On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The morning court session in the Hall of Supreme Harmony ended in an eerie calm.

Civil and military officials filed out of the palace gates, each with a mixture of relief at surviving a calamity and deep unease about the future.

The Li family of Jiangxi, a top-tier clan that had been deeply entrenched in the Qianlong era for over a century, was uprooted in just three days.

The dozens of prison vans slowly drove along Zhuque Street, their wheels creaking as they rolled over the bluestone pavement.

Grand Tutor Yuan Wei walked at the very front of the procession of officials.

His face, which always wore a warm smile, was now gloomy, and his cloudy old eyes gleamed with a cold, venomous light.

After returning to the Grand Tutor's mansion, which covered hundreds of acres and was comparable to the residence of a prince, he locked himself in his study and smashed seven or eight of his favorite antique vases.

"You brat! You vixen! You've gone too far!"

From inside the study came his roar, which was filled with suppressed, boundless rage.

The servants were all trembling with fear, not daring to even breathe.

They had never seen the old tutor, who always kept his emotions hidden, so angry.

After a long while, the study door slowly opened.

Yuan Wei came out. He had changed into casual clothes, and the anger on his face had disappeared, replaced by composure.

"Prepare the carriage," he said calmly to the butler at the door. "We're going to Minister Wang's residence."

“Father, what are you doing…” His eldest son, Yuan Shang, looked worried upon hearing this. “At a time like this, how dare you associate with the Wang family? Wang Yun was just…”

"Shut up!" Yuan Wei turned around abruptly, glaring at him. "What do you know!"

"That Wang Yun is nothing more than a pawn pushed out by the Wang family. The real Wang family of Shaanxi will not fall so easily."

As he spoke, he turned and walked out of the mansion without looking back.

……

Half an hour later.

Inside the secret chamber of the Wang family's equally luxurious mansion in Shaanxi.

Yuan Wei met Wang Jing, the younger brother of Wang Yun, who was now in charge of the Wang family.

Wang Jing was in his early forties, with a refined appearance and wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He looked like a well-read scholar, but those eyes that occasionally flashed with a sharp light were also those of a smiling tiger that would devour people without spitting out the bones.

"Grand Tutor Yuan, how have you been?" Wang Jing personally poured Yuan Wei a cup of fine pre-Qingming Longjing tea, a warm smile on his face, as if the person who had been dragged out of the court a few days ago was not his own brother.

"Minister Wang, please accept my condolences." Yuan Wei picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

"Heh, just a good-for-nothing. He's dead, so be it." Wang Jing chuckled, saying nonchalantly, "But what brings you here today, Grand Tutor Yuan?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm asking." Yuan Wei put down his teacup, his cloudy old eyes fixed on Wang Jing. "The Li family has fallen. Next, we'll be next."

"That witch's methods are far more ruthless than we imagined."

“Yes.” Upon hearing this, Wang Jing’s smile gradually faded. “I underestimated her, and I also underestimated the sickly-looking prince beside her.”

"I thought that Murong Ke's ambush in Wolong Valley would at least severely damage them, even if he couldn't kill them. I never expected that he wouldn't even hurt a hair on their head, but instead got himself killed."

"Now, what should we do?" Yuan Wei looked at him, his voice tinged with seriousness. "We can no longer get our hands on military power. To think of rebelling like King Cheng is like throwing an egg against a rock."

"Grand Tutor Yuan, please calm down." Wang Jing smiled, walked to the wall, and gently turned a mechanism.

A hidden door slowly opened in the wall.

Behind the hidden door was a huge map of the Great Qian Dynasty's territory.

“We have lost our military power.” Wang Jing walked to the map and pointed to the Jiangnan region, which represents the land of fish and rice, and gently tapped it. “But the money and grain of the Great Qian Dynasty are still firmly in our hands.”

A cunning glint flashed in his eyes.

"That vixen wants to play with us, so let's play along and have some fun."

"Didn't she love her people like her own children and proclaim herself a wise and benevolent ruler throughout the ages?"

"Then let her taste what it's like for the people of this world to be unable to live because of her!"

Yuan Wei looked at the map and saw that fertile land. His cloudy old eyes lit up instantly!

He got it.

He finally understood what Wang Jing wanted to do.

"what do you mean……"

“That’s right.” A cruel and cold smile curled at the corner of Wang Jing’s lips. “Cut off her food.”

……

The Imperial Palace, Fengyi Palace.

Murong Yan had just finished bathing. She did not style her hair into an elaborate phoenix bun. Her long, black, and lustrous hair was simply draped over her back, the ends still damp with moisture.

The exquisitely black phoenix-themed dress was casually worn.

A five-zhang-long, jet-gold train cascaded down from the enormous phoenix couch, spreading out across the precious carpet like a flowing, black galaxy of starlight.

On the hem of the skirt, a giant phoenix woven with real gold thread, its eyes gleaming under the palace lanterns, looked incredibly lifelike.

She nestled in Lin Zhen's arms, like a lazy cat, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.

"Husband, do you think Yuan Wei and Wang Jing will let this go?" Murong Yan's voice carried a hint of lazy charm.

"Of course not." Lin Zhen smiled, reached out and gently tucked a strand of wet hair from her forehead behind her ear. "Those two old foxes won't admit defeat so easily."

"So, what will they do next?" Murong Yan asked curiously.

“I guess…” A glint of all-knowing wisdom flashed in Lin Zhen’s eyes, “They will start from the place we least expect.”

His gaze, through the window, fell upon the bustling capital city beyond the palace.

"Water can carry a boat, and it can also overturn it."

"When the people of this world are starving, will they still shout 'Long live the Emperor!' like they do today?"

Lin Zhen's words made Murong Yan's heart sink slightly.

She was not an ignorant palace woman; she understood very well the importance of people's livelihood to a country.

"Does my husband mean they will take action against grain prices?" Murong Yan sat up straight, her usually cool phoenix eyes now filled with seriousness.

"It's pretty close." Lin Zhen nodded. "This is the only means they can currently use to threaten us."

"Then what should we do?" Murong Yan's brows furrowed tightly.