After a long while, A Mei finally grew drowsy. In her dazed state, she had a dream, a very strange one. She dreamed of her wedding night with An Sheng.
In the dream, An Sheng had just taken her virginity. He reeked of alcohol and wore a look of disdain, complaining that she had bitten him and caused him pain. Dream-A Mei felt deeply wronged. She remembered that her husband had always been loving and caring towards her, so how could he look at her with such a cold, unfamiliar gaze!
Feeling both hurt and a frantic panic, dream-A Mei, naked, threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around the dream-An Sheng. "Husband, hold A Mei."
But A Mei was disappointed. The dream-An Sheng, suddenly embraced, stiffened completely. Then, his face darkened, and in a fit of anger and frustration, he shoved A Mei away.
"You... how dare you! Who allowed you to embrace this one? Get away from this one!"
It was that single word—"away"—that jolted A Mei awake.
It felt like waking from a nightmare.
Returning to reality, before her was still An Sheng's slightly weary sleeping face. A pair of large hands held her protectively in his embrace. In her daze, A Mei felt her eyes grow hot. She couldn't help but blink gently, and a single hot tear suddenly fell. A strange, unreal sense of unsteadiness washed over her.
The tear happened to land on An Sheng's arm. He opened his eyes and looked down to see A Mei's moist eyes.
"Why are you crying?"
A Mei's nose tingled with emotion. She pouted at An Sheng. "A Mei just had a dream. Husband scared A Mei into crying."
An Sheng raised an eyebrow. "What dream?"
A Mei haltingly recounted the dream to An Sheng. By the end, her lips were pursed as if she had truly been wronged. "Husband told A Mei to get away, so fiercely. A Mei was scared awake immediately."
After listening, An Sheng was silent for a moment, then muttered to himself, "That does sound like this one's style."
"Husband, what did you say?" An Sheng's voice was very soft, and A Mei hadn't caught it.
An Sheng gave A Mei a meaningful look, a dark glint flashing deep in his eyes. He said softly, "Since it was a dream, naturally it wasn't real."
As he spoke, An Sheng cupped the back of A Mei's head with one hand, kissed her forehead, and then slowly moved downwards, capturing her lips.
This kiss was light, lacking the usual fervor and dominance. An Sheng used his lips to slowly, gently trace the shape of A Mei's lips. It was a bit ticklish, a bit strange, and A Mei felt inexplicably restless.
For some reason, A Mei's breathing soon became unsteady, and she felt her whole body grow hot.
After a faint rustling sound, clothes were undone………………… A Mei's face grew redder and redder, until she finally couldn't help but coquettishly protest:
"Husband."
"Be good. Tell this one, did you miss this one these past few days I was away, hmm?"
From her husband's tone and actions, A Mei suddenly understood what An Sheng meant by "miss."
She shot him a glance that was both shy and flustered, chiding, "A Mei was almost worried to death, how could I have thought of such things."
An Sheng looked at her flushed, shy little face, couldn't help but kiss A Mei's tender cheek, then kissed her small earlobe, breathing into her ear, "And now? Do you miss it or not?"
As soon as he finished speaking, An Sheng felt the body beneath him tremble.
He wasn't in a hurry; he had patience. His large hands left that tenderness and began wandering along the curves of the woman's body. "Hmm? A Mei, be good. Tell your husband, do you miss it?"
Finally, the A Mei in his arms trembled again and uttered one word: "Yes."
"How do you miss?" A low voice, carrying a hint of coaxing. "Where do you miss? Be good, you are this one's woman. There's no need to be so shy. Such words between husband and wife are normal."
A Mei was so shy she could cry. For the first time, she felt her husband was being deliberate. How could she possibly say such things out loud? A Mei's face burned with embarrassment, experiencing the meaning of shame for the first time.
But then A Mei reconsidered: she and her husband were a married couple. Perhaps ordinary couples were all like this, just as her husband said, with no need for embarrassment. A Mei felt somewhat confused and hesitant.
Yet, this also seemed right. A Mei could sense that her husband also liked it this way.
