On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Time seems to have frozen.

Lin Zhen did not urge her, but just looked at her leisurely, tapping his fingers lightly on the smooth rosewood armrest, confident that she would make a choice.

Finally, Chengxuan slowly raised her head.

Her eyes were complex and difficult to understand, showing humiliation, unwillingness, and struggle, but in the end, they were all replaced by a kind of helplessness that was almost like resignation to fate and a hint of compromise tempted by huge interests.

She didn't say anything, but nodded very slightly, almost imperceptibly.

This tiny movement represented her silent consent.

The smile on Lin Zhen's face instantly bloomed, like sunshine piercing through dark clouds.

He stood up with satisfaction. "Excellent! He who knows the current situation is a hero! Now, immediately go and explain the subsequent affairs of the Tiandao Camp to Jinglan and Liyue. Then, pack your belongings and report back to the palace immediately! I'll wait for you at the palace."

His tone was full of command that left no room for doubt.

Cheng Xuan remained silent, neither responding nor objecting. She just stood up silently, walked to the desk, and began to organize the confidential documents related to the operation of the Tiandao Camp.

Her back was straight, but she exuded a heavy sense of oppression, as if she had signed a contract to sell herself.

Lin Zhen stopped looking at her, turned around and strode towards the door.

When his hand rested on the cold door knocker, he paused slightly. Without turning back, he spoke clearly behind him in an extremely frivolous and playful voice: "Remember to come back soon~Xiao Chengxuan."

He deliberately prolonged the tone, with an ambiguous ending:

"I will miss you!"

"You!!" Chengxuan's hand, which was organizing the files, suddenly froze!

A huge feeling of shame and anger suddenly rushed to my head!

She turned around abruptly, her pretty face flushed crimson. She screamed in unbearable shame and anger at Lin Zhen's back as he disappeared out the door: "Damn lecher!! Lin Zhen! Get out of here!!"

"Hahahahahaha!" The only response to her was Lin Zhen's triumphant and hearty laughter coming from the corridor outside the door.

Lin Zhen left the Tiandao Camp in a happy mood, galloped on his horse, and soon returned to the palace.

He did not return to his main courtyard, but planned to go directly to the back garden to see Qingxia and get some fresh air.

As soon as I passed through a moon-shaped gate and stepped onto the corridor connecting the front yard and the back garden, I casually glanced and caught a glimpse of a white jade arch bridge spanning a gurgling stream not far away.

Beside the bridge railing, a graceful green figure was standing by the railing, leaning slightly forward, her eyes focused on watching several koi swimming in the stream under the bridge.

The figure was slender and graceful, with a gentle temperament and a hint of bookishness. She was the female official Xia Zhu who had been neglected by him for many days.

Lin Zhen paused and slapped his forehead!

Oops!

Things have been happening one after another in the mansion these days, Qingxia's childbirth, the assassin incident, comforting the women, and handling the affairs of the Tiandao Camp. He actually forgot about Xia Zhu, who had just been recruited by him and was still a bit new!

He composed himself, a gentle smile plastered on his face, and he walked over lightly. He stopped a few steps away from her and called softly, "Xia Zhu?"

Xia Zhu, who was leaning on the railing to watch the fish, seemed to tremble slightly when she heard the sound.

She turned around slowly.

At the age of thirty-four, a woman is at the peak of her charm. Having just experienced life, she has lost some of her girlish immaturity and gained some of the charm unique to mature women, just like a ripe peach, emitting an alluring sweet fragrance.

When she saw that it was Lin Zhen, a hint of surprise that was hard to conceal flashed across her eyes, which originally had a hint of loneliness!

Like a ray of sunshine shining through the gap in the dark clouds!

But this surprise only lasted for a moment before she forcibly suppressed it, quickly transforming it into a deliberately maintained calmness, even... with a bit of indescribable haggardness and resentment.

She bent her knees slightly and performed a standard official ceremony. Her voice was calm, yet a hint of bitterness was faintly visible: "Your humble servant pays respects to the Crown Prince."

Lin Zhen took a few steps forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with her at the bridge railing. Looking at the clear stream below, he said with a hint of apology, "I've been so busy with affairs at the mansion these past few days that I haven't been able to find time to visit you. I'm sorry you've been wronged."

He said this quite sincerely.

Xia Zhu lowered her head and her eyes fell on her hands folded in front of her. Her long eyelashes concealed the emotions in her eyes.

Her voice remained calm, but like a stone dropped into water, clear ripples appeared. "Your Highness, you are too kind. Your Highness's harem is filled with beauties, all of them graceful and gentle. I am a humble servant, and I am no longer young. It is only natural that Your Highness cannot remember me at the moment."

These words may seem humble and self-deprecating, but in fact every word and sentence is filled with deep bitterness and self-pity.

Lin Zhen was choked by her words, and a trace of embarrassment flashed across his face.

He coughed lightly, trying to change the subject, genuinely thinking of her. "How about this, in a few days, you go to the academy to find Ling'er. She's good at practical matters, so you can study with her for a while and let her teach you how to govern a county. When you're done, go to Wuqing to take up your post."

This was what I promised her before.

However, these words were like a bolt from the blue to Xia Zhu's ears!

She suddenly raised her head, and her originally gentle willow-shaped eyebrows were instantly raised, her eyes filled with incredible surprise and grievance of being abandoned!

She looked at Lin Zhen, her voice trembling with sharp sarcasm:

"Oh, as expected! All men in the world are unfaithful, and the Crown Prince is no exception! So the Crown Prince's tenderness and consideration that night was just like a fleeting love affair, discarded like a worn-out shoe after just one night?!"

Her words were like poisoned needles, piercing Lin Zhen's heart. "I understand! The prince thinks I'm an eyesore! He wants to send me away! Good! Very good!"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, her chest heaving violently, and even tears of humiliation welled up in her eyes.

Lin Zhen quickly explained: "No... I didn't mean that. Isn't it your dream to be the world's number one female official?"

Xia Zhu turned around abruptly, with her back to Lin Zhen, her voice choked with determination:

"No need for that! This belated bit of false affection is even more despicable than a stray dog ​​on the roadside! I can't afford it! I dare not trouble the prince to make such arrangements!"

She took a deep breath, suppressed her surging emotions, and said in a cold and hard voice, "I will go back and pack my bags and head to the academy immediately! Your Highness, please don't worry about me anymore!"

After saying that, she didn't give Lin Zhen any chance to explain and just walked away!

His steps were staggering but extremely determined, the hem of his green official robe brushed against the cold stone steps of the bridge, and with a look of disheartened determination, he left quickly without looking back!

Only Lin Zhen was left standing awkwardly on the bridge with his hand outstretched.

"Look at you...ah."

He hadn't finished speaking, the explanation still stuck in his throat, and in the end he could only let out a helpless sigh as he watched the green figure disappear at the end of the corridor.