When the hour of Yin arrived, An Sheng opened his eyes. He carefully moved the soft, delicate body that was clinging to him and sleeping soundly, then carefully wrapped A Mei in the quilt before getting up to wash and dress for morning court.
Just as he was about to move, he heard A Mei murmuring behind him.
"Husband."
An Sheng raised his eyebrows slightly. He turned back and leaned close to A Mei, only to see her smacking her small lips, looking joyful in her dreams. She shifted in the bed, but because An Sheng had wrapped her too tightly, she couldn't kick off the covers. She let out a low murmur and fell back into a deep sleep.
An Sheng's heart softened. He reached out and brushed A Mei's small face, full of tenderness. He gazed at her for a moment before getting up and leaving.
An Sheng had long instructed the servants that the madam could wake up whenever she wanted, and no one was allowed to disturb her rest. Last night, the two of them had been active late into the night, so by the time A Mei woke up this morning, it was already quite late.
When she finished washing and went to the front hall, An Gui had already finished his meal and was on his second pot of tea.
"Godfather."
A Mei called out sweetly.
"Mm." An Gui nodded. He glanced at the sun outside, twitched the corners of his mouth, and said leisurely, "If you had woken up an hour later, you could have joined me for lunch."
A Mei felt a bit embarrassed and gave a dry laugh: "Godfather, please don't tease A Mei."
An Gui deliberately bantered with her, smiling, "You girl, you have a good fate. It's a good thing Sheng'er has no parents. In an ordinary family, what daughter-in-law would get up as late as you do? Even the daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law of wealthy families have to get up early to serve their mothers-in-law according to the rules."
"Oh my." A Mei felt even more shy hearing An Gui say this. She simply walked to An Gui's side, massaging his shoulders while acting coquettishly: "Godfather, please stop talking. You're making me embarrassed."
Saying this, she rolled her eyes and blinked at An Gui: "Then, how about A Mei gets up early in the morning to serve godfather?"
An Gui glanced at A Mei, his face wrinkling into a smile: "You little clever ghost, I wouldn't dare let you serve me. If you got up early, Sheng'er would be heartbroken."
These words made A Mei's face flush. Thinking of her husband's goodness and care for her, her heart felt incredibly sweet, and she felt dizzy with happiness.
…………
During the morning court today, an incident occurred.
The Emperor personally issued an edict, conferring the title of Third-Rank Lady of Mandate upon the wife of Commander An of the Eastern Depot.
An Sheng expressed his gratitude and accepted the edict.
This was originally just a minor interlude in the court, but unexpectedly, the entire court was buzzing with discussion in private.
Not to mention the private discussions or sneers from everyone, each with their own thoughts.
Even the day before, when Emperor Chengde saw the memorial, a trace of surprise flashed across his usually calm and solemn face.
In fact, the Ministry of Rites was just following procedure. Whether requesting or conferring a title of mandate, it had to go through the Ministry of Rites. They would first submit a memorial, and after the Emperor approved it, the Ministry of Rites would issue the edict and have it engraved.
But this time, the person requesting the title was the wife of Commander An of the Eastern Depot, the wife of a eunuch. Although it was not uncommon for eunuchs to marry and take concubines throughout history, it was rare to see a proper wife who had signed a marriage contract.
Not to mention a eunuch's wife who had now received a title of mandate. This was truly the first of its kind.
In the afternoon, An Sheng entered the palace as usual to report to Emperor Chengde on matters related to the Eastern Depot. An Sheng first knelt to pay his respects. After the Emperor told him to rise, An Sheng bowed and detailed two cases of treason involving officials taking bribes and abusing power that the Eastern Depot had recently handled.
Since the Eastern Depot was involved, the ranks of these two officials were naturally not low.
Whether their homes would be confiscated or they would be exiled was just a word from the Emperor.
Emperor Chengde hated these parasites of the state all his life. Like the late Emperor, he was well-versed in the art of rulership, naturally understanding the principle that water too clear has no fish, as well as the principle of checks and balances.
If his ministers accepted bribes in their daily lives, he could let it slide. But if they touched the foundation of the state and threatened the power of those in high positions even the slightest bit, they would be ground to dust.
