On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Imperial Capital, Prince Zhenbei's Palace, West Market Execution Ground.

The cold wind of late winter was like a steel knife scraping at bones, blowing up the snow on the ground and lashing it at the numb and frightened faces of the onlookers.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of blood and a suffocating sense of oppression.

Seventeen thick wooden stakes stood on a temporary platform.

Seventeen assassins, stripped of their shirts and covered in wounds, were bound to wooden stakes with steel chains, like lambs to the slaughter. Leading them was the burly assassin leader, his head lowered, his hair disheveled, his naked torso covered in hideous wounds and charred marks. He was barely breathing, like a candle in the wind.

At three quarters past noon, the sun was pale and hanging in the middle of the sky.

"The time has come!" The skinny figure of the supervising officer stood on the high platform, his voice hoarse like a broken gong, piercing through the howling cold wind.

There was a bloody bandage wrapped around his shoulder, scars on his face, and a fierce gleam in his eyes, like a soul-catcher from hell.

At his command, dozens of executioners, dressed in dark uniforms and covered with black scarves, wielding specially crafted thin-bladed knives, stepped onto the platform like ghosts. Their movements were precise and cold, without the slightest hesitation.

"what--!!!"

The shrill howls that didn't sound like human voices instantly shattered the deathly silence of the execution ground!

The first cut cut off a piece of flesh from the left chest!

Blood gushed out like a fountain!

"Uhhh-!!!"

The second knife, the right chest, the skin and flesh rolled up!

The third and fourth swords flashed, and blood and flesh flew everywhere!

The executioners were skilled, as if completing a delicate work of art, each cut avoiding vital points to ensure the victim was conscious and endured the greatest pain. Flesh was shaved off piece by piece like fish scales, revealing the bare bones!

The boiling blood dyed the wooden stakes and the platform red, dripping down and forming winding, glaring scarlet streams on the white snow.

The cold wind, carrying a strong smell of blood and desperate wails, swept across the entire West City.

Among the crowd of onlookers, some were pale and vomiting; some closed their eyes and trembled; and more people watched numbly with deep fear in their eyes.

The assassin leader suddenly raised his head in excruciating pain, his crimson eyes fixed on the distant palace. A beast-like hoarse sound emanated from his throat, and he roared with his last bit of strength, "Long live the Princess of Qin!"

Before he could finish his words, an executioner cut off his tongue with a knife with an expressionless face!

Blood mixed with minced meat gushed out of his mouth!

His body twitched violently, and the madness and hatred burning in his eyes were eventually swallowed up by boundless pain and despair, gradually fading.

The howling sounds came one after another, like hell on earth.

Seventeen bloody bodies trembled and twitched in the cold wind, their lives slipping away bit by bit in extreme pain.

The blood dyed the entire execution platform red, which was shocking to see under the pale winter sun.

On the east side of the palace is "Qihuang Garden".

In the warm room, the charcoal brazier was burning brightly, dispelling the chill of deep winter.

The air was filled with the elegant fragrance of cold plum blossoms, which formed a sharp contrast with the bloody and murderous scene outside the window.

Princess Yuhua was dressed in a plain white brocade dress, with a thin cloak of the same color on the outside. Her black hair was loosely tied up, and she did not wear any ornaments.

She stood quietly by the window, her back to the door.

Outside the window, an old plum tree has twisted branches, and the branches are dotted with buds that are about to bloom, trembling slightly in the cold wind.

On her face, the half-gold fire phoenix mask flickered with a cold and eerie light under the light coming through the window lattice.

"Princess." A trusted maid, her face pale, stumbled into the warm room, her voice filled with tears and uncontrollable fear, "West Market Execution Ground."

"Speak." Princess Yuhua's voice was clear and calm, like the dripping of an icy spring.

"It was the brothers of the Black Dragon Guard," the maid's voice trembled, her words barely forming. "All seventeen of them were executed by slow slicing, their bodies left exposed for three days."

There was dead silence in the warm room.

