On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The night was deep and all was silent. A cold crescent moon hung high in the sky, casting its mercury-like light upon the majestic and austere Imperial Palace.

The overlapping palaces and pavilions cast vast, silent shadows in the moonlight, their glazed tile roofs reflecting a cold, dim glow. Stone beasts flanking the palace path crouched in the shadows, like dormant giants, silently gazing at the late-night intruder.

Lin Zhen walked calmly on the empty palace road.

Behind him followed two teams of eunuchs and palace maids, four people each.

The eunuchs wore dark blue palace robes, while the palace maids wore pink and white palace dresses.

They each held an exquisite octagonal glazed palace lantern, with the candlelight inside the lantern dancing, casting a flickering, dim halo of light on the bluestone pavement.

Everyone lowered their heads and walked very lightly, as if they were stepping on cotton. They did not dare to make any unnecessary noise, let alone look up at the figure in front of them that was as tall as a pine tree and exuded invisible pressure.

The entire team was as silent as ghosts. Only the slight rustling of clothes and the gentle creaking of the wooden handles of palace lanterns echoed among the silent palace walls, adding a bit of solemnity and loneliness to the late night.

The one leading the way was a very young and thin eunuch.

He walked half a step diagonally in front of Lin Zhen, also with his head down, walking hurriedly, and looking a little nervous.

Lin Zhen's gaze fell on the back of the little eunuch.

That stature and the way he walked made him feel a sense of familiarity.

He suddenly spoke, his voice particularly clear in the silent night: "What's the name of the eunuch leading the way?"

The young eunuch shuddered and hurriedly stopped. He turned around, still bowing his head deeply, his hands hanging at his sides. His voice trembled slightly, yet he tried to remain respectful. "In reply to His Highness, my name is Murong Wuyan."

"Murong Wuyan?" Lin Zhen raised his eyebrows slightly. This name... is quite interesting.

He continued to move forward, and Murong Wuyan quickly stepped aside, still keeping his head down to lead the way, not daring to walk side by side.

"Who gave you this name?" Lin Zhen asked casually, his eyes sweeping over the outlines of the palaces on both sides that looked particularly deep in the moonlight.

Murong Wuyan walked quickly while answering carefully, his voice low, "My Lord, it was Master who gave me this name. Master said that as a servant in the palace, I should talk less, do more, and control my mouth, so that I can live a long life."

He paused and added, "Your Majesty also knows my name and said it sounds nice."

When Lin Zhen heard this, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Although the old man Wushe has retired, he did not forget to pass on the survival wisdom that he had gained from decades of struggling in the deep palace and which was ingrained in his bones to his apprentice.

"Speechless"

Haha, it’s indeed a good name.

In this cruel palace, silence is golden.

He knew it.

Wushe retired, and the position of Murong Yan's most trusted personal eunuch became vacant.

Although she promoted Wushe's apprentice Murong Wuyan, it was obvious that the empress could not trust a young eunuch as she trusted Wushe.

So now, the one who truly holds power in the inner palace and commands the Yunting Bureau is probably Musk Moon.

Thinking of Musk Moon, Lin Zhen's heart moved slightly.

This is good. After all, Musk Moon is one of us. With her in control of the inner palace, both Yan'er and myself can worry less.

The group passed through numerous palace gates, circled several corridors, and finally stopped in front of a brightly lit and magnificent palace.

Guards stood in front of the hall, wearing distinctive armor. They stood solemnly like sculptures under the illumination of palace lanterns, their eyes sharp as they glanced around vigilantly.

This is Murong Yan’s bedroom - Zichen Palace.

Murong Wuyan stopped in front of the palace door, stepped aside, and bowed deeply to Lin Zhen: "Your Highness, His Majesty is in the palace, please come in."

Lin Zhen nodded slightly, and without any hesitation, he stepped onto the white marble steps and pushed open the heavy vermilion lacquer door carved with auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes.

The hall was as warm as spring, in stark contrast to the cold outside.

