On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

In the central hall of Prince Dingbei's Palace, nine lamps on bronze candlesticks were burning brightly. The light from the tallow candles cast flickering shadows on the wall, making the screen painted with mythical beasts from the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" dimly reflected.

Wang Chunsheng was wearing a half-worn mountain-patterned armor and sitting on a rosewood chair, but his hand on the hilt of the sword always maintained the standard of the guard camp.

His back was straight as a spear, his knees were pressed together in a straight line, and only his eyes occasionally glanced towards the carved wooden door. The shirt under his armor was soaked with cold sweat, and it felt a little chilly in the early spring night breeze.

"Sir, please have some tea." A clear voice broke the silence, and a maid in green clothes pushed the door open, holding a celadon tea tray. The moon-white skirt brought a faint fragrance of agarwood as it swept across the threshold.

The three lotus-petal-shaped tea cups on the tea tray are exquisite and delicate, with wisps of white smoke rising from the cloud tea in the cups.

Wang Chunsheng hurriedly stood up, his armor clashing with each other, and his hands trembled as he took the teacup. "Ah! Thank you, young lady!"

When had he ever been served by a maid? He was the one who served others.

It's a bit hard to get used to this sudden thing.

What's more, this maid looks very well-behaved.

In fact, he didn't know that the rules for selling maids in the palace had been changed long ago.

Now we don’t want fat people, people with bad figures, old people, ugly people, people with too dark skin, or people who are not good at speaking or doing things.

There are too many rules, but there are still many daughters who were sold who want to work in the palace because the treatment is good!

Not only are there no messy relationships and things, but you can also get very high wages.

If a maid from a family can enter the palace, then the whole family will not have to worry about food, and there will be opportunities for promotion and solve family problems.

Wang Chunsheng noticed that the jasmine flowers pinned on the maid's temples looked fresh and juicy, and thought they were just picked from the back garden.

The maid bowed, her skirt lifted at the perfect angle. "Your Excellency is very polite. This is the Mingqian Cloud Mist Tea that the Young Master specifically ordered. It's produced in Mengshan, Shu."

When she left, her face was still red, and it was unclear whether she was attracted to Wang Chunsheng or what.

The wooden door creaked open again, and Lin Zhen strode in wearing a dark green gold-woven robe, his chest mostly exposed. An old scar running diagonally across his upper abdomen on his bronze skin glowed a faint red in the candlelight.

He lifted his leg and kicked the carved footstool aside, then sat down in the main seat, his left foot on the chair and his right elbow on the armrest. His posture was as casual as if he was sitting on the kang at home, and the jade pendant on his waist swayed gently with his movements, making crisp sounds.

"Thank you for your hard work. Tell me, what's the situation in Penglai?" Lin Zhen's voice was a little lazy, but it suddenly became stiff when it met Wang Chunsheng's gaze. It was obvious that he had quickly switched from the warmth of the hot spring pool to a businesslike state.

Wang Chunsheng quickly clasped his fists, the metal buckles of his armor making a slight sound. "Your Highness, I am sorry for embarrassing you."

"My Lord, regarding Penglai..." Wang Chunsheng took out a file from his sleeve and told Lin Zhen everything that happened in Penglai.

"Xia Zhu has now been handed over to the Censorate, and will be tried by the three courts in a while."

"So she's a female county magistrate, no wonder."

Lin Zhen remembered that Murong Yan wanted to promote a female official, but he didn't expect that she had secretly arranged a female county magistrate.

Fortunately, Chen Mo came to report and I sent people to investigate. Otherwise, if we had persisted for a few more days, who knows what kind of trouble might have arisen.

If a husband and wife have sex, it can be considered rape. If they consummate the marriage after an engagement, it can also be considered rape. Even if they don't have intercourse, it can still be considered rape.

Anything that is detrimental to women will be blown out of proportion, while men can only suffer and have no place to seek redress.

Fortunately, I stopped it in time.

Wang Chunsheng thought of Xia Zhu's appearance in the court. The female county magistrate who once wore a red official uniform and held a gavel was now writing a list of evidence in the cell awaiting trial until late at night, her pen tip rustling on the parchment.

