On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The next morning, at daybreak, Xia Zhu had quietly left the palace and boarded a carriage bound for Mingde Academy outside the city.

Lin Zhen did not stand up to see her off, and did not even look at her through the door and window.

To him, Xia Zhu's existence was by no means a pampered concubine in the backyard, but more like... a "public business" that needed to be properly handled.

The tenderness and dominance in bed last night were more like a carefully designed persuasion tactic, the purpose of which was to make her obedient, to make her learn, and to turn her into a useful chess piece.

lust?

It's just an efficient tool for him to achieve his goals.

It was already past noon when Lin Zhen slowly woke up in Wan'er's warm and fragrant room.

The pillow was empty, and he stretched lazily, without any sense of his obligation as the empress's husband to accompany the emperor to court.

In his opinion, those trivial matters in the court were nothing more than small troubles that Murong Yan could solve with a wave of her hand.

As the empress's husband, he is aware of his special status, but he also believes in the principle of "don't interfere in things that are not your business". Taking care of everything for Murong Yan will only make her feel restricted. There should still be a sense of space between husband and wife.

He lifted the quilt and his eyes naturally fell on the dressing table not far away.

Wan'er was sitting in front of the mirror, wearing a comfortable moon-white undergarment, with her soft black hair hanging down her shoulders.

A clever little maid was combing her hair carefully with a jade comb in her hand.

The mirror reflected her current appearance: her face was rosy and glowing, her eyes were clear, the paleness and weakness that came from a long illness were long gone, even the usual coldness was gone, and her whole body exuded a soft and healthy warmth.

Her health was visibly improving day by day.

Lin Zhen’s hard work for so long was not in vain.

Wan'er saw Lin Zhen waking up behind her through the mirror, and her gentle and beautiful face immediately blossomed into a bright and joyful smile like a spring flower:

"Is my husband awake?"

Her voice was as gentle as water, with the laziness of waking up in the morning: "Aren't you going to court again today?"

Lin Zhen yawned, casually rubbed his sleepy eyes with the back of his hand, walked slowly behind her, and took the warm jade comb from the maid.

"Well, I won't go." He said nonchalantly while gently combing Wan'er's long hair. "What's the point? Listening to a bunch of old men arguing? It makes my head hurt. It's better to stay at home with you and be comfortable and relaxed."

His tone was matter-of-fact, as if the emperor in the Golden Palace and all the nobles in the court were not as important as the morning makeup of the woman in front of him.

Wan'er couldn't help but burst out laughing upon hearing this. The smile in the mirror looked even more charming and lively. "I'm afraid you, my husband, are the only one in the entire Daqian court who regards this Golden Throne Hall, the pinnacle of power and a place of great hustle and bustle, as something to be avoided."

Her tone was light and teasing.

"Who cares about others?" Lin Zhen didn't care at all, concentrating on combing the silky long hair in his hands. "Anyway, I don't like to join in the fun. I just like to stay at home and watch over you guys, and be down-to-earth."

He recalled the first time he tried to comb her hair, and how terrified Wan'er was, as if she wanted to kneel down and beg for mercy, saying things like "a husband is the head of his wife" and "how can a husband help his wife to do her hair?" He smiled in his heart.

Now that she could enjoy this intimacy so peacefully and even happily, it also made him feel very satisfied.

Wan'er felt the gentle touch of his fingertips, her eyebrows curved. She seemed to suddenly remember something and turned her head slightly to look at Lin Zhen in the mirror:

"Oh, my dear, when I woke up this morning, I saw two young ladies standing outside in the corridor. They looked very unfamiliar to me, so I asked them why they were there. They simply said they were ordered by the Crown Prince to protect the women."

She looked inquiringly, "Does my husband know about this?"

"Oh, them." Lin Zhen continued combing her hair as he spoke casually, "They are two of the Twelve Fairies of Heaven, Chengxuan and Youmeng. I specially transferred them to the mansion to protect you. They are both top-notch experts, we have them on hand, so you can trust them."

He explained it clearly and concisely, without hiding anything.

"So they are the fairies from the Tiandao Camp." Wan'er nodded in understanding. She naturally knew that Lin Zhen had recruited the Tiandao assassins. "I understand."

Then she softly instructed the maid beside her, "Yunxiang, go and invite those two girls in."

The maid Yunxiang responded and left. Soon she brought two women with very different temperaments into the house.

