Punish?
Hearing her husband say this, a look of confusion crossed A Mei's face. She knew her husband had always possessed a sharp tongue but a soft heart, so she was not actually afraid, merely taken aback for a moment.
An Sheng looked at her silly, dazed expression, the corner of his eye twitching slightly. Suppressing his amusement, he put on a cold face and asked, "Tell me, how should I punish you?"
A Mei softly clung to her husband, blinked, and said in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Husband surely couldn't bear to punish A Mei."
"Are you that sure?" An Sheng asked with a straight face.
A Mei nodded obediently, then leaned in to lightly peck An Sheng's chin. She looked at her husband with big, innocent eyes. Seeing that he remained expressionless, she leaned forward again and kissed his lips.
An Sheng sat motionless, entirely unperturbed, allowing her to kiss him.
Running out of ideas, A Mei pouted her lips and whined in a soft, sweet voice, "Husband is the best to A Mei. Please do not punish A Mei."
Her soft, fragrant body carried a sweet scent unique to a sixteen-year-old girl, and under An Sheng's tender care and nourishment these past few days, she exuded an unconscious, captivating charm.
An Sheng's eyes darkened and his breathing grew slightly tight. His hands gripped A Mei's waist. After a long moment, he finally spoke, "From now on, you are not allowed to act so coquettishly with anyone but me."
A Mei shot her husband a matter-of-fact glare. "Other people are not A Mei's husband. A Mei would never do that."
Just as she spoke, A Mei let out a soft sound of surprise, her bright, watery eyes darting around. "Why does A Mei feel like Husband's words sound so familiar?"
An Sheng raised an eyebrow, remaining silent.
A Mei's eyes darted around playfully, and she beamed a bright smile at An Sheng. "Then does that mean Husband is not going to punish A Mei anymore?"
An Sheng looked steadily at A Mei for a moment before the hands gripping her waist suddenly pulled her inward. A Mei let out a soft gasp as her entire body crashed into An Sheng's chest. She was pressed tightly against him, especially the two soft mounds on her chest, which were thoroughly squished. From An Sheng's angle, looking down through her collar, he could perfectly see the deep cleavage created by the pressure on those two white, tender mounds. It was exceptionally tempting.
An Sheng quietly withdrew his gaze, letting it fall upon A Mei's face, which was full of reliance and innocence.
Finally, An Sheng let out a soft sigh. He planted a soothing, light kiss on A Mei's forehead, his tone gentle.
"Nowadays, I truly cannot bear to hit you, nor can I bear to scold you."
Seeing that the corners of A Mei's mouth were about to stretch all the way to her ears, An Sheng suddenly changed his tune.
"However, you still have to make up for the lessons you missed over the past two days."
A Mei's small face instantly fell. Nowadays, her lessons did not just involve practicing calligraphy, but also reciting articles. It was manageable on normal days, but if several days' worth piled up to be completed all at once, it was truly distressing.
For a long moment, an intense inner struggle raged within A Mei. She agonized over it for quite some time before finally gathering her courage. Looking pitifully at An Sheng, she whispered, "How about, Husband just hits A Mei and scolds A Mei instead."
An Sheng looked at A Mei's wet, doe-like eyes and her slightly parted lips. Seeing her slightly apprehensive, pitiful yet adorable appearance, he finally chuckled in a low voice.
An Sheng's voice carried the unique, high-pitched thinness of a eunuch, making his laughter somewhat unpleasant to the ear. However, A Mei did not find it strange at all. She merely watched her husband looking so happy, and her small face belatedly flushed with a hint of embarrassed red.
Embarrassed and indignant, she shrank into An Sheng's embrace and softly accused him, "Husband, you are laughing at A Mei."
"Oh, you," An Sheng said through his laughter. "You truly are my precious baby."
A Mei felt a little sulky. Now it was An Sheng's turn to kiss and coax her. After a good deal of sweet and tender affection, he finally managed to coax a smile back onto A Mei's face.
A Mei did not know that An Sheng, as the Emperor's close attendant, bore a heavy responsibility on this journey. The terrifying pressure and complex official duties he faced were unimaginable. Every decision concerned his very life and fortune, which was exactly why An Sheng appeared so gloomy and tyrannical all day when he was outside.
And only A Mei was An Sheng's sole comfort and solace on this trip.
After all, once this journey ended and they returned to the capital, there might be even deeper dragon's pools and tiger's dens waiting for An Sheng.
