No matter how An Sheng tried to coax her, A Mei absolutely refused to drink any more of that peach blossom wine.
An Sheng even felt a twinge of regret.
After all, that unreserved display from A Mei when she was tipsy, those soft whimpers before the climb, her inability to break free—An Sheng had savored every detail, and having tasted the marrow, he knew the flavor and was insatiable. He greatly enjoyed that feeling of complete control; A Mei was utterly, completely his.
That taste was truly wonderful.
But that was all an afterthought.
Between the drunkenness and the indulgence, A Mei didn't wake up until almost noon, and as soon as she did, An Sheng was no longer by her side.
Although A Mei had been somewhat drunk the previous night, upon waking, she remembered every little detail clearly. Thinking of the shameless words her husband had coaxed her into saying, and all those things they did... she was overwhelmed with a mix of shame and indignation. Her body was also weary, so she simply lay face down on the bed, unwilling to get up.
When An Sheng entered the room, he saw A Mei huddled under the quilt, facing the wall, her whole body trembling slightly as if she had suffered some grievance.
An Sheng walked over and smoothed her back over the quilt. A Mei wriggled slightly, her voice soft and coquettish with a hint of grievance: "What are you doing?"
An Sheng simply bent down, reached out, and gathered A Mei, quilt and all, into his arms. He then sat on the edge of the bed and asked softly by her ear, "Are you feeling unwell?"
A Mei mumbled, "I don't feel good."
An Sheng's brow furrowed slightly, his tone carrying a trace of guilt and caution: "Where don't you feel good? Did this humble one accidentally hurt you last night? Does it hurt? That shouldn't be."
The more An Sheng acted like this, the more aggrieved A Mei felt. Her eyes reddened, and she shot An Sheng a glance full of reproach: "Hmph, my heart doesn't feel good. A Mei has figured it out. No wonder husband insisted on tormenting A Mei last night—you were jealous."
An Sheng raised an eyebrow as if he didn't understand. "Jealous of what?"
A Mei said indignantly, "It's because we ran into Brother Shuanzi yesterday, and then husband started acting differently than usual. You were clearly jealous."
An Sheng gave a light, scoffing laugh, the corners of his lips curling in a half-smile as he leaned close to A Mei's ear. "You've become quite clever now, calling him 'Brother Shuanzi' this and 'Brother Shuanzi' that. This humble one simply found it unpleasant to hear."
Upon hearing this, A Mei remembered how An Sheng had coaxed her into calling him 'brother' last night. Buried in shame against An Sheng's chest, she refused to look up. She extended a small hand and pushed against his chest: "Then, then you still shouldn't have made A Mei also call, call..."
"Call what?" An Sheng deliberately teased her.
A Mei didn't speak, so An Sheng reached out and gently lifted her chin. Looking at her blushing, shy little face, her rosy lips trembling, and the glimmer of moisture in her eyes, he couldn't help but feel both pity and adoration.
An Sheng felt his heart melt into a puddle.
"My dear, you're always so easily shy. It truly leaves this humble one at a loss."
"Tell me, are you really feeling unwell? Let me see?" As he spoke, An Sheng made to peel the quilt off A Mei.
A Mei was naked underneath and naturally felt embarrassed. She clutched the quilt and shook her head. "I'm not unwell, just terribly tired."
Actually, A Mei was no longer angry in her heart. Having thought it through, she even felt a secret joy. Her husband being jealous meant he cared about her! Thinking this, A Mei suddenly felt cheerful and lighthearted again.
She nestled affectionately against An Sheng's chest, both dependent and coquettish: "Husband holding me makes it better. A Mei likes husband the most."
An Sheng was somewhat surprised by A Mei's shift from grievance to joy. Feeling helpless, he sighed inwardly once more—no wonder they say a woman's heart is as deep as the ocean floor.
An Sheng didn't stay in the room for too long. The reason was that Cui Guda had not lingered in Minjiang Prefecture but had hurried over post-haste to rendezvous with him.
Rendezvous? An Sheng's eyebrow twitched, his face turning slightly pale. This Cui fellow was not on the same side as him. Thinking of this man's ways, An Sheng felt a headache coming on.
