The Emperor’s wariness of the An family was warranted; even a palace maid or a favored concubine could be a secret agent. Rash actions might provoke a counterattack from the An family, which would be difficult to guard against.
Worse still, the Qi Kingdom was not alone in facing such espionage. An Jin’s intelligence indicated that Western Liang also had a similar secret department, infiltrating other countries with agents embedded in the Qi Kingdom for a decade or longer, holding significant positions, like those in the Su family. The Qi Kingdom suffered many losses in recent battles with Western Liang, prompting An Jin to investigate and uncover the infiltrators in the court.
The Su family’s identity became apparent during investigations, particularly after incidents involving fraudulent official purchases and harboring the Fifth Princess, which exposed their schemes. However, to eliminate all associated factions, they needed to avoid premature alerts.
The fraudulent official purchase was a ploy by Su Qian and Su Xi to position their own people within the military department, involving secrets of border defense. Fortunately, the impersonated victim escaped and filed a complaint. To maintain the Su family’s trust and prevent them from realizing their identity might be exposed, An Jin sought to suppress Su Xi’s crimes.
Su Xi’s arrangement to approach Princess Nan Rui and kidnap her on their wedding night aimed to provoke conflict between Western Liang and Nan Rui, thereby destroying their alliance. An Jin had discovered that the Fifth Princess was hidden in the Su residence, and his recent efforts focused on locating her without alerting the Su family.
Despite the Qi Emperor and Crown Prince’s suspicions towards the An family, An Jin remained committed to his responsibilities.
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.
My mother and older brother had been busy preparing betrothal gifts. Miao Yin was from the Empress’s family, necessitating the meticulous following of the six traditional rites, with nothing lacking. An Jin had the accounting room allocate considerable silver for this, which I supplemented in secret. With my brother’s savings, it was more than sufficient.
Nanny and Big Brother were often away from home, leaving Little Sister bored.
Moreover, Song Sitang was about to marry Tang Wei, the young master of the Tang family, and was busy preparing her wedding dress and dowry, leaving no time to accompany me. Feeling uninteresting, she ran to the study to keep me and Yuanxiao company, lamenting life’s unpredictability.
I also felt emotional. The memory of Song Sitang, a beautiful young girl, begging me to bring her and An Jin together, was still vivid. Now she has found a good destination. Who doesn’t want to roam the blue sea and sky?
Little Sister was melancholic. Seeing her brother about to get married and her girlfriends already settled down, while she remained single, left her feeling lost. Yuanxiao seemed to sense this, lying at our feet and softly whimpering.
Little Sister was as picky as Yuanxiao, who disdained all eligible female dogs in the neighborhood. After being disappointed by Feng Yuxi and the Eastern Palace, Little Sister rejected all marriage proposals, determined to find a truly compatible young man. This pair of kindred spirits sat by the study window, gazing at the sky and sighing, scaring away many visitors.
I knew she was somewhat dissatisfied with my favoritism towards Song Sitang and was about to comfort her when the doorbell rang, signaling another guest’s arrival.
Princess Jiang Yunqiao of Nanrui and General Shen entered the study. Jiang Yunqiao, dressed in casual attire, softened her stern expression upon seeing me. “Madam,” she said.
I quickly guided Little Sister to bow to her. Meanwhile, Little Sister and Yuanxiao fixated on the small yellow bird on General Shen’s shoulder.
The small yellow bird flapped its wings and flew around the room, landing on the bookshelf and chirping loudly: “Ugly woman, stupid dog! Ugly woman, stupid dog!”
Jiang Yunqiao looked slightly awkward, while General Shen sternly instructed, “Come back.”
The bird tilted its head at him but stayed put. Yuanxiao remained unusually calm, lying on the ground with eyes closed.
I preoccupied myself with my distinguished guests. Jiang Yunqiao then pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me. “I heard from General Shen that your father is suffering from an eye disease.”
This is a prescription for eye treatment from Nanrui, hoping it might help your father’s condition.”
I accepted it, feeling grateful but sensing something unusual. I initially thought the Nanrui princess’s friendly gestures were due to a connection, but it seemed she was trying to find clues about the Fifth Princess through me. Although I knew the Fifth Princess was at the Su family, I couldn’t reveal any information due to Nanrui’s different stance.
Xiao Huang didn’t notice the crisis and smugly pointed out, “Stupid dog! Ugly girl! Disrespectful, disrespectful!”
Yuan Xiao suddenly leaped, knocking Xiao Huang down and pressing its paws down on his wings, pulling out feathers.
Xiao Huang panicked, crying out, “Save Xiao Huang… Princess, save Xiao Huang…”
Yuan Xiao opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth. Xiao Huang screamed and fainted.
The four of us stared in shock.
“What a… good dog,” Jiang Yunqiao murmured.
Xiao Mei pulled Xiao Huang from Yuan Xiao’s grasp, shook it a few times, and said triumphantly, “Dare to curse me? Now you know our power, right?”
Yuan Xiao walked confidently towards me, plopping down in front of me, eyes wide like a victorious general ready for accolades. However, having just scared Xiao Huang unconscious, I could only rub its head, hinting at a later reward.
