On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

In just a few days, the originally lifeless Hu County turned into a sophisticated machine, running with a roar!

The steaming smell of sweat has replaced the desperate silence of the past, and everywhere there are scenes of bustling work and shouts of expectation.

The scorching midday sun mercilessly scorched the earth, making the bluestone slabs at the base of the city wall scorching hot.

Chu Xiling stood on a temporary platform not far from the city wall, which had limited sunshade effect.

She was wearing a neatly tailored light green suit, her long black hair was simply tied behind her head, a few strands of hair wet with sweat stuck to her smooth forehead, and five disciples behind her were taking notes.

She frowned and scanned sharply between the huge Huxian New City planning scroll in front of her and the East City wall in the distance that was being dismantled in an orderly manner. The charcoal pencil in her hand occasionally marked the drawing or quickly sketched fine-tuning it.

Sweat slid down her slender neck, soaking her collar, and mixed with the light, elegant orchid-like body fragrance that naturally emanated from her body, spreading in the scorching air.

Xiao Hanzhou held a large, slightly rough bamboo umbrella and stood half a step behind her diligently, trying his best to shield her from the scorching sun.

His tall and straight figure was also soaked in sweat, and his indigo-colored Confucian robe stuck to his back, outlining his firm muscles.

The faint fragrance lingering in the air scratched his heart like a feather, making him feel inexplicably dry in the mouth and his heartbeat became disordered.

His gaze unconsciously swept across the focused profile of his master's wife, her graceful jawline, her lips slightly pursed in thought, and her snow-white skin, soaked in sweat and appearing exceptionally translucent...

As soon as this thought came to Xiao Hanzhou's mind, he felt as if a basin of ice water was poured over his head!

He suddenly lowered his head, almost burying his face in the front of his shirt. A strong sense of shame and self-blame instantly gripped him!

He dug his fingertips into the umbrella handle so hard that his knuckles turned bluish-white.

What...what was I thinking?!

That’s Master’s Wife!

He is the person that Master treasures!

How dare I...how dare I have such a disgusting thought!

How ungrateful! Worse than an animal!

He cursed himself in his heart, and the cold sweat on his forehead instantly overwhelmed the hot sweat. All the romantic thoughts he had before disappeared, leaving only the cold fear and self-contempt.

He forced himself to turn his gaze back to the huge construction site in the distance.

His eyes were focused on the constantly moving charcoal pencil in his master's wife's hand, as if he wanted to imprint the boring trajectory into his mind to dispel the evil thoughts in his heart.

"Master's Wife," Xiao Hanzhou took several deep breaths to suppress his turbulent emotions. With a barely perceptible hoarseness in his voice, he asked respectfully, "Disciple has something I don't understand. At the dinner that day, I saw Master discussing this with the Master's Wifes, but I didn't dare to ask further questions on the spot."

Chu Xiling seemed completely oblivious to the disciple's momentary struggle behind her. Her attention remained intensely focused on the blueprint. Without even turning her head, she heard a voice as clear as water: "Hmm? What's unclear? Ask."

The tone was relaxed, with a hint of the gentleness of an elder.

"Yes." Xiao Hanzhou calmed himself down and pointed to the huge bricks being dismantled piece by piece by thousands of strong men in front of him. He said solemnly, "Master, why do you insist on demolishing this city wall first and using it to build houses?"

He paused, with deep worry,

"The city wall is the foundation of a city! It's a barrier against foreign enemies and protects the lives and property of the people! If it's torn down like this, what will we do if an enemy suddenly attacks? Everything we've worked so hard to build will be destroyed!"

He didn't finish what he was saying, but his meaning was clear.

The charcoal pencil in Chu Xiling's hand finally stopped.

She tilted her face slightly, a knowing smile curling up at the corner of her lips. Her clear eyes looked at Xiao Hanzhou with a hint of mischief: "Oh? The enemy? Then who do you think will invade my Daqian now? Who has the guts to do that?"

"Uh..." Xiao Hanzhou was stunned by the question. He opened his mouth but couldn't answer for a moment.

The current situation flashed through his mind: His Majesty was working hard to govern the country, the Regent was fighting wars in the south and the north, his master was preparing his troops, and there were powerful weapons like the Shenjiying to intimidate all directions. Today's Daqian is indeed no longer what it used to be.

He mumbled "I" for a long time, and finally shook his head blankly, "It seems, indeed not."

"Yes." Chu Xiling's smile widened, with a sense of justified pride. "Daqian is growing stronger day by day, and its national power is rising like the sun! Looking around the world, the four seas are terrified! Who dares to challenge its brilliance?"

She pointed with her bare hand at the long stretch of camps outside the city, where one could vaguely see the flags of Lin Zhen's elite troops - the five thousand Jinwu Guards - fluttering in the wind.

"Just these five thousand Tiger Guards equipped with divine arm crossbows and chain mail stationed in Hu County are enough to make all the evil spirits, bandits and vagrants flee, not even daring to approach!"

She withdrew her hand, her tone tinged with contempt.

"As for Nanchu? Last year's war broke its back! Although the so-called peace agreement and truce are subject to reversals, look at this year's annual tribute: 500,000 dan of high-quality white rice! They still offer it with trepidation and respect! In the short term, they will not dare to make any more moves!"

Her eyes turned to the sparkling sea in the distance.

"As for those overseas bandits? Goryeo is no longer a threat, and their remaining forces are trembling in fear on a few deserted islands. As for that uncivilized nation of Japan? Humph, even if they had a hundred guts, they wouldn't dare cross the ocean to touch the tiger's whiskers!"

She turned around, facing Xiao Hanzhou, her expression becoming extremely serious. "So, my husband said that Hu County is a natural deep-water port at the mouth of the Yangtze River. It is a key link connecting the north and the south, and connecting the inside and the outside! It is a strategic location like a magic needle that stabilizes the sea! I agree completely."

Her tone was filled with powerful confidence. "As for your concerns about defense... the city is dead, but the people are alive! The most urgent task is to settle these tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, rally their hearts, and restore vitality! A stable and prosperous Hu County with abundant supplies and loyal people is itself the most solid fortress! Besides, once the new city is completed, your husband will naturally have a new defense layout. How can a mere old earth and stone wall be comparable? You, just put your heart at ease!"

Xiao Hanzhou was convinced by her analysis, and all his doubts were gone. He nodded vigorously, "Master's opinion is great! I appreciate your advice! But..."

He looked at the pile of carefully removed blue-gray bricks before him, still puzzled. "Since there's enough cement, why bother with all this effort to remove and reuse the bricks? Wouldn't it be faster to just use cement?"

Chu Xiling chuckled softly, her tone filled with calculated pragmatism: "Stupid boy, these bricks are ready-made, top-quality materials! It would be a waste not to use them! What do we lack most? It's not food, but time and manpower!"

She extended a finger and pointed ahead, as if sketching a blueprint. "Just think about it! By demolishing these walls, we can save on the brick-making process and the lengthy transportation time. The bricks are plentiful enough to quickly build several five-story residential buildings on the eastern ruins! We'll use these bricks to solve the most pressing housing problem first, freeing up space. Later, we'll use the continuously arriving cement and steel to construct the main structure of the new city! This is called maximizing efficiency! Time is money, and it's the people's hearts!"

There was an engineer's shrewd gleam in her eyes.