Sure enough, as soon as they met, Cui Guda launched into a tirade against An Sheng.
"Eunuch An, this time His Majesty has placed great trust in you and me, yet you have betrayed His Majesty's expectations! You have abused your official position, acted tyrannically, accepted bribes, and preyed upon the common people! Upon my return to the capital, I will definitely impeach you for insatiable greed, abusing power, and lining your own pockets!"
An Sheng wore a thin, insincere smile, masking the coldness in his eyes. Listening to Cui Guda's impassioned denunciation, he let out a sharp laugh: "Oh my, Minister Cui, you wrong this humble servant. When have I ever done such things?"
Cui Guda snorted heavily. "If you don't want others to know, don't do it!"
"Heh."
An Sheng laughed aloud. His smile was faint, his eyes slightly curved, making his originally gloomy features seem to soften.
Deliberately pitching his voice, his tone disdainful and unhurried, An Sheng spoke:
"Minister Cui, this humble servant is His Majesty's close attendant. Everything I do is for His Majesty. You, having been an official for many years, only know about solving cases and cracking crimes. How can you be so wooden-headed? In your eyes, is there nothing but clear-cut distinctions between loyalty and treachery, honesty and corruption? You truly don't know what's what. Let me be blunt with you: there are some things His Majesty cannot do, yet someone must always do them for His Majesty. If you won't do them, and you won't let this humble servant do them either, then what? Is this your way of being loyal and patriotic?"
At this point, An Sheng narrowed his eyes, and his tone also turned forceful: "Fine! Then this humble servant will await Minister Cui's impeachment! Let's see whether His Majesty believes you or believes me!"
These words carried a double meaning, revealing too much hidden information. Cui Guda's mind raced a hundred turns. Staring fixedly at An Sheng, seeing his calm, confident demeanor, a flicker of doubt passed through his heart: "His... His Majesty...?"
"Minister Cui, be careful with your words. Some things must never be spoken aloud, even unto death." An Sheng gave a cold snort, leaving Cui Guda with a meaningful look before turning and walking away with a flick of his sleeve.
He left Cui Guda alone, his face alternating between green and purple, with a bellyful of emotions and nowhere to vent them.
Having made Minister Cui eat his words, An Sheng was in high spirits.
When he had a free moment, An Sheng accompanied A Mei in practicing her characters. These days, A Mei had not neglected her daily lessons and was recognizing more and more characters.
Just then, a servant brought a letter, saying it was correspondence from the An residence in the capital.
Naturally, A Mei missed her godfather, as well as her father and younger brother. Hearing it was a letter from home, she was overjoyed.
"Husband, open it quickly and see what Godfather has written!"
An Sheng opened the letter and read it word by word together with A Mei. A Mei recognized most of it, and An Sheng patiently explained the rest to her.
It was a letter reporting that all was well. An Gui said everything at home was fine and not to worry. He also mentioned in passing that, following An Sheng's instructions, he had used his connections to get Douzi enrolled in the Imperial Academy.
A Mei knew about the Imperial Academy—it was the nation's highest institution of learning, gathering talented individuals. All scholars took pride in being able to study there. But...
An Sheng saw A Mei's confusion and explained softly, "Douzi is already six years old. Children from ordinary families begin their elementary schooling at four. A few years ago the Imperial Academy set up an Enlightenment Hall for that purpose. It's just the right time for Douzi to go and study now."
Seeing her husband care so much for her younger brother, A Mei felt both joy and deep emotion. Suddenly remembering something, she asked him, "But isn't that a place only for nobles, officials, and their sons?"
An Sheng chuckled dismissively. "Money makes the world go round. A profitable venture is welcome anywhere. As long as one can afford the price, there will be no issue."
A Mei's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
An Sheng raised an eyebrow, drew her close, and looked down at her face. "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
A Mei threw herself into his embrace, sniffling. "I am happy. I'm so happy. You are too good to me, and you're so kind to Douzi as well. I'm so touched... sob... you're truly wonderful."
An Sheng was both amused and exasperated. "Look at you, getting so emotional over this. You are the lady of this household. Who else should we treat well if not you? Besides, Douzi is my brother-in-law. As long as I am here, I will naturally look out for him."
