As she spoke, A Mei cast a light, fleeting glance at Tan Yanzhi, who was still arguing with An Sheng, then walked slowly to An Sheng’s side.
At that moment, An Sheng stood firmly in the main seat, hands clasped behind his back, his face dark and gloomy. His gaze landed on A Mei’s delicate face, and the tightness in his expression was just beginning to ease when he saw A Mei deliberately wink at him.
An Sheng immediately understood and kept his stern look.
The next moment, a soft, small hand brushed over An Sheng’s chest, smoothing it up and down.
Inside the tent, everyone saw the imperial commissioner’s wife pressing close to her husband with a look of concern, soothing him, and then speaking in a voice neither too loud nor too soft, laced with a coquettish complaint: “Hmph, when my husband and I parted earlier, his expression was perfectly calm. Now he looks so furious and frightening—which blind fool dares to anger my husband?”
As she spoke, A Mei raised her eyes, a faint ruthlessness sweeping over the crowd. She lifted her chin, her tone growing sharper, her words full of reproach: “Don’t you all know my husband is the emperor’s personally appointed imperial commissioner, burdened with a heavy responsibility? This journey is long and arduous. If you exhaust him and make him collapse, who among you could take his place as imperial commissioner?”
A Mei stretched out her hand and pointed at each person one by one, mimicking An Sheng’s usual arrogant demeanor, her tone dripping with undisguised sarcasm: “You, you, or you? Hah, do you dare?”
“You dump this hot potato—no one in the entire court dares to take—onto my husband. Don’t you have any idea? Now that my husband is here to support you, be your backbone, and shoulder your responsibilities, you’d better listen to him. You’ve read books for so many years, but it’s all gone to waste—stupid beyond belief!”
Tan Yanzhi, who was truly trembling with anger at An Sheng: …
Everyone present: …
An Sheng, suppressing the slight twitch at the corner of his eyes: …
The crowd couldn’t help but mutter to themselves: The rumors were absolutely true—this wife of An Sheng, the Commander of the Inner Factory, was indeed a formidable character! Her skill at twisting the truth and turning black into white was truly... well, in a word, it was a perfect match of husband and wife!
The entire tent fell into a deathly silence.
Finally, An Sheng stretched out an arm and pulled A Mei close. With his other hand, he clenched his fist over his mouth to hide the smile threatening to break through, then let out a low cough. His voice, which had been cold and sinister moments before, suddenly turned low and gentle, tinged with care:
“My lady must be hungry. It’s all my fault for not arranging things earlier. What does my lady wish to eat? Tell me, and I’ll have the servants prepare it at once. I promise to satisfy my lady.”
At these words, everyone present was stunned, their jaws practically hitting the floor. It was truly shocking and unnerving to hear such a blatantly placating tone come from the notoriously vicious, arrogant, and ruthless Commander of the Inner Factory—now the imperial commissioner!
Turning to look at the imperial commissioner’s wife, they saw her casting a sideways glance at Lord An. Her young, pretty face radiated a confident, willful charm as she began counting on her fingers: “I want the braised pork from Yunxiang Lou, the eight-treasure duck, the snowflake cheese from Yue Lai Ge, the crispy fried pork, and the roast chicken from Fu De Zhai.”
At this, everyone’s eyes in the tent once again fixed on Lord An’s face.
An Sheng: …
His face turned a little green, and the corners of his eyes twitched. He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on, and said, “My lady, this…”
A Mei blinked, acting as if no one else were there: “Didn’t you say to tell you what I want to eat?”
An Sheng put on a stern face again, his dark, menacing gaze sweeping over the curious and intrigued onlookers, making them quickly lower their heads and look away. Slowly, he spoke, but his tone was full of indescribable indulgence and affection: “My lady, give me a little face in front of outsiders at least. I really can’t get those dishes for you right now at this hour.”
A Mei shot An Sheng a petulant glare: “Then why say so much? We’re out on the road—why be picky? We’ll eat whatever’s available. It’s already this late, and you must not have eaten either. Let me have a meal with you.”
An Sheng raised an eyebrow, half-carrying, half-guiding A Mei as she sat down: “Yes, yes, yes. Whatever my lady says is right.”
With that, he tossed a subtle glance to the side, and Wu Da slipped out quietly without a sound.
