The moment Douzi finished speaking, An Sheng’s face turned cold, and he fell silent. In his deep eyes, a lifeless yet strange ripple stirred.
Wu Da, standing nearby, felt his heart give a jolt and did not dare breathe too loudly.
After a long while, An Sheng finally reached out and gently patted Douzi on the shoulder. “Douzi, don’t cry. You’re not wrong. Perhaps they’ve misunderstood your brother-in-law too deeply, which is why they’re afraid to play with you. Since it’s only a misunderstanding, that’s easy enough to resolve. Isn’t it just cuju? The Inner Depot has a rather spacious training ground that would be perfect for playing. In a couple of days, when you and your classmates are on holiday and your brother-in-law is free, I’ll personally visit their homes and explain the misunderstanding to their elders. Then, I’ll invite your classmates to come play cuju as well. I’m sure they’ll be delighted to join.”
Douzi’s eyes lit up at once. He stopped crying, though anticipation and hesitation mingled in his voice. “Brother-in-law, r-really? Will they really be willing to play with me?”
An Sheng gave him a reassuring look. “Of course. If they weren’t willing, they simply wouldn’t come. Let’s make a wager. If they come, you’ll copy the essay your sister assigned you yesterday one more time. If they don’t, I’ll personally play cuju with you. How does that sound?”
Douzi was instantly moved to tears of joy, and at last he broke into a smile. “All right! Thank you, Brother-in-law.”
Since his brother-in-law had said so, the clouds in Douzi’s heart cleared at once. Children loved to play, and he had finally been given a day off. With An Sheng’s permission, he hopped and skipped out of the residence to have fun.
The moment Douzi left, An Sheng’s expression turned cold.
“Someone!”
“My lord, this subordinate is here.”
An Sheng let out a cold laugh. His sharp voice carried a sinister cruelty as he drawled, “Go and make a list of all Douzi’s classmates. The boy has a loose tongue and made our own child go home crying. As his brother-in-law, I naturally must have a word with their elders in person.”
“However, I am occupied with official duties and cannot be everywhere at once. In that case, send people to invite them, one household at a time.” When he said the word “invite,” An Sheng dragged out the sound, his tone dripping with bone-chilling malice. “Bring them all to the Inner Depot. I’ll personally explain everything to them properly.”
“Yes, my lord! This subordinate will see to it at once!”
Within two hours, the entire capital was thrown into an uproar.
It turned out that the Inner Depot was taking action once again.
By now, everyone knew that whenever the Inner Depot made a move, the lighter consequences were the confiscation and plundering of everything a family possessed, followed by exile three thousand li away. In more serious cases, entire households were wiped out, everyone executed, and even nine generations of relatives implicated.
Those who could send their children to study at the Imperial College were mostly sons of officials. At the very least, their families were hereditary nobles, wealthy merchants, or magnates.
Now, with no warning at all, the Inner Depot had gone directly to their residences and taken away the heads of the households. Almost simultaneously, the capital’s various estates erupted in wailing. Cries shook the heavens, yet no one answered.
Those with connections and foresight hurriedly sent people in every direction to gather information and offer bribes. They were so desperate that they would have gladly scattered their entire fortunes just to stay alive, terrified that if they were even a moment too late, they would lose both their wealth and their lives.
Thus, when A Mei finally woke after getting enough sleep, she stepped outside only to hear a servant’s report.
The carriages delivering gifts, goods, and money to the An residence in an attempt to learn what was happening had nearly filled the entrance. A Mei’s bright eyes were filled with deep confusion.
She truly could not understand it. Her husband had not said anything unusual when he had accompanied her at noon. Besides, it was neither New Year nor any holiday. What on earth was going on?
Although she had always loved receiving gifts, these baffling gifts were really rather meaningless.
A Mei turned around and instructed a servant to go deliver a message to An Sheng. The servant had just left when the “culprit” arrived.
Yet this “culprit” seemed even more innocent, confused, and curious than A Mei herself. Douzi came running in from the front courtyard, holding a candied hawthorn skewer in each hand. The moment he saw his sister, he trotted over happily, handed one of the skewers to her, and raised his little face excitedly.
“Sister, Sister! Isn’t it strange? Why are there suddenly so many carriages outside? Our carriage could barely even get through!”
