On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Just now in the imperial court, she appeared resolute and decisive, but in reality, every step she took was on the edge of a knife.

Taking action against the Cui family is a risky move. If handled improperly, it could easily provoke a backlash from the literati and cause instability in the court.

But what she was betting on was that, under the dual pressure of absolute imperial power and the war in the northern frontier, those powerful families would not dare to openly break with the court.

She slowly walked to the phoenix chair and sat down, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the cold, black jade thumb ring.

"Your Majesty, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard requests an audience," a palace attendant cautiously announced from outside the door.

"Xuan."

Soon, a middle-aged man dressed in a flying fish robe, with an embroidered spring knife at his waist and a cold expression strode into the hall and knelt on one knee: "Your subject, Zhao Wuji, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"Get up. How is the situation at the Cui residence?" Murong Yan asked directly.

“Your Majesty,” Zhao Wuji rose, his voice crisp and efficient, “I have personally led the Imperial Guards to seal off and confiscate the Cui residence. Cui Mingyuan and his main clansmen have all been imprisoned. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the Cui residence contained a large quantity of weapons and armor, far exceeding the limits set by the court! More importantly…”

He took out a bamboo tube sealed with wax pellets from his bosom and presented it with both hands: "I found this in a secret room in Cui Mingyuan's study. Inside are secret letters between Cui Mingyuan and... and with Huyan Zhuo, the Right Wise King of the Northern Desert!"

Murong Yan's phoenix eyes narrowed sharply!

She took the wax pill, crushed the sealing wax, and pulled out a roll of silk as thin as a cicada's wing.

Upon unfolding it, one finds it covered in tiny, fly-like characters written in an extremely small font.

The contents of the letter were shocking!

In his letter, Cui Mingyuan not only informed Hu Yanzhuo in detail about the military deployment and food supply situation within the Daqian court, but also proposed a treasonous idea: "Wait for the royal army to march south, coordinate with the outside world, and take over the world together!"

The date of the inscription was shortly after Lin Zhen personally went to the northern frontier!

"Good! Good for Cui Mingyuan! Good for this century-old family!" Murong Yan trembled with rage. She slammed the roll of silk onto the table, her eyes flashing with murderous intent. "Treason and collusion with the enemy! The evidence is irrefutable! I underestimated him!"

She originally thought that the Cui family was just dissatisfied and wanted to seize more power in the court, but she never expected that they would dare to secretly collude with foreign enemies and commit such a heinous act of treason!

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall, and a young eunuch scrambled in, his face beaming with ecstasy. He shouted in a shrill voice, "Great news! Your Majesty! Great news! Urgent dispatch from the Northern Frontier! A great victory at Eagle's Beak Cliff!"

"What?!" Murong Yan snapped out of her rage, abruptly stood up, and strode to the young eunuch. "Speak quickly! How is the battle going?!"

"Reporting...reporting to Your Majesty!" The little eunuch gasped for breath, his words tumbling out in excitement, "His Highness the Prince...His Highness the Prince and Marshal Zheng set up an ambush at Eagle's Beak Cliff, using three thousand supply troops as bait, and utterly defeated the ten thousand elite cavalry led by the Right Wise King Huyan Zhuo of the Northern Desert! They killed over seven thousand enemies and captured two thousand! Right Wise King Huyan Zhuo...fled with serious injuries! Our army has achieved a great victory!"

"Good!" Upon hearing this, Murong Yan felt an immense joy instantly dispel her previous anger and gloom! She couldn't help but laugh loudly, her laughter clear and melodious, filled with joy and pride, "Good! You are indeed worthy of being my husband! You are indeed worthy of being a son of my Great Qian!"

The great victory at Eagle's Beak Cliff!

This is not only a military victory, but also a shot in the arm!

It proved to the world that the army of the Great Qian Dynasty has the ability, the determination, and the strength to defeat any invading enemy!

This victory came just in time!

It will completely shatter the last vestiges of illusion among the appeasers and capitulationists in the court, and will also greatly consolidate her and Lin Zhen's prestige, providing the most solid foundation for her to thoroughly purge the court and eliminate internal troubles!

Murong Yan immediately gave the order:

"Issue my decree! Spread this news of victory throughout the capital immediately! Proclaim it to the whole world! All soldiers who have rendered meritorious service in the Battle of Eagle Beak Cliff will be promoted three ranks and awarded one hundred taels of silver! Those who died in battle will receive double the compensation! They will be posthumously honored as heroes! I want the whole world to know that the court will never be stingy with rewards for those who are loyal to the country!"

