On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

"A deal?" Lin Zhen raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.

“Yes.” Ashnad’s voice was even lower, almost a whisper.

"The Left Wise King knows well that Her Majesty the Emperor of the Great Qian... well, she is a woman. Although she has some means, ultimately... a hen crowing at dawn is not a long-term solution. Your Highness, on the other hand, is a man of both literary and military prowess, with well-established prestige. You are the true pillar of the Great Qian empire. Currently, the war in the northern border is at a stalemate, costing countless amounts of money and supplies. If this stalemate continues for a long time, it will damage the strength of the Great Qian nation, and it will also be detrimental to Your Highness's prestige."

He carefully observed Lin Zhen's expression, and seeing that the other party showed no anger, but only that his eyes were becoming increasingly deep, he continued:

"The Left Wise King's meaning is that, as long as Your Highness is willing, at the appropriate time, you can do extraordinary things. At that time, the Northern Desert Iron Cavalry is willing to become Your Highness's strongest external support. The Left Wise King can immediately order the troops to withdraw and sign a permanent peace treaty with Your Highness, recognizing Your Highness as the ruler of the Central Plains. He can even help Your Highness to remove some disobedient obstacles."

The implication in his words was so blatant it bordered on provocation.

Lin Zhen listened quietly, her face expressionless. Only her fingers, resting on the armrest of the chair, unconsciously tapped lightly on the smooth wood, producing a very rhythmic, soft "tap-tap" sound. This sound was exceptionally clear in the silent room, and exceptionally unsettling.

After a long silence, Lin Zhen finally spoke, his voice as cold as the coldest days of winter:

"King Wuwei Zuoxian, you've really got a good plan. He wants me to bear the infamy of regicide and usurpation for all time, and then he'll use the guise of an 'ally' to manipulate me? He even wants to use me to get rid of his thorn in the side of the Great Qian? Mr. Ashina, do you think I'm the kind of person who would betray my ancestors, my country, my sovereign, my father, my wife, and my children for my own selfish gain?"

With his last sentence, his tone suddenly turned sharp, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes, like a tangible blade piercing straight into the other person's heart.

Ashina De was taken aback by this sudden, fierce aura, instinctively taking a step back, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead beneath his hat brim. He forced himself to remain calm and quickly said:

"Your Highness, please calm down! The Left Wise King had no such intention! He was only... only thinking of Your Highness's best interests. After all, in this world, the strong ultimately rule... Moreover, Murong Yan's methods against the Kong family were so ruthless. Does Your Highness not harbor any resentment?"

He tried to incite Lin Zhen's dissatisfaction with Murong Yan.

"Shut up!" Lin Zhen slammed his hand on the armrest and abruptly stood up. His tall figure cast a huge shadow in the candlelight, completely enveloping Ashinade. He looked down at Ashinade, his voice like thunder, booming in the small, secret room:

"Her Majesty Murong is my wife, the rightful emperor of the Great Qian! How dare you barbarians presume to comment on her civil and military achievements? The Kong family colluded with foreign enemies to assassinate the emperor; the evidence is irrefutable, and they should be punished according to the law. How can you say it's cruel? If you dare to spout nonsense and sow discord again, don't blame me for arresting you immediately and executing you in the fullest!"

An immense pressure descended like a mountain, and Ashina De's face turned deathly pale. He could no longer maintain his composure and collapsed to his knees with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing.

"Your Highness, please forgive me! I misspoke! I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"

He trembled all over, all his previous cunning and composure gone, leaving only the fear of facing absolute power.

Lin Zhen coldly watched him kowtow repeatedly. After a long while, she slowly sat back down in her chair, her tone returning to its previous calmness, but with an added air of unquestionable authority:

"Go back and tell Uvi that I appreciate his 'good intentions,' but the Great Qian's empire will be protected by its rulers and ministers; he need not trouble himself. If he knows what's good for him, he should immediately withdraw his troops and submit a petition to apologize. Perhaps our dynasty, out of Heaven's benevolence, will show leniency. If he remains obstinate and resists stubbornly, then let's settle things on the battlefield! Our million-strong army of Great Qian will surely ensure that his iron cavalry from the northern deserts never returns!"

"Yes! Yes! I will certainly convey Your Highness's words to the Left Wise King without missing a single one!"

Ashina De felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and repeatedly agreed, his voice trembling.

"Get lost." Lin Zhen waved his hand dismissively.

"Remember, go back the same way you came. If I find out that you have other plans in Chang'an, or if even the slightest leak of today's events..."