Finally, A Mei let go of her inhibitions. Though still shy, she no longer shied away.
This is how A Mei answered.
"Everywhere. A Mei wants her husband to kiss A Mei, to hold A Mei."
An Sheng stared down at the soft, obedient, and utterly yielding A Mei beneath him, her face full of coquettish charm. Deep in his eyes, it seemed as if endless flames surged. For a moment, he, truly, desperately, wished to melt A Mei into his very bones and blood.
He kissed every inch of her skin bit by bit, then slowly, masterfully, drew her into the whirlpool of desire again and again.
The torment of surrendering to desire was both sweet and agonizing. When everything finally calmed, A Mei nestled in An Sheng's arms and fell into a deep sleep—the first truly restful sleep she'd had in all these days.
An Sheng withdrew his arm, looked at her sleeping face, and carefully tucked the quilt around her.
He dressed, his expression cool and detached, and walked out the door. Outside, the sky at the horizon was still an endless black. Someone was already waiting for him.
After instructing them to protect the person inside the room, An Sheng led his men and vanished into the darkness once more.
A Mei slept so soundly her whole body felt relaxed and comfortable. She lazily rolled over in An Sheng's embrace, opened her eyes, and saw her husband half-reclining against the headboard, seemingly reading a book.
An Sheng closed the book and leaned down to kiss A Mei's forehead.
"You've slept straight through until noon. You must be hungry. Get up, wash, and have your meal."
A Mei wrinkled her nose, catching the scent of clean water on An Sheng. "Husband, you bathed?"
"Yes. You were sleeping soundly, so this one went to the bathhouse to wash."
An Sheng pointed to the neatly folded undergarments and inner robes and skirt beside them. "Your clothes are here."
Seeing her husband being so considerate warmed A Mei's heart. She quickly put on the clothes.
After the two finished their meal, An Sheng deliberately took A Mei for a walk around the place, finally heading to Cui Gudao's residence. Since Minister Cui had come to visit An Sheng a few days prior, it was only proper for An Sheng to return the courtesy now that he had recovered.
"It's a relief to see Eunuch An fully recovered," Cui Gudao said, then shifted the topic, his expression turning grave. "This journey is more than half over. While the disaster relief situation is now under control, the matter of tax revenue falls far short of this official's expectations. I wonder if Eunuch An has any good suggestions?"
A flicker of surprise passed through An Sheng's eyes, perhaps not expecting Cui Gudao to ask his opinion. He replied with a thin, insincere smile, "Minister Cui truly flatters this one. This one is merely a eunuch. Matters of investigation and solving cases have always been beyond my understanding. Naturally, all actions follow Minister Cui's directives."
Seeing An Sheng's evasive, play-dumb attitude infuriated Cui Gudao. He decided to be direct. "Eunuch An, this official will not beat around the bush with you. When His Majesty entrusted this mission to the two of us and placed a troop of imperial guards under your command, the clear implication was for this official to act openly and for you, Eunuch, to act in the shadows. Now there is a shortfall of ten million taels of silver. This official has investigated all along the way and impeached no small number of officials, yet we have only recovered two million taels. How are we to handle the remaining eight-million-tael gap!"
"This official has laid his cards on the table. Now Eunuch An should give this official a clear answer."
An Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking to himself that indeed, the older ginger is spicier. This Lord Cui was not as single-minded in his duties as he had assumed.
He gave a cold snort. "Has Lord Cui become confused? I don't understand this talk of 'showing your hand' or 'giving a clear answer'."
Cui Gudao was taken aback. He hadn't expected An Sheng to play the fool so blatantly after he himself had been so direct. His face immediately darkened, and he slammed the table. "An Sheng, don't play dumb with this official!"
A Mei, who had been standing by An Sheng's side, was already lost in the conversation. The sudden bang startled her, making her jump.
The next moment, her hand was grasped by her husband. His uniquely sharp and venomous voice sounded by her ear:
"Lord Cui, don't be so agitated. If you frighten my wife, I will not let this matter rest!"