"Yes!" The little eunuch accepted the order and scrambled out.

“Zhao Wuji.” Murong Yan turned her head, her gaze falling back on the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, her eyes now as cold as ice.

"Chen is here!"

"Immediately make one hundred copies of Cui Mingyuan's secret letter accusing him of treason and collusion with the enemy, and post them throughout Chang'an! Then escort Cui Mingyuan to the Meridian Gate! I want to... interrogate him personally!"

As she spoke the last few words, each syllable was uttered slowly and deliberately, filled with a chilling murderous intent.

She wanted to use Cui Mingyuan's head as the first sacrifice for the victory in the northern frontier!

Just as she turned around, preparing to set off for the Meridian Gate—her movements carried the ecstasy of a great victory and the chilling murderous intent of an impending purge of internal troubles!

The long, dark gold Suzhou brocade train, stretching five zhang (approximately 10 meters) and spreading out in a mess, was suddenly stirred by her swift turning motion!

The luxurious brocade swept across the ground with a sharp "whoosh" sound, like a blade being drawn from its sheath!

As the train billowed up, it revealed the "Golden Floor" lining, intricately woven with gold thread, which shimmered with a fiery and brilliant light like the flames of revenge under the bright candlelight in the hall!

The phoenix pattern covering the entire nightgown and its train burst forth with an incredibly powerful and dazzling golden light, a mixture of triumphant joy and ruthless killing intent!

The light was filled with pride in his lover's achievements, extreme hatred for the traitors, and the imperial determination of someone who held absolute power and was about to launch a bloody purge!

Noble and glorious, it has now transformed into an unstoppable torrent of judgment!

The hem of her skirt fell, obscuring the scorching, murderous golden light.

Murong Yan strode out of the hall. Behind her, an era belonging to the Cui family was about to come to an end.

And a more iron-fisted and majestic era, belonging to her, is rising with the good news from the northern frontier.

......

Northern Desert, Dragon City.

The royal palace, once a symbol of power in the northern desert, is now shrouded in a deathly, suffocating atmosphere.

Outside the palace, the sky was overcast, with leaden clouds hanging low as if they might collapse at any moment.

The gale, whipping up sand and dust, howled across the wasteland, emitting a ghostly wail.

Inside the main hall, the atmosphere was even more oppressive than the weather outside.

The huge tallow candle was still burning, but the flickering flame seemed to tremble with unease, casting an unpredictable shadow on the faces of everyone in the hall.

Uwei, the Great Khan of the Northern Desert, sat on his throne covered with a complete white tiger skin, like a wounded lion.

He was still wearing that heavy wolfskin robe, but his former domineering and arrogant demeanor had been replaced by a violent and gloomy air.

He gripped the armrest of the chair tightly with one hand, his knuckles turning white from the force, while his other hand rested on the hilt of the knife at his waist, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

His gaze, like two poisoned knives, was fixed on the blood-soaked, disheveled figure kneeling in the center of the hall.

That was the Right Wise King, Huyan Zhuo.

This man, once known for his wisdom and cunning as the second most powerful figure in the northern desert, now resembles a stray dog ​​with its spine broken.

His armor was tattered, his left shoulder was wrapped in a thick bandage soaked in blood, his face was as pale as paper, his lips were cracked, and his eyes were filled with fear, shame and despair.

Behind him, a hundred or so equally disheveled remnants of his army knelt sparsely. They were the last survivors among the ten thousand iron cavalry who had managed to escape from the hellish Eagle's Beak Cliff.

"...This humble general is incompetent and fell into the trap of the Southerners, causing...causing my eight thousand brave warriors to perish at the foot of Eagle's Beak Cliff...This humble general...deserves to die a thousand deaths! I beg the Great Khan...to punish me!"

Hu Yanzhuo's voice was hoarse and trembling. Every word he spoke seemed to take all his strength. After he finished speaking, he slammed his forehead heavily on the cold stone floor, making a dull thud.

There was deathly silence in the main hall.

Attila the Left Guli King, Hunxie King, Xiutu King, and other leaders and important ministers of the northern desert tribes stood on both sides, each with their heads bowed and even their breathing deliberately subdued.

They could clearly feel the terrifying pressure emanating from the throne, like the pressure before a volcanic eruption.

Eight thousand elite troops!

That wasn't eight thousand cattle and sheep, but eight thousand brave warriors from the northern desert who grew up on horseback and were skilled in battle!

And just like that, almost the entire army was wiped out overnight!

This is a devastating blow to the already sparsely populated northern desert region, one that could shake the very foundations of the nation!