"Is it really not bitter anymore?" An Sheng raised an eyebrow.
A Mei nodded emphatically. The mere thought of how much silver it would cost to summon an imperial physician made the bitterness of the medicine completely irrelevant. If they actually called for one, the heartache over the expense would keep her awake all night.
"It is not bitter, truly, Husband. It is not as if I have to drink it every day. I am not that delicate."
A Mei stated this with absolute certainty!
An Sheng laughed until his shoulders shook.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, A Mei shot him a sideways glance and pouted, "You are laughing at me again, Husband."
An Sheng gave a low cough to suppress his amusement and pulled A Mei into his arms. His large hand gently stroked her smooth cheek, his eyes brimming with tenderness. "My A Mei is trying so hard to save me silver. I am too touched to even express it, so how could I possibly laugh at you?"
A Mei's small face flushed a delicate pink. Feeling the shyness of having her little scheme seen through, she bashfully buried her face in An Sheng's chest.
"It is just..."
A Mei perked up her ears, only to hear her husband's voice, laced with a soft chuckle, drifting down from above:
"I was laughing because I am finding my lovely wife more charmingly candid and adorable by the day."
Keeping her face hidden in An Sheng's embrace, A Mei felt her cheeks burning. Was her husband praising her? He actually called her adorable!
Suppressing the secret thrill of joy in her heart, she felt a wave of shyness and could not help but protest in a sweet, whining tone, "Husband, I am not a child. How can you call me adorable?"
An Sheng let out a soft hum. "What does age have to do with it? In my eyes, that is exactly what you are."
Sweetness rippled through A Mei's heart, and she wished she could burrow herself straight into the very depths of his soul.
The entourage traveled for another two days before reaching the borders of Tanzhou. After a brief rest, they pressed on, arriving at the Tanzhou Prefecture just before nightfall.
A throng of Tanzhou officials had been waiting outside the city gates since early morning. They had literally stood there from dawn until dusk, craning their necks until the Imperial Envoy finally arrived.
As this was the final stop of their journey, both Cui Gudao and An Sheng treated it with the utmost importance. Cui Gudao, in particular, wore a terrifyingly gloomy expression the moment he made his appearance.
In stark contrast, Eunuch An, who was widely rumored to be a debauched, tyrannical, and insatiably greedy man, wore a smiling, amiable expression. He did not seem nearly as difficult to get along with as the rumors suggested.
A Mei accompanied An Sheng to their lodgings at a place called Huaqing Villa. The estate boasted a natural hot spring, making it a wonderful retreat.
Having never even heard of a hot spring before, A Mei was both astonished and full of marvel when she first touched the warm, flowing water. Her eyes went perfectly round.
"Husband, the water is hot!"
An Sheng slowly shed his outer robes, tossing them onto a nearby clothes rack, and replied unhurriedly, "Since it is called a hot spring, naturally, it is hot."
The bathing pool was a work of exquisite craftsmanship, surrounded by a beautiful environment and fully equipped with every amenity. Because A Mei was unaccustomed to being waited on by strangers, An Sheng dismissed the serving maids, leaving only the two of them alone as husband and wife.
A Mei was endlessly fascinated. She looked left and right, one moment curiously splashing the water, and the next, plunging her hands deep into the pool to feel the surge of the natural current, constantly exclaiming in wonder.
That was, until she heard her husband's voice.
"Have you had enough fun? Hurry and take off your clothes."
A Mei turned around, only to see a completely naked An Sheng stepping down into the water. From her vantage point, she had a direct view of her husband's bare chest.
It suddenly dawned on A Mei that this hot spring was a place for bathing, and her face instantly flushed crimson.
Although she and An Sheng shared the intimacies of a married couple, she usually bathed all by herself in a wooden tub. Now, in broad daylight and in such a massive pool, the mere thought of her husband watching her bathe naked made her feel incredibly self-conscious.
Seeing the bashful tint on A Mei's face and her fidgety, flustered demeanor, An Sheng raised an eyebrow and spoke with a teasing half-smile. "Who was it that complained yesterday about smelling bad, saying that her time of the month was over and she needed a proper bath? What are you waiting for?"
