An Sheng and A Mei stepped down from their sedan chair. The lakeside had long since been prepared, with attendants waiting to receive them.
The moment news spread that the imperial envoy would be taking a cruise on the lake, people had been assigned to clear the area and maintain order.
The two were dressed in ordinary clothes. At first glance, they were utterly unremarkable, like any commonplace married couple. Yet the scale of the arrangements made by An Sheng's subordinates was impossible to ignore, lavish and extravagant in every respect.
It was early spring, when the weather was beginning to warm but the chill still lingered. Afraid that A Mei might catch cold, An Sheng carefully fastened a cloak around her shoulders before taking her hand and leading her aboard the largest pleasure boat.
There was one thing about Lindong that An Sheng had not exaggerated: it truly was a place of exceptional beauty, blessed with verdant mountains and clear waters. Standing on the deck, A Mei nestled against An Sheng's chest and gazed out at the rippling water and the picturesque scenery beyond. She felt utterly at ease.
Her good mood lasted only until Prince Anchang arrived with Princess Anchang and a troupe of young dancing girls.
Perhaps because An Sheng had taken on the matter of the “beauty hidden in a golden house” last time, Prince Anchang had sneered to himself. Men were lustful, after all. Even a eunuch could not escape such earthly desires. It was merely that his principal wife was too fierce and jealous; so long as he could keep it from her, would he not still take women into his bed in private?
At the thought, Prince Anchang's eyes flashed with contempt and disgust. Then a calculating gleam appeared in them. He and Princess Anchang, who had always loathed A Mei, came to an immediate understanding.
Thus, today's little arrangement had come to be.
With his beloved wife in his arms, An Sheng had been thoroughly enjoying himself. Now, with their mood so thoroughly spoiled, he ground his teeth. Still, he could not openly fall out with Prince Anchang. He gave A Mei's arm a soothing pat, drew her close, and said to Prince Anchang with a smile that did not reach his eyes, “Since Your Highness and the Princess have honored us with your unexpected presence, I naturally welcome you most warmly.”
The opera performance that had originally been arranged had to be replaced by the song-and-dance entertainment the prince had brought with him. After several rounds of wine, An Sheng's interest had waned. He exchanged official pleasantries with Prince Anchang, responding only half-heartedly.
At that moment, Prince Anchang gave Princess Anchang a meaningful look.
Taking the hint, Princess Anchang turned to A Mei with a beaming smile. “Madam An, several lovely new pieces arrived at Ruibao Pavilion yesterday. The moment I saw them, I knew you would surely like them, so I brought them along. It is rather noisy here. Come, let us go to the cabin next door, where it is quieter. You can take a look and see whether they suit your fancy.”
A Mei had been enjoying the dance. At this, her eyes brightened, and she immediately smiled at the princess. “How thoughtful of Your Highness.”
Then A Mei turned to An Sheng, blinked at him, and said softly, “Husband, I shall go with the Princess and return shortly.”
An Sheng gave a quiet sound of assent.
Once the two women had left with the maids and older serving women attending them, Prince Anchang immediately pointed toward the woman dancing in the center of the floor. With a suggestive smile, he asked An Sheng, “Lord An, what do you think of the lead dancer?”
An Sheng raised his brows and looked. Then he cast Prince Anchang an indifferent glance, his eyes dark as ink.
Prince Anchang continued, “She is my adopted daughter, just sixteen years of age. Not only can she sing and dance, but she is also accomplished in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Should Lord An take a liking to her, I will give this adopted daughter to you as a concubine...”
As they were speaking, the woman Prince Anchang had mentioned approached with graceful, dainty steps. She bowed to An Sheng in greeting, her gaze fixed on him with eyes full of allure. She looked utterly delicate and captivating.
An Sheng narrowed his long, slender eyes and stared at her for a moment. His gaze grew darker and more unreadable.
Prince Anchang thought he saw an opportunity and immediately gave the woman a meaningful look.
A faint blush crept up the woman's cheeks. Then, as if boneless, she knelt beside An Sheng's feet, lifted a cup of wine, and lowered her eyes coquettishly.
“This little girl offers Lord An a toast~”
An Sheng's lips curved slightly, but instead of accepting the wine, he lazily leaned back against his chair. Looking down at the woman from above, his eyes were cold and indifferent. Yet his gloomy voice carried a strange hint of interest, and a malicious intent that had not surfaced in a long time flowed through his eyes.
“She is indeed somewhat attractive. What a pity, what a pity.”
“What a pity?” Prince Anchang could not understand him at all. He asked suspiciously, “Lord An, what do you mean?”
“It is a pity that I am not blessed enough to enjoy her company.”
A flash of disdain and contempt crossed Prince Anchang's eyes, but he merely said, “Lord An, it's only a woman.”
