On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

"So what?" His tone was light, with a natural arrogance and an almost shameless frankness.

"This is the way the world is! This is the basic 'benefits' I, Lin Zhen, enjoy as a prince. Power, status, and beauty are one and the same. No matter how loudly you say these high-sounding words, they cannot change the fact that you are under my control at this moment, and your fate is in my hands. Everything else is empty. I only ask you one question."

He stretched out his finger, almost touching the tip of Xia Zhu's nose, and said in a tone that was both cold and tempting, like an ultimatum, "The reality is here. Are you willing to be my woman?"

Before he finished speaking, Lin Zhen moved as fast as lightning. Before Xia Zhu could react, his hand, which had just been behind his back, stretched out like lightning and grabbed Xia Zhu's small chin with his thumb and index finger with irresistible force.

His force was precise and domineering, forcing her cheek, which had been twisted to one side due to anger and humiliation, to turn back.

The cold fingertips pressed against the skin, carrying an unquestionable command.

Xia Zhu was forced to raise her head and met Lin Zhen's close and bottomless black eyes.

The pupils were like the abyss of a cold pond, clearly reflecting her pale, angry, yet desperate face.

"Look at me! Xia Zhu, stop your pointless struggles and so-called noble performances. Think about the official seal that was taken away from you, think about your unfulfilled ambitions, think about those women who are still struggling in remote villages, waiting for your governance to change their fate."

His words, like a poisonous snake, entangled Xia Zhu's most core persistence.

"Why did you study so hard in the first place? Why did you endure the pressures of the world and countless scorns to become a female county magistrate? Wasn't it to break free from these shackles and fight for the well-being and equal rights that women deserve?"

His eyes were fixed on the slightest hesitation in the depths of her pupils, and he gently coaxed her: "As long as you nod your head right now. Yes, it's that simple, just nod your head. Everything will be back in your hands! Your lofty ambition that almost died, your ideal country that you always dreamed of, everything you wanted to fight for women all over the world can be realized. And..."

A controlling smile played on his lips. He leaned closer, practically biting her earlobe as he whispered. The warmth of his breath sent a chill down Xia Zhu's spine. "You will have my full support. You must understand that in Daqian, even His Majesty's decree sometimes carries less weight than a single word from me. My support is the only indispensable key to accomplishing what you desire. Without it, no matter how talented you are, you'll be nothing more than a caged bird."

He slowly loosened his fingers that were pinching her chin, but his oppressive eyes were still fixed on her, waiting for her decision.

The air was as heavy as solidified lead, suffocating people.

Hou Chun and Wang Chunsheng were both stunned.

They didn’t know what Lin Zhen was going to do. Did he really want to sleep with this older single woman?

impossible.

Lin Zhen definitely does not have this kind of aesthetic.

Moreover, if Lin Zhen wanted to do something, he could just pounce on Xia Zhu. There was no need to waste so much saliva.

For him, since he had even slept with the empress, would he still care whether a female county magistrate was willing?

They didn't understand, so the two brothers didn't ask any more questions. They just stared blankly, but took a few steps back silently.

Time is infinitely stretched between each breath.

The light and shadow cast by the candlelight kept dancing on their faces.

Xia Zhu could see the determination and gleam of determination in Lin Zhen's eyes, and could also feel the wall in her heart called "integrity" trembling and groaning violently in front of the stormy waves called "ideals" and the iron wall called "reality."

Countless long nights of studying alone under the lamp, the anxiety of facing numerous difficulties when she first became the county magistrate, the frustration of being suppressed by the gentry for seeking justice for the women under the county jurisdiction, and the figures in prison whose lives were unknown and waiting for her to rescue were intertwined and collided with the frivolous, arrogant and naked threats of the man in front of her.

She bit her lower lip and tasted the rusty taste of blood.

The muscles on his pale face were trembling uncontrollably.

