On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Lin Zhen looked at Murong Yan's jealous expression like a little girl, and a barely perceptible smile flashed across his eyes.

He did not refute her opinion of Chu Xiling, but directly pointed out the deeper purpose:

"Yan'er is wrong. Let Ling'er do this, the point is not to teach those nerds how to be an official or how to talk big. The point is to teach them how to fish!"

He leaned forward, his eyes blazing. "What she needs to do is teach them how to solve problems! Teach them that when faced with natural disasters, man-made calamities, and conflicts, they shouldn't just think of the words of sages and the urge to hang themselves! Instead, they should have practical steps to take, methods to stabilize the situation, save the people, and gradually restore order, just like the ones I just listed. How to control droughts? How to put out wildfires? How to deal with floods? These are the core skills they truly need to learn at the Royal Academy! Once they have mastered these skills, no matter what position they are assigned in the future, they will have confidence and the courage to shoulder the heavy responsibility of governing a region! This is what it means to truly be responsible for the people! For the country!"

Murong Yan's eyes gradually brightened as Lin Zhen spoke.

She understood Lin Zhen’s profound meaning.

Chu Xiling is just a medium, a means. The core is to change the thinking of future officials and their ability to solve practical problems.

"Alright," she finally relaxed her brows, her voice brightening. "Since my husband has such a well-thought-out long-term plan, then let's go for it. After all, this kingdom belongs to you and me, husband and wife, working together."

Her tone was filled with complete trust and a strange, shared intimacy: "My husband's will is my will."

Seeing that she was finally convinced, Lin Zhen's lips curled up in satisfaction.

He put down the jade chopsticks in his hand, moved naturally across the table, and gently held Murong Yan's slender jade hand placed on the edge of the table.

"I hope Yan'er can understand my painstaking efforts." He whispered, then changed the subject, his voice carrying a calmness and strength that seemed to control the future.

"Don't be anxious. Just be patient and wait a little longer. The prince's battle report on Northern Yan must be on its way to the capital. Once Northern Yan's territory is truly incorporated into our Great Qian, only the lingering Han and Qin will remain north of the Yangtze River! Then, we can remove these two stumbling blocks, and the area north of the Yangtze River will be fully unified! After a few years of recuperation, we can march south."

"Just wait a little longer, and your name, Murong Yan, will not only be engraved upon the throne today, but will also be passed down through the ages! You will become the first and most authentic empress in history to unify the world and command respect from all corners of the globe!"

"The Empress Destined by Heaven..." Murong Yan murmured these four words, and the blood in her heart was instantly ignited!

Her cheeks, which had become a little thin due to working day and night, were now flushed with excitement due to great longing and excitement, and her eyes were like burning stars, so bright!

It was as if he had already seen the supreme glory of ruling the world!

She smiled sweetly, and her smile was like the most beautiful peony blooming instantly.

In that smile, there was a desire for supreme power and an infinite yearning for the blueprint drawn by Lin Zhen.

However, after this huge surge of excitement, Murong Yan's eyes moved, as if she remembered something interesting, with a hint of cunning and indescribable taste.

She suddenly turned around and said to her personal maid, Sheyue, who was standing by the screen, as quiet as air:

"Musk Moon."

Upon hearing the voice, the girl immediately stepped forward, lowered her head, and said respectfully, "Your servant is here."

"First, clean up the table carefully, making sure there are no oil stains, and then come to the bedroom and wait." Murong Yan paused, glanced at Lin Zhen beside her, and a meaningful arc appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Musk Moon's body seemed to tremble slightly, almost imperceptibly!

The head had been lowered all the time and never raised up, but the small earlobes were burning red visibly almost instantly!

Like two ripe cherries!

She even seemed to hold her breath! After several breaths, she replied in a voice as thin as a mosquito's, with obvious tremors:

"Yes...yes, your Majesty. I'll go right away." After saying this, she didn't even dare to wait for the emperor and empress's response. She quickly bowed again as if she was escaping, and hurried to the table. With trembling fingers, she began to carefully and gently pick up the dishes.

The movement was more than twice as slow as usual, and her lowered face was flushed. It was obvious that she was already confused and knew what was going to happen.

