On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Since returning from inspecting the "Qiming Academy" that day, Murong Yan has been in a good mood.

During dinner, she and Lin Zhen sat facing each other in the warm pavilion of the palace. The dishes were exquisite and the atmosphere was cozy.

She was only wearing a form-fitting phoenix descending to earth dress.

Under the warm candlelight of the night, the Phoenix Descends to Earth dress loses its daytime brilliance, revealing its softness and intimacy as a nightgown.

The deep black Suzhou brocade absorbs the warmth of the candlelight, its color warm and lustrous, while the woven gold cotton and real gold threads flow with a soft, honey-like sheen.

The pattern of the giant phoenix on the nightgown, when relaxed and at rest, has lost all its sharpness, just like a phoenix resting in its love nest, peaceful and content.

One of her wide, bell-shaped sleeves hung softly over the edge of the table, with gold tassels at the cuff brushing against the carpet. The black jade thumb ring on her left thumb gleamed as she held the chopsticks.

The five-zhang-long Suzhou brocade train was laid out extremely casually on the soft carpet of the warm pavilion. Some of it was piled up beside the couch, some meandered under the dining table, and a few strands even draped over Lin Zhen's feet, creating a completely trusting mess in the private space.

The soft cotton fabric and comfortable nightgown allowed her to completely relax.

Murong Yan picked up a piece of tender bamboo shoot with her chopsticks and placed it in Lin Zhen's bowl. Her phoenix eyes curved into a smile: "Husband, those children at school today were so adorable. They read their books with such grace and concentration. I was delighted to see them like that."

Lin Zhen smiled and accepted the spoonful, then scooped a spoonful of her favorite crab roe tofu for her: "I'm glad Yan'er likes it. Promoting the unified language has far-reaching benefits, and these children will surely become pillars of society in the future."

"Mmm!" Murong Yan nodded vigorously, jumping for joy like a little girl. "I want to go again tomorrow! This time, bring lots of fun and delicious things. Hmm, bring some exquisite nine-linked rings and Kongming locks for them to play with, and have the imperial kitchen make some even cuter animal-shaped desserts. What do you say, my husband?"

As she spoke, she put down her chopsticks, reached out and grabbed Lin Zhen's sleeve, gently shaking it, her eyes full of anticipation.

Looking at her charming appearance, Lin Zhen's heart softened, and he readily agreed: "Okay, whatever you say. I'll go with you tomorrow, and we can also see if their introductory riding and archery classes are arranged properly."

Satisfied with the affirmation, Murong Yan ate an extra half bowl of rice at dinner.

After the meal, she even enthusiastically pulled Lin Zhen along to the storeroom to choose toys to take the next day. The long train of her toy swayed merrily behind her, making a rustling sound as it dragged along the quiet palace path.

The next day, around noon, Murong Yan and Lin Zhen once again arrived at Qiming Academy in a small entourage.

Unlike yesterday morning when the air was filled with the sound of children reading aloud, this time it was lunchtime, and the school canteen was filled with the aroma of food as children lined up to receive their meals.

Murong Yan's long hair was tied up with a simple white jade hairpin, and she wore very little jewelry.

Lin Zhen was still dressed in casual clothes that allowed for easy movement.

The two of them went directly to the outside of the canteen without disturbing too many people.

Murong Yan still had the lingering smile of yesterday on her face. She wanted to see how the children were eating, and perhaps she could give them a surprise.

However, when she looked through the window and saw the food in the children's bowls, the smile on her face froze instantly.

In each child's bowl, there was only a small half bowl of coarse millet rice, topped with a few strands of pickled vegetables that were devoid of any oil, plus a bowl of thin porridge that was so clear you could almost count the grains of rice.

Several younger children were frowning as they struggled to swallow the dry, hard grains of rice.

Murong Yan's phoenix eyes narrowed suddenly, and a chill emanated from her body.

She pushed open the door to the dining hall and went inside.

The somewhat noisy sounds in the dining hall vanished instantly, and all the children and the servants in charge of serving the food looked at the newcomer in horror.

Lin Zhen followed closely behind, his brows furrowing slightly.

Murong Yan walked up to a little boy who was eating with his head down, bent down, and said in a calm but imposing voice, "Child, tell me, is this what you usually eat?"

