“And I guarantee I’m completely healthy.” I was finally angry, and my hand unconsciously reached toward the broom under the table… “Your Majesty should visit a medical clinic,” An Jin’s clear voice sounded behind him, neither hurried nor slow. “Coming to the study won’t solve any problems.” Yan Or’s expression turned slightly cold as he turned sideways. “An Daren arrives quite quickly.” “Likewise,” An Jin stepped forward, his eyes like a cold pond, the corner of his mouth curling in an evil smile. “Your Majesty is quite adept at seizing opportunities.” Yan Or turned his head, giving me a radiant smile. “Thirteen, I’ll come again another day.” Before I could speak, An Jin leisurely responded: “If there’s nothing urgent, Your Majesty should not come. Lest it provoke gossip, and make the people of Qi Country think Your Majesty has improper designs on my wife.” Yan Or didn’t get angry. As he passed An Jin, he paused briefly, speaking as if sincerely: “An Daren, some things are best addressed early. If not treated, one might waste their prime years.” An Jin lowered his head: “Your Majesty is still dealing with your own affairs, yet still concerned about my household. I’m truly touched.” Yan Or chuckled and leisurely departed. An Jin turned to me. I shuddered, tugging my earlobe with a trembling voice: “It’s not me…” “Not you?” he maintained his habitual smile. “It’s me. A hidden illness? When did I not know I had such an illness?”
“Well—this is quite complicated to explain—” I smiled apologetically, my peripheral vision catching the “Ritual and Music” book, quickly stuffing it under the table. “In any case, there was just a misunderstanding between us…”
“What misunderstanding could you possibly have with him?” My husband looked at me with some anger.
Just as I was at a loss for words, Que’er led Yuanxiao into the room.
Yuanxiao’s arrival immediately rescued me from my dire straits. As soon as Yuanxiao entered the study, it rushed towards me but upon seeing An Jin, it suddenly stopped.
Yuanxiao was both respectful and afraid of An Jin. If An Jin told it to go east, it wouldn’t dare go west; if told to lie down, it wouldn’t dare stand. Although I should have been its most important master, when facing non-principled matters, it often chose to submit to the stronger force…
So it wagged its tail, stuck out its tongue, and fawningly nudged An Jin’s feet.
I felt quite indignant.
Quer looked at the situation in the room and timidly called out, “Sir.”
An Jin waved his hand. “You can go back.”
Quer shrank his neck and ran faster than a rabbit.
I pushed it under the table, awkwardly laughing and pressing close to An Jin, trying to divert his attention with tenderness. “What could there be between us? Have you forgotten what you said before?”
His expression softened slightly, supporting my waist with some force. “This guy is quite persistent, trying every method to get at you.”
I was secretly delighted. Just as I was about to act coquettishly and say some warm words, I saw Yuanxiao wiggling out from under the desk, holding a book in its mouth, running joyfully to our feet as if it had found treasure.
An Jin frowned, about to bend down, but I stopped him.
I knew that book was a shameful spring palace disguised under the cover of ritual music. If An Jin saw it, it would mean certain death. So I resolutely hugged his waist and took the initiative to offer a fresh, hot kiss.
An Jin was initially uncomfortable but quickly got into the mood. His breath was still as cool and slightly sweet as always, making me forget my original intentions.
We hadn’t been intimate for a long time, and this touch was like… The study might be empty, but there was always the possibility of someone entering. However, this possibility seemed to pour oil on dry wood, making the passion burn even more intensely. He pulled and pressed, breathing hotly and pinning me between the bookshelves, like a hungry person facing a chicken leg, caring nothing for decorum and only wanting to devour quickly to satisfy this unbearable hunger. Manuscripts and scrolls fell at our feet, unheeded.
“A Yao… my dear A Yao…” he murmured, his voice hoarse, and I had already turned into a spring of water, softly allowing him to do as he pleased. Just as we were about to lose ourselves in passion, we heard two dog barks – probably Yuanxiao thinking we were fighting and bravely warning us.
An Jin, suppressing his passion and with a flushed face, glanced at Yuanxiao, perhaps wanting it to behave, but this glance made him suddenly widen his eyes and stop.
Puzzled, I followed his gaze and saw two roughly sketched naked figures on a light yellow paper, doing something similar to our current position. Yuanxiao’s white paw was on the paper, its round eyes curiously staring at us, then looking down and pressing the paper, seeming quite excited.
An Jin let me go and picked up the album.
I looked helplessly at Yuanxiao. It was still naive, not understanding what it had done wrong.
“Ritual Music?”
An Jin’s blush hadn’t faded, his breath not yet calm, his voice still hoarse. “So this is what you’ve been studying in the study all day.”
“Misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding—” I said this for the second time, looking at him reproachfully.
He flipped through the album, pondering for a moment. “These days have been too busy, neglecting A Yao. It’s my fault.”
Good that you know. I pulled him dissatisfied, humming to express my desire to continue our previous harmonious interaction. He caught my hand, suddenly realizing, “No wonder Yan Or—” He suddenly turned angry. “Damn!”
I looked at him pitifully.
He indeed looked over. “In a couple of days during the break, I’ll stay home and accompany you, okay?”
I nodded vigorously, still hoping and desiring with my eyes.
He remained unmoved, even losing his previous passionate demeanor, seriously saying, “We should go home. Mom and Dad are waiting for us to have dinner.”
With that, he left me behind, leading Yuanxiao away.
I dejectedly straightened my clothes, collecting the scattered books and scrolls, and suddenly understood. Wasn’t he getting revenge for me looking at the spring palace?
An Fu Jun’s revenge always came with ill intentions, quietly and inexplicably. Whether you realized it or not, his revenge was there, silent, instantly victorious.
His revenge was far from over…
Put on my clothes and walked out of the room. Yuanxiao heard my footsteps and woke up from a dream, wobbling over to lick my feet. I held its head and squatted in front of the house, looking at the moon.
Yuanxiao was loyal, abandoning sleep to keep me company under the moonlight. I sighed, “You’re the best.”
After thinking for a moment, it suddenly leaped up and tugged at my skirt, pulling me forward. I followed it to a mulberry tree in the courtyard, where it began digging furiously in the ground.
It dug a small hole and pulled out a buried object, proudly presenting it to me. This time, it wasn’t a dead mouse, but a fish-shaped copper token. Inside the token, two characters were carved in a special curved script: Nan Rui.
Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Secret of An Residence
An Jin’s revenge lasted three hours. When I had finished pouring out my emotions with Yuanxiao under the moonlight and crawled into a thin blanket covered in morning dew, his arm had already reached out, firmly pulling me back into his embrace and covering me.
I thought he was sleepwalking and didn’t dare move. His eyes opened slightly, and he wickedly bit my shoulder like a hungry wolf. “Where did you go? Making me wait so long.”
I pushed him in confusion. “Weren’t you asleep?”
He looked frustrated, tugging at my clothing belt. “Couldn’t you be more aggressive?”
I suddenly understood. He had been pretending all along, waiting for me to take the initiative.
