Eunuch Li returned to the palace to report.
“Your Majesty, Lord An has expressed his gratitude and accepted the reward. He specifically asked me to convey that he feels unworthy of Your Majesty’s generous favor for taking leave and being unable to share Your Majesty’s burdens. He said that within three days at most, he will return to court and serve Your Majesty once more.”
Emperor Chengde raised his eyelids slightly. His originally indifferent expression softened, and a sense of relief filled his heart. He then cast a cold glance at Eunuch Li and asked, “And how is Lady An?”
Eunuch Li promptly replied, “Your Majesty, the court physician has already taken Lady An’s pulse and prescribed a remedy. I heard the physician say that Lady An is naturally delicate, and last night, cold evil invaded her body, combined with a fright, which caused her sudden illness. Although it will take some care to regulate her health, it is not a difficult or strange ailment. He is fully confident in handling it. Please rest assured, Your Majesty. The physician’s skills are excellent, and Lady An is still young. Her body will recover quickly with proper care. She should be well before long.”
Emperor Chengde nodded. “Send word to the Imperial Hospital: all medicinal herbs for Lady An are to be provided by the hospital, decocted daily and delivered to the An residence. Use only the finest herbs. If anything is lacking, inform the Ministry of Revenue and the Provincial Administration Commission to handle it.”
“Your servant obeys the decree.”
---
“Wow, husband, are all these gifts from the emperor for me?”
Amei held a box of eastern pearls, marveling at each one—plump, round, translucent, and gleaming. She picked one up to examine it, then put it down and picked another, her eyes sparkling with delight. Her brows curved like crescent moons, and she smiled, revealing a row of pearly white teeth.
Amei’s greedy yet satisfied little expression greatly pleased Ansheng. Sitting by the bedside, he looked at her with utter indulgence.
“If it pleases my wife, that’s all that matters.”
Amei finally shifted her gaze from the box of pearls to Ansheng’s face. Beaming, she looked at him and spoke softly, her voice carrying an indescribable pride and cockiness. “It’s all because of my husband’s ability. I know in my heart that the emperor granted these gifts because of you. Husband, you’re truly incredible. Ever since I married you, arriving at this point today, I really have you to thank for all this fortune.”
Ansheng curled his lips, a hint of delight stirring within him, and said, “Listen to you. We are husband and wife, one in body and soul, sharing honor and disgrace, sailing the same boat. Why talk about owing thanks?”
Amei nodded vigorously, adopting a serious expression. “Yes, and we share joys and hardships together!”
Ansheng laughed out loud, his eyes filled with tender affection, and sighed, “Oh, you.”
With that, he stretched out his arm, intending to pull Amei, who was kneeling on the bed, into his embrace.
But just as her soft form was about to fall into his arms, Amei twisted nimbly, slipping free from his arm. She then poured the eastern pearls onto the bedspread, her eyes glittering as she muttered coyly, “Oh, husband, don’t hold me just yet. I want to count how many pearls His Majesty gave us.”
Ansheng’s arms hung empty. He raised an eyebrow, silent, and said nothing.
Amei, without lifting her head, knelt on the bed and began counting.
“One, two, three… twenty-six, twenty-seven… thirty-two! Oh my heavens, husband, His Majesty is so generous. He gave us thirty-two such large eastern pearls!”
With that, Amei, still secretly delighted, gathered the pearls back into the box and instinctively shoved the box under the covers.
Ansheng stared at her movements, his brow shooting up, a bad feeling forming in his heart. He could only say helplessly, “My wife isn’t planning to sleep with that box again, is she?”
Amei’s bright, watery eyes blinked, a hint of embarrassment coloring her face. She chuckled sheepishly at him, “They’re still fresh and warm in my hands. I just want to cherish them a little longer.”
Ansheng: …
His face faintly took on a greenish tinge, and the veins on his forehead twitched slightly. He opened his arms and said in a calm tone, his emotions hard to read, “Come here, Amei. Come over this way.”
Amei put the box away, her heart sweet, and immediately threw herself into Ansheng’s arms.
Ansheng held her tightly, sighing helplessly as he coaxed, “Amei, you’re never still when you sleep. If you put a box under the covers, it’ll press into you and make you uncomfortable. A restless night would break my heart. Besides, I’m holding you as we sleep, and you want to hug a box? What, is this box dearer to you than your husband?” By the end, he was whispering in her ear, his warm, rising tone tinged with an oddly charming seduction. “Halfway through the night, you often wrap your whole body around me, wanting kisses and hugs. Sometimes you even tug my hand to certain places. If I don’t satisfy you, you start murmuring and cooing in your sleep. So, are you sure you still want to sleep with that box?”
At her husband’s sudden words, Amei’s face blushed bright red—no, her whole body turned crimson, like a shrimp scalded by boiling water.
She was both shy and flustered, with an incredulous shock. She opened her mouth and stammered, “I—do I really do that? Husband, you’re making that up.” Amei felt utterly mortified. If what her husband said was true, she seemed far too eager.
But Ansheng remained calm, as if stating an undeniable fact. “Whether it’s made up or not, I know best in my heart. Don’t be shy, my good Amei. It’s just an intimate, private matter between husband and wife. Nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Amei blinked, now convinced by Ansheng’s words. She lay obediently in his arms, her moist eyes glancing away in embarrassment. Subconsciously, she put her finger to her mouth, biting it, and mumbled with some shame, “What you said, husband, it makes me feel so awkward.”
Ansheng curled his lips into a mischievous smile. “Why are you still so thin-skinned with me? How about I recount some more details for you?”
Amei covered her face. “Oh, don’t, don’t say anymore. Husband, you’d better take this box and put it away. Let’s stop talking about this.”
Ansheng’s eyes suddenly sparkled like a galaxy, the corners of his mouth lifting uncontrollably. “Good, that’s a good girl.”
“Husband, maybe we should get up and go out.”
“Get up? By now, the whole world knows our lady is ill and bedridden. I, your husband, am by your side, tending to you day and night without rest.”
“My lady, if we’re going to play this part, we have to see it through. These few days, we’ll stay in the bedchamber and go nowhere.”
Amei blinked. “But wouldn’t staying in the bedchamber all day be so boring?”
Ansheng raised an eyebrow, his dark, unfathomable eyes fixed on Amei’s naive and innocent gaze. A meaningful smile playing on his lips, he said slowly, “With your husband here, how could you be bored? Isn’t there plenty for us—husband and wife—to do that isn’t boring?”
Amei: …
Amei opened her little mouth and finally managed to speak, “Husband, although that’s true, still, we can’t indulge too much in carnal desires.”
With that, she shot Ansheng a mix of flirtatious and shy glare, and said petulantly, “Husband cannot always bully Amei like this.”
Ansheng raised his brow deeply.
Suddenly, he let out a low laugh, his whole chest trembling gently.
Then he gently poked A Mei's forehead with his finger, his face full of affection. "Oh, my precious little one, what’s going on in that little head of yours? What I meant by 'not boring' is that we can chat, practice calligraphy, read books, or go over the accounts. If you want to hear a story, I can read you a tale from a book. And if there’s really nothing to do, we can just eat and drink. Come now, my lady, my darling, tell me—what were you just thinking about?"
A Mei was stunned for a moment, then suddenly grabbed the quilt, flung it over her face, and burrowed deep inside the bedcovers. No matter how An Sheng coaxed and pleaded, she simply refused to come out…
