On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The Cangzhou prefectural government office stands majestically at the center of the city, with five courtyards and seven floors dominating the entire market town.

Two meter-tall black jade Qilins guard the main gate with fierce eyes. A golden plaque bestowed by the emperor with the words "Purge Haidai" hangs above the lintel. The vermilion lacquered door requires the combined efforts of four strong men to push open.

It was not yet the hour of Mao, which should have been the time when the government officials woke up and began to roll in and prepare for duty.

However, at this moment, water could not get in from the gate of the mansion!

The square in front of the government office had been deserted due to the urgent evacuation of people.

Nearly a hundred black-robed yamen runners, green-robed officials, and even purple-belted constables knelt densely throughout the courtyard. There was absolute silence, and even their breathing was held to the slightest.

The leader, wearing a brand new robe with a crane holding a ganoderma lucidum and stone blue patches, was none other than Chen Changli, the governor of Cangzhou.

He was nearly sixty years old, and his well-maintained face was now abnormally oily, and his carefully trimmed beard was trembling slightly.

Hearing the sound of horse hooves approaching from afar, as precise as a death warrant, he suddenly raised his sleeves:

"Fu Ying His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Hundreds of people rushed to the ground with their heads down, and a dull thud shook the bluestone floor tiles!

Lin Zhen pulled in the reins, and the huge black horse stood up, uttered an ear-shattering neigh, and landed with all four hooves just one step in front of the kneeling crowd. The dust stirred up flew onto the hat tassels of the officials in the front row, but no one dared to move.

Lin Zhen sat upright on his horse, casting a cold silhouette against the rising sun, looking down upon all living beings. His voice pierced the dead silence:

"Get up." Three words, neither warm nor angry.

Chen Changli practically rolled and crawled to his feet, trotting to the side of Lin Zhen's horse with his back hunched. His old face, covered in a flattering smile, was raised just right, showing respect without being overly flattering. "Cangzhou Governor Chen Changli, kowtows to the Crown Prince!"

"The Crown Prince's personal presence is truly a blessing to all the officials and people of Cangzhou! I heard the news too late, and in my haste I failed to greet him properly. I am guilty of capital punishment! Your Highness, please take a rest in the elegant rooms in the back hall, unsaddle your saddle, and prepare some tea to soothe your throat..."

He spoke very quickly, each word saturated with humility and eagerness to please, his fat body rising and falling slightly with his breathing.

"No need."

Lin Zhen jumped off his horse with quick and decisive movements. His black cloak swung out in an icy arc, and he walked straight past the crowd lying on the ground and inside.

"Now to the dossier room. Lead the way."

The smile on Chen Changli's face instantly froze.

A fine layer of cold sweat instantly soaked through his brand new cross-collared undershirt, feeling cold against his back.

File library?

What are you doing going to that godforsaken place?

A chill with the smell of stale blood crept up his spine.

The archives warehouse deep in the government office is located in the most secluded place in the west wing of the government office. The iron gate is always locked, and only the former prefects and the clerks in charge of the archives can enter.

Lin Zhen stepped into the moss-covered flagstone courtyard, and was greeted by a strong smell of camphor, dust, and rotting paper.

The ancient locust trees in the courtyard stood tall, casting a dark and eerie shadow, covering a square, windowless, thick stone building with only high-ceiling air holes.

The heavy iron-clad door had been opened, and the heavy chain hung down.

Zhao Cheng, the clerk in charge of the files, had been waiting at the door for a long time. He was a middle-aged man with a pale face and sunken cheeks. He was shaking like a sieve, and the key chain in his hand was rattling.

Chen Changli rushed half a step ahead of Lin Zhen and shouted at Zhao Cheng, "Get out of here! Hold the lamp and lead the way for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Yes……"

The dark and cold space inside the warehouse is like a huge tomb.

The black iron and wooden shelves several meters high are like a row of silent giants, densely packed with files with yellowed paper and scattered thread bindings, the stacked layers oppressing people's nerves.

The few tung oil lamps hanging on the wall could only provide a dim, flickering light, casting countless twisted and swaying shadows.

Invisible dust particles were suspended in the air, and every breath carried the smell of decaying rust.

"Which year and volume do you want to check, Your Highness? I will immediately order someone to look it up for you..."

