Last night, Princess Anchang suddenly suffered from chest bi syndrome, causing a great commotion in the prince's mansion throughout the night.
When An Sheng and A Mei got the news, they hadn't gotten out of bed yet. They had been too exhausted from last night's activities and were cuddling in bed for a nap.
A Mei nestled in An Sheng's arms in a comfortable position. Staring at the note in An Sheng's hand, she first frowned slightly, then blinked once, and then twice. Looking innocent and naive, she showed no awareness of being the culprit at all. "Chest bi syndrome? No way. This Princess Anchang is so petty. There are countless jewelry and ornaments in Ruibao Pavilion. Although I took quite a few, it shouldn't make her so heart - broken, right?"
An Sheng let out a soft snort, lowered his head, and gently kissed her between the eyebrows. His eyes were full of indulgent smiles. Following A Mei's words, he said, "Exactly. Although my wife has a unique eye and picked out most of the best treasures in Ruibao Pavilion, as a princess, how could she be so stingy about these worldly possessions?"
A Mei burst into laughter. She gave An Sheng a coquettish sideways glance and said in a soft, coquettish voice, "Oh, I don't know why. Since I married my husband, my face has gotten thicker and thicker. I don't even feel guilty when doing bad things."
There was a natural smile in An Sheng's eyes, but the words he said carried a cruel domineering. "That's right. If we don't be bad people, we'll only be bullied. Whoever dares to bully my wife, I'll take his life!"
These words sounded both domineering and sweet to A Mei. She responded in a delicate voice, "Yes, whatever my husband says is right."
As she said this, she actively stretched out her arms, hooked An Sheng's neck, raised her head, pursed her lips, and her big, watery eyes were full of attachment. She stared at An Sheng without blinking, gently bit her lower lip, and nudged her chin, making an implicit and silent request for a kiss.
Her charming appearance made An Sheng's heart feel warm and soft. The corners of his lips couldn't help but turn up with a gentle smile. His voice was slow as he deliberately pretended to be obtuse. "Madam, is there something wrong with your mouth? Come, let me take a look."
A Mei let out a coquettish hum of complaint. Her eyes were still as bright as stars, and her whole body exuded love for her husband without any concealment. "Humph, I just want my husband to kiss me again."
An Sheng lowered his head contentedly and kissed her small lips again and again.
When Princess Anchang fell ill, the most worried ones were not Prince Anchang, who had many concubines, but Princess Anchang's children.
Since last night, the princess's courtyard had been trampled on repeatedly by her sons, illegitimate sons, daughters - in - law, and grandchildren. Early this morning, even her two married daughters and their husbands had rushed back to take care of her after hearing the news.
Fortunately, with timely treatment, the chest bi syndrome was not life - threatening. After the doctor confirmed that she was out of danger, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
Prince Anchang's expression was relatively calm. He waved his hand at the room full of children and grandchildren and said in a solemn voice, "Alright, you've all been busy all night. Go back and rest quickly. Your mother needs to rest in peace. Don't make any noise. I'll stay here to accompany her."
Prince Anchang always had the final say. Soon, the people in the room left in twos and threes.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, Prince Anchang frowned and his face changed from kind to cold. He scolded the princess harshly, "Look at you. You sent the gift and then got sick right away. You're a princess. Do you still care about those things? Now, if An Sheng finds out that you got sick because you were heart - broken about giving those things to his wife, you've made me lose face!"
Princess Anchang felt quite aggrieved and couldn't help but retort, "Your Highness, what do you mean by 'those things'? Do you know how shameless and greedy Madam An is? I said I'd give her the things I liked. I originally thought she'd take one or two at most. But she had the nerve to take all the things she liked and even registered them. There were dozens of precious items! When she left, she even told me that she'd come again when there were new products in Ruibao Pavilion. She treated us like easy - going fools. Her familiar and ugly behavior shows that she's used to it. I really don't know how many families she's harmed. I've lived most of my life and have never seen such a shameless and unruly official's wife."
The more Princess Anchang talked, the angrier she got. Her eyes showed disgust and contempt. "Your Highness, I really can't get along with that greedy Madam An. In my opinion, it's okay not to make friends with her. Even if this imperial envoy is very powerful, he's just a eunuch. So what if he's married? It's just a nominal marriage and they have no children. She's just a nominal wife of a eunuch. She's just bullying others by relying on his power. Well, can she really influence a eunuch in bed? She's not worth fearing at all!"
Prince Anchang was so angry that he laughed. "It's really a woman's opinion. You seem to have a point, but why don't you think about it? As the wife of a eunuch, how can she follow the rules and etiquette of noble ladies? Don't care about what she does in private. Eunuchs are inherently sensitive and inferior. The more they lack something, the more they care about it. His wife is his face. Now, His Majesty has an unfriendly attitude towards our Lindong. At such a crucial time, I told you to treat her well, so just do it. Humph, if you cause such a thing again, I won't rely on you anymore. I'll hand over all external affairs to Consort Hu!"
These words made Princess Anchang feel dizzy. For a moment, she had to swallow her anger and soften her attitude. "I was being short - sighted for a moment, Your Highness. Please don't be angry. Now I understand. Please rest assured, Your Highness. I'll definitely treat Madam An well."
Prince Anchang snorted. "It'd better be so."
Then he flicked his sleeves and left!
An Sheng had only one requirement for all his subordinate officials on this trip, which was to accept all the feasts and gifts offered to them.
In the officialdom of Lindong, officials of all ranks tried their best to cater to him and were extremely enthusiastic.
Not only did the imperial envoy and his wife receive gifts like crazy, but even the most inconspicuous accompanying junior officials were also well - rewarded. People couldn't help but sigh again and again that Lindong was really a wealthy place.
Whether those who gave the gifts were worried or not, the officials who received them were worried. There were just too many gifts. It was shocking. If they didn't accept them, the imperial envoy had given the order to accept everything. But if they accepted them, these gifts in their hands were really a hot potato!
These officials got together and discussed. In particular, Tan Yanzhi, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, proposed that they should hand over some of the gifts they received to Lord An.
However, Zhou Yujun was the first one to disagree with Tan Yanzhi's suggestion of handing over all the gifts.
"Why should I? We're all officials in the court. We're on a mission together. It's an unwritten rule for lower - level officials to offer tributes. Moreover, his share is already the largest. It's the first time in my life that I've received so many tributes. It's impossible for me to hand them all over. Not a chance!"
Zhou Yujun's situation in the Ministry of Rites was rather dull. Not only had he never received any bribes, but even his monthly official salary wasn't enough to buy a feast at the Chasing Wind Tower. At home, although he enjoyed the best food, clothing and daily necessities, his mother, the Grand Princess, was afraid that he would develop bad character. Despite doting on him, she was extremely strict about his spending.
Now that he had finally tasted the feeling of having plenty of money at his disposal and being able to do whatever he wanted, he would never hand it all over even if he was beaten to death.
Tan Yanzhi, standing beside him, had a dark look on his face. He couldn't help but scold him, "You're at least a court official, and also a noble descendant and a relative of the royal family. How can you be so good - for - nothing!"
Zhou Yujun rolled his eyes and said matter - of - factly, with a touch of shamelessness, "I've always been good - for - nothing. You, on the other hand, are really promising. You've been appointed as the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Personnel at such a young age, with a bright future ahead. In contrast, this low - ranking position of a Langzhong in the Ministry of Rites was only given to me by my imperial grandfather at my mother's plea. Since we've come to this, you guys don't like money, but I do. Since someone has given it to me, it's mine. No one should stop me!"
Tan Yanzhi: …
Everyone: …
