Minjiang Prefecture, Yaoxian Tower, Celestial Room Number One.
Today, this hall was packed inside and out. Anyone in the know would recognize these people as the prominent officials, local gentry, and wealthy merchants of Minjiang Prefecture—a truly bustling scene indeed.
Suddenly.
"Magistrate Du has arrived!"
A loud announcement rang out, and the entire hall immediately fell silent.
As a middle-aged man in a purple robe stepped through the doorway, everyone hurriedly rose and bowed in greeting.
"Magistrate Du!"
"Greetings, Magistrate Du!"
"Your Honor is well!"
This man was none other than Du Fengyi, the Prefect of Minjiang Prefecture. Magistrate Du nodded with an amiable demeanor, seeming to carry no airs of officialdom. He leisurely walked to the seat of honor and spoke unhurriedly, "You've summoned me in such haste. What is the matter?"
A portly, richly dressed man sitting below stood up. With a fawning, ingratiating expression, he cupped his hands toward Magistrate Du. "Reporting to Your Honor, we have received news that the court has specially dispatched an Imperial Commissioner to investigate the southern tax issues. He is about to arrive in our Minjiang region. We are all feeling uneasy, which is why we thought to invite you to guide us through this situation."
Magistrate Du raised an eyebrow, asking a question to which he already knew the answer. "What issues could there possibly be with Minjiang Prefecture's taxes?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the faces of the officials, gentry, and merchants turned extremely grim. They thought to themselves that the Magistrate was deliberately playing dumb. Yet, no one dared to voice this.
The man who had replied broke into a cold sweat. Finally, he gave a dry laugh and said through gritted teeth, "Well, reporting to Your Honor, naturally there are no problems. It's just that when an Imperial Commissioner comes to investigate, he naturally wants to find something."
Magistrate Du smiled a thin, insincere smile. "I am well aware of your concerns. As the parental official of Minjiang Prefecture, I naturally consider your interests. I have already made inquiries. This Imperial Commissioner is Cui Gudao from the Ministry of Justice. He is an upright man, not easy to deal with. I advise you all to rein in any clever ideas. Don't try to be smart only to have him seize evidence against you."
Just as everyone looked anxious and unsure what to do, they heard Magistrate Du continue slowly,
"However, I can point you toward a clearer path."
"The person personally appointed by His Majesty is not Cui Gudao alone. There is another named An Sheng, a eunuch in attendance before His Majesty. I have reliable information that this man is greedy for wealth and lust, insatiable in his demands. Most importantly, he is on extremely bad terms with that Cui Gudao."
At that moment, everyone saw a man dressed like a private secretary enter from outside. He walked to Du Fengyi's side, leaned down, and whispered a few words into his ear.
Du Fengyi was first taken aback, then laughed heartily. "I have just received news. Two days ago, this Eunuch An and that Cui Gudao were in Yidong County, cursing at each other and nearly coming to blows. Eunuch An immediately sent an urgent eight-hundred-li dispatch with a memorial impeaching Cui Gudao. After His Majesty read it, he was furious and ordered Cui Gudao to delay his journey and focus on managing the disaster relief. Eunuch An is to lead the party continuing south! This Eunuch An has already arrived in our Minjiang Prefecture today. What you should do next, I need not teach you, correct?"
……
At that moment, An Sheng, whom Magistrate Du had described as greedy and lustful, was quite literally pressing the half-undressed A Mei beneath him. Having finally released her lips, which were red, swollen, and damp from his teasing, he was slowly nibbling from her slender neck down to her shoulder blade, which was flushed a delicate pink.
"No... don't... husband... we're in the carriage!" A Mei was both embarrassed and nervous, pushing against An Sheng's shoulders as she protested in a small voice.
A Mei felt she might die of shame. She was also puzzled. Her husband had been teaching her to read. Recently, as she recognized more characters, he had people find more books for her to practice. Today, she had casually picked one up—it seemed to be some sort of miscellany. There were too many characters she didn't understand, so she pointed to the phrases at the beginning, "Clouds and rain over Mount Wu, phoenixes intertwined, water and milk mingling," and asked her husband what they meant.
A Mei only remembered her husband falling silent for a moment, staring at her with a strange look in his eyes for a good while, before finally pinning her down in the carriage...
A Mei couldn't fail to understand now. Even if she were slow, she could guess these words were descriptions of intimacy between husband and wife. But thinking of the coachman outside the carriage, and all the attendants following along, A Mei, with her thin skin, was instantly overwhelmed with shame and anxiety. Yet, being delicate and weak, she couldn't push her husband away no matter how hard she tried.
"Since A Mei is such an eager student, I must teach you properly."
What started as a playful tease on a whim, but the young girl's fragrant, smooth skin was truly too enticing for An Sheng to resist. He lingered, kissing her repeatedly, until things quickly escalated beyond control.
It wasn't until a soft, trembling voice pleaded,
"Don't... husband... we're still in the carriage. There are people outside. A Mei is scared."
That An Sheng finally stopped. His eyes, dark with unsatisfied desire, grew intense.
"With me here, what is there to fear?" He sat up, pulling A Mei firmly into his embrace, then lowered his head to gently kiss her cheeks, soothing the woman's timidity in his arms.
A Mei pouted, looking at An Sheng with reproach. "That was so embarrassing just now. With so many people outside, what if someone heard?"
An Sheng knew A Mei was shy, but he deliberately said, "So what if they heard? Hmm? You're my wife. Can't I touch you?"
A Mei's face turned red as if it would drip blood. She whispered, "It's not that I won't let husband touch me. It's just, it's just..."
"Just what?"
"It just can't be in the carriage."
An Sheng gazed at A Mei, his deep eyes unreadable. Then he asked, "Then where can it be?"
A Mei, burning with shame, buried her face in An Sheng's chest. After a long moment, a soft, faint voice barely escaped. "Just... just at night... in a place with only you and me."
A smile spread openly across An Sheng's lips.
Just then, the carriage, which had been moving steadily, came to a stop. An official's voice sounded from outside:
"Reporting to Eunuch An, the procession has now entered the jurisdiction of Minjiang Prefecture. Awaiting your instructions!"
An Sheng carefully straightened A Mei's clothes in his arms, then lifted the carriage curtain. His gaze fell upon the boundary marker of Minjiang not far away. "Relay my verbal order. Take the official road. We will stay at the courier station."
"Yes, sir!"
Once the official left, A Mei asked curiously, "Husband, why are we going to stay at the courier station? Aren't you here to investigate Minjiang Prefecture? Couldn't we just enter the city directly?"
An Sheng pinched A Mei's soft, plump little hand, patiently explaining in terms she could understand. "Silly girl, remember this: whether it's officials, merchants, or commoners, once money and power are involved, the complications are endless—too tedious for me to bother investigating. Investigating cases is the business of that so-called 'Blue Sky' Lord Cui. It has nothing to do with this eunuch. As for what I am here to do, you'll find out soon enough."
"Besides, didn't A Mei say she would only let me touch her at night, in a place with just the two of us? Naturally, the courier station is closer. I can't wait."