The tall and wide dome is supported by huge golden pillars with coiled dragons, and the ground is covered with thick Persian velvet carpets, making walking on it silent.

Bright palace lanterns and candlesticks were lit everywhere in the hall, illuminating the entire front hall as bright as day, and the air was filled with the elegant and precious scent of ambergris.

As soon as Lin Zhen stepped into the hall, the door behind him was gently closed by Murong Wuyan from the outside, isolating him from the outside world.

His eyes were instantly drawn to a figure standing in the center of the hall.

It was Musk Moon.

She was not wearing her usual plain and elegant palace maid's attire, but had changed into a dark blue gown that was well-tailored and made of fine texture!

This is clearly a men's style. The material is high-quality brocade, and the collar and cuffs are rolled with silver thread embroidered patterns. The waist is tied with a jade-inlaid belt of the same color, outlining a slender yet capable waist.

Her long black hair was tied into a neat bun at the back of her head with a simple white jade hairpin, revealing her smooth and full forehead and slender neck.

This outfit suddenly added a bit of heroism and composure to her originally soft and gentle temperament, making her look like a handsome young man, but it was difficult to conceal the gentleness that belonged to a woman.

A hint of surprise and curiosity flashed in Lin Zhen's eyes.

He strode forward and naturally took Musk Moon's still boneless hands, which were slightly cool to the touch.

He caressed her gently, his eyes wandering over her body with undisguised admiration and inquiry: "Yue'er, your outfit today is quite unique. Why are you dressed like this?"

His tone was intimate and a little teasing.

Musk Moon didn't break free from his hand, but simply bent her knees slightly and performed a standard blessing. Her movements carried a hint of the reserve of a newly-ascended ruler, yet it was difficult to conceal her gentleness in front of Lin Zhen. "This servant greets the Crown Prince. To answer your question, it was His Majesty who appointed me to the position of Six Shangs. His Majesty said that my status was different, and that I should be treated differently from ordinary palace maids, so he bestowed upon me this official uniform."

"Liu Shang?" Lin Zhen raised his eyebrows slightly.

He naturally knew what "Six Shangs" meant - that was the highest system of female officials in the Daqian Palace, commanding the six bureaus of Shang Gong, Shang Yi, Shang Fu, Shang Shi, Shang Qin, and Shang Gong, and in charge of all the affairs of the palace maids in the entire harem. He had enormous power and his status was second only to the Queen and the Imperial Concubine!

The reason why Murong Yan promoted Musk Moon to this position in such a short time was certainly because Musk Moon had outstanding abilities and served well, but the deeper reason was probably because Musk Moon was his, Lin Zhen's, woman!

This is not only a trust and reuse of Musk Moon, but also a gesture of goodwill and bondage to Lin Zhen.

"I see." Lin Zhen smiled knowingly, gently pinching Musk Moon's palm with his fingers, looking at her with burning eyes, "But I think this dress suits you very well. It has lost some of your fragility and gained some heroic spirit, making you look even more unique."

He meant something.

Musk Moon's cheeks flushed slightly when he looked at her, as if stained with rouge. She lowered her head shyly, her voice as thin as a mosquito: "Your Highness, you are too kind. I don't have any temperament at all. It's all because of your good training."

The last few words were almost inaudible.

"Hahaha!" Lin Zhen couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing this. His laughter echoed in the empty hall, filled with pride. "Well said! That's right! It seems that this prince's method of training women is indeed superb! Yue'er, with your current demeanor and grace, you are worthy of the position of the Sixth Shang!"

Before he finished speaking, Lin Zhen suddenly exerted force with his arms, hugged Musk Moon's slender but strong waist, and lifted her up by the waist amid her unexpected screams!

"Ah——!" Musk Moon was so frightened that her face turned pale. She subconsciously hugged Lin Zhen's neck tightly with her backhand, her heart pounding.

Lin Zhen held her in his arms and walked a few steps to the rosewood round table on one side of the hall, where snacks and fruits were placed, and gently placed her on the smooth and cool table.