Picking Up the Plan Again

The following afternoon

When An Xueyan returned home, she found both her parents in the main hall, their expressions extremely grim. Thinking her sneaking out had been exposed, she was about to slip back to her room when she realized they had not noticed her at all.

She knew her parents had recently been worried sick over her second uncle's eldest son, her cousin An Ziran. She had always looked down on An Ziran. He was so fat and ugly that, if not for the bond of blood, she would not even want to acknowledge him as a relative. Not wanting to become the target of her parents' anger, An Xueyan changed her mind and took another route back to her room.

As she rounded a corner in the corridor, she happened to run into the furtive An Yaozong.

The name Yaozong had been given in the hope of An Changde and his wife that their eldest son would one day make something of himself, pass the imperial examinations like his father, and bring honor to his ancestors. Instead, not only did he dislike studying, he was also a compulsive gambler.

Ninety-nine percent of the money his family gave him each month ended up in gambling houses. He had even secretly incurred a debt behind An Changde and his wife's backs. Only An Xueyan knew about it, because An Yaozong had bribed her to keep quiet.

"Brother, are you going out to indulge yourself again?" Seeing that he was dressed presentably and carrying the fan he usually used to pretend he was refined and scholarly, An Xueyan immediately guessed he was heading out. It was already getting late. If he was leaving at this hour, he was surely going with his fair-weather friends to brothels, male pleasure houses, gambling dens, or the like.

An Yaozong had been avoiding his parents. When he saw it was his sister, he immediately relaxed. "It's you, Xueyan. You scared me. I just told Father and Mother that I'd be studying by lamplight tonight and asked them not to disturb me. Whatever you do, don't tell them I'm not home."

An Xueyan immediately held out her hand. "Fine. This time, I want one tael."

An Yaozong slapped her hand aside. "Don't try that with me. I didn't tell Father and Mother about you going out today, and now you want hush money from me? Consider us even."

Thinking of the consequences if her parents found out, and how she would definitely be confined afterward, An Xueyan did not press the matter. Instead, she said eagerly, "Brother, guess what I heard on the street today. You'll never guess."

"What else could it be? It must have something to do with An Ziran." An Yaozong rolled his eyes at her.

An Xueyan froze. "How did you know?"

"Father and Mother were just talking about it. I heard An Ziran married a man." His gaze was contemptuous, and his tone dripping with mockery.

When a man married another man, he was usually a male prostitute from a pleasure house and could only become a concubine. Their status was even lower than that of prostitutes. Whenever people mentioned male prostitutes, there was usually scorn in their eyes. But he did not know that although An Ziran had married Fu Wutian, his status was hundreds of times higher than that of the An Family, who were merely landowners.

"Is that all?" An Xueyan blinked.

An Yaozong did not realize she had more to say. His expression turned impatient. "Of course. I need to hurry to my appointment. If you have nothing else to say, I'm leaving."

An Xueyan said with a chuckle, "Brother, your news is far too outdated. Didn't Father and Mother say some time ago that An Ziran had married a powerful noble in Gentlemen City? But do you know what status the man An Ziran married actually has?"

Noticing the hint of schadenfreude in her words, An Yaozong's eyes lit up. "Sister, are you saying An Ziran did not marry a noble?"

An Xueyan nodded smugly. "Of course. How could a man marry a noble? Though he did not become the man's concubine, I found out that the person he married seems to be a merchant."

"Is that true?" An Yaozong immediately became excited.

An Xueyan enunciated every word. "Absolutely. True."

With a snap, An Yaozong closed his fan and immediately changed direction toward the main hall. His steps were hurried. Seeing his attitude suddenly change and realizing he no longer intended to go out, An Xueyan quickly followed after him.

"Brother, weren't you going to meet someone?"

"Your brother has thought of a good plan. Not only will it keep Father and Mother too busy to control me, but perhaps our family will never have to worry about money again." An Yaozong did not turn back. He desperately needed money. His debt had to be repaid by the deadline, and there was also the money he needed for his indulgences. Therefore, he supported the idea of his parents swallowing up the An Family's assets.

An Xueyan was curious about the plan he mentioned, so she followed him.

An Changde, who had been drinking tea to wet his throat, choked. The tea in his mouth sprayed out without the slightest dignity, yet he did not even bother to wipe it away. His eyes widened as he stared at his eldest son, looking utterly ridiculous.

Wu Zhi was the first to react. She shot to her feet in excitement, walked up to An Yaozong, and tightly gripped his arm. "Yaozong, is what you said true?"

