Perhaps for him, his mother-in-law, and the entire secret service, they were now protecting not just the royal family but also the people of the Great Qi Kingdom.
Thinking this way, I developed a feeling of admiration for my husband. He instantly rose to a height that required me to look up to him, filling me with pride.
Simultaneously, I felt somewhat dissatisfied. It seemed that only my father-in-law and I had been kept completely in the dark, naively believing we were living an ordinary life. But now, only my father-in-law remained unaware, which provided some consolation.
Did my father-in-law truly know nothing? His tolerance towards his wife exceeded a typical husband’s affection. An Jin and I had noticed something within just two years of living together, so how could he, married to her for over twenty years, be oblivious?
Perhaps feigning ignorance was also a sign of deep love. She didn’t speak, so he would forever pretend not to know. She wanted to be ordinary, and he accompanied her, embodying the most ordinary couple.
Compared to my father-in-law, I was much luckier. An Jin chose to reveal the entire truth to me, giving me a chance to understand everything around me and share this centuries-old responsibility together.
At the same time, with a deeper understanding of the world, I no longer felt bored in the study. I learned to observe.
The candied hawthorn seller had sharp eyes and was quick at making change—perhaps a hidden expert. The boss of the steamed bun shop next door exhibited an elegant meat-chopping posture—perhaps a swordsman. Even Lin Shusheng, who often came to buy books, revealed a slightly peculiar accent. I excitedly shared my discoveries with An Jin, who laughed and suggested I was becoming obsessed. Not everyone could be a secret agent.
I felt somewhat frustrated, insisting that hidden talents were everywhere, regretting that I wasn’t born into a long-established family or trained as a female agent, unable to laugh and adventure across three kingdoms with An Jin. Looking back, my parents, older brother, and younger sister, whom I once found strange, were truly the most ordinary people.