Emperor Chengde was very satisfied with An Sheng's handling of this matter. He bestowed rewards and offered some encouragement. Just before finishing, as if remembering something, he said, "Since you are already married, do you have any other concubines at home?"
An Sheng's heart stirred, but he didn't show it on his face. He quickly replied respectfully, "To reply to Your Majesty, this humble official has not taken any concubines."
Emperor Chengde looked down at An Sheng, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk a few times: "Are there any palace maids that catch your eye? I can bestow a few upon you."
An Sheng's expression changed, going from surprise to feeling overwhelmed by the favor. He immediately knelt down: "Oh my, Your Majesty's profound love, this humble official cannot bear it. Your Majesty knows that this servant is just a eunuch, what use do I have for women?"
Since taking the position of Commander of the Eastern Depot, aside from addressing the late Emperor, this was the first time An Sheng had referred to himself as a servant to Emperor Chengde. A trace of satisfied pleasure flashed in Emperor Chengde's deep eyes, and he then let out a low laugh.
"What servant? You are now a third-rank official of this dynasty. Don't look down on yourself like this."
An Sheng, however, respectfully kowtowed and said loudly, "This servant will always be the servant of the late Emperor and Your Majesty. Without the late Emperor and Your Majesty, this servant would not be here today. This servant pledges his life in loyalty to Your Majesty!"
Emperor Chengde's expression relaxed. He raised his hand: "Rise. I know your loyalty in my heart."
An Sheng was immediately moved to tears. He kowtowed again before slowly standing up: "With Your Majesty's profound love, this subject will not hesitate to die ten thousand times."
Returning to the main topic, Emperor Chengde continued, "Since you are already married, taking a few concubines is fine."
At this moment, An Sheng looked troubled, and his hesitant expression could not be ignored by Emperor Chengde.
Emperor Chengde raised an eyebrow: "What is it?"
An Sheng's face flushed red, looking utterly ashamed and extremely unnatural as he said, "To reply to Your Majesty, I am not afraid of Your Majesty laughing at me. Although this servant is a eunuch and not a real man, my flawed vanity drove me to vow from a young age that I would marry and take concubines, determined to be better than normal men. Naturally, this servant is both delighted and moved by Your Majesty's reward of women. But right now, this servant has an unspeakable difficulty!"
"Oh?" Emperor Chengde's interest was piqued.
Speaking of this, An Sheng couldn't control his shame and anger, his face turning blue and red. He simply threw caution to the wind and said, "It's not that this servant doesn't want to take concubines, it's just that the one at home is truly a jealous woman. Last time, when I went out on a mission with Lord Cui, she made a fuss and insisted on following this servant. When I refused, she almost smashed this servant's study. Annoyed, this servant finally brought her along. Along the way, local officials offered women to this servant, and before this servant even accepted them, my wife almost killed me. If Your Majesty rewards this servant with women and I bring them home, this servant's life in the inner courtyard will truly be unlivable."
An Sheng threw away his pride and poured out his grievances, practically crying.
Hearing this, Emperor Chengde finally let out a low laugh and slapped the table.
"To think that Commander An of the Inner Depot is actually a henpecked husband! This truly opens My eyes. Tell Me, you are a high-ranking official of the court after all, so how could you let a woman lead you by the nose?"
An Sheng wore a look of distress and said candidly, "Your servant does not know either. As a eunuch, your servant truly does not know how to handle women. Since we married, naturally I just took my time to coax her. Over time, I developed feelings for the woman at home, and she became increasingly unruly. Thinking about it now, this matter is truly too shameful. Your servant used to keep it all bottled up inside. It is only thanks to Your Majesty today that I am able to pour my heart out a little. Please, Your Majesty, do not laugh at your servant."
Emperor Chengde was in excellent spirits. Holding back a smile, he said, "Alright, let us leave this matter at that. When you have free time, you should seek advice from your colleagues and learn how to discipline a woman. It is better for a woman to know the rules."
An Sheng immediately knelt down again. "Thank you for your profound kindness, Your Majesty. Your servant understands."
...
