On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

In the side hall, a gilded incense burner with coiled dragon patterns was emitting green smoke, and the aroma of camphor mixed with the delicacies of the Burning Tail Banquet flowed through the mermaid gauze curtains.

On the green jade carved dining table, emerald food boxes with gold edges are stacked layer by layer. The crystal shrimp dumplings in the ice tray on the top layer have a warm luster, and the faint red of the shrimp meat is faintly visible under the creamy powder skin, just like half-opened peach blossoms on the branches in spring.

Sima Chunlei was completely oblivious to the tempting food in front of her. The twin lotus flowers embroidered with gold thread on her purple-green palace skirt rose and fell slightly with her breathing. The nine-phoenix hairpin holding a pearl in her hair swayed gently as she lowered her head, and the pearl tassels almost swept the edge of the bowl.

Those autumn-watery almond-shaped eyes stared intently at the blood-oozing bandage on Lin Zhen's chest. Her dark brows were furrowed like spring mountains, her cherry lips were slightly pursed, and her fingertips were unconsciously twisting the handkerchief, crumpling the Shu brocade handkerchief into a wrinkled shape like a withered flower.

Lin Zhen put down his jade chopsticks and picked up the trembling shrimp dumplings with his bony hands. He held them above her bowl and chuckled softly, "These shrimp dumplings are the 'Crystal Moon Reflection', a new creation of Eunuch Li from the Imperial Kitchen. They won't taste good if they get cold."

The warm steam hit Sima Chunlei's face, and she woke up as if from a dream. Her pale cheeks instantly turned rouge, revealing a smile more gorgeous than a dewy peony. She said with dimples, "Thank you, husband!"

She took a small bite of the shrimp dumpling, the chewy texture of the shrimp and the delicious soup spreading in her mouth, but she still did not forget to look up at Lin Zhen's wound from time to time.

Murong Yan gently placed the gilded and gem-studded soup spoon on the edge of the agate bowl. Her phoenix eyes swept over the two of them, and her fingertips stroked the luminous glass tributed from the Western Regions on the edge of the bowl, which cast a mysterious halo under the candlelight.

"My dear husband, you don't come to the palace often, how do you know about this Crystal Moon?"

"Because Eunuch Li learned it from our cook."

"This..." Murong Yan was a little shocked, "The head chef of the imperial kitchen wants to come to your house to learn how to cook?"

"What else do you think?"

"This is ridiculous! Come, hang up Little Li and give him a good beating. Let him think about the new dish. If he dares to imitate the prince again, I will kill him!"

"According to the order."

"Hey hey hey, wait a minute, what are you doing?" Lin Zhen stopped the man.

This is too much. Doesn't it mean that Murong Yan thinks everything in the palace is the best, and nothing else can surpass her?

Lin Zhen said, "Yan'er, when will you change your temper? The head chef of the imperial kitchen learned to cook just to please you."

"Hmph." Murong Yan snorted, hugged her shoulders and stopped talking.

If she didn't speak, Lin Zhen wouldn't speak either; if Lin Zhen didn't speak, Sima Chunlei would be even less able to speak.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the side hall was a little awkward, and Musk Moon, who was standing in the corner waiting to be served, didn't even dare to breathe.

After an unknown amount of silence, Murong Yan let out a long sigh.

"Alas, my husband, are we really going to attack Northern Yan this time? I reviewed the memorials from the Ministry of Revenue last night. Although taxes have increased this spring compared to previous years, the granaries in the northwest have not yet been replenished due to last year's snowstorm. I still think it is too early."

Lin Zhen put down the celadon teacup, the bottom of the cup making a soft sound against the sandalwood table. He straightened his back, the python pattern embroidered on his dark brocade robe undulating with his movements. "Northern Yan is warlike, especially their emperor. They frequently harass the Qin border. Last year, they even teamed up with Gu Yunsong to launch a surprise attack on Daqian. This is intolerable. We chose this time to attack Northern Yan because they have already sent most of their troops to Yanmen Pass to suppress bandits, leaving them destitute. We, on the other hand, have won two major battles and are in full force. If our surprise attack succeeds, Northern Yan will surely be destroyed. And Daqian's territory will expand once again."

"In a place like Beiyan, where it's bitterly cold and doesn't even rain, what's the point of expanding?"

"You don't understand. Although Northern Yan borders Man and Meng, there are many coal mines underground. Especially in Datong, just across Yanmen Pass, the coal reserves are almost as high as those in the Northeast. It's a rare and good place. As for farming, who says the grassland can't be cultivated? People in the north graze, and people in the south farm, and they don't interfere with each other."

At this point, Lin Zhen sighed, "Alas, the world has been divided for too long, and the people have suffered so much from war. We can't pass the heavy responsibility of unifying the country on to the next generation. The sooner the better."

Murong Yan nodded: "Well, I feel relieved to have you take care of the outside affairs. Just leave the household affairs to me."

