Slap!
Tan Yanzhi slammed a dossier down on the table in front of An Sheng. Immediately afterward, he clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His chest heaved rapidly, and the muscles on his face, which was feigning calmness, twitched faintly. There was no trace of the previous calmness and maturity left in him.
Wu Da, who stood behind An Sheng, stepped forward immediately and roared, "How dare you be disrespectful to the imperial envoy! You have a lot of nerve!"
Saying this, he was about to take action.
An Sheng raised his eyebrows and waved his hand backward. Wu Da understood at once and quietly retreated behind An Sheng.
An Sheng stared at Tan Yanzhi's angry look, his eyes flickering slightly. He curled his lips, looking calm with no trace of emotion in his eyes. He seemed a bit surprised by Tan Yanzhi's audacity. He looked up at Tan Yanzhi and said casually, "Lord Tan, what does this mean?"
Tan Yanzhi's voice was firm and full of anger. "Lord An! Regarding this case of someone appealing to the emperor, are you really satisfied with the conclusion of this case?"
An Sheng lowered his eyes and glanced at the dossier, then let out a disdainful laugh, looking completely unconcerned. "Oh, this case. Isn't it already closed? I don't see anything wrong with it."
Tan Yanzhi was so angered by An Sheng's arrogant, aloof, and cold - blooded attitude that he almost wanted to curse. But his upbringing stopped him from doing so. He gritted his teeth, his words full of disappointment and unwillingness. "Lord An, a court official died unjustly, and the official's family member also lost their life while appealing to the emperor. Even a three - year - old child can understand the situation. But as soon as they throw out a scapegoat, everything is settled in your eyes!"
"You are an imperial envoy, highly trusted by His Majesty. You should plead for the people and share His Majesty's worries. But since you came to Lindong, your actions have been truly chilling and disgraceful! Although I am a low - ranking official, the truth will prevail. I don't believe there is no justice!"
These words were extremely harsh.
An Sheng narrowed his slender eyes slightly and let out a sneering laugh in a strange tone.
"Low - ranking official? You're being modest, Lord Tan. If you were truly a low - ranking official, without the backing of Grand Secretary Tan, your grandfather, you wouldn't even be qualified to come to Lindong, let alone slap the table in front of me now."
As he spoke, An Sheng's smile remained unchanged, but the light in his eyes was as cold as frost, and his tone was full of sarcasm. "Talking to me about justice and truth. Well, those who know you know you work in the Ministry of Personnel. Those who don't know might think you work in Minister Cui's Ministry of Justice. I think you've got a lot of guts to come here and slap the table in front of me. Do you know that the last official who was disrespectful to me ended up with his head chopped off! Well, this time, I'll spare you out of respect for Grand Secretary Tan. If there's a next time, I won't be lenient!"
Saying this, An Sheng didn't even look at Tan Yanzhi, whose face had turned ashen. He waved his hand casually and said impatiently, "The case is solved, and the murderer has committed suicide. We just need to report the situation back to the capital and complete our mission. Get out of here quickly!"
"You!" Tan Yanzhi was so angry that he trembled all over, and his face was almost distorted with rage.
"Let's go, Lord Tan!" Wu Da showed an obvious gesture of seeing off a guest.
Finally, reason prevailed. Tan Yanzhi suppressed his anger, flung his sleeve angrily, and followed Wu Da out.
As soon as Tan Yanzhi left, A Mei walked slowly out of the inner room, holding a plate of grapes.
She held the plate in one hand and picked a plump grape with the other, then popped it into her mouth. Her cheeks bulged as she chewed. While munching, she couldn't help but comment, "Unexpectedly, Lord Tan can't tolerate any injustice."
Saying this, A Mei picked another grape. She walked a few steps to An Sheng's side, put the plate on the table, and then plopped down on An Sheng's lap. She held the grape to An Sheng's lips, her watery eyes blinking as she stared at An Sheng. "Husband, have a taste. It's so sweet."
An Sheng stretched out his arm and gently wrapped it around A Mei's waist. He changed his previous harsh and cold attitude and immediately smiled warmly. He opened his mouth and bit the grape that was at his lips.
"Mm, it's really sweet."
A Mei suddenly asked curiously, "Is Lord Tan going to report you to the emperor when he gets back to the capital?"
An Sheng let out a sneering laugh. His black eyes became even deeper, full of a knowing look. He said slowly, "Are we afraid of his report? Lord Tan is really young. The officialdom is deep and treacherous. He still needs more experience."
A Mei let out a puff of laughter and gave An Sheng a reproachful look. "You're saying he's young, as if you're so much older."
An Sheng raised his eyebrows, tilted his chin slightly, and the corner of his lips curled up in a self - satisfied arc. "I've really gone through a lot over the years. He's just a young master from an official family, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. How much hardship could he have endured? Even if he had one - tenth of my experience, he wouldn't have acted so impulsively today."
An Sheng said this casually, but it made A Mei's heart ache with pity.
Sitting in An Sheng's arms, she wrapped her hands around his waist, buried her face in his chest, and couldn't help but say, "Husband, you've had such a hard time before. Usually, I don't think about it, but whenever I do, my heart aches so much."
"I'll take good care of you, love you, and accompany you from now on. I'll stay with you until we're old."
An Sheng didn't say a word. He just hugged A Mei tightly. The tremors in his chest caused by her words were more powerful than a thousand words.
In the Prince Anchang's Mansion.
There were only Prince Anchang and Old Qiu in the large study.
Prince Anchang pointed at a landmark on the map, his eyes shining. "Teacher, you're saying that there are a lot of bandits in this area."
Old Qiu's cloudy eyes showed a hidden meaning that both he and Prince Anchang understood when they met the prince's gaze. He nodded. "Yes."
Prince Anchang narrowed his eyes, his eyes showing a fierce look. Then he said uncertainly, "This place is already more than a hundred miles outside the Lindong area. It's indeed a good place, but it doesn't seem to be on their way back."
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I have a plan." Old Qiu pointed at a place and said, "This place is on their way back. But Your Highness may not know that every early spring, there is continuous rain here, and the official road is extremely muddy. With natural disasters and man - made troubles, if they want to travel normally, they have to change the route."
A glint of light flashed in Prince Anchang's eyes. "You mean..."
"Yes. If they take a detour, they can only go this way." Old Qiu stroked his beard and smiled mysteriously. "What we should do now is to treat the imperial envoy well. As soon as the rainy season arrives there, we should send the imperial envoy back as early as possible."
Prince Anchang sneered, showing a look of contempt. Then he showed a fierce look in his eyes and said arrogantly, "What a great imperial envoy and Commissioner of the Inner Factory! So what if you flatter and curry favor with my imperial nephew? Since you dared to come to Lindong to throw your weight around, I'll make sure you never return!"
