The day of their return journey finally arrived.
The entire party set out in grand procession.
Not only were there more than a dozen additional carriages for transporting their belongings, but An Sheng had even mobilized an entire stationed army to escort them back to the capital.
When Prince Anchang learned of this, his face cycled between green and purple. Furious yet helpless, he and Old Qiu could not help feeling secretly relieved. Fortunately, Lord An had dragged things out for so long that the plan they had plotted had ultimately never been put into action…
In the end, Prince Anchang still came out to see them off, putting on a polite smile as he bid them farewell.
“Eh? Husband, why are there so many more soldiers?” A Mei could not help asking as she peered at the far more imposing procession outside the carriage window.
An Sheng let out a cold scoff and cast his gaze into the distance. In a low voice, he said, “Naturally, they’re here to escort us back to the capital.”
“That’s far too many people.”
A strange, bloodthirsty emotion flashed through An Sheng’s deep eyes, so fleeting that it was nearly impossible to detect. Then his gaze returned to A Mei’s innocent little face, visibly softening. He curled his lips and drawled slowly, “Too many? No, not at all. There are plenty of people in this world who want our family dead. So we’d better value our lives. Madam, since you are my wife, you must understand this: in times like these, we must have the will to harm others, while never losing our guard against those who would harm us.”
A Mei blinked and nodded earnestly, as though taking his words to heart. “Mm. Husband is right. A Mei understands now.”
An Sheng nodded indulgently. “Good girl.”
A Mei gave An Sheng a radiant smile, then suddenly produced several storybooks from beneath the cotton cushion behind her, as if by magic.
“Husband, the journey will be boring. I want you to read these stories to me.”
An Sheng took the books from her hands. He first stared blankly at the title, “Spring Chronicle,” then flipped through a few pages. His brows drew together, but he calmly asked, “Did Xiao Zhengzi buy these for you again?”
A Mei’s eyes sparkled with admiration as she nodded repeatedly. “Mm-hmm! Husband really is amazing. You know everything! I specifically told Xiao Zhengzi to buy me the best-selling storybooks in town.”
“Have you read them already?”
“No. He only brought them back a little while ago. I wanted to read them together with you.”
An Sheng casually placed the books beside him. A faint blue vein throbbed at his temple as he spoke through clenched teeth, “These stories are clichéd and not worth reading. I’ll have someone bring over a few different ones.”
“What?” A Mei blinked, then immediately pouted in displeasure. “Why? That would be so troublesome. I want to hear these ones.”
As she spoke, A Mei shot An Sheng an accusing sidelong glance, planted her hands on her hips, and complained, “Hmph! Is Husband deliberately refusing to read them to me? Fine, I’ll read them myself. I don’t need you to read them anymore.”
With that, she reached across An Sheng for the books he had set on the other side.
An Sheng sighed helplessly and blocked her with his body. “Madam, it’s not that I don’t want to read them to you. I’ll be honest with you—these aren’t suitable for you.”
A Mei froze. “Why not?”
An Sheng lightly hooked a finger beneath her little nose, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. “They actually brought my wife such lewd and erotic books. It seems Xiao Zhengzi is really asking for a beating.”
Hearing him say that, A Mei’s eyes widened, and her little face flushed scarlet. “L-Lewd…? You mean these are that kind of book?”
An Sheng nodded. “Now you understand why I won’t read them to you?”
A Mei lowered her head and gave a quiet “Oh.”
An Sheng curved his lips and coaxed her gently. “I know. You’re still young and easily embarrassed. That’s why…”
Before he could finish, A Mei, who had been hanging her head, suddenly looked up. Her eyes flickered, brimming with intense curiosity.
An Sheng: “…”
An Sheng suddenly had a feeling that he knew exactly what was coming. Sure enough, from his angle, he saw A Mei give him a shy smile. She pressed her little lips together and spoke timidly.
“Husband… A Mei has never read this kind of book before. I’m really curious. How about you read just a little bit to me?”
“Just a tiny bit.”
“Husband~ How about we secretly read a little?”
An Sheng: “…”
An Sheng silently looked up at A Mei. His expression shifted strangely, filled with an indescribably complicated mixture of emotions.
The way he looked at her suddenly made A Mei feel embarrassed, so she simply tugged on his sleeve and began to wheedle.
“Husband, let’s read it. I want to.”
“Husband, I want to read it! Hmph, the more you try to stop me, the more I want to see it~”
Watching her make such a willful fuss, An Sheng finally let out a sigh. Though he was helpless and already nursing a headache, he still pulled her lovingly into his arms and coaxed her softly.
“All right, all right. Stop fussing. Be good—I’ll read it to you.”
