On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the carved window lattices of the main hall of the Ministry of Works, dyeing the golden brick floor a warm orange.

Chu Xiling leaned against a rosewood chair, her light blue dress draped over the edge like flowing water, her white fox fur casually draped over her shoulders, and the pearl hairpin in her hair swayed gently with her movements.

She looked at Lin Zhen who was pacing in front of the map, her eyes moved, she rolled her eyes in a charming way, and opened her red lips slightly.

"Are you trying to collect tolls again? You've figured out the tricks of the later generations."

Lin Zhen stopped when he heard that, a sly smile on his face.

A corner of the ink-black robe was lifted in the evening breeze.

"Of course! Carriages and horses pay tolls on the main roads, so it's impossible for ships to avoid it. We'll build several loading and unloading docks in the city, and when waterways enter the city, we'll collect taxes based on the volume of goods. The taxes will go to the court and will also contribute to the national treasury in the future. Tolls will be collected based on the size of the ship, and all the money collected will belong to me personally."

This is a cargo terminal.

Although it is not a big deal, it will definitely be harmless in the long run, and there will be huge profits to be made.

Money is meant to be spent. Once it is gone, you can earn it again, and it will continue to grow.

What's the point of washing your money clean and hiding it underground like those wealthy landlords? It's just a pile of junk.

As Lin Zhen spoke, he used his fingers to outline the outline of the dock in the air, as if those busy docks were already standing before him.

Chu Xiling couldn't help but chuckle. She raised her hand and gently tapped Lin Zhen's chest, praising him: "As expected of my husband, this profiteer's face is really worth looking at."

Her voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of teasing and appreciation.

Lin Zhen's ears turned red at these words. He touched his nose shyly and coughed twice to cover up his embarrassment.

He straightened up and turned to face Sun Kai, who was standing with his hands hanging down. His expression instantly became serious and solemn.

"I'll observe the river over the next few days and then draw a blueprint for you. Send a few officials knowledgeable in water conservancy to recruit and supervise the work. Make sure it's completed as soon as possible before the rainy season arrives."

His tone was unquestionable and revealed the majesty of a superior.

Sun Kai quickly bowed, the ruby ​​on his official hat swaying slightly as he moved: "As you command!"

Lin Zhen walked to the map with his hands behind his back, staring at the densely packed marks on the map with sharp eyes.

He frowned slightly, his expression serious.

The population in the city is really too large. According to statistics from last month, there are 600,000 permanent residents in the capital alone. Including migrant workers, there are more than 2 million people.

This was definitely the most prosperous metropolis in ancient times.

However, the permanent residents are concentrated on the east, west and south sides of the imperial city. Many places on the periphery are still empty. The outsiders have nowhere to live. They enter the city when the gates are open during the day and leave before curfew at night. It is very troublesome.

It would be better to build a group of residential buildings with steel and cement. This would not only help develop real estate, but also expand the population capacity of the capital.

But tap water is a big problem, I will have to discuss it with Ling'er later.

Before I could collect my thoughts, I suddenly heard hurried footsteps approaching from afar.

Finally, with a "bang", the door of the main hall was slammed open.

A guard's face was filled with anxiety, his official uniform was wrinkled and messy, and even his official hat was tilted to one side. He shouted breathlessly.

"Sir Sun, there's a fire in Yonglefang. The wind is strong today and the fire is spreading very quickly!" There was obvious panic and fear in his voice.

Sun Kai's face turned pale in an instant, and the memorial in his hand fell to the ground with a "click".

He shouted in a trembling voice: "What are we waiting for? Quickly organize all forces to put out the fire!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly straightened his official uniform and turned to run out.

Lin Zhen's eyes flashed, and he lifted his clothes without hesitation and strode out the door.

Chu Xiling looked at Lin Zhen's anxious back, grabbed the fox fur coat without hesitation and threw it over her shoulders, then followed him out holding up her light blue dress.

The hem of her skirt swept across the blue brick floor, and the pearl hairpins in her hair swayed violently with her rapid steps, drawing messy light and shadows in the twilight.

