On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Looking into her eyes, Lin Zhen's last shred of resolve began to crumble.

He knew she had made up her mind.

He knew her temperament; once she made up her mind about something, nothing could change it.

He knew better than anyone that she was right.

This matter absolutely requires her personal attention.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that Du Ruhui thought he was going to refuse again, before he finally let out a long sigh, his voice filled with helplessness and compromise.

"Okay, I promise you."

Upon hearing his agreement, a radiant smile instantly bloomed on Murong Yan's face.

However, Lin Zhen's next words froze her smile on her face.

"But, I have a condition."

Lin Zhen's expression became more serious than ever before.

“I can send you to Jiangnan. However, you cannot go as the emperor.”

"What do you mean?" Murong Yan was stunned.

“From now on, until we return from Jiangnan,” Lin Zhen said, looking at her and enunciating each word clearly, “you are no longer Empress Murong Yan. You are simply my wife, Madam Lin.”

“And I,” he stood up, exuding a chilling, ruthless aura, “will, as the Regent Prince and Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, oversee all matters related to the suppression of this rebellion in Jiangnan!”

"What are you going to do?" A sense of foreboding rose in Murong Yan's heart.

“It’s very simple.” Lin Zhen’s eyes flashed with a cold, emotionless light. “You’re responsible for winning people’s hearts, playing the good cop. And I’m responsible for killing, playing the bad cop.”

"Don't they want to start an uprising in Jiangnan? Then I'll give them a chance. Not only will I go, but I'll go in a grand manner under the guise of inspecting the defenses of Jiangnan!"

"I want to make all those with ulterior motives think their chance has come, so that they will all jump out from their dark corners!"

"Then……"

A cruel smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"...Uproot them completely, wipe them out in one fell swoop! Leave no one alive!"

Du Ruhui was shocked to hear this, and only then did he understand Lin Zhen's true intentions.

Your Highness is trying to... lure the snake out of its hole, and then strike with lightning speed!

He wanted to take this opportunity to thoroughly purge the entire Jiangnan region, including the remnants of the previous dynasty, local tyrants, and unruly powerful families who had been hiding for decades!

What a ruthless means!

What a courage!

"No!" Murong Yan immediately objected, "Husband, this is too risky! You're using yourself as bait, what if..."

“There’s no such thing as ‘what if’,” Lin Zhen interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for doubt. “In the face of absolute power, any conspiracy or trickery is a joke. They think they are snakes, but they don’t know that what they are trying to lure is a tiger.”

He turned his head to look at Murong Yan, his eyes softening again.

"Yan'er, trust me. I won't let anything happen to you, and I won't let anything happen to myself. I just don't want to see any more potential threats disrupting our future life."

"I promised you that I would give you a peaceful and prosperous era. This prosperous era must be clean and free from any disturbances."

After saying that, he gave Murong Yan no chance to object and directly gave an order to Du Ruhui.

"Prime Minister Du, make the arrangements immediately. In three days, the Prince and I will depart for the south to inspect Jiangnan. The official announcement will be that we are procuring tribute from Jiangnan in preparation for our upcoming wedding. The procession must be grand and impressive; we must ensure that the entire world knows this news!"

"Yes... this old minister obeys the decree!" Du Ruhui looked at the emperor and empress, who exuded an aura of power, and was filled with shock and awe. He quickly bowed and accepted the order.

After Du Ruhui left, only the two of them remained in Qifeng Pavilion.

Murong Yan looked at Lin Zhen with a complex expression, a mixture of worry and gratitude.

"Husband, you..."

"Alright, that's enough." Lin Zhen pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back. "From now on, you are not the emperor, and I am not a prince. We are just an ordinary couple about to embark on a long journey."

"You just need to think about where to go and what to eat when you get to Jiangnan. Leave everything else to me."

His voice carried a reassuring power.

Murong Yan nestled in his warm embrace and nodded.

She knew that an even bigger storm was about to break out in Jiangnan.

But she is not afraid.

Because this time, her husband was right beside her.

The news that the Emperor and Empress were about to make a southern tour was like a boulder thrown into the seemingly calm lake of Chang'an, instantly stirring up huge waves.

The entire imperial court was shaken by this.

The afterglow of the triumphant ceremony and the distribution of rewards for meritorious service had not yet dissipated, and the rumors of a purge in the court still made the officials uneasy. Everyone thought that what followed would be a period of rest and recuperation.

