I felt a sense of impending doom. From childhood, my siblings and I feared nothing except Father’s historical tales. Father deeply believed in the wisdom gained from reading history and loved to persuade others using historical references. Whenever he wanted to explain something, he would always quote classics and start with a historical anecdote. The problem was he often drifted from one historical segment to another, ultimately forgetting his original point, leading to long discussions that left listeners confused.
I was speechless. “Even if Father’s assessment wasn’t tampered with, what about the other things? Mother was robbed, and there’s my elder brother and younger sister…”
“Your mother would get cocky whenever she won some money, and she’d been targeted for not just a day or two. Your son-in-law, being a Shilang of the Ministry of Personnel, wouldn’t resort to such low tactics. As for your elder brother’s marriage, that young lady has already attached herself to the son of Minister Song from the Ministry of Works. Those who despise poverty and love wealth, clinging to the powerful – it’s better to have nothing to do with them. As for Diao’er, she should learn a lesson to become sensible.” Father consoled me: “Now you should understand that these matters were not done by your son-in-law, so don’t hold a grudge.”
My heart was filled with mixed emotions. Whether these things were done by An Jin or not, they didn’t directly affect our relationship, yet they made me feel deeply unbalanced. It was like borrowing and repaying debt – I owed him a hundred taels, he owed me eighty taels, and I felt balanced. But now I discovered those eighty taels weren’t borrowed by him. The original balance was broken, and he became a unilateral creditor, making me feel deflated.
After chatting with Father for a while, I went out for a walk with Yuan Qing to aid digestion.
Just a few steps out the door, I saw a luxurious carriage with a vermilion door, decorated with peacock feathers and large pearls, slowly approaching and stopping at the An residence.
The carriage was pulled by four white horses, looking proud and magnificent. Yuan Qing, probably rarely seeing horses of such size, excitedly rushed toward the carriage and urinated by the right front horse’s hoof.
The white horse was startled and angry, whinnying and raising its front hoof to kick. Yuan Qing, sensing danger, used its rat-catching agility to dodge the hoof and run toward me. I inwardly groaned, knowing the carriage’s owner looked noble, and Yuan Qing’s action would surely invite trouble. I tried to signal it to run away.
Yuan Qing paused, stopped, and then ran in another direction. I felt relieved.
Who would have thought it would run back to the white horses and bite the horse viciously? The horse neighed in pain and galloped away, causing complete chaos. The carriage swayed wildly, and the two drivers panicked, unable to control it. Several red-clothed, armed guards then rushed from behind the carriage and barely managed to control the situation.
Yuan Qing ran back to me, making victorious sounds. I covered my face, knowing we were in big trouble.
The red-clothed, armed guards indicated someone from the palace. The carriage’s occupant was obvious. I looked around, finding no place to hide.
It was all my fault for walking a dog so late!
It was my fault for teaching Yuan Qing to seek ten-fold revenge when bullied. Now I would pay the price.
Yuan Qing ran to me, whimpering for a reward. I pulled out a piece of dried meat, looking resignedly toward the carriage as several red-clothed guards surrounded us, drawing their swords.
Are they serious about dealing with a dog? I hugged Yuan Qing’s big head indignantly.
The carriage finally stabilized, and the vermilion door opened. A man in a purple jade belt descended first, then elegantly helped a young lady down, his movements gentle and courteous.
The young lady was noble and beautiful, wearing a necklace of multicolored gemstones like a proud swan. She smiled gratefully at the man, then coldly asked, “What happened?”
A red-clothed guard explained, and her gaze pierced me uncomfortably. This young lady was Princess Xia Zhiqian, who had requested Yuan Qing’s portrait from the Thirteenth Young Master, and the man beside her was my husband, An Jin.
An Jin suddenly let out a light laugh, walking to Xia Zhiqian’s side and saying, “Princess is kindhearted. Why bother arguing with a dog? Today I damaged the princess’s horse, and I will find another fine steed to present to you another day.” His voice was gentle, with a magnetic quality that was hard to resist.
Xia Zhiqian indeed fell for this approach, shyly smiling at him.
An Jin’s lips curved slightly. “This humble official never goes back on his word.”
Xia Zhiqian laughed triumphantly but then turned to me with a face full of frost. “Although the dog can be spared, she cannot be forgiven for driving the dog to attack,” she raised her hand. “Slap her, twenty times.”
Just as the red-clothed guard was about to step forward, An Jin quickly stood in front of me. “My unworthy wife has offended the princess and should be punished. I am willing to take the slaps in her place.”
I stared at An Jin’s profile, my mind blank.
The palace lantern hanging on the carriage cast a dim yellow light, making Xia Zhiqian’s expression look unpredictable. “An Lang, are you sure you want to protect her?”
“Yes,” An Jin said calmly.
Xia Zhiqian completely shed her previous willful demeanor, staring at me expressionlessly for a long time. I felt a chill rising from my feet, and Yuan Qiu shivered along with me.
An Jin put his arm around my shoulder, standing very close. Yuan Qiu’s big head was sandwiched between us, looking left and right, seemingly understanding the situation and rubbing against An Jin’s leg.
“Please spare my wife for my sake,” An Jin spoke again, his voice still magnetic but with a hint of coldness.
Xia Zhiqian lowered her eyes, seemingly contemplating. Moments later, she slowly bloomed a smile like a spring flower. “Fine.”
There was still an inexplicable chill, like a poisonous snake climbing up my leg. However, An Jin’s hand on my shoulder was like an iron armor protecting me.
Xia Zhiqian turned and entered the carriage without looking back. The vermilion door closed, hiding her elegant and noble face. Two coachmen drove four white horses, turning towards the imperial palace. The red-clothed guards with weapons collected their arms and neatly followed the carriage.
I let out a breath, realizing I was covered in cold sweat. Yuan Qiu let out a low whimper and collapsed at my feet.
An Jin seemed to sigh. I thought he would blame me for causing trouble with Yuan Qiu, but he softly asked, “Were you scared?”
I first shook my head, then nodded.
He laughed. “You weren’t afraid when you made Yuan Qiu bite the horse.”
I defensively argued, “I originally wanted it to escape. Who knew it would misunderstand me?” Yuan Qiu protested with a couple of whimpers and continued playing dead.
He sighed again, tightening his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go home.”
I want to get lost in thought. An Jin didn’t speak again, just holding my hand and continuing to walk home. When we were almost at the bedroom, he stopped, letting go of my hand. “Get some rest early,” he was about to leave, but without thinking, I grabbed his arm.
He turned back, raising an eyebrow and looking at me. His beautifully shaped face seemed somewhat unreal under the moonlight.
“Stay,” I said, probably with an extremely earnest expression. “I’m afraid of the dark.”
This reason was incredibly shameless. However, An Jin did not expose it, calmly accepting my invitation, a composure I deeply admired.