The streets were already in chaos, and people were running away from Yonglefang. Some were holding crying children, some were carrying their belongings, and shouts of fear were heard one after another.

Lin Zhen jumped on his horse, stretched out his hand to pull Chu Xiling in front of him, and swung the whip fiercely. The horse neighed and rushed towards the fire scene. As for Hou Chun and other guards, they ran after him.

The cold wind blew in with thick smoke. Chu Xiling clutched Lin Zhen's clothes tightly and saw from afar that the sky over Yonglefang had been dyed a terrifying red.

When they arrived, the scene before them was horrifying.

The raging flames were like a giant fire python, devouring the houses on both sides of the street with its fangs and claws. The heat wave hit people in the face, almost burning them.

The howling wind fanned the flames, and amid the crackling sound of burning, burning wooden beams and tiles fell from the sky from time to time, hitting the ground and splashing sparks.

Thick smoke billowed, covering the sky and making it impossible for people to open their eyes or breathe. The air was filled with a pungent smell of burning, mixed with the special smell of burning cloth and wood, and the faint aroma of burnt flesh.

The streets were filled with panicked people.

A woman knelt on the ground, crying out her child's name heartbreakingly, tears mixed with cigarette ash streaking across her face. Behind her was a burning house, the flames had already reached the eaves, and the faint cries for help from the child could be heard from inside the house from time to time.

Several men tried to rush into the fire to rescue property, but were held back by others. Their faces were red, they shouted at the top of their lungs, and their eyes were full of despair.

There were also some elderly people and children slumped on the roadside, with burns on their bodies to varying degrees, staring at their burning homes with empty eyes and muttering to themselves.

Lin Zhen's eyes instantly turned red. He quickly dismounted, but was grabbed by Chu Xiling: "What are you doing! How can a dignified prince like you put out a fire yourself? That's too dangerous!"

"I think there's someone else in there! Don't worry, I have the Heart-Eating Gu, so it's fine!"

"The Heart-Eating Gu isn't omnipotent either. This thick smoke could definitely choke someone to death. You can't go!"

Seeing that Lin Zhen was determined to rush in, Chu Xiling said, "If you dare to go, I will go with you! Let's see who dies first!"

"I..." Lin Zhen couldn't persuade Chu Xiling, so he had to run to the outside of the fire scene and loudly command everyone to put out the fire.

His voice was particularly firm and powerful amid the clamor of the fire scene: "Everyone, don't panic, listen to my instructions! Young and strong people, help put out the fire, and everyone else, help evacuate. Don't get close to the fire!"

He led the yamen runners and the people to form a human wall to try to stop the spread of the fire.

However, the fire was so huge that buckets of water poured on it were like a drop of water thrown into the sea, and were instantly engulfed by the flames.

Sun Kai also led the staff of the Ministry of Industry to put out the fire, but it was of no avail.

Looking at the tragic scene before him, Sun Kai was sweating profusely, his voice filled with tears: "Prince, what should I do? I can't control it at all!"

At this moment, something exploded, making a deafening noise.

boom--

"what!!"

“It exploded!”

"Run!"

Hot wheat grains burst out in all directions like raindrops, and the crowd screamed in fear.

A child was unable to dodge and was hit on the cheek by the hot wheat grains, and immediately burst into tears.

The child's mother rushed over like crazy and held the child tightly in her arms, but her back was burned with blisters by the flying sparks.

Lin Zhen stood outside the fire scene, the corners of his black brocade robe lifted by the heat wave. He looked at the burning granary with a frown on his face.

"Monkey! Take ten men and charge forward. Make sure to rescue everyone alive!"

At this critical juncture, if the soldiers don’t go, who will?

As soon as he finished speaking, Hou Chun drew his sword, and the blade reflected a cold light in the firelight.

Hou Chun turned around to glance at the soldiers behind him and shouted, "Follow me to save people!"

A group of people tore off their clothes to cover their mouths and noses, and rushed into the sea of ​​fire like arrows.

In addition to civilian residences and shops, Yonglefang was also a place for storing grain in the capital.

At this moment, the granary was filled with thick smoke like ink, and the beams groaned under the scorching flames, unable to bear the weight.

