The period of national mourning lasted for nearly half a month, immediately followed by the new emperor's ascension ceremony.
Throughout history, the transfer of power often brought storms of blood and violence. Even though the Second Prince was the legitimate heir, long acknowledged as the late emperor's final choice for succession, there were still those unafraid of death who always wanted to seize the opportunity to muddy the waters.
Beneath the seemingly peaceful capital, dark red, foul-smelling blood flowed endlessly from the stone gutters of the Inner Depot's dungeon, all of which signaled the slaughter and the dark undercurrents of the imperial court's political landscape.
An Sheng presided over the Inner Depot during the day and remained on standby in the palace at night. He was on call around the clock, absolutely refusing to allow any mishaps to affect the new emperor's ascension.
This continued until the new emperor offered sacrifices to heaven and his ancestors, received the congratulations of all officials, issued his ascension edict, and changed the era name to Chengde.
Everything finally settled.
"Godfather, why hasn't my husband returned yet?"
"Godfather, do you think my husband should be back soon?"
"Didn't Xiao Zhengzi say that my husband was mostly done with his work yesterday? How about I have Wu Da go into the palace again to ask?"
An Gui rubbed his temples and couldn't help but say, "A Mei, no matter what, you are now the matriarch of our An family. You need to be patient in everything."
A Mei, however, did not care at all. "Oh, Godfather, I don't care about any of that in front of our own family."
"Sigh, Godfather, you say my husband has been gone for so many days..."
...
An Gui was getting old and naturally preferred peace and quiet. A Mei had been catching him and chattering non-stop since early morning, giving him a terrible headache.
Once lunch was over, seeing that his godson still hadn't returned to the manor, An Gui simply found an excuse to go back to his room for a nap.
He left A Mei alone, staring out the door like a stone statue waiting for her husband.
During the Wei hour, An Sheng's carriage finally arrived at the main gate of the An residence.
At this moment, An Sheng had a dark expression and was not in a good mood. Wu Da and Xiao Zhengzi, who were following closely behind him on his left and right, did not even dare to breathe too loudly.
It was only when An Sheng stepped out of the carriage and his gaze fell upon the gate of the An residence that his expression softened slightly.
As soon as he walked through the door, he collided with a pair of pleasantly surprised eyes.
An Sheng's footsteps paused for a moment before he strode toward A Mei.
A Mei happily lifted her skirts and trotted out, her watery eyes shining excessively bright. She threw herself into An Sheng's arms. "Husband, you're back!"
An Sheng steadily caught A Mei in his arms. The hostility around him faded, and his expression softened. He curled the corners of his lips and said, "I have returned."
A Mei wrapped her arms tightly around An Sheng's waist and tilted her small face upward, her eyes filled with continuous affection like a babbling stream. "Husband, A Mei missed you so much."
An Sheng felt his heart tremble slightly involuntarily, as if struck by something.
He held A Mei tightly. Although he hadn't said a single word, it felt as if everything that needed to be said had already been spoken.
"Ahem, you're back?"
An Gui's slightly hoarse coughing sound came from ahead.
Only then did A Mei pull away from An Sheng's embrace, her face flushed red.
She glanced at the servants in the courtyard, as well as her husband's subordinates, and finally looked at her godfather, whose face was full of complex emotions. Realizing what had happened, A Mei's face grew even redder with shyness.
An Sheng patted A Mei's shoulder comfortingly, then took her small hand and led her toward the main hall.
As they walked, An Sheng called out to An Gui, "Godfather."
An Gui acknowledged him and asked, "Are all the matters resolved? Did everything go smoothly?"
"Yes, it went fairly smoothly."
An Gui nodded, his dim eyes full of relief, and turned to walk inside. "Then hurry up and come inside."
The family of three sat around the table. An Sheng began talking with An Gui, discussing everything from the new emperor's actions to the political situation of the court, and from personnel changes in various ministries to the several Grand Secretaries. As for what they were actually saying, A Mei listened a bit at first, but soon her mind wandered away from the topic. A Mei simply gazed quietly at her husband with smiling eyes, her cheeks flushed as if smeared with rouge, truly reluctant to look away from An Sheng's face for even a moment.
As calm as An Sheng usually was, even he couldn't withstand A Mei's undisguised joyous expression and her passionate gaze at this moment. The corner of his eye twitched slightly.
Finally, A Mei temporarily looked away. Seeing her husband and godfather talking with normal expressions, she pursed her lips. Taking advantage of the fact that the two men weren't paying attention, she gently dragged her stool and shifted a little closer, and then a little closer. In no time at all, she was pressed tightly against her husband.
A Mei thought she had done it completely unnoticed. She leaned happily against her husband, feeling incredibly sweet inside.
An Gui took in all of A Mei's movements. He raised an eyebrow, then glanced at An Sheng's seemingly calm and indifferent expression, and slowly stood up.
"Alright, a short parting is better than a new marriage. This old man won't stay here to disturb you young couple anymore. I'll go back and rest first." An Gui really couldn't watch any longer, so he got up and left.
A short parting is better than a new marriage! A Mei rejoiced in her heart, but she deliberately widened her bright, watery eyes and asked An Sheng, "Huh? Husband, why did Godfather leave?"
The corner of An Sheng's eye continued to twitch. Finally, his calm and indifferent expression broke. His shoulders shook slightly as he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
As he laughed, boundless tenderness welled up in An Sheng's chest. He couldn't resist reaching out to pull A Mei into his arms, saying with a straight face.
"I guess Godfather was tired and wanted to rest."
A Mei nodded vigorously. "Mhm, exactly, exactly. A Mei thinks so too."
Saying this, A Mei gently rubbed against An Sheng's chest and acted coquettishly in a soft voice, "It's so good that my husband is finally home. A Mei really, really missed you."
An Sheng had been gone for nearly twenty days. Even though the An residence wasn't far from the imperial palace or the Inner Depot, the two of them hadn't had a single chance to meet. If it weren't for Wu Da and Xiao Zhengzi passing messages, A Mei truly didn't know how she would have survived these past days.
An Sheng dropped a kiss on the top of A Mei's head. "I have wronged A Mei these past few days. It won't happen again in the future."
A Mei shook her head. "I wasn't wronged, I just missed my husband."
An Sheng hummed in agreement. Suddenly, A Mei looked up at An Sheng with a shy and timid expression, speaking in a delicate voice, "Husband is travel-worn. A Mei has already instructed the servants to prepare bathwater in advance. Would you like to take a bath?"
As soon as these words came out, dark emotions surged in An Sheng's deep eyes. He lowered his head to gaze at A Mei's slightly shy and nervous delicate demeanor. Bending down, his warm breath brushed entirely against A Mei's reddened earlobes as he spoke in a low, hoarse voice, "Since my wife has prepared it, let's wash together."
A Mei's small face turned so red it looked ready to bleed. She couldn't help but recall the time she and her husband had bathed in a hot spring together, and the things her husband had done to her there...
A Mei's body instantly went soft. She only felt her heart pounding violently, and even her breathing seemed to quicken.
An Sheng raised an eyebrow, watching her moist little mouth open and close, until she finally managed to say, "Husband, A Mei has no strength left. Carry A Mei there."
...
