On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

This Grand Chamberlain, who once held great power and possessed unfathomable martial arts skills, now looked like a child who had done something terribly wrong. His back was hunched, his gray head buried deep in the dust and sawdust, and his shoulders shook slightly in silent fear.

On the ground, where his forehead had hit the ground, there was a clear red mark.

Lin Zhen shook his still sore and swollen right arm, his tone tinged with joking and indignation, "Sir Wushe, you're so bold! You even dared to strike His Majesty in the face? If I hadn't risked my life to block it, would you have beaten His Majesty into a meat pie and then taken my mother-in-law into exile?"

He squatted down and looked at Wushe at eye level.

The kneeling Tongueless's body trembled even more violently, his throat rolling, but he couldn't utter a word.

The palm strike he made just now was indeed an instinctive reaction, with the ruthless intention of silencing the witness. At this moment, the fear he felt was like a cold tide, almost drowning him.

Murong Yan's voice rang out again coldly, with an irresistible majesty: "Speak! The prince is asking you a question! Are you mute?"

Although she had her back to him, she obviously heard what Lin Zhen said.

Wushe shuddered violently, his forehead banging against the cold stone again with a dull thud, his voice choked and broken. "Your Majesty, please calm down... This old slave deserves death! I truly didn't know Your Majesty was outside. I simply thought it was some scoundrel eavesdropping, trying to use this scandal to slander Your Majesty and accuse you of being incompetent. At the time, I only wanted to... only wanted to silence them and preserve Your Majesty's reputation. I deserve death! Death is not a pity!"

He spoke quickly and hurriedly, full of fear and the confusion of a desperate need for justification.

The words "to preserve the reputation of Your Majesty" were truly sincere. No matter how inappropriate his behavior was, his loyalty to Murong Yan never wavered.

Lin Zhen and Murong Yan were both silent.

The awkward and tense atmosphere almost froze.

Every word of Wushe's plea for mercy was like a heavy hammer hitting the hearts of the two men.

In this suffocating silence, a face appeared from behind the broken window that was smashed by Tongueless and looked shaky.

It was the old sect leader, Li Jie.

Her face showed no excessive fear or shame, but rather a calmness that came from having experienced the vicissitudes of life, and even a hint of impatience. Without even glancing at Wushe, who was still kneeling on the ground in a state of disgrace, she fixed her gaze directly on Lin Zhen, who was squatting beside her. Her cold voice broke the deadlock:

"Alright, alright, look at you, you're such a grandson." She paused, then turned directly to Lin Zhen and said, "Son-in-law, that's enough. It's just a misunderstanding, isn't it? This old man really doesn't know it's you and His Majesty who are climbing up the window."

After saying that, she nodded her chin.

Her words were simple and direct, pointing out the key fact that Wushe was unaware.

If he knew it was the emperor and the prince, he would never dare to do anything even if he had ten thousand guts.

Lin Zhen knew in his heart that this was indeed the case, otherwise he would have been furious long ago, and would not just speak in a bad tone like this now.

He glanced at Murong Yan, who was silent but whose posture was obviously relaxed.

The latter seemed to accept the misunderstanding, but the emperor's dignity had to be maintained, and she bit her lower lip.

This subtle movement was only visible to Lin Zhen, who was facing sideways towards her. His voice still held a hint of deliberately maintained frost: "Wushe! As the chief eunuch of the palace, you betrayed your master and left the palace, abandoning your post and seeking pleasure! This is against the palace rules and the laws of the country! Do you know your crime?!"

"I know my crime! I deserve to die!" Wushe banged his head on the ground, his voice hoarse, with a sense of relief and resignation.

"Hmph!" Murong Yan snorted coldly, "Considering your years of hard work, even if you haven't done anything meritorious, you've certainly worked hard. The death penalty can be spared. But you can't escape the punishment of living! From today on, you are relieved of all duties as the chief steward of the palace! You no longer have to serve in the palace!"

After saying this, Murong Yan did not linger, but turned around resolutely again and left quickly. Her figure disappeared outside the courtyard, leaving only a faint cold fragrance in the air and the unquestionable emperor's will.

Wushe suddenly collapsed to the ground as if his bones had been pulled out, but then stiffened in an instant.

He slowly raised his face, which was covered with dust, blurred with tears, and instantly looked a dozen years older. He stared blankly in the direction where Murong Yan disappeared, his mind blank.

He was deprived of the power and position that had accompanied him throughout his life, and was completely expelled from the palace, the place he had been loyal to for half his life and regarded as his home.

Decades of cautious and treacherous career in the palace... just like that... ended?

He was like a lost child, completely confused.

Lin Zhen looked at Wushe's distraught appearance and sighed deeply again.

He stood up, walked to Wushe, squatted down, and stretched out his hand, not to support him, but to pat Wushe's dusty shoulder comfortingly.

"Okay, Wushe, stop being stupid here." Lin Zhen's tone softened, with a hint of persuasion between friends, and even a sly smile, "Don't you understand Yan'er's thoughts?"

Wushe looked at Lin Zhen blankly, his eyes still empty.

Lin Zhen lowered his voice and spoke earnestly, "She's worried about you, giving you a chance to retire peacefully and with dignity! Think about it, you've served three emperors and hold great power. How many eyes are on you, both inside and outside the palace? How many people are waiting to find fault with you? If His Majesty directly decrees you to retire, what will those people with ulterior motives and who covet your position think? What will they say? 'Look, that old fool Wushe is disliked by the emperor'? 'He must have committed a grave crime'? 'He's fallen out of favor'? Rumors can drown a person!"

Wushe's cloudy eyes moved slightly, as if he had heard something.

Lin Zhen continued, "That's perfect! You're dismissed from all duties, and you don't have to enter the palace again. Isn't that a strong enough reason? Because you deserted your post, because you left the palace to enjoy yourself without telling your master, and because you almost hurt the emperor! His Majesty is publicly exonerating you. Who can find fault with you? Who dares to say anything? This is to serve as a warning to others, and also to remove you from the spotlight, allowing you to leave that cruel palace cleanly!"

Lin Zhen patted him on the shoulder gently. "This is what His Majesty really meant. You are to take your mother-in-law, gather your thoughts, and return to the palace in style to enjoy a peaceful life. No more fears, no more observing people's expressions, just live your life openly and honestly. Do you understand?"

The confusion and pain in Wushe's eyes gradually faded away, replaced by an incredible realization, followed by a strong sense of bitterness, relief and... deep emotion.

That's it!

It turns out that His Majesty is not disgusted with me, but protecting me!

It was the emperor's thunderous power that cut off his shackles, allowing him to live a carefree old age!

"Puchi!" Li Jie, who was standing at the window, suddenly let out an extremely clear sneer.