On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The gilded carriage pulled by eight horses slowly rolled over the white marble arch bridge of the palace. The wheels collided with the stone slabs, making a steady and rhythmic sound, startling several night birds perched on the willow trees beside the bridge.

Lin Zhen raised his hand and lifted the curtain of the carriage decorated with Dongzhu beads. A night breeze carrying the fragrance of locust flowers blew in his face, blowing away the remaining smell of rouge and powder in the car.

He stepped onto the carved pedal and landed on it. The black jade ring shone with a cold luster in the moonlight. He looked up and saw that the housekeeper Lin An had been waiting in front of the vermilion lacquer gate. He immediately became curious.

Because of the Yangzhou Skinny Horse Auction today, Murong Yan specifically ordered the curfew to be extended by two hours. Normally, Lin An would have gone to bed by this time.

Lin An's long blue cloth gown rustled in the wind. He bowed and said respectfully, "Prince!"

Lin Zhen jumped off the carriage and asked, "Why haven't you rested yet?"

"My Lord, Eunuch Wushe has arrived and is waiting for you in the living room with a young girl."

"Girl?"

Lin Zhen's heart sank.

Could it be Qizhu'er? Murong Yan didn't bring her back to the palace, but sent her home instead?

What's going on? Do I have to give you this ten thousand taels of silver?

That’s right, Lin Zhen hasn’t paid yet, but as the organizer, Host Bi and his team are not in a hurry.

There is no way that the dignified Prince Regent's Palace of Daqian could be short of his ten thousand taels of silver.

It can even be said that compared with silver, face is more important. The royal palace will not throw away all its face and dignity for ten thousand taels of silver.

So when Qizhuer left, no one tried to stop her.

Lin Zhen nodded and said to Lin An, "I understand. Go back and rest."

"Yes."

Lin An turned around and left, and ordered the maids and servants to follow him and serve the carriage throughout the journey.

In the carriage, Sima Chunlei's bright yellow satin skirt was the first to protrude from the carriage. The twelve round oriental pearls swayed gently with her movements, drawing tiny silver lights in the night.

"My lady, I will pick you up."

Sima Chunlei placed her slender hand on Xueqi's hand and slowly stepped out of the carriage. The three strings of Dongzhu bracelets on her wrists collided with each other, making crisp and pleasant sounds, like the pleasant tinkling of rings and pendants.

As soon as her moon-white embroidered shoes touched the ground, she straightened her waist, and the red gold hairpin on her bun trembled slightly. She held her head high and her chest puffed out, with an arrogant look, like a proud peacock. Every movement she made exuded the elegance and arrogance unique to a royal concubine.

She simply moved her waist and said in surprise, "Husband, why is your carriage so comfortable? My carriage always hurts my waist!"

"Because my carriage has a shock-absorbing bridge at the back, and yours has wheels."

"Huh? A bridge can even be placed on a carriage!?"

How could Sima Chunlei understand all this?

She was born at the wrong time. She was the best at palace fighting, but now she has no one to fight with. As a result, she is so bored that she has to buy a skinny horse to play chess with.

Lin Zhen said, "This was modified by Ling'er. I'll ask her to make more and install bridges on everyone's carriages so they can be more comfortable to sit on."

After Huanbi got off the car, Zhang Li was the last one to get off. She was wearing a purple cheongsam, which perfectly outlined her graceful figure.

As she moved, the jade bracelet on her wrist slid gently, making a subtle sound.

She glanced at Sima Chunlei's flamboyant look, a faint smile on her lips, and turned to Lin Zhen and said, "My dear, I still have to discuss the salt permit issue with the Cao Gang tomorrow, so I'm going back to rest now."

Lin Zhen nodded slightly, his eyes swept over everyone, and said in a deep voice: "Let's all rest early. I'll go to the living room to take a look."

After saying that, he walked towards the inner courtyard. The sound of his boot soles hitting the blue bricks was particularly clear in the silent night.

Sima Chunlei looked at Lin Zhen's back and said to the two women beside him, "Who do you think this girl could be?"

Zhang Li said: "It must be Qizhu'er."

Huanbi also nodded in agreement.

Sima Chunlei clenched her fists and said unwillingly, "My husband clearly said he would accompany me tonight, but... eh?"

Suddenly, her eyes lit up: "How about we go and take a look secretly?"

"what?"

"Is it better not to give it up?"

Neither Zhang Li nor Huanbi was interested, nor were they as jealous as Sima Chunlei.

When Lin Zhen and Gu Zhen were making love, Sima Chunlei even wanted to poison Gu Zhen to death.

Seeing that both women were not going, Sima Chunlei stamped her feet.

"No, we can't let this vixen steal the limelight from us sisters. I'm going to take a look!"

After saying that, she hurried towards the living room.

Zhang Li and Huanbi looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly.

After entering the reception room, Lin Zhen casually draped his outer robe on the rosewood screen. The gilded animal-head copper incense burner was emitting a lingering fragrance of agarwood, and Murong Wushe was holding a mutton-fat jade cup and leisurely drinking tea.

