The people from the magistrate's office didn't come; instead, the one who arrived was...
Vice Minister Liang froze for a moment, then nearly jumped out of his chair. With trembling hands, he pointed at the butler, his face filled with panic. "Say that again! Who is outside?"
The butler was shaking even more violently than Vice Minister Liang. Trembling and looking terrified, he stuttered, "Master, it's... it's Commander An of the Inner Depot!"
That living Yama! Vice Minister Liang shuddered inwardly. He forced down his unease and feigned composure. "What is the Inner Depot doing at my residence? Quick, invite him to the main hall! No, I will go and welcome him personally!"
An Sheng led a large entourage grandly into the Liang residence.
Vice Minister Liang faced him as if confronting a formidable enemy, stepping forward with fear and trepidation.
"Lord An, your presence graces my humble abode! Please forgive me for not going out further to welcome you!"
An Sheng smiled at Vice Minister Liang with profound meaning and said bluntly, "Lord Liang, I heard that a precious item was stolen from your noble residence. As soon as I heard this, I thought, 'How can this be tolerated?' I simply had to see which master thief was so audacious as to steal from the estate of a court official."
Vice Minister Liang: ...
Vice Minister Liang offered an awkward, apologetic smile and said cautiously, "No, no, no, Lord An, it's just a trifling matter. How could I dare to trouble you with it!"
Having said that, Vice Minister Liang shot a vicious glare at the butler beside him. His eyes clearly asked, 'I told you to report this to the Ministry of Justice, so how did you end up bringing the living Yama of the Inner Depot here?!'
The butler was just as bewildered. He had indeed gone to the magistrate's office. As for why the people from the Inner Depot showed up instead, how was he supposed to know?
Vice Minister Liang ushered An Sheng into the main hall and seated him in the position of honor. An Sheng leaned lazily against the grand armchair, his narrow eyes slightly raised. He slowly reached out, picked up the teacup in front of him, and took a light sip.
Then, he slowly raised his gaze. His dark eyes shifted slightly, curving into the faint semblance of a smile, and he said casually:
"Alright, bring everyone over. I will help you interrogate them."
Naturally, Vice Minister Liang wanted to refuse. He carefully and respectfully replied, "To answer Lord An, reporting this matter to the authorities was actually just a childish joke. It's really nothing. Thinking about it now, I was making a mountain out of a molehill. I truly cannot bear to have you worry and tire yourself over this!"
An Sheng let out a huff of laughter and cast a glance over that was almost bloodthirsty in its coldness, revealing an impatient expression:
"What, is Lord Liang unable to understand my words?"
Vice Minister Liang immediately fell as silent as a winter cicada.
In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, a commotion could be heard outside. Before anyone even entered the main hall, Liang Baoyu's excited and urgent voice drifted into the room.
"Father, Father! My jade pendant was stolen by Zhu Adou! Everyone saw it. He's been guarding his pouch this whole time, looking extremely guilty. It must be in there!"
"Liang Baoyu, you're spouting nonsense! When did I look guilty? I was just too shocked! You know perfectly well what you did!"
Douzi's crisp scolding followed right after, reaching everyone's ears. Inside the room, An Sheng raised his eyebrows slightly, a rare flash of surprise passing through his eyes.
As soon as he finished speaking, several children, along with Wu Da, Concubine Xue, and the rest of the Liang household, entered the main hall.
Douzi looked up, and his gaze landed directly on An Sheng, who was sitting right in front. His eyes instantly widened!
The next moment.
Ignoring everything else, Douzi sprinted forward. Under the bizarrely silent stares of the Liang household, he ran straight up to An Sheng. His mouth pouted, his little eyes turned red, and he looked just like a stubborn child who had been bullied outside and suddenly saw his family—he looked incredibly wronged!
He burst out crying with a loud wail!
"Waaah! Brother-in-law! They are framing me!"