Lin Zhen looked at Musk Moon, who looked so embarrassed that she almost turned into a crack in the ground and thought about it, and then thought about Murong Yan's words "come to the bedroom when you're ready", and he understood everything in his heart.

When Musk Moon started to get busy, he leaned slightly closer to Murong Yan and lowered his voice, with a hint of helplessness and inquiry:

"Yan'er? Why did you call Musk Moon to the bedroom? Isn't tonight our special night?"

He always felt something was weird.

Murong Yan turned her head and looked at Lin Zhen, her beautiful phoenix eyes flashing with a smile that seemed both natural and almsgiving:

"This little girl has been serving me very attentively and meticulously lately. I'm thinking of giving her a great favor as a reward."

She seemed to be talking about an ordinary matter like rewarding beautiful jade and jewelry.

"A great favor?" Lin Zhen's curiosity was piqued, and he was even more puzzled. "What's the reward?"

The gracious smile on Murong Yan's face deepened, even taking on a hint of mischief:

"Of course it's because I've been favored by the most powerful and noble man in the world!"

She stretched out her delicate jade fingers, and naturally, with a bit of justified pride, gently tapped Lin Zhen's well-defined chin:

"Isn't it a great grace for her to be favored by you, the prince of the royal palace, the husband who holds all the power in the court and controls the world, personally?"

Lin Zhen paused for a moment, feeling somewhat amused by this statement. He pointed at his nose and asked back:

"Being favored by me is a reward for her?" He found this logic a bit confusing.

"Of course!" Murong Yan nodded as if it was a matter of course, as if Lin Zhen was asking a very stupid question. "Who are you? And what is she? She's just a little maid!"

Her eyes slightly raised, with the indifference and self-righteousness that was ingrained in her bones, that belonged to someone who was absolutely superior. "To be favored by you, the prince, for one night is a blessing earned in ten lifetimes! She must be grateful! Do you understand?"

She took a sip of tea and added lightheartedly, "Besides, Musk Moon isn't young anymore. She'll be sixteen after the New Year, and she'll be married off in two years. If you really keep her until she's an old maid before letting her go, your husband will get tired of doting on her... and it won't be fun anymore, will it?"

This statement was made very bluntly, placing everything about Musk Moon in the position of an object to be admired and bestowed upon.

Lin Zhen was speechless for a moment, shocked by Murong Yan's extremely powerful and seemingly irrefutable logic.

He was a little amused and felt something was wrong:

"That seems to make sense." He frowned slightly, a hint of indescribable embarrassment on his face, "But... uh, Yan'er, how are the three of us supposed to sleep?"

He could hardly imagine that scene in his mind.

Murong Yan found Lin Zhen's rare embarrassment extremely amusing and couldn't help but burst out laughing. Her eyes were full of mischief as she turned, "Did you delay anything? My husband has forgotten? Didn't Sima Chunlei and I also..."

Before he could finish his words, Lin Zhen spoke first, his tone carrying a deeper sense of helplessness and a reminder:

"That...how can they be the same? Sima Chunlei is the imperial concubine! Your concubine! It's normal for us to sleep together, but Musk Moon is a maid!"

He couldn't seem to find a more appropriate word to describe the situation.

"What's the difference?" Murong Yan stood up and took Lin Zhen's arm without saying anything. She pulled him up with considerable strength. Her face was filled with a willful glow that could not be refused, like an excited child who had discovered a new toy.

"Let's go! Don't dawdle! Musk Moon is very quick and efficient. I think she's already packed everything and is waiting in the warm room of the bedroom! I want to show her what true grace is!"

There was a hint of excitement in her voice as she pulled Lin Zhen, who was still a little dazed, and walked quickly towards the bedroom.

The evening breeze blew through the corridors, bringing with it the coolness unique to the deep palace.

The cold moonlight poured down like mercury, gently sprinkling on the backs of the two people holding each other, stretching their figures very long and overlapping them, as if blending into the night of this boundless palace.

Only the sound of footsteps and Murong Yan's urging voice with a smile gradually faded away in the silence.