The old man in his seventies lives like a middle-aged man in his early fifties. His face is dark and his hair has grown out, showing signs of returning to youth.

Seeing Lin Zhen come in, Wushe immediately stood up and saluted, his shrill voice echoing in the empty hall: "Congratulations, Prince! His Majesty has specially ordered this old servant to deliver this great gift."

On the carpet in the center of the living room, a woman holding a pipa took a timid half step forward.

Lin Zhen's eyes fell on her, and he saw that her shoulders were thin, and her moon-white skirt embroidered with lotus flowers hung loosely on her body, and the green jade pendant on her waist almost hung down to her knees.

Sure enough, it was the Weeping Pearl that attracted so much attention at the auction.

"A reward? Ha, I'm afraid His Majesty bought it and doesn't want it anymore? Wushe, you and I are still friends, so don't be so careless here."

Lin Zhen sneered, his fingertips tracing the carved armrests of the sandalwood chair. He squinted at her, his eyes full of mockery. "I bought her for ten thousand taels of silver, and then she was sent to the palace. I paid, and she got to show off. Your Majesty is really calculating."

Murong Wushe's Adam's apple rolled against his pale neck, and a fawning smile immediately appeared on his face. "Your Majesty, what you said is unacceptable to me. Your Majesty treats you as one with your wife and loves you deeply. He thought that Miss Qizhu'er's talent and ability would be lost in the palace, so he specially ordered her to be sent to the palace to entertain you."

"I find you're becoming more and more smooth-talking, old man. Yan'er definitely didn't say that."

Upon hearing this, Qizhuer suddenly looked up at Lin Zhen.

Yan'er...

Is this used to describe the emperor?

Wait, what did he just say? Husband and wife are one?

Could it be that Lin Zhen and that emperor are husband and wife!

Oh my god...

Wushe smiled awkwardly: "Haha, that is your Majesty's decree, but I must be more tactful when explaining this to the Crown Prince."

"Forget it, you're such a slippery old loach." Lin Zhen glanced at Qizhu'er, sat down and said to Wushe, "Since you're here, stay. I'll have someone clean up your room."

"No, no! How dare I stay outside the palace? His Majesty is still waiting for my report. If I am late, I will lose my head." Murong Wushe retreated hurriedly, his python-patterned cloak sweeping across the Persian carpet.

Lin Zhen thought to himself, will Murong Yan kill you?

Pooh.

This old thing.

After giving a few brief instructions, Wushe left.

As he bent down to exit, the bronze door hinge creaked, and moonlight leaked in through the crack in the door, casting a cold white light at Qizhu'er's feet.

It was not until this moment that Lin Zhen took a closer look at the crying girl in front of him.

The girl was petite, only five feet three inches tall, or about 1.6 meters, half a head shorter than Sima Chunlei. Her thin shoulders bulged slightly under her gauze dress, as if she could be blown away by a gust of wind.

She was born with a small face the size of a palm, with eyebrows as dark as distant mountains, slightly upturned eyes, and pupils as black as ink covered with a layer of mist. The tip of her nose was small and delicate, with a faint pink hue, while her lips were as pale as paper, without any blood color.

This looks quite like the Lolita girl of later generations.

But Lin Zhen was not talking about those troublemakers who were fat and short, and whose faces were as big as millstones even after putting on makeup.

If you do nothing all day long, know nothing, and just complain about nothing, you will become an emo.

He was talking about a little girl who was very petite and delicate, as fragile as a noble princess.

The most eye-catching thing is the Jiaoweiqin that she holds tightly in her arms.

The dark brown body of the piano exuded an ancient luster. She held it so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the force.

The hands were slender and long, with prominent wrist bones and neatly trimmed nails, but the fingertips were covered with thin calluses left by piano practice.

When she lowered her head slightly, a few strands of black hair fell down, covering half of her cheek, making her neck look even more slender and fragile, as if it would break with a slight bend.

"Can we have dinner tonight?" Lin Zhen's voice softened unconsciously.

The girl trembled all over, raised her head suddenly, and a trace of panic flashed in her eyes, like a frightened deer.

She opened her mouth, and after a long while she found her voice, she said softly: "Master...I will not eat dinner tonight..."

When she said the last few words, she bit her lower lip subconsciously, her eyes were full of uneasiness, and her eyes were slightly red.

Lin Zhen looked at her thin figure and remembered what the matchmaker said at the auction that day: "She is not too thin to show her bones, and she is not too small to be weak." He felt it was extremely ironic.

This kind of thinness is clearly caused by long-term hunger. How can it be called "refined"?

"Come here, tell the kitchen to prepare ten blue-back shrimps, a bowl of hot milk, and a bird's nest soup. Hurry!"

"Yes."

The maid on duty replied from a distance.

Lin Zhen said to Qizhu'er, "You don't have to do this anymore. The palace doesn't have the rule of letting people go hungry. If you like to eat something, just tell the kitchen. As long as it's not too outrageous, we can make it for you."

