On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Time slipped by quietly, and the sun outside the window gradually began to set in the west.

Murong Yan finally couldn't sit still any longer.

She put down her vermilion brush, stood up, and paced around the study. The long, dark gold train trailed behind her as she walked, swaying and rustling softly on the floor.

"Why did it take so long?" she muttered to herself, frowning. "It was just to buy some snacks, did something happen?"

A barely perceptible worry crossed her mind.

Although they believed in Lin Zhen's abilities, the anxiety of waiting was hard to quell.

Just then, familiar footsteps came from outside the hall.

Murong Yan's eyes lit up, her face instantly brightening from gloomy to cheerful, and she greeted the door like a happy bird.

Lin Zhen appeared at the door, carrying that familiar oil paper package in his hand.

"Husband!" Murong Yan called out happily, rushing forward and forgetting all about her imperial dignity, reaching out to grab some snacks. "You're finally back! I've been waiting for you so long!"

Seeing her like this, Lin Zhen's initial ripples of emotion from their chance encounter on the street instantly subsided, replaced by overwhelming tenderness.

He smiled and held up the pastry, teasing her, "Yan'er, don't be impatient. Let your husband see if my Empress is handling state affairs obediently."

Murong Yan stamped her foot and said coquettishly, "You're so annoying! Give it to me now! I've been approving so many memorials! I'm starving!"

As she spoke, she hopped to reach it, and the long, trailing train swayed merrily in response.

Lin Zhen stopped teasing her, handed her the snacks, and pulled her into his arms. He lowered his head and took a deep sniff of her hair, saying softly, "Okay, here you go. We were delayed on the way."

Murong Yan eagerly opened the oil paper package, picked up a piece of still-warm osmanthus sugar cake, took a small bite, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction: "Mmm, delicious! My husband understands me best!"

As she ate, she casually asked, "Did something happen? What's wrong?"

Looking at her innocent and contented expression, Lin Zhen felt the subtle ripples in his heart caused by admiring a foreign beauty completely vanish.

He said casually, "It's nothing, I just ran into that Japanese prince on the street and we exchanged a few words."

Murong Yan was engrossed in enjoying the pastries when she heard this. She paused, raised her eyes, and a sly glint flashed in her phoenix eyes as she looked at Lin Zhen with a half-smile: "Oh? A chance encounter? You exchanged a few words? Is that little princess swooning over her husband again?"

There was no jealousy in her tone, only a strong sense of teasing.

Lin Zhen felt a little embarrassed by her gaze, so he coughed lightly to cover it up, saying, "Don't talk nonsense. It's just a normal courtesy."

Murong Yan, however, persisted, stuffing the remaining half of the pastry into Lin Zhen's mouth and laughing, "Look at my husband, you must have been dazzled by her traditional beauty, right? It's alright, it's alright, I grant your permission! Next time she runs into you, just say a few more words to her to make her completely devoted to you, and then I'll have a reason to keep her here to warm your bed!"

As she spoke, she burst into laughter, bending over backwards.

Lin Zhen was both amused and exasperated by her antics, and could only hug her tightly, saying helplessly, "You really seem to thrive on chaos. You are the only one in my heart, and heaven and earth can bear witness."

Murong Yan laughed enough in his arms before raising her head, tapping his nose with her finger, her eyes full of confidence and affection: "I know, I was just teasing you. I don't think you'd dare to have any other thoughts, otherwise..."

She made a throat-slitting gesture, then laughed and said, "But seriously, if that princess really stayed in the palace as a pretty face, she'd be quite a sight to behold, don't you think, husband?"

Her words were half true and half false; they were a joke, but also revealed a kind of naive cruelty and tolerance in a victor and an absolute leader.

Lin Zhen looked at her, his heart filled with only sighs and a deeper love.

He knew that in Murong Yan's world, everything was under her control, including his loyalty and the fate of that Japanese princess.

Just then, Murong Yan seemed to remember something and turned to get a teacup from the desk.

The moment she turned around——

Her movements conveyed a sense of ease and pleasure after teasing her husband!

The five-zhang-long dark gold trailing tail, which was scattered messily on the study floor, was stirred up and rolled like waves of ink with a whoosh!

As the train suddenly billowed up, it revealed the "Golden Lace" lining, densely woven with gold threads, shimmering with absolute confidence and control in the fusion of the sunset and candlelight!

The pattern of a hundred phoenixes facing the sun bursts forth with a dazzling and resolute golden light, like a queen's declaration of sovereignty. The light is filled with absolute confidence in love, unparalleled pride in one's own charm, and an inclusive and condescending view of all potential "scenery." It is noble, magnificent, and carries an unquestionable sense of authority that firmly holds both deep affection and power in its hands!

This fleeting glimpse completely dispelled the tiny ripples on the street.

The hem of her skirt fell, obscuring the confident golden glow.

Murong Yan picked up her teacup, took a sip of water, and smiled sweetly at Lin Zhen: "What would you like to eat for dinner, my husband?"

Outside the window, the sky is ablaze with sunset colors. Inside the palace, a warm and tender atmosphere prevails.

......

August 12th, the second year of the Holy Emblem Era, at dusk.

Inside a waterside flower hall with a wide view at the Anzhou Imperial Palace, a small but high-class banquet is about to begin.

The windows on all four sides of the flower hall are open, and the evening breeze carries the fragrance of lotus ponds, while the afterglow of the setting sun dyes the water surface golden red.

The room was exquisitely furnished, with a round sandalwood table inlaid with mother-of-pearl placed in the center. Several delicate dishes, mainly seasonal river delicacies and mountain specialties, were already laid out on the table, accompanied by sake and fragrant tea.

Murong Yan was undoubtedly the absolute star of this banquet.

She wore the Phoenix Descent dress, and to keep warm in the cool evening air, she draped a magnificent black and gold mink shawl over her shoulders, its fur shimmering softly in the setting sun.

Her hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with a golden phoenix hairpin. The tassels trembled slightly, yet this did not diminish the warm luster of the black jade thumb ring on her left thumb.

The Phoenix Descends to Earth dress exudes a unique charm in this semi-formal, semi-private evening event.

The deep black Suzhou brocade base appears even more profound under the dimming light in the room, like a tranquil night sky. The woven gold cotton and real gold threads, illuminated by the candlelight and the last rays of the setting sun, flow with a warm and restrained glow, complementing the exquisite silver tableware on the table.

The pattern of a giant phoenix soaring to the sky on the nightgown, in the atmosphere of the banquet, lost some of the majesty of the imperial court and gained more of the elegance and nobility of the host, as if the phoenix was perched on a paulownia branch, looking down on the guests.

The wide, bell-shaped sleeves were covered by the long sleeves of the palace dress, but the gold thread tassels unique to the Phoenix Descending to Earth dress at the cuffs still occasionally peeked out.