At night, A Mei was about to bathe.
Just then, there was a commotion outside the house. Listening carefully, it turned out someone had come to report that Prefect Du was outside the post station, saying he had urgent business and requested an audience.
A glint flashed in An Sheng's eyes. He said to first have Prefect Du wait in the study.
"What urgent matter must be brought up so late at night?" A Mei grumbled as she walked out from the inner chamber once the messenger left, deftly fetching An Sheng's outer robe and helping him put it on.
The bathtub behind the curtain was still steaming. As she had been preparing to bathe, A Mei was only wearing her undergarments. An Sheng's lips drew close to A Mei's earlobe as he whispered, "You go bathe first. After washing, wait obediently in bed for me. I will cherish you well tonight."
A Mei's face flushed red all the way down to the nape of her neck.
"Husband, the books say one must not... indulge in excessive desire."
An Sheng paid no mind: "I am a eunuch. What do I care about indulging desire or not? If I truly wished to indulge, it would not be something you could withstand. Alright now, I must go attend to this first."
With that, An Sheng went out.
His words left A Mei half-understanding. Though spoken casually, they struck a chord with the listener. Vaguely, she remembered rumors she had heard in the marketplace before marrying An Sheng—that eunuchs taking wives and concubines was a way to mistreat women, and some even abused them to death. Thinking of this, A Mei shuddered.
Some usually overlooked details flooded her mind. Though naive, A Mei was not foolish. She could perceive that in their marital intimacy, her husband cared more for her feelings, while he himself... was likely unsatisfied.
How exactly could she... An idea sprang into A Mei's heart, frightening her so much she immediately suppressed it.
After bathing, A Mei lay in bed waiting for An Sheng.
She waited and waited, but ended up falling asleep herself. When she woke from her sleep, she couldn't feel her husband's presence beside her.
A Mei got up and lifted the bed curtain. The room was brightly lit, and An Sheng was sitting at the desk writing something.
Hearing the movement, An Sheng stopped writing and his gaze fell upon her.
"Husband, what time is it?" A Mei put on her shoes and walked towards An Sheng.
An Sheng, who had been frowning, relaxed his expression when he looked at A Mei, his demeanor indescribably doting: "Just past the hour of the Ox. I came back and saw you were asleep, so I attended to some official matters first."
"So late, husband, aren't you tired?" A Mei poured a cup of tea for An Sheng, asking with concern, "Is something the matter?"
An Sheng did not wish to elaborate. He took a sip of tea and soothed, "Just minor matters. If you're sleepy, go back to sleep. I still have some things to handle."
If he had to handle it so late, it couldn't be as simple as minor matters. Hearing this, A Mei naturally couldn't sleep. She moved to An Sheng's side and, seeing her husband reluctant to say more, simply sat down on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and softly called out, "Husband."
An Sheng's eyes darkened, his hand encircling her waist.
Her waist was extremely slender. An Sheng pinched it, then stroked it a couple of times.
His voice grew even gentler: "What is it? Not sleeping?"
A Mei hummed in affirmation: "Husband hasn't slept, so A Mei will keep you company."
Warmth spread through An Sheng's heart. He hugged A Mei into his embrace, doting yet helpless: "Then I'll hold you while you sleep."
A Mei obediently nestled in An Sheng's arms, taking a deep breath, feeling his scent fill her heart and lungs.
This scent was comforting and intoxicating. She wanted to bury herself deeply within it, to be tightly enveloped.
An Sheng continued writing in this position. Perhaps pondering his words, he wrote and paused intermittently. By the time he finally finished, another half hour had passed.
"Husband, is this for His Majesty to read?"
Suddenly, A Mei in his arms spoke up.
An Sheng hummed in affirmation, his brows unconsciously knitting together again. A Mei saw this preoccupied look and felt the hardships and difficulties her husband endured.
"Husband." A Mei called out softly.
An Sheng responded. Just then, there was movement outside the door—someone was waiting. A Mei quickly got up from An Sheng's lap.
As A Mei was only wearing her inner garments, An Sheng absolutely would not let an outsider enter. He walked to the door, opened it a crack, handed the letter out, and gave a few instructions.
When he returned, he found A Mei's moist, dark eyes fixed unblinkingly on him.
An Sheng asked, "Is there something on my face?"
A Mei shook her head.
"Then why are you staring at me like that?"
A Mei stepped forward, rose on her tiptoes, reached out to circle An Sheng's neck, and blinked her eyes gently, as if with a faint shimmer of tears, appearing exceptionally docile and moving: "A Mei just wants to look at husband. I can never look enough."
For a moment, An Sheng's eyes grew even more profound. He chuckled lowly, his hands gripping A Mei's waist, lifting her up. Then, in a few steps, he carried her to the bedside and carefully placed her on the bed.
"If you're tired or sleepy, go back to sleep. If you don't want to sleep, then don't sleep."
An Sheng's voice sounded calm, but within those dark, deep eyes burned an intense, scalding heat.
Seeing her husband look as if he wanted to devour her, A Mei couldn't help but shrink back inwardly. She knew very well what was about to happen, but this wasn't her aim.
A Mei called out softly, "Husband."
An Sheng was slowly undressing. Hearing her, he hummed in question, then heard the person on the bed ask timidly.
"During our marital intimacy, A Mei always feels that husband is unsatisfied. How can A Mei make husband feel the same pleasure as I do?"
An Sheng raised an eyebrow. He tossed the removed garment aside, got onto the bed, swept a long arm out, and pulled A Mei into his embrace, asking, "Why would you think that?"
A Mei pursed her lips. After a long while, she reached out to hug An Sheng back, her voice trembling slightly: "A Mei just feels... A Mei wants husband to feel pleasure too."
That's what she said, but the body in his embrace trembled slightly, appearing both pitiful and adorable.
Fragile, pure things always easily evoke tenderness.
An Sheng remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "A Mei, do you know what you're saying?"
A Mei's timid voice carried dependence and affection: "Husband can do anything to A Mei. A Mei is willing."
"I am a eunuch. If you want me to find full satisfaction, you will suffer hardship. I'm afraid you won't be able to endure it."
An Sheng's voice finally took on a suppressed excitement. His teeth chattered slightly twice, that greedy desire slowly surfacing in the depths of his eyes.
In places A Mei could not see, it was like a man-eating beast—violent, brutal, truly terrifying.
As An Sheng spoke thus, one hand caressed A Mei's... Even through her clothes, A Mei felt a fervor and roughness different from usual.
The... with added strength made A Mei feel pain. It hurt, but it was bearable. A Mei clenched her lips tightly, not making a sound.
An Sheng's voice, carrying excitement and deliberation, breathed against A Mei's ear: "Ordinary eunuchs seeking full... (omitted: popular-science content, cannot be displayed...)"
With An Sheng's actions, A Mei couldn't control her trembling. She was somewhat afraid, but more than that, she felt dependence. She was willing to do anything for her husband.
A Mei couldn't see her own appearance, and thus did not know how pitiful she looked now.
Suddenly, the grip on A Mei loosened, replaced by soft, lingering kisses on her lips, cheeks, and neck. Finally, a restrained sigh whispered near her ear: "Silly girl, how could I ever treat you like that? Don't be frightened."
Tears instantly spilled from A Mei's eyes. She spoke between sobs:
"Husband... if you keep this up... you'll spoil A Mei rotten."
"Hmph, spoiling someone takes skill. I'll strive hard to build our future, so that one day you'll truly know what it means to be spoiled and act willful. How does that sound?"
"Good."
...