An Sheng looked steadily at Douzi for a moment, thinking to himself that this child really took after his sister. This aggrieved, crying little face was carved from the exact same mold as A Mei. Loving the house and its crow, An Sheng shed his gloomy expression and his face softened. He reached out and patted Douzi's little shoulders, which were trembling from his sobs. "Alright, why is a little man crying? Come stand by your brother-in-law's side and watch me seek justice for you."
Douzi: "Waaah... Oh, Douzi will listen to Brother-in-law."
Brother-in-law?
Brother-in-law!
Vice Minister Liang: !
The Liang household: !
As soon as the words "brother-in-law" left Douzi's mouth, Vice Minister Liang felt as if the sky was falling and the earth was caving in. In a flash of lightning, he suddenly understood why Commander An had personally come to the Liang residence. If he had known earlier that Zhu Adou's brother-in-law was An Sheng, let alone losing a jade pendant, even if he had lost his entire family fortune, he wouldn't have dared to utter a single word of complaint! This An Sheng was famously petty, sinister, and ruthless. If one offended him, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Vice Minister Liang's face instantly flushed red as he tried to salvage the situation. "So this young gentleman is Lord An's brother-in-law! This... this must be some kind of misunderstanding. Yes, absolutely a misunderstanding!"
An Sheng raised an eyebrow and looked at Vice Minister Liang beside him, a faint, mocking smile on his lips. "Is that so? You've already reported it to the authorities, so how has it become a misunderstanding? Didn't your noble residence lose a precious item?"
Vice Minister Liang immediately shouted, "It wasn't lost! It wasn't lost! Our Liang residence hasn't lost anything!"
"Father, what are you saying? My jade pendant is clearly missing, and that pendant is right now in Zhu Adou's pouch!"
Liang Baoyu, not understanding the situation, couldn't help but speak up loudly.
Vice Minister Liang glared fiercely at his youngest son. "What nonsense are you spouting? I have already found that jade pendant for you; it was never lost!"
Liang Baoyu's eyes widened, his expression filled with shock and doubt, and he muttered, "But..."
Vice Minister Liang barked, "No buts! Shut your mouth right now! Concubine Xue!"
Concubine Xue, standing to the side, jolted and immediately caught on. She coaxed Liang Baoyu, saying, "Good boy, your father found your jade pendant for you. It isn't lost, it really isn't lost."
Liang Baoyu was used to being spoiled and refused to let it go. "Mother, what are you talking about? My jade pendant is clearly in his pouch!"
Vice Minister Liang's heart immediately pounded like a drum, and his face turned beet red. "You bastard, shut your mouth!"
An Sheng narrowed his slender eyes slightly, then turned his head to look at Douzi. "Douzi, since the young master of Vice Minister Liang's household is so certain that you stole his jade pendant and that it's in your pouch, tell your brother-in-law, is this true?"
Douzi first shook his head, then nodded indignantly. He simply reached out, took the pouch off his waist, slowly opened it, and said, "Brother-in-law, what kind of treasures do we not have in our home? I have so many jade pendants that you and Sister A Mei have given me that I can't even count them all. Why would I take his broken jade pendant? I only saw this Xue Baoyu once today, and at that time, he deliberately bumped into me. The next time we met, he insisted that I stole his jade pendant."
As he spoke, Douzi took the jade pendant out of the pouch, bringing it into everyone's line of sight.
"Brother-in-law, I also just found out that this jade pendant was in my pouch."
"Brother-in-law, how do you think this jade pendant ended up in my pouch?"
"Oh, so that's how it is," An Sheng said softly, the corners of his mouth pulling into a playful curve. Then, his gaze met the bloodless face of Vice Minister Liang.
"Vice Minister Liang, how do you think this jade pendant ended up in my little brother-in-law's pouch?" An Sheng repeated Douzi's words, his tone carrying a strange, somewhat twisted inflection.
An Sheng's gaze was direct, crisp, and completely unconcealed. The bone-chilling coldness in it weighed down so heavily that one couldn't even lift their head, and his knife-like glare almost scraped Vice Minister Liang's bones to the point of pain.
