An Sheng said there was no rush, and truly, he was in no hurry at all. The imperial envoy's procession advanced in fits and starts, stopping frequently along the way. A journey that should have taken half a month stretched into over a month, until the winter clothes on A Mei grew gradually lighter. Only then did the procession finally near Lindong.
Lindong, Prince Anchang's residence.
No one knew what had been discussed up to that point, but Prince Anchang sat at the head of the hall with a grim expression, uttering not a single word.
Flanking him on both sides stood his most trusted advisors, their faces equally grave, as if bracing for a formidable enemy.
Among them, the eldest-looking man, standing at the very front with a slightly hunched back, hair as white as a crane's feathers, and a wispy white beard, stroked his whiskers and spoke: "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you shall never be defeated. We already have full knowledge of the officials sent by the court this time—none of them are of any concern. But as for the Commissioner of the Inner Factory, from what this old minister has learned, this man An Sheng is cunning and deceitful, harboring a grudge over every small matter, insatiably greedy, and bloodthirsty by nature—a truly difficult opponent! Moreover, having risen from the lowly position of a eunuch to earn the favor of both the late emperor and the current sovereign, one can see how deep his scheming runs. Now he is not only the imperially appointed envoy but also holds the key post of Commissioner of the Inner Factory. With such power at his disposal, we absolutely must not underestimate him. We must proceed with the utmost caution and never let him get his hands on any evidence or leverage!"
The moment these words fell, Prince Anchang's expression turned even darker. He suddenly slammed his palm hard onto the table made of fine golden-silk nanmu wood beside him: "Hmph! To send a filthy, despicable eunuch to investigate me—I am his own imperial uncle! How dare he show me such disrespect! If my brother the late emperor had not passed and the crown prince had not been deposed, this man wouldn't even be worthy of polishing my shoes!"
Prince Anchang's words were a veiled attack aimed directly at Emperor Chengde, the current sovereign.
Having breezed through most of his life without a hitch, Prince Anchang had long lorded over Lindong as a lawless tyrant, a veritable local emperor. He could hardly stomach such insult now.
Such frank speech was a blatant affront to imperial authority, and the room fell into dead silence.
It was the white-bearded old man who furrowed his brow and spoke up to soothe him: "Your Highness, each dynasty has its own ministers. It would be best not to speak such words in the future."
Prince Anchang was so angry his face had flushed crimson, his chest heaving violently. But in the end, he softened his tone toward the old man: "I was merely venting in a moment of rage. Rest assured, Old Zou, I know what I'm doing!"
Old Zou, whose full name was Zou Minghuang, had been specially chosen by Prince Anchang's father, the emperor at the time, to serve as his young tutor in his childhood. Now that Prince Anchang was approaching fifty, Zou Minghuang had remained by his side for decades, holding the weight of both teacher and father in Prince Anchang's heart.
Old Zou nodded with satisfaction: "Then this old minister is relieved."
But Prince Anchang still had a belly full of fire. His tone was impatient as he ground his teeth: "I have entrenched myself in Lindong for years, never interfering with the court, and the court has never interfered with me. When my brother was alive, he never once meddled in Lindong's affairs. But this nephew of mine—how long has he been on the throne before he can no longer tolerate me? Hmph, since he calls me his imperial uncle, I shall be magnanimous this once and grant this so-called envoy of his a measure of courtesy!"
"As the saying goes, a mighty dragon cannot suppress a local serpent. I am the sky of Lindong! What is this but a dead official filing a complaint before the emperor? A fabrication! I refuse to believe that this An Sheng can turn things upside down on my turf!"
At that, one of the officials eagerly chimed in with flattery: "Rest assured, Your Highness! From the moment we received word, everyone from top to bottom sprang into action without a moment's delay and has already set everything in order. Now we merely await the arrival of the envoy's procession. Whatever comes, we'll deal with it. Even if this Lord An had divine abilities, he won't find a thing!"
Another added: "Exactly! Lindong is wealthy. Isn't this Lord An fond of gold and women? Then we'll drown him in jewels, silver, and beauties! And as for that wife of his—ha! Never mind her—even if an imperial consort stepped into our Lindong's Ruibao Pavilion, she'd be dazzled by what she sees!"
Prince Anchang's lips curled upward, and his expression finally relaxed a fraction. With confidence, he said: "Good."
"Husband, is there any famous place in Lindong?" A Mei, utterly bored, sat beside An Sheng, watching him write.
An Sheng pondered for a moment, then wrote down a few names on the paper.