"It's not something to rush. As the saying goes, before troops move, food and fodder must go first. I've already ordered Lu Dehao to prepare warships and transport food and fodder as a merchant. I estimate that the prince will set out in ten days."

Murong Yan stood up, looked at the map on the wall, and said, "The day of unifying the world is getting closer and closer."

After saying that, she walked out of the side hall.

She is the emperor, and she certainly cannot stay here with you all the time. She has to deal with a lot of government affairs.

Lin Zhen looked at Sima Chunlei and suddenly pinched her delicate chin. He kept looking at her body, especially her breasts which were not as magnificent as Murong Yan's, but still quite large. He said greedily, "Beauty, your husband is not full yet."

"Then...I will eat with my husband..."

"Hahahahaha."

Lin Zhen laughed loudly, suddenly reached out and picked her up, and came to Murong Yan's phoenix couch.

......

It’s not that Lin Zhen was impatient and had to bully Sima Chunlei early in the morning.

But this girl is almost going crazy missing her child. Just now, when they were eating, she kept pressing Lin Zhen with her hands, making Lin Zhen lose interest in eating.

She wanted to be the queen, and Lin Zhen could help her achieve her wish, but Lin Zhen still wanted her to have a more legitimate reason.

Now all the ministers are deliberately avoiding the topic of the harem, because they all know that now, whether it is the emperor or the concubine, they are actually Lin Zhen's people.

This goes against ancient customs.

If we must argue, it is the prince of the palace who has caused chaos in the palace and committed treason, and he should be struck by lightning.

But they dare not say it, and there is no way to change this reality.

So whether for the sake of survival or for the sake of the Great Qian Empire, they chose to keep their mouths shut. Even if they knew about Lin Zhen and those women, they would not interfere.

But the queen is different. Throughout history, the queen has always been the mother of the world.

Moreover, the queen must be the emperor's principal wife.

But now, whether it's the empress or the emperor, they are both Lin Zhen's wives. There's no way around it. You can't say the empress and the emperor are having a lesbian relationship, right? That would be a mess.

Seeing Sima Chunlei's expression of enjoying the afterglow, Lin Zhen smiled faintly, stood up and called Xueqi.

"Xueqi."

"coming."

When Xueqi walked in, she saw Lin Zhen standing there naked with his arms open.

"Xueqi, help me put on my clothes."

"This..." Xueqi hesitated, standing there coldly with her handkerchief clutched.

Sima Chunlei's expression changed: "My husband asked you to put on clothes, didn't you hear?"

"Ah! Yes!" Xueqi's face had turned red all the way to her neck, and she hurriedly took Lin Zhen's clothes and put them on one by one.

Lin Zhen found her shy look a little funny and twisted his body.

"Ah! Prince...Prince...please don't move."

"You're wearing it backwards."

Even Lin Zhen, who doesn't know how to dress, knows that he wears his lining inside out.

Xueqi only then realized it and quickly apologized: "I know my mistake. I will put it on you again."

Sima Chunlei had never seen Xueqi so shy before, and it was really strange for a moment.

She lowered her legs that had been raised high, and lay on the edge of the bed, supporting her chin with one hand as she looked at her: "Xueqi, your face is so red."

"Ah!? Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please don't make fun of this slave..."

"No, this isn't the first time you've dressed your husband, is it? Why are you blushing this time?"

That’s because Lin Zhen was wearing underwear the previous times!

Xueqi didn't dare to answer.

He hurriedly put Lin Zhen's clothes on, then bowed to the two of them and turned away.

Sima Chunlei laughed and said, "Hahahaha, Xueqi always said she couldn't see her husband before, but now that she sees him, she's shy."

"It's normal for a young girl."

"So you're saying I'm old?"

"No, you're pretty tight."

"Go away!" Sima Chunlei rolled her eyes coquettishly, turned around and ignored him.

After waiting for a while, I realized there was no movement behind me. When I turned around again, Lin Zhen had already left.

"Ah? Husband!!"

"Really? You didn't even tell me." After saying that, she quickly got up, put on a thin coat and chased after him.

The purple-green skirt swept across the white marble steps, and the pearls and jade in her hair jingled.

She saw Lin Zhen in front of her and shouted, "Husband! You must take good care of your injuries!"

......

Lin Zhen jumped on the horse, and the chestnut horse galloped away in the sunset that was like golden fragments all over the ground.

The vermilion lacquered gate of the academy slowly opened in the twilight. He walked through the corridor lined with black bamboos, around the screen wall engraved with "Encouraging Learning", and gently pushed open the carved wooden door of Chu Xiling's room.

The room was filled with the faint aroma of ink and medicine. Chu Xiling lay on her side on the Xiangfei bamboo couch, her moon-white midi dress draped loosely around her. Her long black hair cascaded across the pillow, a few strands clinging to her pale cheeks. She clutched an unfinished blueprint in her hand, her brow furrowed slightly, as if pondering a difficult problem even in her dreams.