An Yaozong's arm hurt from her grip, but he understood his mother's feelings. "Of course it's true. If you don't believe me, Mother, ask Sister. She heard about it outside."

Without meaning to, he had sold out his own sister.

The moment An Xueyan heard her brother say that, she knew things were bad. Before she could stop him, he had already blurted it out. She turned to flee, only for her mother to roar her name like a lioness. Yet what she said made An Xueyan stop in surprise. Her mother was not going to scold her for sneaking out.

Though she did not know what was going on, it felt as if she had done something worthy of praise.

An Changde had already recovered.

Faced with her parents' questioning, An Xueyan roughly recounted how she had learned the news, then assured them at the end that it was absolutely true.

"Good!"

An Changde was so excited that his face reddened. He slammed a palm onto the table, not even feeling the pain when his palm turned red. Ever since An Ziran had taken his younger siblings to Gentlemen City, he had been on edge, always worried that An Yuzhi's betrothed was some important figure. Now that he knew An Ziran had merely married a merchant, there was nothing to worry about.

"Changde, we need to quickly tell Jiang Prefect this news." Wu Zhi's face glowed with excitement. Thinking of the plan that had been put on hold due to their lack of information, she was thrilled that it could finally be carried out again. She had had enough of living in straitened circumstances.

"Right, but just in case, we should find someone to look into it further first, so it doesn't turn out to be only a rumor." An Changde was still uneasy.

An Xueyan did not know what they were talking about. "Father, Mother, what exactly are you talking about?"

Only then did the couple realize their daughter did not know their plan. This matter could not be known by too many people, so they sent her back to her room while keeping their eldest son behind.

Afraid her parents would pursue the matter of her going out in public without permission, An Xueyan did not dare ask any further questions.

This matter was no longer a secret in the An Family. With someone deliberately spreading the news as well, An Changde and Wu Zhi barely had to make any effort before they learned the truth. It was almost exactly as their daughter had said: An Ziran had indeed married a merchant. The two of them wished they could fly to Yong Prefecture at once and tell Jiang Prefect the news.

The next day, they painfully hired the only groom in Anyuan County.

The groom had a horse that traveled very quickly. A round trip between Anyuan County and Yong Prefecture took only two days, perhaps not even that long. Since his carriage often delivered goods everywhere, he knew shortcuts that could reduce the journey.

The groom felt their demands were too excessive. After all, even a horse needed rest, so he asked for more money.

Thinking that once the plan succeeded, they would possess the An Family's estate, An Changde and Wu Zhi were no longer as stingy as before, unwilling to add even a single copper coin. They paid readily, leaving the groom stunned for quite a while. No one in Anyuan County was unaware of the couple's reputation.

That night, everything they had done during the day appeared on An Ziran's desk.

An Ziran had not relaxed his surveillance of An Changde and Wu Zhi just because he had left Anyuan County. On the contrary, he had continued having the man named Xiao Ye keep watch on them.

Yesterday, Xiao Ye had just reported the surveillance results from the period when An Ziran had been in Gentlemen City. The contents had clearly been compiled before being submitted. There was almost no nonsense, and only the key points had been selected, making An Ziran increasingly feel that Xiao Ye was a capable man.

The paper in his hand was suddenly snatched away.

An Ziran looked up and saw Fu Wutian standing in his study at some unknown point. He could not help frowning. He had not noticed him at all. However, he did not believe his vigilance had weakened. The only possibility was that Fu Wutian was even more unfathomable than he had imagined.

"Give it back."

An Ziran reached out and snatched the paper back. He did not feel the slightest embarrassment over Fu Wutian seeing that he was monitoring his own eldest uncle. He believed Fu Wutian had long since investigated his affairs.

Fu Wutian loosened his fingers, allowing him to pull the paper away with ease. One hand rested on the edge of the chair, making it seem as though he had An Ziran enclosed beneath him. He said sincerely, "This man is good."

An Ziran glanced at him. "He is."

Once the matters at hand were settled, he intended to meet this man. If his background was clean and there were no problems, An Ziran wanted to put him to important use.

"Princess Consort, you actually said another man was good. This prince is jealous." Fu Wutian suddenly bent down, leaning close to him. The breath from his mouth brushed against An Ziran's neck, and that patch of skin immediately turned pink at a visible speed.

An Ziran silently rolled his eyes at him. He refused to discuss such a stupid topic.

Fu Wutian nearly laughed at his reaction.

The princess consort was becoming more and more adorable.