An Sheng remained silent for a long time.
Finally, An Sheng reached out and held A Mei's small hand in return.
With a slight pull, he drew A Mei against his chest, his strong arms holding her firmly in his embrace.
Nestled in An Sheng's arms, A Mei looked up at him and called out softly.
"Husband."
Finally, An Sheng sighed, "You... sometimes I really don't know what to do with you."
His hand slowly brushed the hair by A Mei's brow, seemingly trembling just a little.
A Mei looked at An Sheng, only to see her husband's eyes smiling and the corners of his lips slightly raised, exuding a tenderness as fluid as running water.
An Sheng slowly lowered his head. The next moment, A Mei heard him whisper in her ear:
"I am overjoyed that you think of me this way. But, A Mei, you are wrong. What do you mean by becoming a ghost couple? I want you to live a good life in this world. You and I will be a living pair of lovebirds, growing old together, spending these long years side by side, and sharing in all this wealth and glory."
"Heh, a ghost couple? Don't even let that little head of yours think about it ever again. If I cannot protect you in this life, how could I possibly protect you if we truly became ghosts?"
"Little fool, if you want to hold your fate in your own hands, only power has the final say!"
Just as An Sheng finished speaking, the carriage came to a halt. They had arrived at the Inner Depot.
An Sheng released A Mei from his embrace and stepped down from the carriage first. He then turned around, lifting the carriage curtain with one hand and reaching out to A Mei with the other. His eyes seemed to be filled with shattered starlight, and his lips curled into an arrogant smirk. "Come, let me help my wife down. I will let you experience what power truly is. The taste of it is incredibly wonderful."
A Mei understood everything An Sheng had said, and her heart swelled with even greater emotion.
However, seeing her husband seemingly transform into a different person left her a bit dazed. Power? Wonderful? A Mei only half understood.
A Mei had always relied on and trusted An Sheng. She reached out her hand, letting him guide her down from the carriage until she stood before the grand gates of the Inner Depot.
How should she put it? If A Mei really had to describe it, she would have to rack her brains to come up with words like imposing, solemn, and majestic. More importantly, there was a faint, inescapable aura of death that instilled fear.
Had she not been following her husband, A Mei would absolutely never want to come to a place like this.
Subconsciously, A Mei disliked this place. But turning to look at her husband's energized and excited state as he masterminded his domain, she felt happy for him, even if she did not fully understand it.
As long as her husband was happy, she was happy.
The moment An Sheng entered the Inner Depot, his entire being exuded an undeniable aura of authority and gloom. Even though he deliberately restrained himself for fear of frightening A Mei, she still stole several curious glances at him.
There was no other reason than the fact that in this Inner Depot, An Sheng was a king-like existence. He controlled the life and death, as well as the promotions, of everyone working and imprisoned within and without its walls.
A Mei found an inconspicuous spot to sit quietly, watching as An Sheng decided a person's life or death with a mere lift of his eyes, and wiped out hundreds of lives in a single clan with just a few words.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally, A Mei was still incredibly shocked. Gradually, she understood. The wonderful feeling her husband had mentioned was precisely this power to control the fates of others.
She also truly realized that as the Commander of the Inner Depot, her husband held monstrous power and could act with absolute arrogance.
It was unimaginable how her husband, starting as a eunuch, had managed to reach where he was today. He was truly, incredibly formidable.
A Mei felt very proud, yet deep down, an overwhelming wave of heartache washed over her. She could not imagine the hardships and difficulties her husband had endured along the way. In a daze, A Mei recalled the first time she saw him, lying on a stretcher, a bloody and mangled mess. The image of her dying husband gradually overlapped with the high-spirited man before her now...
It was only at this moment that A Mei truly understood the man that An Sheng was.
A Mei silently made a vow in her heart: no matter what the future held, she would share in her husband's honor and disgrace, and stay by his side forever!
After An Sheng finished handling a few important official matters, he noticed that A Mei was not as lively as usual and seemed to have something on her mind. He didn't linger; once he was done, he led A Mei out of the Inner Depot.
