On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The morning light pierced through the mist, dyeing the glazed tiles of the Golden Throne Hall blood red.

Murong Yan sat upright on the phoenix chair, her brows and eyes becoming increasingly stern.

The ministers below held their breath and kept quiet, not even daring to breathe heavily. Only the Minister of Works, Song Zhenglin, had beads of sweat on his forehead, which shone with oil in the morning light.

"Song Zhenglin!" Murong Yan slammed her hands on the table, shaking the imperial seal slightly. "Why did such a huge fire break out in Yonglefang? What were the casualties among the people?"

Her voice was cold as ice, carrying unquestionable majesty, and echoed in the empty hall.

Song Zhenglin fell to his knees with a thud, the pearls on his official hat swaying gently with his trembling body. "Your Majesty, the fire has just been extinguished, and many details are still under investigation. The Ministry of Industry has established an investigation team overnight, and I believe that within three days, the truth will be revealed!"

His voice was noticeably trembling, and his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

The hall fell into a brief silence, with only Song Zhenglin's rapid breathing sounding particularly harsh in the silence.

Murong Yan stared at the trembling ministers below, her eyes narrowed slightly, a chilling murderous intent surging in her eyes: "Three days? If we can't find out the truth by then, Lord Song's head will have to be offered as an apology to the people of Yonglefang!"

Song Zhenglin felt as if struck by lightning, his forehead thumping heavily on the blue brick floor with a dull thud. "I will do my utmost to live up to your majesty's trust!"

His body was shaking, but he didn't even have the courage to look up. He could only stare at his distorted shadow on the ground. The shadow looked particularly small and miserable in the morning light.

Seeing this, Imperial Censor Zhang Huaide stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Lord Song has promised a thorough investigation within a specified timeframe. We are willing to assist and oversee the work, and we will certainly live up to Your Majesty's trust. However, our most urgent priority is to comfort the affected people and stabilize their hearts."

Seeing this, other ministers also came forward to offer suggestions. Some suggested opening the granaries to release grain, some suggested deploying doctors to treat the wounded. Everyone talked at once, all focusing on how to appease the people.

Murong Yan listened quietly, her phoenix eyes sweeping across the faces of the ministers, taking in their expressions and attitudes. After a moment's silence, she said, "The Ministry of Revenue must allocate the money and grain needed to appease the people within three days. Zhang Huaide, you will be responsible for overseeing this. Any embezzlement or withholding will be severely punished!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the Minister of Revenue hurriedly stepped out and bowed in response, with beads of sweat on his forehead, fearing that there would be any mistake.

Murong Yan looked at the Minister of Works again, her tone as cold as ice: "Lord Song, please stand up. The investigation remains unchanged. The reconstruction work must be carried out thoroughly. If you make any more mistakes, I will not forgive you."

Song Zhenglin trembled all over and kowtowed heavily, his forehead almost embedded in the floor tiles.

"I will serve you till my death!"

Murong Yan stopped looking at him and turned to the ministers, saying, "My dear ministers, please come up with ideas for the reconstruction of Yonglefang and present them to me in three days. Also, I decree that all the people affected by the disaster in Yonglefang can go to the government office every day to receive relief food. I will also send ten imperial censors to inspect each resettlement site. If any cases of embezzlement or fraud are found, they will be executed on the spot without having to report them!"

Just then, hurried footsteps were heard outside the palace. A eunuch, hunched over, entered with small, quick steps, shouting in a shrill voice, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is requesting an audience outside the palace!"

Before he could finish his words, the palace door was pushed open with a creaky sound.

Lin Zhen rushed in covered in dust and dirt, his dark brocade robe stained with soot and blood, a few strands of hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, looking extremely disheveled.

Murong Yan stood up suddenly, the hem of her phoenix robe swept across the imperial desk, her eyes full of anxiety: "Husband, what's wrong with you?"

Her voice rose unconsciously, and her usual dignity was gone.

Lin Zhen forced a smile and raised his hand to salute, but it pulled at his wound and he groaned, "It's nothing, just a minor injury from fighting the fire."

