protect her well."
A Mei listened as her father and husband spoke about her, feeling both shy and anxious. When she looked up, she met Ansheng's dark eyes, which held a hint of a mocking smile.
Under his gaze, A Mei grew somewhat flustered. She stammered, "Husband, I... I'll go and pack. We need to depart soon."
Then she scurried away in a flash.