Chen Changli's voice carried a strange echo in the huge warehouse. His eyes swept across Lin Zhen's face, trying to catch a clue.

His heart was pounding like a drum in his chest, and he could hardly hold back from wiping the drop of cold sweat that was sliding down his forehead.

"In the seventeenth year of Tianlong," Lin Zhen's voice rang out in the dim light, like the sound of cold jade colliding, clear enough to make one's heart tremble. "In Xilin Village under the jurisdiction of Cangzhou Prefecture, the case file of Zheng Yuande."

“Zheng…Zheng Yuande?!”

Chen Changli only felt a buzzing sound in his head, and his vision instantly went black!

These three words sounded like a death knell in his skull!

That name buried deep in the filth and mud!

That period of history that he forcibly nailed to death with his power and hypocrisy!

He resisted the urge to collapse, his Adam's apple rolling up and down with difficulty a few times, forcing out a hoarse voice, with a last glimmer of hope: "Why would the prince suddenly look through such an old case in such a small place? That case... that case is from over 20 years ago. As far as I know, it has long been settled, and the files are not very complete..."

Lin Zhen suddenly turned his head, his eyes like ice-hardened swords, suddenly piercing Chen Changli's old face that was twisted with panic!

In the dim light of the warehouse, that gaze penetrated the flattering disguise and pierced the fear deep in his soul:

"Are you questioning my authority to review government files?"

Every word was like an icicle piercing Chen Changli's eardrum.

"I dare not! I absolutely dare not!" Chen Changli shuddered, practically falling flat on his face. His voice changed tone. "Zhao Cheng! Hurry and find them! Not a single piece of relevant file can be left behind! Quick! If you can't find them, I'll skin you alive!"

His roar echoed in the empty warehouse, appearing fierce but weak.

Zhao Dianli staggered towards a row of wooden racks marked with the words "Tianbao" in the depths. His skinny hands and feet were clumsy, causing dust to fall from the racks.

The sound of rummaging through boxes was particularly harsh in the dead silence.

Cheng Xuan stood in the shadow behind Lin Zhen, the hilt of her sword had become slippery with the sweat from her palms.

She looked at Zhao Cheng's ghostly pale face, at Chen Changli's slightly trembling fists under his robe sleeves, and at the yellowed file bag with the three blurred ink characters "Zheng Yuande" engraved on it being turned out from the iron rack... The suppressed anger rolled in her chest like lava, and every breath was accompanied by burning pain.

Zhao Cheng held the unusually "clean and tidy" file bag (which stood out among the many worn-out books) and tremblingly handed it to Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen raised his hand, and his slender fingers stroked the smooth and tough newly mounted cover, feeling the deliberately aged texture of the handmade inferior rice paper, and a cold arc appeared at the corner of his lips.

He opened it—

The first page was written on crisp, white paper, the ink glossy black, the format rigorous, yet the handwriting deliberately imitated a touch of sloppy, ancient writing:

"In the spring of the seventeenth year of the Tianbao era, the Cangzhou Prefecture reported a serious case of execution."

Defendant: Zheng Yuande, male, from Xilin Village. Father: Zheng Youcai.

Charges:

1. This is a heinous crime that defies moral principles and cannot be tolerated by Heaven. On the night of the seventh day of this month, due to a minor argument, he suddenly became angry and ruthlessly pushed his biological father, Zheng Youcai, to the ground. Zheng Youcai's head struck the hard corner of the altar, causing his skull to fracture and blood to spurt out, resulting in his death instantly! This is clearly intentional patricide, a heinous crime.

Second, his wife, surnamed Liu, originally from Liujiazhuang, has been found to be lewd and unfaithful to women. She had long been involved in an affair with her father-in-law, Zheng Youcai, engaging in adultery and incest, completely violating all moral principles. This is a complete violation of social order and is unforgivable.

判：

Zheng Yuande has committed the serious crime of patricide, and the evidence is irrefutable. According to the Daqian Code, "Son Beats Father to Death," he is to be executed! His body will be hung at the East Gate for three days as a warning to others!

Liu committed adultery, a heinous crime against her father-in-law. According to the Daqian Code, whereby a wife or concubine commits adultery and causes the father-in-law's death, she is sentenced to death by beating with a stick! Her body will be exposed in the market for one day as a warning to others.

This judgment shall be signed and sealed by the government office immediately, and shall serve as a permanent precedent.