"Hubby, what's going on with Prince Anchang? He stormed off with his princess in a huff," A Mei mumbled as she walked into the room from the outside, carrying a jewelry box in her arms. She added grudgingly, "Fortunately, I was quick enough to protect these things. There's no reason to turn down a free gift."
As soon as she finished speaking, following A Mei's gaze towards An Sheng, she let out a soft gasp, blinked her eyes, and pointed at the broken cups and bowls at An Sheng's feet. "Hey, hubby, what happened? Did you have a quarrel with Prince Anchang?"
Their eyes met. An Sheng's lips curved slightly. Gone was his previous harsh and cold demeanor. Instead, his voice was gentle. "We don't even bother arguing with him. He was just like a cornered dog and brought humiliation upon himself."
A Mei let out an "oh," then happily moved closer to An Sheng's side. She suddenly placed the box in her arms on the table and plopped herself down on An Sheng's lap. With big, bright eyes, she stared at An Sheng and asked, "Come on, tell me. What on earth did the princess want when she deliberately sent me away?"
An Sheng raised his eyebrows, a flicker of surprise flashing across his eyes. He let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, my wife has become quite smart."
The way he said it... The more A Mei listened, the more it sounded wrong. She frowned, shot An Sheng an annoyed look, and let out a coquettish snort. "So in my hubby's eyes, am I so stupid that I can't even see through such a simple trick?"
An Sheng immediately straightened his attitude and shook his head firmly. "How could that be! My wife has always been as smart as a whip. I'm just suddenly curious about how you noticed something was amiss."
A Mei's mouth curled up in a proud smile. "It's not difficult at all. Usually, I've taken quite a lot of things from Princess Anchang. It always pained her so much that her facial expressions were quite a sight to behold. But today, she actually offered them to me on her own initiative. Something fishy must be going on when things go against the norm, so I naturally knew there was a catch."
"Tell me, tell me. What exactly happened?"
An Sheng let out a soft cough and replied calmly, "Prince Anchang brought his adopted daughter here and said he wanted to give her to me as a concubine."
"What? An adopted daughter? Is it the beautiful woman who was dancing in the middle just now? And then what happened? And then what?"
A Mei instantly sat up straight. Then she grabbed a handful of melon seeds and stuffed them into An Sheng's hand. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, and her face was immediately filled with an eager look.
An Sheng was amused by her inquisitive and eager little face, full of gossip and thirst for knowledge. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards. He skillfully peeled the melon seeds with both hands, feeding them to A Mei one by one while slowly saying, "What else could happen? I deliberately provoked him. I simply said that I wasn't interested in his adopted daughter and told him to send his own daughter if he wanted to give someone to me. That's how I sent him away in a fit of anger."
A Mei's eyes widened. First, she let out a snort of laughter, then she shot An Sheng a reproachful look. "Aren't you afraid that Prince Anchang will really betroth his daughter to you?"
As she was speaking, A Mei suddenly reached out and pinched An Sheng's waist. Pouting her small mouth, she glanced at him askance and pretended to be aggrieved. "Humph! I was just out for a short while, and you're already asking for someone else's daughter. Tell me, do you think the princess is a delicate flower, born into a noble family and extremely beautiful..."
Before she could finish speaking, An Sheng felt a jolt in his heart. He immediately interrupted her nervously and urgently. "I'm wronged, my wife. I've never even met the commandery princess. I was just deliberately making things difficult for Prince Anchang and mocking him. There's only you in my heart. How could I really want another woman?"
"Really?" A Mei's heart was filled with joy. Of course, she trusted her husband. Seeing him nervously trying to explain himself to her, she couldn't help but secretly feel happy, and the corners of her mouth curled up.
"Really!" An Sheng was firm in his attitude. Then he squinted his eyes slightly, his gaze flickering. With a cold look in his eyes, he let out a sneer and answered A Mei's first question. "Moreover, I'm certain that Prince Anchang would never agree. He's always been so conceited and arrogant, and he looks down on me. If he really sent his own daughter to me, he'd become the laughingstock in Lindong."
A Mei didn't like to hear this. She glanced at An Sheng, pouted her small mouth, and retorted angrily, "Humph, what do you mean by 'laughingstock'? My hubby is in a high - ranking position, young and promising, and holds great power in the court. Why doesn't he deserve his daughter? What right does he have to look down on my hubby? He has no real skills at all. It's just because he has a good birth. My hubby's current power is earned bit by bit through hard work. In fact, my hubby is the most amazing person in the world. In my eyes, Prince Anchang can't even compare to one of your toes!"
These words... Such blatant favoritism and affection made An Sheng's throat tighten, his eyes moisten slightly, and his heart tremble.
The angrier A Mei thought about it, the more impulsive she became. She blurted out, "No way! He still looks down on my hubby. We have to make Prince Anchang send his own daughter here!"
An Sheng: ...
An Sheng's eyebrows twitched. He was both touched and a bit headache - stricken. He couldn't help but say, "Hey, A Mei..."
He was about to plead his case and reassure A Mei again that there was only her in his heart, and he would never take a concubine or have other women.
But before he could say a word, A Mei glared at him fiercely and said angrily, "When Prince Anchang sends his daughter here, we'll send her back. Rejecting a free offer of a daughter. Humph! That'll really make him the laughingstock!"
An Sheng: ...
There was a brief moment of silence, and then...
"Ah, haha."
An Sheng burst into laughter. His low - pitched laughter, vibrating from his chest, gradually grew louder and finally turned into a hearty laugh.
A Mei was stunned. She was in a daze for a moment, then she reached out and poked An Sheng's chest. She coquettishly said in annoyance, "Why are you laughing, hubby? I'm still angry."
An Sheng was filled with joy. He couldn't help but tighten his arms around A Mei. His eyes were shining with tenderness. The muscles on his face trembled with laughter, and the corners of his mouth were stretched to the maximum. "My wife, I'm just happy. I can't help but laugh."
A Mei thought it was rather strange, but since her husband was happy, she wasn't as angry anymore. Then she gave An Sheng a reproachful look, tilted her moist eyes, and nodded towards An Sheng's hand. "Hubby, don't be lazy. I still want to eat."
An Sheng immediately responded with an "okay" and continued to peel the melon seeds, feeding them to A Mei one by one.
At first, A Mei ate obediently, but later she became a bit mischievous. She deliberately licked An Sheng's fingertips with her lips.
The first time it happened, An Sheng didn't notice. But the second time, the third time...
The soft and warm touch wrapped around his fingers, making An Sheng's fingertips tingle. On the surface, he remained calm, but his arm around A Mei's waist involuntarily tightened.
"Is my wife doing this on purpose?"
She deliberately raised her head and leaned towards An Sheng, and then actively kissed the corner of his mouth.
Then she blinked her eyes at him, her ears turning slightly red, and said in a soft voice, "Yes, I did it on purpose."
An Sheng finally couldn't hold back. The melon seeds in his hand scattered all over the floor. Then he picked up the person in his arms, threw her onto the couch in the inner cabin, pressed her down, and covered her with kisses.
...