Vice Minister Liang looked as if he had been struck by lightning. Finally, he trembled and spoke, "It must be my ignorant young son who deliberately sneaked the jade pendant into Young Master Adou's pouch to frame him."
An Sheng curled the corners of his lips.
Panic flashed across Liang Baoyu's face. He couldn't help but glance at Concubine Xue, then immediately gritted his teeth, determined not to admit it even if beaten to death.
"Father, I didn't!"
Vice Minister Liang glared fiercely at this usually favored youngest son. "Still denying it! You are clearly the thief crying 'catch the thief'! Hurry over here and apologize to Young Master Adou!"
Liang Baoyu still didn't know the gravity of the situation. He believed he had acted flawlessly. Without any evidence, why was his father so certain it was him? "No, Father, on what grounds are you saying it was me!"
Vice Minister Liang felt his heart twitching with pain; he was so angry his chest hurt. "How could it not be you! Do you think everyone cares about your broken jade pendant? Young Master Adou has everything he could ever want; why would he covet your things! Not to mention he wouldn't care for it, but even if he did, he wouldn't need you to give it to him—I, your father, would personally deliver it into Young Master Adou's hands!"
Liang Baoyu immediately began to cry and shout.
Vice Minister Liang steeled his heart, knowing he had to give Commander An an explanation for this matter, otherwise, his entire family's lives would be over. He suddenly slapped Concubine Xue, who was standing to the side, fiercely across the face.
"A doting mother makes a ruined son. Look at the fine son you've raised! He takes after your petty nature. If word gets out, it will truly ruin the reputation of my Liang Manor. Men, send Concubine Xue and Liang Baoyu to the estate outside the city. Hire the strictest tutors and discipline matrons to go with them. Watch them closely and discipline them well. They are not allowed to return to the manor for five years!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of the two children standing nearby, Douzi and Xue Baojing, immediately lit up!
...
A Mei took a nap, and just as she opened her eyes again, a muffled clap of thunder sounded, startling her so much she abruptly sat up.
"Awake?" A low, gentle voice drifted over from behind her, seemingly carrying a hint of a smile.
A Mei turned her head and found An Sheng sitting by the bed. She didn't know how long he had been sitting there, but he was looking at her with deep, dark eyes.
"When did you return to the manor, Husband?" A Mei asked, her face revealing her joy as she threw off the covers and reached out to An Sheng for a hug like a spoiled child.
An Sheng reached out and pulled her warm, soft body into his embrace, his voice low and gentle. "I had some matters to attend to today and went out. Seeing the bad weather on the way back, I came straight home."
"How did it suddenly start raining in such a short time? The sky is so gloomy, anyone who didn't know better would think it's night. By the way, didn't Douzi go to a friend's house early this morning to deliver a birthday gift? Has he returned?"
"He's back, but there was a little interlude."
"A little interlude?" A Mei blinked, her face full of confusion.
An Sheng then detailed the events at the Liang Manor today to A Mei.
Hearing this made A Mei frown deeply.
Finally, A Mei said, "We naturally know Douzi's character, but as for the Liang Manor, did they ultimately believe it or not?"
An Sheng scoffed. "What does it matter if they believe it or not? Douzi is pure by nature, but it's time he understood a little more."
"There isn't that much absolute truth and falsehood, or fairness and justice in this world. Today, I merely planted a seed of power in Douzi's heart, which will only benefit him in the future without causing any harm."
"Husband, Douzi is truly so lucky to have you as his brother-in-law." Seeing her husband so considerate of Douzi, A Mei felt deeply moved. She couldn't help but reach out to wrap her arms around An Sheng's neck, pouting her little lips to ask for a kiss.
An Sheng's heart softened, and he lowered his head to place a kiss on her lips.
The words he spoke next were cruel yet real:
"Douzi is still young, and his days ahead are long. While I am alive, I can naturally protect him, but if I were to die, he would only have himself to rely on."