He paused, then looked at Murong Yan with a determined gaze. "Your Majesty, I have ordered all restaurants in the capital to prepare meals to ensure the people's basic needs are met first. Furthermore, Yonglefang cannot be left abandoned; its reconstruction is urgent."

After saying this, the Minister of Revenue was stunned.

How much does it cost to have a restaurant cook for you?

Even if the Ministry of Revenue is not short of money now, it would not be so wasteful.

"Prince, please forgive me for being so abrupt, but isn't it a bit too much to ask a restaurant to cook? Couldn't the government just set up a porridge stall?"

Lin Zhen was so angry that his eyebrows furrowed. "Porridge stall? How dare you say that! What do you think the people of Yonglefang are? Disaster victims? Or beggars in remote areas who can't get enough to eat? They are local people in the capital, the first to enjoy welfare at the feet of the emperor. They may not eat luxury fish and meat every day, but they have vegetables and rice every meal. Who can accept you suddenly asking them to eat porridge three times a day? Then the people will not only not thank the court, but will curse it! Your Majesty's dignity and the court's credibility must not be lost!"

"This..." The Minister of Revenue was scolded by Lin Zhen and said immediately: "This humble official is ignorant, please forgive me, Your Highness."

"Hmph." Lin Zhen snorted coldly.

grandma's.

What a bunch of rubbish, they don't even understand this principle and yet they hold the highest position in the country.

Once the new students grow up, they must be replaced quickly.

Murong Yan looked at Lin Zhen with great admiration, sat down again, and nodded slightly: "My husband, you are absolutely right. What are your plans? Tell me."

Lin Zhen took a few steps forward and said loudly, "We can build houses first and recruit the surviving people to participate in the construction. Once completed, we can distribute the houses to them. The remaining plots of land can be planned as shops and workshops. This will not only restore Yonglefang's former prosperity, but also solve the livelihood problems for the people..."

"Wait." Murong Yan raised her hand to interrupt. Although her voice was soft, it carried an unquestionable determination.

She glanced at the ministers below and said in a deep voice, "This concludes today's morning court session. Please adjourn!"

“Long live my emperor, long live long live—”

Following the eunuch's sharp shouts, the ministers saluted and filed out of the hall.

In the huge Golden Palace, in a blink of an eye, only Lin Zhen and Murong Yan were left.

Murong Yan walked down the stairs quickly, holding Lin Zhen's bloody hand tightly with her bare hands, her fingertips trembling slightly: "Come on, let's talk in the back."

The two of them passed through layers of palace walls and came to a quiet side hall.

Murong Yan personally helped Lin Zhen sit down and carefully untied his torn collar.

The cloth wrapped around Lin Zhen's chest had already been soaked with blood, and the wound was hideous.

"How can you be so careless!" Murong Yan's eyes were red and her voice was full of heartache.

She picked up the ointment beside her and gently applied it on the wound, her movements so gentle as if she was touching a rare treasure.

Lin Zhen reached out and held her hand, saying softly, "It's okay, this injury is nothing, it's just Yonglefang..."

"Don't worry about Yonglefang for now." Murong Yan interrupted him, "In my heart, you are the most important."

She raised her head and looked at Lin Zhen with burning eyes. "However, reconstruction is indeed urgent. I think what you just said is feasible. It's just that the funds and manpower..."

Lin Zhen chuckled and pulled her to sit beside him. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I have a plan. The court and I will each contribute half of the money. After the construction is completed, we will split the profits. Believe me, we are well-funded now. As for manpower, I'm afraid the capital alone may not be enough. Send people to the local areas to recruit and tell them to provide food and accommodation for 800 coins a month."

Murong Yan leaned on Lin Zhen's shoulder and sighed softly, "With my husband here, I feel at ease. But the reason behind this fire is probably not that simple. Once Song Zhenglin finds out the truth, he will definitely find out who is behind it!"

Her voice was as cold as ice, and there was a glint of ruthlessness in her eyes.

Lin Zhen also felt that this matter was not that simple.

Could it be the revenge of Xuanhemen or Hadmen?

Not quite. Let’s wait for the results of the Ministry of Industry’s investigation.