On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The Battle of Mobei came to an end in a way that exceeded everyone's expectations.

In the final battle, Great Khan Uwei encountered Regent Lin Zhen, who had personally led his elite troops on a long march, in front of a vast army.

The two men who determined the course of the war engaged in a brief but brutal duel.

In the end, Lin Zhen personally beheaded Uvi.

With Uvi's death, the already routed Northern Desert Allied Army completely lost its last will to resist and scattered in all directions. The Great Qian Army achieved its final and most glorious victory.

As for Kong Zhiqian, who offered countless treacherous schemes, after seeing Uwei's death and the inevitable defeat, he led his so-called "revenge army" and disappeared like stray dogs into the depths of the vast northern snowfields, their whereabouts unknown.

On the day the triumphant return to the capital, the entire city of Chang'an was deserted as everyone flocked to the city.

The ten-mile-long street from the city gate to the palace was packed with cheering people.

Flowers and ribbons rained down from the restaurants and houses lining the streets.

"Long live His Highness the Prince! Long live the Great Qian Dynasty!"

Welcome home, heroes!

The people welcomed their war god and victorious soldiers in the most simple and enthusiastic way.

Lin Zhen rode atop a magnificent white horse, clad in silver triumphant armor, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers standing proudly behind him. He accepted the cheers of the people, yet his face showed little joy.

His heart had already flown back to that majestic palace, to the person he longed for.

He just wanted to see her as quickly as possible.

The elaborate triumphant ceremony felt like an eternity.

When Lin Zhen finally managed to escape, he didn't even change out of his armor before heading straight for the inner palace, towards the Qifeng Pavilion he had longed for day and night.

He waved away all the palace maids and eunuchs who wanted to report, and alone, he pushed open that familiar palace door.

Inside the palace, the afterglow of the setting sun slanted in through the open, carved phoenix-patterned glazed windows, bathing the entire sleeping quarters in a warm golden light.

The air was filled with his familiar, faint orchid fragrance.

Then, he saw her.

She stood by the window, her back to him, quietly gazing at the sunset outside.

The setting sun cast a soft golden glow on her slender figure, making her look like a fragile, exquisite glass statue.

Hearing the door open, she slowly turned around.

Eyes facing each other.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Lin Zhen looked at her. Her stunningly beautiful face looked much thinner than he remembered, and beneath her phoenix eyes was a faint, undisguised weariness.

But the moment those eyes saw him, they shone with an unprecedented, dazzling light.

In that light, there was shock, ecstasy, grievance, heartache, and even more so, an overflowing, unyielding longing and love.

Murong Yan looked at him. He was darker and thinner than when he left, and his handsome face had a few shallow but still shocking scars.

His cold silver armor still carried the scent of the northern frontier's winds and blood. But his eyes, as he looked at her, remained so gentle, so focused, as if the whole world had shrunk to just her.

She was still wearing the same phoenix descending to earth dress, and without the embroidered robe, she looked even more relaxed and gentle, like a woman at home.

The deep black Suzhou brocade base, under the setting sun, presents a velvety texture.

The golden cotton velvet woven into it, and the giant phoenix embroidered with real gold thread, flow with a restrained and gentle radiance under the warm light.

The light and airy craftsmanship of Suzhou brocade and the softness of cotton made this huge robe cling to her body like a cloud.

The five-zhang-long Suzhou brocade train, without any tidying up, spread naturally and gracefully across the gold-brick floor behind her, winding from the window where she stood all the way to the phoenix couch in the inner palace. In the setting sun, it formed a magnificent and luxurious mess full of static beauty.

She didn't speak, and he forgot how to speak.

The two looked at each other quietly, as if trying to see all the longing they had felt over the past few months into each other's eyes and etch it into their hearts.

Finally, she moved.

She lifted her skirt and ran towards him.

The long, messy, dark gold train trailed behind her as she ran, billowing up behind her!

As the train billowed up, the densely woven gold-threaded lining was revealed!

Bathed in the warm, golden light of the setting sun, that golden radiance was no longer majestic, no longer a symbol of violence, and no longer a symbol of longing. Instead, it burst forth with a light that was as warm and dazzling as birds returning to the forest or travelers returning home, filled with endless joy and peace of mind.

The phoenix burst forth with a radiant glow of boundless joy and elation, as if it had finally awaited the return of its beloved!

That light was filled with the joy of reunion, the ease of being relieved of burdens, and the warmth and peace of home that kept all the storms out.

The hem of her skirt fell, obscuring the warm, joyful golden light.

She had already thrown herself into his arms.

"Husband!"

She held him tightly, burying her face in his cold, blood-stained armor, and the tears she had suppressed for months finally burst forth.

"I am back."

Lin Zhen hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.

He lowered his head and kissed her trembling, orchid-scented long hair, his voice hoarse.

"I'm back, Yan'er."

He repeated this sentence over and over again.

She looked up at him with teary eyes, and reached out her trembling hand to gently touch the new scar on his cheek.

"Does it hurt?" Her voice was full of sobs and heartache.

Lin Zhen shook his head, took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it gently.

"It doesn't hurt. Seeing you makes everything else disappear."

"You've lost weight..." she choked up, "and you've gotten darker..."

"You've lost weight too." He gently wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Have you been neglecting your meals and sleep?"

She didn't speak, she just kept shaking her head, but her tears fell even more fiercely.

He sighed, picked her up and carried her to the phoenix bed in the inner palace.

He gently placed her on the soft couch, and then, still wearing his cold armor, sat beside her and held her tightly in his arms.

"I'm sorry, Yan'er, I made you worry."

"You fool...you big fool..." She pounded her fist on his hard chest, but couldn't muster any strength. "Do you know how scared I was...how scared I was that I would never see you again..."

"No, I won't." He took her hand and placed it over his heart. "I promised you I would come back alive. I promised you I would stay with you for the rest of my life. How could I bear to leave you alone?"

He lowered his head and kissed her deeply.

This kiss was devoid of any lust, containing only endless longing, tenderness, and the ecstatic joy of something lost and then regained.

For a long time, the lips are divided.

He pressed his forehead against hers, looking into her phoenix eyes, red and swollen from crying yet strikingly bright, and spoke, word by word, with utmost solemnity, as if making a lifelong vow:

"Yan'er, I will never leave you again."

"Mmm." She nodded heavily in his arms, a relieved and happy smile finally spreading across her lips.

Outside the window, the sun has set and the stars are just beginning to rise.

This long and turbulent day, which belonged to the Emperor and Empress, finally came to a most gentle end.