An Jin adapted to this role quickly. He became friends with Jiang Yunqiao’s consort, often meeting to drink tea and watch plays. He quickly integrated into the nobility of Fengzhu City, living an extremely carefree life. In comparison, my life was much more desolate. Rising early for court was routine, and soon Jiang Yunqiao asked Hongdi for leave to travel with her consort and the Fu family, entrusting the Ministry’s affairs to me. With the affairs of two departments combined, I was overwhelmed, often busy until late at night before returning home.
Our lifestyle had completely reversed from before. I was busy to the point of exhaustion, while he lived leisurely every day.
Originally, with the woman being outgoing and the man being introverted, it wasn’t as wonderful as I had imagined.
The only consolation was that the officials who once looked down on me gradually changed their attitude, and the number of people supporting Liu Hua was increasing daily, even showing signs of surpassing the Cen Taisai faction.
However, due to constant busyness, I hardly had time to spend with An Jin. When I returned home at night, I was so exhausted that I wanted to immediately collapse on the bed and fall asleep. Usually, before his hand could even start moving on my body, I would already be sound asleep.
An Jin was resentful about this. He had originally thought that after a long separation, husband and wife should be inseparable, but I was so busy that I couldn’t even find time to have dinner together. So, he thought of a solution: having me bring the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Personnel’s affairs home, with him personally guiding and sharing his experience, which greatly saved time.
For personnel arrangements, salary reviews, household registrations, silver casting, and every minute detail, he could instantly point out the key issues and quickly provide solution options. I only needed to choose the best one and add my annotations, which was much easier than before.
What surprised me most was that after just a few months in Nan Rui, he had already thoroughly understood everyone in the court, regardless of their rank, and was well-versed in the undercurrents within the court. Truly a divine being.
I felt I had found an extraordinarily capable man and was incredibly excited. He simply smiled silently, calmly facing my admiring gaze.
Not long after, Jiang Yun Qiao returned to Feng Zhu. For some reason, after traveling with her family, she seemed preoccupied, and her attitude toward me had become somewhat unusual. Although she still joked when we met, she seemed busier and had declined several of my invitations.
With Jiang Yun Qiao back in the Ministry of Personnel, I no longer needed to worry about its affairs and felt much more relaxed, planning to reconnect with An Jin and discuss our future.
However, An Jin believed we should first make up for the bedroom “homework” we had missed over the past six months.
The direct consequence of him saying this was—we rolled in bed for three days.
After three days, An Jin quickly had someone bring a bowl of brown sugar syrup for me to drink, and I lay weakly in his arms, catching my breath.
An Jin was torn between laughter and tears. “What nonsense are you talking about? Didn’t we say we’d have two children? Are you backing down already?”
My eyes brightened, and I quickly grabbed him. “Did you get the antidote for the sterility potion?”
His expression darkened, and he looked away.
One of An Jin’s purposes in following Xia Zhi Chun back to Yan Feng was to find the antidote for the sterility potion. This secret was only in the hands of the Qi Emperor. When they rescued the Qi Emperor from the secret prison, he was already near death. An Jin was worried he might tell Xia Zhi Chun about the secret department, so he was always vigilant, but the Qi Emperor never regained consciousness.
It was only when the Qi Emperor was on the brink of death that An Jin took the opportunity to threaten him to reveal the whereabouts of the sterility potion. However, the Qi Emperor just laughed mockingly, saying there was no antidote to the sterility potion.
The Qi Emperor ultimately died amid his laughter. An Jin originally thought that since everything has its opposite, there must be a solution but never expected the drug to be so potent.
The secret department had experts in medicine, but even these experts were helpless against the consequences of the sterility potion.
I sighed, hugging his waist to comfort him. “That’s right. Even if the secret department can’t help, it doesn’t mean there’s no one in the world who can undo this potion. What if I offer a reward like my uncle did?”
His expression suddenly became serious, and he said in a low voice, “Absolutely not. This matter must not be known to the Nan Rui royal family.”
I was stunned. He explained, “You are the future heir of Nan Rui. If people knew we couldn’t have children, it would undoubtedly pose a significant threat to your position.”
I laughed helplessly, “Do you think I really want that position? Now that you’re by my side, I can give up being an heir.”
An Jin sighed, “If only it were that simple. From what I know, the Emperor is determined to give you this position. Once he learns that you gave up the throne because of me, what do you think he’ll do?”
I understood his meaning, and my heart sank. “You mean—he might harm you?”
“He might harm me, or he might forcibly assign you another husband,” he said with a bitter smile.
“Either way, it would bring us great trouble.”
“But—Uncle seems kind and doesn’t seem like someone so cruel…” I was somewhat hesitant.
“He is indeed kind to you,” An Jin wrapped his arm around my shoulder, seeming somewhat helpless. “But he is still an emperor. An emperor’s love can sometimes be a form of restraint. Do you know that if I hadn’t produced the black gold token, he might not have agreed to our marriage or allowed me to be your consort?”
My heart grew cold. “So, we need to keep this a secret, but how long can we hide it?”
“Until you become empress,” An Jin tightened his arm, his eyes slightly bright. “Or until we find Xia Zhi Yong.”
“Xia Zhi Yong?!” I suddenly understood. Xia Zhi Yong, having been the crown prince, knew many of the Qi Emperor’s secrets and might know something about the sterility potion’s antidote. However—”He has already disappeared without a trace. How can we find him?”
An Jin gave me a meaningful look. “We don’t need to look for him. He will come to us on his own.”
Chapter 67: A Smart Person Acting Foolishly
In the arrangement of Yan Or, Xia Zhichun, and An Jin, forcing the Crown Prince Xia Zhiyuan to stage a coup was their most crucial step. Only by making Xia Zhiyuan commit the unfilial act of rebelling against his father could Xia Zhichun righteously leverage the power of Xiliang to counterattack under the banner of justice.
This design was assigned to An Jin in their collaboration.
Although the Secret Department had been purged by the Qi Emperor, many of their hidden agents in Yanfeng had not been exposed. Some of these agents were even positioned around Xia Zhiyuan, including the graceful dancing girl, Feiwu.
An Jin secretly issued orders for them to work together to provoke Xia Zhiyuan into staging a coup. However, Xia Zhiyuan was naturally suspicious and cunning. While he had harbored thoughts of seizing the throne, he had been quietly restraining himself, waiting for the right moment. No matter how the Secret Department’s agents acted, he remained inactive and grew suspicious of those trying to incite him.