The first one to come in was Chengxuan.

She was still wearing the bright and eye-catching orange-yellow cloud-patterned long dress, full of girlish charm.

Two round and cute ponytails were carefully combed on both sides of the head, and a few playful strands of hair hung on the cheeks.

However, when those clear big eyes met Lin Zhen's gaze in the mirror, which was filled with an obvious mischievous smile, they drooped in panic in an instant, their long eyelashes flickered, their cheeks quickly flushed with a thin blush, and they pursed their lips tightly, looking guilty and ashamed, and they didn't dare to look up and look at Lin Zhen.

The woman who followed Chengxuan into the room made Lin Zhen's eyes slightly fixed.

This was the first time that Lin Zhen saw Fairy Youmeng, one of the Twelve Immortals of Heaven, up close.

Her figure was not outstanding, about 165cm tall, and she wore a dark blue, almost purple, simple and capable long skirt. The belt around her waist showed off her slender waist. In her hand, she held a jet-black sword with a simple scabbard, which made her look particularly neat.

The most eye-catching thing is her hairstyle.

Her short black hair fell neatly by her ears, revealing her well-defined neck, with a few strands of slightly longer hair brushing across her eyebrows.

Her face is not stunningly beautiful, but her facial features are handsome and heroic.

At this moment, he has a stern face, a cold expression, eyes as sharp as a hawk, and a calm and restrained aura around him. He is meticulous and exudes a "tomboy"-like handsomeness and awe-inspiring heroism!

The whole person standing there was like a sharp sword half an inch out of its sheath, with a hidden edge and a strong personality.

Lin Zhen's gaze swept over You Meng, with a look of admiration and understanding in his eyes.

Then he glanced with interest at Cheng Xuan, who was so embarrassed that she wanted to shrink back, and the familiar, teasing smirk on the corner of his mouth couldn't help but appear.

When Cheng Xuan noticed his gaze, she wanted to bury her head in his chest, and her ears turned red.

Lin Zhen chuckled and then looked at You Meng, who was standing straight and looking businesslike.

He put down the jade comb in his hand, and said in a calm tone with unquestionable majesty: "Youmeng."

"I'm here." You Meng immediately clasped his fists and bowed, his voice clear and crisp.

"From now on, you will be responsible for protecting the Crown Prince's Consort Shangguan Wan'er. Her safety is your life!" Lin Zhen's order was clear.

He paused, looking into Youmeng's cold yet extremely determined eyes, and then changed the subject, his tone becoming a little gentler: "As for the matter concerning your family in Cangzhou... I have already sent someone to take care of it." His eyes were filled with a soothing look that seemed to show that he knew everything.

"Don't worry, it's not a big deal. I will definitely give you an explanation."

You Meng's heroic face, which had always been as cold as ice and unmoved, suddenly showed great shock the moment he heard the words "Cangzhou lawsuit"!

Her sharp eyes widened instantly, and she looked at Lin Zhen in disbelief: "Cangzhou...Prince, you...you know what's going on in my family?!"

She always thought that it was a painful secret hidden deep in her heart that she would never tell anyone else!

How could this prince know?!

Lin Zhen nodded calmly, his eyes firm: "Yes. Not only do I know it, but I also understand it very well." He did not point out the source of the information, but continued with the calmness of a superior who was in control of the overall situation.

"Just stay with the Crown Prince's Consort and focus on what's right for you. Once this matter is settled, you'll have a safe and secure home in the mansion."

He promised, his words laced with meaning.

Complex emotions suddenly welled up in Youmeng's eyes.

Shock, confusion, and disbelief eventually turned into a barely perceptible excitement and deep loneliness?

It was obvious that the family affair had dealt a heavy blow to her.

She took a deep breath, suppressed her turbulent emotions, clasped her fists again, and lowered her voice: "Yes! I understand!"

She asked no more questions, but her attitude became noticeably more respectful.

"Yeah." Lin Zhen was satisfied with her reaction. He finally turned to look at Cheng Xuan and gave a direct order: "Cheng Xuan, follow me."

After saying this, without looking at Wan'er's gentle smile or Youmeng's pensive profile, Lin Zhen turned around decisively and strode towards the door.

Chengxuan bit her lower lip and didn't dare to ask any more questions. She just hurriedly bowed to Wan'er, lowered her head, and followed the tall figure step by step, disappearing beyond the bead curtain.