No one expected that the emperor and the regent would make such an unexpected decision at this moment.

Southern Tour?

Why did he make the Southern Tour?

The stated reason given was to procure offerings for the upcoming wedding and, incidentally, to observe the people's sentiments.

This reason sounds plausible, but anyone with a modicum of political acumen knows that things are far from simple.

Does the procurement of tribute require the emperor and empress's personal presence? Once an imperial edict is issued, wouldn't the best things from Jiangnan be sent to the palace by fast horses?

To understand the people's plight? The Northern Expedition has just ended, the national treasury is empty, and everything needs to be rebuilt. Why would we need to make a southern tour at this time? Wouldn't that be a waste of resources and manpower?

Immediately, discussions and speculations arose throughout the imperial court.

Some experienced and prudent officials, such as Du Ruhui and Zhou Xing, although they had been informed of some of the inside information by Lin Zhen in advance, still put on a worried and repeatedly remonstrating appearance in the court.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the matter of the southern tour is of great importance. Please reconsider! The national war has just ended, and the world is at peace. It is not advisable to launch a major offensive and waste the national treasury!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, the journey to Jiangnan is long and arduous. The cost of guards and supplies along the way for Your Majesty's inspection tour is astronomical. At a time when the national treasury is in dire need of funds, this move... is probably not a wise strategy!"

Other officials, with keen senses or those who harbored ulterior motives, sensed something unusual about this incident.

They had a vague feeling that behind this seemingly untimely southern tour, a huge storm was probably brewing.

Those powerful families with deep-rooted interests in Jiangnan were especially uneasy.

The emperor and the regent, a couple known for their ruthless methods, suddenly decided to go to Jiangnan. What were they planning to do?

Could it be that after the Cui family's downfall, they were still not satisfied and wanted to take this opportunity to carry out another major purge of the gentry and powerful families in Jiangnan?

In a short time, countless secret letters were sent from Chang'an to various parts of Jiangnan through various channels.

The entire upper echelons of the Great Qian Dynasty were stirred up by this decision to make a southern tour.

However, no matter how much the outside world speculated or tried to dissuade them, the two people in Qifeng Pavilion seemed completely unaffected.

Lin Zhen kept his word and truly delegated all government affairs to the cabinet, while he devoted himself to playing the role of "accompanying" the cabinet.

Murong Yan was also happy to have some free time, as if she had truly forgotten her identity as the emperor and become a young wife who was about to travel far away. Every day, she would excitedly discuss with Lin Zhen where they would go and what they would see in Jiangnan.

"My husband, I've heard that the gardens of Suzhou are the best in the world. We must go and see them when the time comes."

"And then there's West Lake in Hangzhou. The book says, 'West Lake is like Xi Shi, whether lightly or heavily adorned, it is always beautiful.' I wonder if it's really that beautiful."

"By the way, there's also the Qinhuai River in Nanjing. Are the pleasure boats there really like the poem describes, 'The courtesans know not the sorrow of a fallen nation, still singing 'The Flowers of the Rear Courtyard' across the river'?"

She counted on her fingers, one item at a time, her phoenix eyes sparkling with anticipation, like a little girl who had never traveled far from home.

Looking at her unusually energetic appearance, Lin Zhen felt both doting and heartache.

He knew that she was using this method to cover up her inner tension and pressure.

The more relaxed she appeared, the more she valued this trip to Jiangnan.

"Okay, whatever you want." He smiled and gently pinched her nose. "Wherever you want to go, we'll go. Whatever you want to see, I'll go with you. But forget about the pleasure boats on the Qinhuai River. Those places are a mixed bag, not suitable for you."

"Why isn't it suitable? I'm going there to observe the people's lives." Murong Yan pouted, unconvinced.

"It's fine to observe the people's conditions, but you can't go to places like that." Lin Zhen put on a stern face and said seriously, "You are my wife, how can you go to such brothels? If you have to go, it can only be by me alone."

"How dare you!" Murong Yan glared at him and reached out to grab his ear. "You want to go alone? Do you want to go find those 'singing girls' to sing songs?"

"No, no, I wouldn't dare," Lin Zhen quickly begged for forgiveness. "I was just joking. In my heart, there's only you, Yan'er. How could there be room for any other woman?"

The two of them burst into laughter and playful banter.