Finally, the row of thick, long eyelashes with residual tears trembled violently a few times, as if they had exhausted all their strength, and slowly drooped down, covering the deep humiliation and ashes of despair in the eyes.

When she raised her eyes again, in the depths of the angry icy lake, there was only a hollow calmness after all the spirit had been drained away, which was the bleak afterglow of the ashes called "surrender".

Her voice was as hoarse as an old bellows, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from under a heavy stone. "Are you... serious?"

The gaze pierced Lin Zhen, carrying the final, almost broken confirmation.

The corners of Lin Zhen's mouth, which were relaxed and filled with the joy of conquest, suddenly widened, as if he had heard a long-awaited declaration of victory.

"County Magistrate Xia, don't worry. I, Lin Zhen, mean what I say!"

After receiving this seemingly firm promise, Xia Zhu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The sound of inhaling was particularly clear in the silent night, as if the last bit of energy in the chest was used up.

When she opened her eyes again, all the emotional storms seemed to have been forcibly suppressed, leaving only almost cold rationality.

She nodded slightly, a slight movement, but she completed a "nod" action very clearly.

"Okay..." She uttered a single syllable, as if it weighed a thousand pounds, "I promise you."

After a pause, she raised her head and looked directly at Lin Zhen, no longer dodging, but without any warmth, as if she was negotiating with a cold object.

"But after you let me out, I will go to the richest county in Daqian. Only there can I realize my ambition!" She was not stupid. She knew that Penglai, a shabby place that had not been fully developed, would not allow her to show her talents at all.

So she wanted to go to a place where she didn't have to care about money.

"The richest county?" Lin Zhen couldn't help but burst into laughter again, his laughter hearty and cheerful. "Hahahaha! Great! Ambitious! This prince likes your straightforward personality! No problem!"

He waved his hand with great pomp and circumstance, "How about Wuqing? There is no county in the world richer than Wuqing."

Wuqing.

The name of the county he reported was known to everyone in Qian State. It was a fertile land, a transportation hub, and a gathering place for merchants. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a place where gold and silver flowed.

"That's my Daqian's special economic zone! Is it prosperous enough? Is it enough for you to show your talents?" He stared at Xia Zhu's face, not missing any subtle expression.

An extremely faint light seemed to flash in Xia Zhu's eyes, like a spark in the ashes, which disappeared in an instant, and then returned to silence.

She just nodded again and uttered one word clearly: "Okay."

There was no joy, no gratitude, only the finality of the numbness.

Lin Zhen's smile became even wider, and that smile carried a sense of satisfaction and relief as if the prey was finally in the cage.

He stopped looking at Xia Zhu and turned around, casually pushing open the heavy wooden door of the side room behind him, which smelled of rusted iron locks. The old door hinges made a teeth-grinding creak, breaking the dead silence of the night.

"Then please come in, County Magistrate Xia." He turned sideways and made a graceful invitation gesture, but the teasing and meaningful look in his eyes was not concealed at all.

Xia Zhu didn't look at Lin Zhen again, but stared blankly at the open, dark door.

She knew that as soon as she walked in, she would have to say goodbye to her clean body of thirty-four years.

But she still bit her lower lip and stepped in, even though her favorite embroidered shoes felt a thousand pounds heavy.

Lin Zhen followed him in and closed the door gently behind him.

When the wooden door closed, it made a dull "clang" sound, blocking out the faint light from outside and all sights and sounds from outside.

Hou Chun was completely dumbfounded.

"Chunsheng, the prince seems a little strange today."

Wang Chunsheng nodded dully and said, "Yes, you've been with the prince for such a long time, is she usually like this?"

Hou Chun shook his head: "It's because I've never experienced it before that I'm curious."

"Should I tell my family?"

"No, no, no, this is fine if Madam Huanbi knows about this, but if Madam Qingwen knew that the prince went out in the middle of the night just to sleep with a middle-aged woman, she would tear the house apart."

"That's true, what should we do then?"

"What to do? Just wait. There's something to wait for tonight. The prince is always patient."