It was already the middle of the night.
An Sheng looked somewhat exhausted. Seeing A'mei's preoccupied expression, he simply pulled her into his arms and guided her toward the bed.
"Alright, stop overthinking. It's late, let's go to sleep."
A'mei gave a muffled sound of agreement, obediently following An Sheng to the bedside, and naturally reached out to untie his waistband.
She first took off An Sheng's outer robe, then her own. Once both were in their inner garments, A'mei lifted the edge of the quilt and slipped smoothly into the bed, scooting inward to leave room for An Sheng.
An Sheng lay down beside her, wrapping a long arm around her to pull her into his embrace. His large hand gently stroked her arm through the thin fabric, and he lowered his head to drop a soothing kiss on her forehead, coaxing softly:
"Go to sleep, it's late."
A'mei hummed in agreement, but barely two breaths later, she whispered, "I can't sleep."
An Sheng raised an eyebrow. "Does my wife want me to serve her? However, I'm a bit tired right now. I truly lack the energy tonight, so please be understanding."
A'mei rolled her eyes at him and let out a coquettish whine, "Husband~"
Then she pouted, saying unhappily, "I'm just thinking about what happened today."
An Sheng twitched his lips and sighed slightly. "What is there to think about? The lives lost today mean absolutely nothing to me. If we really count, far more have died by my hands. If hearing about it makes you uncomfortable, I simply won't tell you these things in the future."
Hearing An Sheng say this, A'mei pursed her lips, rolled out of his embrace, and immediately sat up.
An Sheng looked up, his gaze meeting A'mei's serious and earnest little face.
Their eyes met. A'mei glared with her watery eyes and said indignantly, "Husband, I'm not overthinking because you killed people. I understand that you were only following His Majesty's will, so what does it have to do with you! I am just sighing over the fact that, regardless of who was right or wrong in this matter, Consort Yun was already pregnant. His Majesty surely knows whether the Head Imperial Physician's words were true or false, yet he still executed Consort Yun. Whether the child belonged to His Majesty or Prince Yu, His Majesty was so heartless as to leave no way out. That is what terrifies me."
As she spoke, A'mei looked at An Sheng, her still somewhat girlish and tender face showing a rare, deep worry and apprehension:
"Husband, it is fine now while His Majesty still has use for you. But if there comes a day when we lose power, he will surely be just as ruthless to us."
For A'mei to say such words, even An Sheng showed surprise.
An Sheng felt a sense of gratification in his heart; his little wife was growing up more and more.
He pulled A'mei back into his arms, burying his face in her slender, soft neck. He took a deep breath of her sweet fragrance and then dropped a few scattered, light kisses by her ear.
Then he coaxed softly, "Don't be afraid. Accompanying a sovereign is like accompanying a tiger; I have understood this truth very clearly for a long time. Rest assured, A'mei, your husband is no longer a servant who can be slaughtered and bullied at will. It is true that I rely on imperial power, but I have my hands in too many things now. His Majesty gives me power, and I return benefits to him. Power and benefits have always been intricately intertwined, where pulling a single thread moves the whole body. If that day truly comes, even if His Majesty really wants to kill me, he will have to carefully weigh the consequences."
As he finished speaking, An Sheng hooked his lips into a malicious smile. In the depths of his ink-black eyes lay a cruel gloom and a bloodthirsty excitement.
Hearing her husband say this, A'mei's heart suddenly cleared. She nuzzled affectionately in An Sheng's embrace, her tone no longer as depressed as before: "Mhm, what you say makes a lot of sense, Husband. I won't overthink it anymore."
A'mei found a comfortable position in An Sheng's arms. With her worries gone, drowsiness immediately surged up. Suppressing a small yawn, she mumbled all her thoughts out at once: "I really was thinking too much. Anyway, when I first married you, you told me that you were fighting for a future in the palace, and if you failed, our whole family would die a terrible death. I love you, Husband, and I've long been prepared to live and die together with you. So what is the point of thinking about all this now? Naturally, it's better to just be loving and happy with you, living day by day."
An Sheng: ......
After a moment of silence.
An Sheng's expression was not very good. He couldn't help but rub his forehead. Hearing A'mei's words, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was true that he had said that in the beginning, but their circumstances back then were completely different from now.
An Sheng admitted that he was sometimes arrogant, but he genuinely had real skills. No, he had fought for power and influence, struggling hard to climb to his current position of supreme authority; he could not let his wife continue having such unconfident thoughts.
He had to have a proper talk with A'mei.
"No, A'mei..."
"A'mei?"
The only answer he received was the adorable and amusing sound of soft snoring from the person in his arms...