A Mei slowly sat down, raised her eyes to look at the people standing before her, and smiled softly. Her voice was crisp, as if she were warmly playing the hostess: “Do you gentlemen wish to join my husband and me for a meal?”
Everyone gave a start.
“No, no, no! This official has business to attend to. I won’t disturb Lord An and Madam An. This official takes his leave!”
“Right, right, right! This official also has matters to deal with!”
“This official ate too much this morning and isn’t hungry. This official bids you farewell!”
…
Soon, only A Mei and An Sheng remained inside the tent.
A Mei let out a deep breath. She lifted her face, beaming at An Sheng with a brilliant smile. Her eyes sparkled with playful light, and she chirped happily, “So, so, how was it? Darling, did I do well?”
An Sheng sat close beside A Mei, reaching out to pull her into his arm. He leaned down and gently kissed her cheek, his dark eyes filled with radiance, the corners of his mouth rising high: “My lady performed wonderfully. I’m extremely pleased!”
As if that weren’t enough, he cupped her chin and planted a light, fleeting kiss on her lips, pulling away almost instantly. Before A Mei could react, he kissed her cheek again.
Caught off guard, A Mei’s face flushed red, the blush spreading visibly across her skin. The enchanting look she wore made An Sheng’s gaze darken slightly.
“Oh, darling, stop kissing, stop kissing. Someone might bring food in soon!” A Mei’s cheeks burned, and she couldn’t help covering her face with both hands. Her bright eyes curved into crescents as she cast a sideways glance at An Sheng, biting her lips with a shy smile.
An Sheng’s heart felt warm, and his mood soared.
Suddenly, A Mei pouted, furrowed her brows, and gave him a coquettish look, speaking in a soft, plaintive tone: “Darling, you told me before to act spoiled and fierce in front of others, even toward you. Toward outsiders, that’s fine. But I like you so much. If this goes on, won’t everyone think I’m some shrew who bullies my husband?”
“I obviously like you the most, listen to you the most, and am the best-behaved! It would be so embarrassing for others to think that way. I’d never actually be mean to you or bully you!”
An Sheng’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
He watched A Mei’s half-playful, half-pouting demeanor, her face carrying a mix of grievance, confusion, and pitiful expression, and his breath hitched. At that moment, he felt an intense itch in his heart, longing to pull her into his arms and thoroughly tease her.
But how could he bear to actually bully her? He raised a hand and gently ruffled the top of her head, as if petting a small animal, smiling tenderly. He explained softly: “My lady, I don’t want this either. But don’t forget—take, for example, the two women that official named Song sent to our residence last time, or the empress’s attempt to gift me several maidservants. If we hadn’t put on this act, letting the outside world see you as a strong, possessive wife, there are some people and matters I simply couldn’t refuse.”
“Do you understand now? If you act all obedient, generous, and sensible in front of others, then next time the Emperor gifts me a woman, what do you think we should do—accept or refuse?”
A Mei blinked, her expression turning serious, and immediately said, “No, we can’t accept!”
An Sheng gently tapped the tip of A Mei’s nose. “There you go.”
A Mei nodded firmly. “I understand in my heart, I was just grumbling a little to you, my husband. Don’t worry, from now on, I’ll be fiercer, more domineering, and do my best to bully you, so the Emperor or anyone else won’t have a chance to send you a woman!”
An Sheng: …
An Sheng raised an eyebrow. That didn’t sound quite right somehow…
Just then, the servants brought in the meal.
Remembering that A Mei had said she was hungry, An Sheng picked up the chopsticks and dishes himself to serve her.
But A Mei put down her chopsticks, stopped eating, turned to stare at An Sheng, and pouted angrily. “Husband, let me ask you—if the Emperor really does gift you a woman, would you bring her to our mansion? And if you did, how would you arrange things?”
An Sheng’s brow twitched, and without a moment’s thought, he declared confidently, “Nonsense. What’s all this about bringing her or arranging things? I would never let such a thing happen.”
Sure enough, at those words, A Mei’s face immediately brightened. She gave An Sheng a sweet smile, looking adorable and gentle. “I knew you were the best to me, husband.”
“Come, husband, don’t just keep piling food on my plate—let me serve you too.”
“Husband, this looks nice—try some.”
“Husband, eat more meat.”
“Husband, hurry up and eat.”
An Sheng: …