An Sheng's expression remained indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger. He spoke leisurely.
“With my wife here, aren't you obviously trying to make trouble for me, Prince?”
Prince Anchang did not care in the slightest. He teased with a laugh, “As an important court official, Lord An, surely you can't let a woman walk all over you.”
An Sheng suddenly sighed, his tone seeming to carry a trace of helplessness.
“Prince, you mustn't underestimate my wife. Ah, to be honest, His Majesty once intended to bestow several palace maids upon me. Somehow, my wife heard about it and gave me quite a scolding. Not only did she force His Majesty to withdraw the decree, she even made me lose a great deal of face in front of my fellow officials.”
Prince Anchang's eyes widened in disbelief.
“There was actually such a thing!?”
An Sheng cast him a sidelong glance and said darkly, “Don't believe me? Then go ahead and try. But let me make this clear first: if you anger my wife, you will have to answer for it on my behalf.”
Prince Anchang: “…”
“However…” An Sheng abruptly changed course. A flicker passed through his eyes, and his lips curved into a sinister smile as he spoke with chilling malice. “Since the Prince is being so generous and holds me in such high regard, working so hard on my behalf, I truly cannot bear to let your kindness go to waste.”
Those words made Prince Anchang's heart jump. He had a faint premonition that something was wrong.
Sure enough, in the next moment, he saw An Sheng looking at him with a half-smile.
“I have long heard that your youngest daughter, Commandery Princess Jiahui, is elegant, beautiful, and in the prime of her youth. What is more, she is listed in the imperial register and possesses an exalted status. If Prince Anchang were to betroth your beloved daughter to me, then with Commandery Princess Jiahui's status, surely even my wife would not dare say a word. Prince, wouldn't you agree?”
Prince Anchang: “…”
Prince Anchang was so furious that he laughed instead.
“Lord An, are you joking with me?”
An Sheng shrugged, his face perfectly sincere.
“Do you think I am joking?”
Prince Anchang’s chest heaved violently. At last, he could bear it no longer and slammed his palm down on the table. The dishes and chopsticks rattled, then scattered across the floor with a clatter.
“Dreaming of taking my commandery princess as your concubine? Lord An, you certainly have some nerve!”
“Heh.” An Sheng fixed his dark, brooding eyes on Prince Anchang and let out a mocking laugh. He raised a brow, his expression cold and sinister. “What, in Your Highness’s eyes, am I not worthy of a commandery princess? Am I only fit for a piece of trash like this?”
As he uttered the word “trash,” An Sheng extended one leg and kicked the winecup from the woman kneeling at his feet, shattering it.
“Ah!” the woman shrieked. Seeing that the situation had turned sour, she immediately scrambled away on her hands and knees, hiding as far off as she could.
The corner of Prince Anchang’s mouth twitched, and his face darkened horribly—a clear sign that he was on the verge of exploding. Yet what little reason remained within him kept tugging him back.
He was already fuming. In the end, he picked up a teacup and took a sip to suppress his anger. But the moment the tea touched his tongue, he thought of that filthy eunuch before him actually coveting his precious daughter. The tea he had just swallowed suddenly felt as though someone had secretly added something foul to it, and nausea churned in his stomach.
At last, Prince Anchang’s face turned livid. He gritted his teeth and said, “Since Lord An has no regard for this prince’s adopted daughter, then consider that I never mentioned it.”
“Hmph. Have a safe journey, Your Highness. You won’t be missed!” An Sheng dismissed him outright. The disgust between his brows was so blatant that he did not even bother pretending otherwise.
“An Sheng!” Prince Anchang roared. As a scion of the imperial family, when had he ever been treated like this? At last, his patience snapped, and he dropped all pretense as well. “You’re nothing more than a eunuch! This prince is already doing you an honor by giving you my adopted daughter. Yet you actually dare demand more! You’re a beast in human clothing—utterly shameless!”
An Sheng let out a sinister, cackling laugh. His narrow eyes gleamed with venomous malice. Pinching his voice into an exaggeratedly shrill tone, he drawled, “Oh, Your Highness, I must admit—you’re absolutely right. But don’t forget, this servant of yours is not merely a eunuch. I am also the Commissioner of the Inner Factory, as well as an Imperial Commissioner personally appointed by His Majesty. So what if Your Highness looks down on me? How many people under Heaven truly hold me in high regard? And yet, no matter how much they despise me, I still stand while they kneel. Even Your Highness came running to offer me your adopted daughter, did you not? Hahahaha!”
“You! Eunuch scum! Cur! Despicable wretch!”
Prince Anchang trembled with rage, stamping his feet as he cursed.
An Sheng paid him no mind and remained perfectly composed. “Someone come and see our guest out!”
……