On the carriage ride back, An Sheng pulled A Mei directly into his arms, gently comforting her. "Weren't you curious about the Inner Depot? I haven't even taken you to see the grand prison and the dungeons yet, and you already can't handle it? You really are just a young girl."
A Mei leaned obediently against An Sheng's chest, shook her head gently, and whispered, "Husband, it's not that I can't handle it. I was just thinking about something."
An Sheng asked, "Thinking about what?"
A Mei didn't answer. Instead, she took the initiative to wrap her arms around An Sheng's neck. Sitting on his lap, she pulled herself up, tilted her small face, and pressed her lips against his.
An Sheng naturally lowered his head slightly to make it easier for her to kiss him.
An Sheng's eyes grew dark and profound, but he remained perfectly still, allowing A Mei to take the lead.
A Mei parted her lips slightly and extended her moist tongue, delicately tracing the shape of An Sheng's lips. Perhaps finding it uncomfortable to keep her head tilted back, she suddenly lifted herself up. Clinging to An Sheng's lean shoulders, she knelt and straddled his lap.
Their heights were now reversed. A Mei lowered her head slightly, reached out to gently cradle the back of An Sheng's head, and continued their lingering kiss.
A Mei's breathing became ragged and intertwined with his. Mimicking how An Sheng usually kissed her, she nibbled and devoured his lips and tongue with an unprecedented fervor.
A hint of surprise flashed in An Sheng's eyes, quickly replaced by a dark, surging intensity. He didn't try to take control, but rather savored the moment thoroughly.
Finally, the kiss ended. A Mei kept her arms around An Sheng's head as they rested their foreheads together. She panted heavily, her face as red as blood, whether from a lack of breath or out of shyness, it was hard to tell.
An Sheng leaned lazily against the carriage wall, his gaze flickering as he stared at A Mei. Suddenly, he let out a low chuckle. His large hands firmly gripped her slender waist, seemingly afraid she might lose her balance, as he said teasingly, "Look at you. It's one thing when I kiss you breathless, but how is it that when you take the initiative, you still end up suffocating yourself like this?"
Catching her breath, A Mei shot An Sheng a coquettish glare. "Husband is making fun of me again."
An Sheng curled his lips, his voice incredibly tender. "I'm not making fun of you, I'm just doting on you."
With that, he scooped A Mei up and cradled her sideways in his arms again.
Feeling sweet and touched, A Mei nestled obediently in An Sheng's embrace. She took one of his large hands in both of hers and playfully traced the outlines of his fingers.
"Husband," A Mei called out.
"Hmm?"
"I didn't find it too much to handle, nor was I frightened or shocked. I was just thinking about you."
An Sheng's brow twitched slightly. "Thinking about me?"
A Mei met An Sheng's gaze, her bright, watery eyes full of tenderness, love, and endless admiration. "Yes, thinking about how hard it has been for you. Seeing everything you've gone through over the years to become the Commander of the Inner Depot... the more I think about it, the more I admire you. Husband, you are truly amazing."
An Sheng's breath hitched, and the corners of his lips soon curled into an arrogant, self-satisfied smile. "Everything I possess today, I naturally deserve."
A Mei nodded firmly in complete agreement. "Yes, you absolutely deserve it!"
As she spoke, A Mei's eyes brimmed with a bright smile, and she could not help but add with a touch of secret delight, "I am truly the lucky one, to have married such a capable husband!"
These words warmed An Sheng's heart and brought him a sense of deep peace. He narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "My luck is not bad either, to have married such a sweet and caring wife."
Flustered by her husband's praise once again, A Mei shyly buried herself in An Sheng's embrace.
An Sheng was in a wonderful mood. After a good while, a voice drifted up from his arms.
"Husband, I want to go boating on the lake with you."
"Alright."
"Husband, I also want to listen to some music."
"Alright."
"Husband, I want to eat some snowflake ice dessert."
"No. That is a cold food, you cannot have it. Have you forgotten how much you suffer during your time of the month?"
...