He didn't finish speaking, but the murderous intent in his words sent chills down Ashina's spine.

"I understand! I understand! I would never dare to make the slightest move!"

Ashina scrambled to his feet, not daring to look at Lin Zhen again, and practically crawled out of the secret chamber, disappearing into the darkness outside the door.

The secret room fell silent again, leaving only Lin Zhen and the flickering candlelight.

He sat alone in the shadows, his fingers still tapping the armrest unconsciously, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames, his face expressionless, only his deep eyes swirling with complex and unfathomable thoughts.

Uwe's probing was both unexpected and reasonable.

This further confirms that the interior of northern Mongolia is not a monolithic entity, and also exposes Uwi's anxiety about lacking confidence in achieving a swift victory.

......

Four hundred li southwest of Longcheng in the northern desert, lies the command post of the Great Qian Northern Expeditionary Army.

Even in the height of summer, the nights in the northern desert still carry a biting chill.

The gale whipped up sand and gravel, like countless tiny knives, lashing against the leather tent and making a continuous, unsettling rustling sound.

Outside the tent, the heavy footsteps of the night patrol soldiers, the occasional snorting of warhorses, and the faint sound of watchtowers in the distance intertwined to create a tense and somber nocturne unique to the frontier.

There were no stars or moon in the sky, only a thick, indistinct ink-like darkness that completely swallowed up the vast wilderness.

Inside the command tent, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost palpable.

Several huge tallow lamps hung on a frame in the center of the tent, their flickering flames illuminating the interior as bright as day and casting swaying, ghostly shadows on the ground.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of leather, sweat, dust, and ink.

The huge sand table of the northern frontier and the heart of the Gobi Desert occupied almost half of the space inside the tent. The mountains, rivers, cities, passes, and the enemy and friendly forces on the sand table were all clearly marked with small flags of different colors.

Beside the sand table, a simple cypress wood table was covered with military intelligence reports, maps, and various documents, the ink still fresh.

Lin Zhen was not wearing the prince's python robe, but only a black outfit that allowed for easy movement, with a worn fox fur cloak over it. His travel-worn face showed undisguised fatigue, but his eyes were surprisingly bright, like the alpha wolf on the snowfield staring intently at its prey, sharp, calm, and full of pressure.

He stood in front of the sand table, leaning slightly forward, his finger pointing to the location on the sand table representing the Wolf Mountain Pass, where a slightly tattered red dragon flag was planted, surrounded by densely packed black wolf-head flags representing the Northern Desert Army.

Opposite him stood Zheng Jiao, the Grand Marshal of the Northern Expedition. This veteran general, over fifty years old, was burly, with a dark complexion and crisscrossing scars on his face. His tiger-like eyes were bloodshot from days of staying up late, but his back remained straight, and he exuded the unique bravery and composure of a battle-hardened veteran.

He was also not wearing full armor, only a light leather suit, and was listening intently to Lin Zhen's question.

"Commander Zheng, in your opinion, what is the true intention behind Uzbekistan's main force avoiding battle and instead using small elite units to constantly harass our supply lines and exhaust our army?"

Lin Zhen's voice wasn't loud, but it had a metallic quality that pierced through the wind outside the tent and clearly reached Zheng Jiao's ears.

Zheng Jiao clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice loud and hoarse:

"Your Highness! This humble general believes that the old villain Wuwei is exceptionally cunning! He is acting in this way for two reasons. First, he is wary of our army's sharp edge, especially since Your Highness is personally present at the front lines, which greatly boosts morale. He dares not easily engage in a decisive battle with our main force. Second, the grasslands in the northern desert are not abundant this spring, and their military reserves may not be sufficient. He intends to use this delaying tactic to deplete our supplies and wear down our morale. Once our strategists and soldiers are exhausted, or if something changes in the rear, he will then seek an opportunity to launch a fatal blow!"

He pointed to a winding dotted line on the sand table.

"In particular, the supply route leading to the Yanran Protectorate has been harassed by their cavalry several times recently. Although they have not succeeded, if this continues, it will surely become a major threat!"

Lin Zhen nodded slightly, his gaze following Zheng Jiao's finger as it moved across the sand table, and pondered:

"Commander Zheng's concerns are very valid. Uwe wants to subdue the enemy without fighting, or seek to achieve the greatest results with the least cost."

His finger moved away from the Wolf Mountain Pass and slowly traced across the vast area on the sand table representing the heart of the northern desert.