"Ruibao Pavilion." A Mei stared at the last three words he'd written, reading them out loud with curiosity.
An Sheng hummed in acknowledgment.
A Mei blinked curiously, then blinked again, unable to resist asking him: "Husband, is there something special about the Ruibao Pavilion?"
An Sheng set down his brush and ink, reached out, and gently tapped the tip of A Mei's nose. His voice soft, he explained: "Nothing particularly special, really. You asked which places were famous, and the Ruibao Pavilion is no small establishment. Besides, I think my lady would quite enjoy it there."
This confused A Mei even more. She had been seated beside An Sheng, but upon seeing him set down his brush, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, using the hold to pull herself up, then plopped herself down onto his lap.
An Sheng looped an arm around her, drawing her securely into his embrace.
From within his arms came her soft, crisp voice, tinged with confusion: "Enjoy it? What exactly do you mean by that, husband?"
An Sheng explained unhurriedly: "Patience, my lady. Let me tell you slowly. Lindong has always been a land of prosperity since ancient times—mountains of gold, seas of silver, and ores piled high as peaks. When Prince Anchang came here, he launched large-scale mining operations, and now the Prince Anchang's residence is practically built on gold and silver mountains. However, by law, the mineral resources of a fief are subject to revenue-sharing with the court, with the larger portion owed to the imperial government. But the late emperor was so indulgent with his youngest brother that he never took a single coin from him—not even later, when the imperial treasury was depleted, did he ever set his sights on Lindong's wealth."
Hearing this, A Mei suddenly felt a pang of stinginess, and couldn't help mumbling: "When you say the imperial treasury was depleted, husband, are you talking about that time after we were married when we followed Lord Cui out to resolve the tax revenue problem?"
An Sheng's eyes curved into a gentle smile, and he praised her: "My lady is very clever. That's exactly the time."
A Mei pouted, and after thinking for a moment, she said indignantly: "Back then, we risked our very lives to collect that silver, and all the gold, jewels, and treasures we later sent back to the capital ended up in the late emperor's private vault. We barely kept anything for ourselves! But him—'so vast is the earth under heaven, all of it belongs to the king.' Why couldn't they just take silver from his little brother's stash?"
The more she thought about it, the more it pained her. So many fine things, all individually inspected by her own hand through exhausting work—though it made her sound a bit greedy and small-minded to admit it, the thought still stung terribly.
An Sheng saw through A Mei's little grievance at a glance, and couldn't help pressing a hand to his forehead with a low chuckle: "Oh, my lady! At the time, I had no choice—I had to hand it over. But afterwards, didn't I gradually fill up our own manor's storehouses? You manage the household now, and you know best the size of our fortune. By now, you ought to be able to look upon those past treasures without much envy."
A Mei shot him a glare with her eyebrows raised, casting a sidelong glance at An Sheng, and said with complete confidence, “How could I not fancy it? There’s no such thing as having too much of a good thing.”
An Sheng: ...
An Sheng suddenly felt at a loss for words. The world might call him greedy and obsessed with profit, but it turned out his own wife was just as honestly blunt.
A Mei reached out and poked An Sheng’s chest. “Husband, you still haven’t told me about Ruibao Pavilion!”
An Sheng took hold of the little hand on his chest, lifted it to his lips, and placed a gentle kiss on it. “When high-quality gemstones and jade are mined in abundance, that’s how Ruibao Pavilion came to be. It’s the largest jewelry and adornment shop in Lindong, with everything you could imagine, and it’s quite vast in scale. It belongs to Prince Anchang.”
Sure enough, the moment she heard “jewelry shop,” A Mei’s eyes lit up, sparkling with excitement. She sighed, “This Prince Anchang really is loaded.”
After that sigh, A Mei smiled with pursed lips and cast a coy glance at An Sheng. “No wonder you said I’d like it.”
Then she rolled her eyes, and grinning at An Sheng while showing her little fang, she gave a snort, as if she had already transferred all her anger over losing her jewelry and gold onto that Prince Anchang.
An Sheng raised an eyebrow, and saw A Mei’s face now flushed with excitement, looking like she was raring to go. She even declared to him with utmost sincerity, “Husband, don’t worry, you don’t even have to teach me. Since this Prince Anchang is so wealthy, I won’t hold back.”
An Sheng: ...
A Mei lifted her chin, looking smugly at An Sheng with a little expression that said, “Praise me, praise me.”
After a long moment, An Sheng twitched the corner of his mouth. “If that’s how my wife thinks, our household is most gratified. Good girl.”