"Before I left, I wanted to tell her how to solve the case, but... she simply said she was guilty of listening too much, and refused to listen to a word of my advice. Her eyes were filled with stubbornness."

"It's normal for her not to listen." Lin Zhen suddenly sat up straight, his eyes like knives. "A woman like this always has a crazy paranoia. Maybe she has flaws in her heart and hates men."

"Why is that?"

"Who knows? Maybe she's been bullied by men before, or maybe she's just tired of seeing men dominate society for thousands of years."

"This is outrageous! If she were my woman, I would definitely hang her up and give her a good beating."

"I think what you said makes sense, but could it be that you've fallen in love with her?" Lin Zhen had a playful expression on his face.

Wang Chunsheng was stunned: "No."

"I advise you not to have such thoughts. Because if you get along with her for a long time, you will find that there is a reason why she is still unmarried at her age, and her age is actually her smallest shortcoming."

Wang Chunsheng nodded and said, "The Crown Prince is absolutely right. She always says a woman's chastity is more important than Mount Tai, but she doesn't realize that even Mount Tai can crumble. I saw with my own eyes the midwife's hands shaking as she held the medical report, but she tossed it aside without even glancing at it. If she were allowed to continue serving as an official, I'm afraid she would misjudge again and undermine the people's trust in the law."

"Oh, that's natural, but we can't interfere with this woman. Just wait and see. Even if the three judges come to trial, His Majesty will protect her."

"Is the prince suggesting that she be reinstated?"

"No, Your Majesty is no fool. He knows this woman has problems, so he'll have her start as a second-in-command, like a county magistrate, as a warning. Because true law is never enforced by banging a gavel, but by leaning over and scrutinizing every speck of dust."

Wang Chunsheng suddenly realized.

"As for you, it's time to change places." Lin Zhen suddenly stared into his eyes with a burning gaze, as if he wanted to see through him.

"Being a guard in the Guard Battalion with Cao Xiong is like using a dragon-slaying knife to kill a chicken."

He threw over a wax-sealed document with the brightly colored cinnabar seal of the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Justice on the cover.

"Report to the Ministry of Justice tomorrow and learn how to judge cases from Minister Zhang. After you've finished your studies, you'll be appointed magistrate of Wu County. The south is not peaceful right now, and there are always some officials who are pro-Chu and are causing trouble. You have experience in training troops and are very attentive, so you're a perfect fit."

Wang Chunsheng took the document in a hurry and felt his palms burning. The official seal on the cover made his eyes hot.

"Your Highness... I am nothing but a guard..."

"Don't try to play that with me. If I say you can do it, of course you can. This year's imperial examination has been postponed to the Dragon Boat Festival, and that's when we need people. Go right away, I have something else to do."

Wang Chunsheng held the document tightly, tears welling up in his eyes, but he forced them back.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your cultivation! I am willing to go through fire and water for you, without hesitation!"

"That's enough." Lin Zhen smiled and kicked his armor, "Stop pretending."

After saying this, he suddenly stood up, put on his outer robe, and tied his belt casually, but he had a sense of majesty.

"I'm going to the Imperial Censorate to meet this female county magistrate and see what she looks like that makes His Majesty think so highly of her."

"Then I will accompany you."

"Alright."

......

As dusk fell, the last ray of sunlight in the sky was swallowed up by the animal heads on the eaves of the Censorate.

Lin Zhen walked slowly on the mottled light and shadow on the bluestone slabs, his black cloak fluttering in the evening breeze, and the jade pendant on his waist and the sword collided, making a crisp sound.

Wang Chunsheng and Hou Chun followed behind him, one on each side. The rustling sound of the armor plates rubbing against each other was particularly clear in the silent corridor.

"Prince, the Censorate will close its doors to visitors at 3:15 PM." Hou Chun reminded in a low voice.

Lin Zhen did not stop.

There is no one in this country whom he cannot meet.

Soon the three of them arrived at the gate of the Censorate.

