On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

In the fifth year of the Holy Emblem Era, in autumn.

With a few autumn rains, the summer heat in Beijing has finally subsided.

The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus and the freshness of the earth, giving this capital city, which had just experienced a bloody storm, a rare sense of tranquility.

Inside the Phoenix Palace, it was so quiet that you could hear the rustling of bamboo leaves being blown by the wind outside the window.

After reviewing the last memorial in vermilion ink, Murong Yan put down her pen, stretched wearily, and leaned back in her large phoenix chair.

Today, she didn't wear an elaborate phoenix hairstyle. Her long, black, and lustrous hair was simply tied back with a black jade phoenix hairpin, with a few playful strands hanging down her smooth forehead, adding a touch of gentleness to her usually cool and aloof face.

She wore an extremely dark, phoenix-themed dress, without any matching embroidered robes, dressed simply and casually.

A five-zhang-long, dark gold train cascaded down from the phoenix throne, spreading out on the precious and soft Persian carpet, like a dense, tranquil night sky, completely covering the floor of the entire sleeping quarters.

The giant phoenix woven from real gold thread on the skirt, under the afternoon sunlight streaming through the window, had its golden feathers shimmering and looked incredibly lifelike.

She closed her eyes, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.

Suddenly, a sharp voice came from outside the hall, belonging to the chief eunuch Zhao Gao.

"Your Majesty, Chancellor Zhang Jianzhi requests an audience."

Upon hearing this, Murong Yan frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure appearing on her face.

Zhang Jianzhi just had to come at this exact moment.

They really know how to pick their timing.

"Let him in." She broke free from Lin Zhen's embrace, sat back on the phoenix chair, and transformed back into the aloof and arrogant Empress of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Soon, Zhang Jianzhi lowered his head and strode in.

His face carried a faint, strange expression.

"Your subject, Zhang Jianzhi, pays respects to Your Majesty and Your Highness."

"Minister Zhang, rise." Murong Yan raised her hand. "You've come to see me so late; has something major happened in the court?"

“Your Majesty, it’s not a big deal.” Zhang Jianzhi stood up, his thin face showing a wry smile. “It’s just that a case has been sent to us from the local area. I and the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers have been discussing it for a long time but we still can’t make a decision. We can only ask Your Majesty to make a decision.”

"Oh?" Murong Yan became interested upon hearing this.

A case that could trouble the seasoned and prudent prime minister Zhang Jianzhi must be quite interesting.

"tell me the story."

"Yes." Zhang Jianzhi cleared his throat and recounted the bizarre case in detail.

Here's what happened.

In a small village called "Wangjia Village" on the outskirts of Beijing, lived an ordinary farmer named Wang Tiechui.

Wang Tiechui was an honest and hardworking man. With the few acres of meager land left by his ancestors and his blacksmithing skills, he lived a fairly comfortable life.

Three years ago, through a matchmaker, he spent almost all his savings to marry a girl named Zhao Shou'er from a neighboring village.

Zhao Shou'er was incredibly beautiful, a renowned beauty in the surrounding area.

Wang Tiechui's ability to marry her made countless bachelors in the village the envy of many.

But what no one knew was...

To outsiders, this marriage, which seemed like a perfect match between a talented man and a beautiful woman, was in name only.

Since marrying into the family, Zhao Shou'er has refused to share a room with Wang Tiechui for various reasons.

Wang Tiechui was an honest man. Although he felt aggrieved, he couldn't bring himself to tell outsiders.

It dragged on for three years.

Until a few days ago, Wang Tiechui was drinking with some friends from the village.

Someone at the dinner table joked with him about this, saying that he was all looks and no substance.

Wang Tiechui was already seething with anger because of this incident, and his friend's provocation only made him more frustrated, so he drank a few more glasses of wine.

When I got home, I was already half drunk.

Just then, he saw his nominal wife, Zhao Shou'er, taking a shower in the room.

The alluring figure, partially concealed, and the unique fragrance of a young woman in the air, combined with the catalysis of alcohol, instantly ignited Wang Tiechui's desires that had been suppressed for three years.

He rushed in and, ignoring Zhao Shou'er's cries and resistance, forced himself on her.

The next day, Zhao Shou'er filed a lawsuit against Wang Tiechui in the government.

Report him for rape.

The local magistrate was dumbfounded when he received the case.

How did a matter between husband and wife get involved in rape?

However, while it wasn't rape, Wang Tiechui did indeed act against Zhao Shou'er's wishes.

He can't make a judgment on this case.

The only option is to report it upwards, level by level.

Ultimately, the report reached Zhang Jianzhi.

After hearing the whole story of the case, Zhang Jianzhi was also completely bewildered.

He summoned the six ministries and nine ministers, and after discussing the matter for a long time, they still couldn't come to a conclusion.

Some say that Wang Tiechui should be convicted of rape as a warning to others, otherwise what safety can women in the world have?

Some people say that the verdict should not have been handed down.

Husband and wife are one, and sexual relations are a natural and right thing to do. How can it be called rape?

If Wang Tiechui is convicted, wouldn't that encourage the unhealthy trend of marriage fraud?

The public says that the public is reasonable, and the mother says that the woman is reasonable.

They argued for a long time but couldn't reach a conclusion.

We can only ask Murong Yan, the supreme ruler of the Great Qian Dynasty, to make the final decision.

After listening to Zhang Jianzhi's story, a strange expression appeared on Murong Yan's usually cool and aloof face.

In her twenty-odd years of life, this was the first time she had ever heard of such a bizarre case.

"Husband," she turned to the man who hadn't offered any opinion throughout, "what do you think should be the verdict in this case?"

Lin Zhen put down his teacup, glanced at Zhang Jianzhi who looked troubled, and then at Murong Yan on the phoenix chair, whose phoenix eyes held a hint of curiosity and inquiry. He smiled.

"This case is interesting."

He stood up, walked to the center of the imperial study, and paced a few steps.

"If Wang Tiechui is convicted of rape, will any woman in the future be able to falsely accuse her husband of rape if she is unhappy in her marriage, in order to get a divorce or even swindle money? If this continues, won't marriage contracts become a joke? In this world, which honest and law-abiding man will dare to marry?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jianzhi nodded subconsciously. This was precisely what he and several other senior officials were most worried about. The Great Qian Dynasty governed the country with filial piety in mind, and the family was the foundation of the nation. If the cornerstone of marriage were shaken, society would inevitably descend into chaos.

“But if Wang Tiechui is found not guilty,” Lin Zhen changed the subject, looking at Murong Yan, “doesn’t that mean that once they’ve married and become husband and wife, the husband can disregard his wife’s wishes and do whatever he wants to her? Wouldn’t the status of women in the Great Qian Dynasty regress to that of the previous dynasty, becoming no different from livestock?”

"This goes against Your Majesty's long-standing national policy of improving the status of women."

Murong Yan's brows furrowed slightly.

This is precisely what makes her feel awkward.