Hou Chun squinted his eyes and groped forward in the thick smoke. Suddenly, he heard a faint cry for help coming from the corner.

Following the sound, I saw an old man struggling desperately with his legs pinned by a collapsed wooden beam.

"Old man, hold on!" Hou Chun squatted down and held the wooden beam tightly with both hands.

The flames licked his sleeves, and his skin felt a burning pain, but he gritted his teeth, veins bulging, and managed to lift the wooden beam.

Then he quickly picked up the old man and turned to run out.

At this moment, there was a crisp "crack" sound above his head, and a burning beam fell from above.

At the critical moment, a black shadow suddenly pounced and pushed Hou Chun and the old man away.

It’s Han Zhong!

This usually taciturn guard now had a look of determination in his eyes.

The beam hit him hard on the back, and the muffled groan was swallowed by the roar of the fire.

"A Zhong!!" Hou Chun's eyes were bloodshot. After putting the old man down, he grabbed his companion who was lying on the ground and rushed towards the door of the granary.

"Use water! Use water quickly!" Sun Kai was directing the fire brigade outside, and buckets of water were poured onto the fire scene like locusts, but in the face of the fierce fire, it seemed like a drop in the bucket.

Hou Chun hugged Han Zhong and dragged the old man out of the fire. After handing him over to the medical officer, he wanted to go back to put out the fire, but was stopped by Lin Zhen: "Is there anyone else inside?"

"The fire was so big, I couldn't see clearly, I only saw this one!"

"Forget it, the fire is too fierce, let's retreat for now!"

At this time, the streets of Yonglefang were filled with all kinds of debris, and many people fell down in panic and were trampled by the crowd behind them.

Seeing this, Lin Zhen leaped directly onto the archway, like a god of war, with his sword pointing straight to the sky.

"Everyone listen up! No crowding, retreat in an orderly manner!"

His voice was mixed with the roar of flames, but still clear and powerful.

However, the fire, driven by the wind, spread rapidly towards the blacksmith shop next door.

There was a large amount of oil and iron tools piled up in the blacksmith shop, which were instantly ignited, and the flames rose into the sky like a giant dragon.

The huge air wave shook the surrounding houses to the point of collapse, and Lin Zhen, who was at the highest point, was directly knocked down by the air wave and fell heavily to the ground.

"Husband!!"

“Prince!!”

"Cough cough cough." Blood flowed from the corner of Lin Zhen's mouth. He struggled to get up and looked at the roiling sea of ​​fire in front of him. The unwillingness in his heart almost burst out of his chest.

......

The fire burned all night long, and only died down when the sky began to turn pale.

The once prosperous Yonglefang has become a scorched earth, with burnt beams and pillars sticking crookedly into the ground and wisps of blue smoke rising from the ruins.

The surviving people knelt in the ashes, their cries shaking the sky.

A white-haired old woman was holding a half-burnt pancake, tears falling on it; several children were holding their dead relatives, their eyes so empty that it made people's heart palpitate.

Lin Zhen stood in the center of the ruins, his dark brocade robe covered in dust, his eyes filled with fatigue and sorrow.

He looked at the weeping people, clenched his fists, turned to Sun Kai and said, "Join hands with the Ministry of Justice to thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire. Those responsible will be severely punished!"

"Don't worry, my lord. I'll do it right away!"

Sun Kai agreed and went back with the people from the Ministry of Works.

Lin Zhen sighed.

When he turned around, he found a bowl of clear water being held in front of him.

It’s Chu Xiling.

"Husband, drink some water."

My wife is still considerate.

Lin Zhen took the bowl of water and gulped it down. Then he wiped his mouth and said to Hou Chun, "Monkey, go find Zhang Li immediately and ask him to use the inner treasury to provide money for the people to settle. At the same time, all restaurants in the capital must prepare meals for the people. I will go to the palace to see His Majesty. Yonglefang cannot be destroyed like this. We must give the people an explanation."

After saying that, Lin Zhen got up and left.

The wind swept through the ruins, rolling up a piece of charred cloth, like the silent sob of this sad morning.