The yamen runner had been dozing off, but when he saw Lin Zhen coming over, he trembled all over, his knees gave way, and he knelt down, banging his forehead heavily on the blue bricks: "I, I pay my respects to the Crown Prince!"

The voice trembled like a leaf in the wind.

Lin Zhen chuckled, and the air he created as he stepped over the threshold rustled the corner of the yamen runner's clothes. "Take me to see Xia Zhu."

"Yes! Lord Xia is imprisoned in Courtyard No. 3, Dingzi." The yamen runner scrambled to his feet, his badge jingling against his waist. "I'll lead the way, I'll lead the way!"

The layout of the Censorate's courtyard is as neat as a chessboard, but it is three times more strict than a chessboard.

There is a stone tablet next to each moon-shaped door, engraved with the seal script "No official shall be punished."

When Lin Zhen passed by the Yiziyuan, he suddenly heard a suppressed cough coming from inside the wall, mixed with the sound of iron chains dragging on the ground, and the sound dragged out a long tail in the twilight.

"Please look, my lord. This is the Dingzi Courtyard." The yamen runner nodded and bowed as he pushed open the mottled vermilion lacquer door. The unique musty smell of rotten wood mixed with the fragrance of ink hit his face.

Wang Chunsheng subconsciously took half a step forward, but saw Lin Zhen waving his hand to signal him to stop.

The locust tree in the yard has sprouted new green leaves, and the tiny leaves filter out scattered spots of light.

Xia Zhu was sitting at a stone table under a tree, writing with a pen. His thin body was wrapped in a plain, cross-collared long gown, but it could not hide the creamy skin on his neck.

Hearing the noise, her hand holding the pen paused slightly, and the ink spread onto the rice paper, forming a black plum blossom.

Lin Zhen's gaze passed over her thin shoulders and finally stopped at her slightly heaving chest. He laughed inwardly. This female county magistrate was born with a good appearance. No wonder she could make the gentry of Penglai County lose their composure.

"Master Xia, the prince is here to see you." Wang Chunsheng took a half step forward, his voice filled with an urgency he himself hadn't noticed. Xia Zhu then put down the wolf hair brush. As he stood up, his sleeves swept across the stone bench, startling the sparrows that had landed on it.

"Your humble servant greets the prince." When Xia Zhu stood up, his sleeves swept across the stone bench, startling the sparrows that had landed on it.

Only then did Lin Zhen realize that she had a faded moon-white silk ribbon tied around her wrist, which made her skin look even paler and highlighted the fullness of her chest.

The Censorate didn't even have a decent torture device, it seemed as if they were deliberately keeping this spring scene for the noble to appreciate.

"County Magistrate Xia is in a good mood." Lin Zhen walked to the stone table and brushed his fingertips across the undried ink.

He suddenly leaned forward, his warm breath brushing Xia Zhu's ear: "Are you writing 'The Instructions for Women' or 'The Training of Women'?"

This was said with a hint of joking.

Xia Zhu took a half step back, and his lower back hit the rough bark of the locust tree.

She raised her eyes and looked directly at Lin Zhen. The 34-year-old woman's eyes were even more scorching than those of a young girl. "This humble official never writes articles that restrict women. Instead, I am writing the 'Penglai Water Conservancy Memorial.' Yesterday, the observatory reported that the Yellow River will flood."

When she turned around, Lin Zhen caught a glimpse of the densely packed comments on the edge of the rice paper. They were actually written with a cinnabar pen, and the handwriting was so strong that it could be seen through the back of the paper.

Lin Zhen held the hand that was handing the account book in his backhand. It felt as soft as jade, but had thin calluses from practicing calligraphy.

This move was too bold.

So much so that Hou Chun and Wang Chunsheng looked at each other in confusion.

There are so many beautiful ladies in the mansion, but Lin Zhen is still hooking up with other women.

As expected, men always get bored with the old and love the new.

Little did they know that Lin Zhen had no such idea at all.

"Xia County Magistrate. This prince already knows what you did in Penglai. Do you know what punishment you will face?"

"No matter what the punishment is, let me go first." Xia Zhu retracted his hand but failed to pull it out.