The only antidote to the poison was the sterility potion, held by the imperial family. After the An family heir bore their first child, the current emperor would bestow this secret potion as the antidote. The first and only child must inherit the secret department, regardless of gender, which is why a female heir would marry a live-in son-in-law.
Even after the poison was neutralized, its effects would lead to premature death, causing each generation of the An family to live no longer than fifty, with many dying before forty-five. Knowing they were destined for early death, and that their offspring would share the same fate reliant on the imperial family’s antidote, the An family would not easily act against imperial power. Conversely, the imperial family, wary of the An family’s unknown power, would not dare to act rashly, choosing to provide the antidote obediently.
This created a mutually constraining yet interdependent relationship, reflecting the Ancestral Emperor’s foresight and the An family ancestor’s meticulousness. The An family took root in the imperial city, concealing the Qi Kingdom’s secret department within their ancestral home. To avoid drawing attention and unsettling the imperial family, the An family adhered to an unwritten rule against becoming high-ranking officials or wealthy merchants.
Each generation in the Qi Kingdom appears to hold insignificant official positions or small businesses while secretly controlling the kingdom’s greatest secrets. Until now, the previous leader of the An family, my mother-in-law, officially handed over the secret department to An Jin at eighteen. She then retired to focus on training new covert agents, and her study, which no one was allowed to enter, had a hidden passage.
An Jin defied tradition by taking the imperial examinations and rising to the position of Assistant Minister of Personnel instead of becoming a minor official or running a small business. His decision was largely influenced by my earlier rejection of marriage.
This connection is why he always knew my whereabouts and could handle romantic entanglements and even deal with Yan Huo from afar. However, the reason for the Emperor of Qi bestowing Xue Miaoyin in marriage to An Jin remains unclear to me.
An Jin looked at me deeply. “The undercurrents between the imperial court and the An family have existed for a long time. His Majesty is trying to further constrain me through Xue Miaoyin.”