A Mei was overwhelmingly shy. After a brief internal struggle, she looked at her husband and said in a soft, pleading voice, "Then... Husband, you have to turn around."
Sitting in the water, An Sheng let out a low chuckle. "Come now, is there any part of your body I haven't seen? Hurry up, take them off, and come here. I will wash your back for you."
Hearing him say this and seeing his completely unbothered expression, A Mei began to feel that she was being a bit too prudish. Stiffly, she shed her outer dress, then lowered her head, her face burning red as she untied her undergarments.
With her head bowed, she naturally missed the dark, surging waves of desire brewing in An Sheng's eyes.
A Mei hastily tossed her undergarments onto the edge of the pool and stepped into the water. She closed her eyes in pure bliss, savoring the soothing warmth that enveloped her skin as she sank into the hot spring. Then, she lifted her gaze to look at her husband across the pool.
An Sheng met A Mei's damp, misty eyes, which were dewy from the rising steam, and quietly averted his gaze.
The corners of his lips curled up slightly. Keeping his expression perfectly normal, he crooked a finger at her. "Come. Come over here to me."
"Oh," A Mei replied softly. Completely oblivious, she obediently waded toward him.
The pool was of a moderate depth, reaching just up to An Sheng's waist at its deepest point. He sat casually on a submerged stone step specifically designed for lounging, exposing his broad, lean shoulders.
Because of her petite stature, A Mei unconsciously crossed her arms over her chest. Face flushed, she carefully waded her way over to An Sheng's side.
An Sheng's gaze swept over her. His eyes gave away no emotion, but his voice carried a much huskier timber than usual. "What are you covering up? It is not as if I haven't seen them before. I haven't just seen them; I have kissed them, too."
A Mei had not thought much of it at first, but the moment he mentioned kissing, unbidden memories of her husband doing exactly that flashed through her mind. She felt a sudden, uncontrollable heat flood her entire body. For a moment, she was so consumed by shyness that she did not know what to do with herself.
Just then, An Sheng reached out a long arm. His large hand, slightly roughened by thin calluses, clamped directly onto A Mei's wet, slippery waist, yanking her flush against his chest.
A Mei let out a soft yelp amid the loud splash of water. The sheer warmth and comfort of so much bare skin pressing together drew an involuntary sigh of satisfaction from An Sheng.
Caught off guard, A Mei instinctively clung to him, her soft, delicate body leaning entirely against his.
Flustered, she gave his shoulder a weak push and complained in a soft, whining voice, "Husband, we are supposed to be bathing!"
An Sheng nodded with solemn gravity, remaining a picture of perfect composure. "Naturally, we are bathing. Come, let me wash you."
As he spoke, his hands began to roam, caressing and rubbing every inch of her skin.
"Husband, do not..."
A Mei felt a bit ticklish and strange, faintly sensing a tormenting heat trailing wherever her husband's palms wandered. She squirmed, trying to evade his touch, but An Sheng held her firmly against his chest. His large hands meticulously stroked her from head to toe. It was not long before A Mei was trembling in his embrace, her small face flushed crimson. Soft, breathless pants escaped her lips as her arms involuntarily looped around his neck.
A delicate flower that had been so thoroughly nourished and pampered was, naturally, quite easily stirred to passion.
An Sheng kept his eyes lowered, hiding his emotions from her view. Her moist, rosy lips parted slightly as she let out soft, shallow pants. A Mei gazed up at him helplessly, her dewy eyes brimming with a mixture of grievance, reliance, and deep yearning.
An Sheng's teasing hands had left her feeling tingly and unbearably restless, causing her entire body to quiver delicately.
Yet An Sheng remained completely unbothered. He did not speak a word, acting as though he were genuinely, meticulously scrubbing her body clean.
Finally, curled up against his chest, A Mei let out a soft cry laced with a hint of a whimper.
"Husband."
An Sheng raised his gaze. A fiery heat surged within his eyes like blazing flames, yet his tone was unnervingly calm. "Hmm?"
It was simply too shameful, but A Mei still managed to stammer out in broken fragments, "A Mei... wants... Husband..."
The corners of An Sheng's lips curled into a victorious smirk.
"Very well..."