Because of the firefighting yesterday, Chu Xiling and Lin Zhen both stayed up all night. Now that he felt sleepy, Lin Zhen also yawned.

He dismissed the maid, took off his dusty robe, and sat down quietly beside the bed.

The bed shook slightly because of his movements. Chu Xiling's eyelashes trembled slightly. In the hazy smell, she smelled the familiar pine scent. Subconsciously, she turned over and hugged his waist, buried her face in his arms, and murmured in a dreamy voice: "Husband..."

Lin Zhen hugged her lovingly, kissed the top of her head, and whispered, "Go to sleep, I'll take care of everything."

The feeling of having just served another woman and then sleeping with another woman... is very similar to when you come home from a class reunion and have a secret meal with your wife, and then you sleep with her in your arms.

The feeling of being afraid that my wife will smell the scent of other women...is really exciting.

Chu Xiling must have smelled it, but she didn't mind and still hugged Lin Zhen tightly.

The two Jiao Ru, who ranked last among the girls, pressed against Lin Zhen's chest, feeling very comfortable.

When they woke up, the lights outside the window were already on.

Lin Zhen turned over and found that Chu Xiling was not on the couch.

He sat up, leaned against the headboard, and looked down.

The wound that was so shocking in the morning has now begun to form calluses, and it will probably heal completely in another day.

This heart-eating insect is really powerful.

It's just like a plug-in.

Oh yes, plug-ins are not allowed in time-travel novels, they are all called systems.

With a creaky sound, the door was pushed open and Chu Xiling walked in carrying a food box.

She had just bathed, her long black hair was tied up high with a white magnolia hairpin inserted in it, and the green lotus embroidered on her moon-white skirt was still damp with moisture.

"Are you awake, my dear? I was just about to wake you up. You've been hungry all day, come and try the food I asked the kitchen to prepare."

She laid out the dishes in the food box one by one, including Emerald White Jade Soup, Crystal Braised Pork, and Lin Zhen's favorite squirrel mandarin fish.

Lin Zhen looked at the table full of delicious food, took her hand and asked her to sit down: "Let the servants do this little thing."

"How can I have any servants here? I only have a maid I brought from Chu State. She goes out to play every day and I can't see her all day."

"How can this be possible? That's too rude."

"What rules? She's been suffocating in Chu State for so long now. Now that she's finally free, of course she needs to go out more." Chu Xiling added a piece of fish to Lin Zhen's bowl and said, "You should stop worrying about these things and eat more."

Since the master doesn't care, Lin Zhen naturally won't say anything more.

However, he seemed to have seen Ling'er's personal maid once, but he could no longer remember what she looked like.

Lin Zhen ate something but had no appetite. Suddenly he remembered what happened at Yonglefang and said.

"Ling'er, the population of the capital is increasing, and the area surrounding the imperial city is already overwhelmed. Since Yonglefang has been reduced to ashes, why not use it to build a residential building."

Chu Xiling's eyes lit up, and she pulled out a roll of blueprints from her sleeve. "That's exactly what I was thinking! But this residential building is different from ordinary buildings. Water supply and drainage are a big problem. If the water supply problem can't be solved, even if the house is built, it will be difficult for the people to live in it for a long time."

Lin Zhen smiled mysteriously, "I've already thought of this. We can use water trucks to draw water from the Yongding River! We can hire people to pedal the trucks and bring the water into the reservoirs on the top floors of the residential buildings. We can store water during the day and rest at night, so that the people won't be delayed in their work."

Chu Xiling's eyes were filled with surprise. "Pedaling a cart to draw water? What a brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of that... Hehe, my husband is truly knowledgeable. But what about pipes? Ordinary ceramic pipes are fragile, and copper pipes are too expensive."

"We use bamboo as the inner tube and cast iron sheets on the outside. Bamboo is tough and iron sheets are corrosion-resistant. This way, it will last for 20 years without any problem."

Chu Xiling clapped her hands in approval, "Great! I happen to have a student named Su Mingyuan who's quite talented in architectural construction. Let him help draw up the blueprints, and then have him oversee the work. I think we'll get twice the result with half the effort."

After finishing their meal, they walked out of the academy hand in hand.

The streets of the capital were brightly lit, and large pots were set up in front of every restaurant, filling the air with the aroma of steaming rice porridge.

Thousands of people lined up in a long queue, holding ceramic bowls distributed by the government. From time to time, the crying of children and the coughing of the elderly could be heard in the queue.

A ragged woman was holding a swaddled baby in her arms. The baby was crying because of hunger. The woman could only rock the baby gently, with helplessness in her eyes.

Not far away, a few children were squatting in the corner, gnawing on hard steamed bread, looking up from time to time, their eyes full of desire for food.

Lin Zhen and Chu Xiling looked at the scene in front of them with mixed feelings.

Chu Xiling held Lin Zhen's hand tightly and said, "Husband, this isn't a solution. We're consuming too much food."

"This is also an emergency measure. Once our construction team starts recruiting people, they can eat in the cafeteria."