At the head of the table, An Zheyan was toying with a piece of bear paw on his plate. Hearing these words, he raised his eyebrows and pushed up the leather hat on his head. His expression immediately shifted, now marked by fleshy folds as he visibly tensed. He said sternly, "What do you mean by that?"1

An Zheyan's tone was relatively gentle, devoid of any reproach, indicating that An Jingming truly was the apple of his eye. Any other clan member who dared to utter such words would have been executed on the spot; only from An Jingming's mouth would these words prompt An Zheyan to take him seriously.1

"The Yu Family acts tyrannically, full of ambition, while the Li Family is reserved and quietly ruthless. Our An Family is caught in between, struggling to look after both ends. Father,...2