Lin Zhen leaned back in his chair, tapping the armrest with his black jade ring. Seeing that she still had her head bowed, he added, "You're too thin. This is unhealthy. You should drink more bird's nest porridge later."

Qizhuer raised her head suddenly again, her eyes full of surprise and emotion, tears welling up in her eyes.

She suddenly bowed, her movements graceful yet somewhat stiff, clearly the result of countless training sessions. "Thank you...thank you for the reward, sir."

There was an obvious choke in his voice.

Qizhu'er had heard before that skinny horses like them would be favored by the master of the house when they first entered the house, and would be served with all kinds of delicious food and drinks. If you think you have reached the peak of your life at this time, you are totally wrong.

When the master of the family gets tired of playing with them, those skinny horses will become playthings and start to be played with by others. The master of the family even has to play with those people, which is simply a life worse than death.

Qizhu'er didn't know Lin Zhen, and she didn't know the rules in the capital, so she stood there and didn't dare to move.

The sound of the night watchman's clapper came from the corridor, it was already three quarters past midnight.

Lin Zhen looked at the way she held the zither and suddenly asked, "Can you play 'Heartbreak Song'?"

The girl's fingertips trembled slightly, and the strings made a subtle hum.

"Yes... Master, do you want to listen? I can play it now." Her voice trembled, as if she was afraid of answering wrongly, and the hand holding the pipa unconsciously exerted a little more force.

"Not necessary tonight. Everyone's asleep. Sit down and let's chat."

"Yes."

Qizhuer didn't dare to disobey Lin Zhen's words. She agreed to almost everything he said.

But what Lin Zhen didn't expect was that Qizhuer gently placed the piano on the carpet, then walked towards him, sat directly on his lap, and put her arms around his neck.

Sima Chunlei, who was peeking outside the door, immediately became angry.

"Humph, you're truly a vixen! My husband only told you to sit down, but you sat directly on his lap!"

"Little thing, don't fall into my hands, or I'll make you wish you were dead!"

Lin Zhen's ears moved, and he heard Sima Chunlei's words clearly.

This girl.

I knew she wouldn't be so carefree.

Lin Zhen did not dodge like a novice. He even stared at Qizhuer's small face seriously.

The girl had a rosy face, skin as white as snow, and slender arms without a trace of excess flesh, with a hint of bonyness.

Even on his buttocks, which were right next to his thighs, there wasn't much flesh on them and he looked pitifully thin.

Lin Zhen suspected that those who bought skinny horses had some kind of perverted mentality.

How could they be so cruel as to take advantage of such a delicate girl? Or do they just want to use such delicate girls to satisfy their perverted pleasures?

Lin Zhen asked, "How old are you?"

"In reply to the master, I have already reached adulthood."

It means it's ready to be picked.

But Lin Zhen still felt that she was very young, at least one year younger than Huanbi.

This age group would only be in junior high school in the future, right? No, no, we must have positive energy and not have any dirty thoughts.

"You will be the head of the palace from now on. Because of your special background, I have decided to give you a separate room and assign two maids to accompany you. You can concentrate on studying music and strive to become the best zither player in Daqian."

Qizhuer suddenly opened her mouth and looked at him, her face full of disbelief.

Although she was knowledgeable in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and although she was skinny, she was essentially no different from those bought maids.

But Lin Zhen actually wanted to give her a separate room and even assigned her a maid. This was simply the treatment of a master!

"Master...you...you are so kind to me...I am flattered."

"From now on, don't call me Master. Call me Prince like them. And don't call yourself a slave anymore. You are mine, so it's better to call yourself a concubine."

"Yes, I am willing to accompany the prince forever."

"Well, your monthly schedule will be the same as a concubine's. If anyone in the mansion bullies you or looks down on you, go find Huanbi and she will take care of it for you. If there is anything urgent, you can also come to me."

As he was speaking, the maid came up and brought the dishes.

"Prince, the food is ready."

"Yeah." Lin Zhen nodded, then patted Qizhu'er's little head and said, "Let's go eat."

"I'll get fat if I eat at night."

"No, I want shrimp and milk for you. The bird's nest soup is for your health. You won't gain weight even if you eat it."

Lin Zhen didn't want to restrict her development, but he didn't want her years of hard work to go to waste. Besides, Qizhuer should be very concerned about her figure, so he ordered something high in protein and low in fat, such as blue-back shrimp.

When Qizhuer lived in the building, she never had any good food to eat. Every meal was just watery.

It’s not that those mothers can’t afford to support their children, but that they don’t understand the relationship between calorie intake and expenditure, and stubbornly believe that as long as they eat less and eat poorly, they won’t gain weight.

So, as for things like prawns and bird's nests, Qizhuer had only heard of them but had never seen them, let alone eaten them.

Lin Zhen held Qizhu'er and prepared to stand up, but who knew that at this time, Qizhu'er actually made a bold move.