The little boy was so startled that his hand trembled, and he dropped his chopsticks on the table. He stammered, "Your Majesty, this is what we usually eat. Sometimes there aren't even any pickled vegetables."

Murong Yan straightened up and glanced across the entire dining hall. Seeing the identical, simple meals in the children's bowls, her face darkened to the point of being gloomy.

The joy she saw in the children reading yesterday stands in stark contrast to what she sees now!

She invested so much resources in establishing schools, only to have the children eat pig-swill-like food here?!

"Where is the cook?!" Murong Yan turned around abruptly, her voice icy and piercing, like the north wind in the dead of winter, instantly sweeping across the entire dining hall.

The trailing dark gold train swept across the ground as she suddenly turned, stirring up a gust of cold wind.

A fat cook wearing a greasy apron came tumbling over, fell to his knees with a thud, and trembled all over: "Your Majesty, I am here."

Murong Yan looked down at him, her phoenix eyes burning with anger: "I ask you! How much money is allocated to the school for meals every day?! Why are the children's meals so poor?! Speak!"

The cook was terrified and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down! The silver was allocated according to the quota, but the spring famine has just ended, the price of grain is still high, and the grain reserves in the city are also limited. I am a skilled cook but I can't cook without rice. I can only make sure the children are full first, and I can't worry about the dishes."

His voice was choked with sobs, yet it revealed some of the truth.

"Even a clever cook can't make a meal without rice?" Murong Yan laughed angrily, but the laughter sent chills down one's spine. "So, even a clever cook can't make a meal without rice! I entrusted such an important school to you, and this is how you treat it?! Limited food? I heard that the grain reserves in Anzhou's granaries are enough to last until the autumn harvest! Even if the price of grain is high, is the silver I allocated not even enough to give the children a decent meal?! I'm afraid someone is embezzling and skimping on the children's food!"

Her words were like knives, frightening the cook and the scholar and steward who rushed to the scene to kneel on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Lin Zhen stood beside Murong Yan without saying a word, but his silence added to the pressure.

He knew that Murong Yan's anger at this moment was not unreasonable.

Murong Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to drag these people out and kill them immediately.

She walked to the center of the dining hall, her gaze sweeping over the children who were too frightened to eat and staring at her with wide, terrified eyes. The anger in her heart was gradually replaced by a deeper emotion—responsibility and heartache.

She turned to face the kneeling crowd, her voice regaining its calmness, yet carrying an undeniable authority, like the final gavel falling:

“Listen,” she said, enunciating each word clearly. “Children are the foundation of the future. Education is the lifeblood of the nation. I can tolerate temporary difficulties, I can endure the flames of war on the border, but I will never allow anyone, for any reason, to mistreat these children who are learning to read and write, who carry the future! We cannot let children suffer! We cannot neglect education! I will only say this once!”

She paused, her gaze sharp as an eagle, and continued, "From this day forward, the dietary standards for all children in the school shall be in accordance with those of the auxiliary soldiers of my personal guard! They must have meat every day, rice to their heart's content, and the dishes to be changed daily! The necessary silver and provisions shall be directly allocated from the treasury of the Protectorate, with a designated person in charge of supervision. If even a penny is withheld, I will exterminate their entire family!"

"And you," she said, looking at the doctors and stewards, "teaching and nurturing students is not just about teaching them to read! It's also about caring for their basic needs! If you can't even do that, what use are you?! I will not investigate today's matter further, but if there is a next time, you will all have to answer to me with your heads!"

"Your Majesty, we obey your decree! We thank you for your great kindness!" The crowd kowtowed in gratitude, as if they had been granted a pardon, but their backs were already soaked with cold sweat.

After Murong Yan finished speaking, she stopped looking at them.

She walked up to the little boy she had initially questioned, knelt down, and the icy expression on her face instantly melted away, revealing an extremely gentle smile. She took out several adorable, gold-leaf-wrapped court pastries from her sleeve and placed them in his hands.

"My dear, have some of this to fill your stomach first. I promise you, starting tomorrow, you will be able to eat delicious food every day."

The little boy looked at the delicate pastry in his hand, then at Murong Yan's gentle face, his eyes reddened, and he nodded vigorously.