Only the slight crackling sound of the charcoal brazier could be heard.

Princess Yuhua's body trembled slightly when she heard the words "Black Dragon Guard".

She still had her back to the maid, her gaze fixed on the winter plum tree outside the window, her lips beneath the mask pressed tightly into a cold straight line.

"The leader was the guard general Meng Lie," the maid burst into tears. "He, before he died, he was still shouting, 'Long live the Qin Kingdom, long live the princess.'"

"I understand." Princess Yuhua's voice remained calm, without a trace of emotion. "Go down."

The maid looked up in surprise, looking at the princess's straight and lonely back, as if she couldn't believe that she was so calm.

But the icy cold aura emanating from the princess made her dare not say anything more, and she could only bow and retreat in tears.

Princess Yuhua was the only one left in the warm room.

She slowly raised her hand and gently stroked the cold Fire Phoenix mask on her face with her fingertips.

Under the mask, the uncovered left eye reflected the pale sunlight and swaying plum branches outside the window, calm and peaceful, like a bottomless cold pond.

However, her nails had already dug deep into her palms as she clenched her sleeves, leaving several bloody marks. A faint smell of blood, mixed with the subtle fragrance of cold plum blossoms, quietly permeated the warm room.

Meng Lie, the Black Dragon Guard of Qin.

These names burned into her heart like red-hot irons. They were her father's most loyal guards, the uncles and brothers who had watched her grow up, and the last unyielding backbone of the Qin State.

Now, for her, for the illusory dream of restoring the country, they were tortured to death and their bodies were left exposed in the streets.

Lin Zhen......

Princess Yuhua's fingertips traced across the cold metal of the mask.

She knew that this was Lin Zhen's warning to her, a cold and bloody demonstration.

Use the blood of her homeland's loyal subjects to dye her newlywed mansion red, and tell her what reality is and what submission is.

Does it hurt? It hurts like hell.

Hate? Unforgettable.

But she couldn't cry, couldn't be angry, and couldn't even show the slightest bit of weakness.

Because she is Princess Yuhua, the last dignity of the Qin State and the bond that maintains peace in the Qin land.

Her tears and anger will only bring more blood and destruction.

She closed her uncovered left eye, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow on the edge of the mask, and trembled slightly.

When I opened my eyes again, there was a silent ice field in my eyes, without any ripples.

Zichen Palace.

The atmosphere was heavy as lead.

Empress Murong Yan sat high on the throne, wearing a phoenix crown and a red robe, with a dignified demeanor. Her calm gaze swept over the ministers of the prince who were silent as a cicada.

Lin Zhen was wearing a black dragon-patterned uniform and sitting upright. His expression was calm and his deep eyes were like an ancient well and a cold pool.

Mao Mengji stood in the hall with a gaunt figure, his shoulder bandage bleeding. His voice was hoarse but every word was clear as he read out the assassin's confession and Lin Zhen's order to purge him:

"The evidence is conclusive that the remnants of the Qin State's former restoration army colluded with the Black Water Station of Southern Chu to plot an illegal act and assassinate the prince."

"According to the order of the King of Zhenbei, 317 rebels have been eliminated in Chang'an, Liaodong, and other places. All of them have been executed."

"The property of the family involved in the case will be confiscated and their relatives will be exiled three thousand miles away."

"The evidence of the Heishuitai crimes in Nanchu is irrefutable. The authorities are ordered to conduct a thorough investigation of Nanchu spies within the territory. Upon discovery, they must be killed without mercy!"

The cold words, like a heavy hammer, struck the hearts of every minister.

Especially those officials who had connections with the old Qin army or had complained about the marriage, their faces were pale, sweating profusely, and they dared not look up.

"Your Majesty," Mao Mengji bowed, "Here are the confessions and the list of those who were purged. Please review them."

The eunuch took the thick file and presented it to the emperor.

Murong Yan's eyes calmly swept over the densely packed names and the shocking words "executed", "confiscated" and "exiled" on the file, and her beautiful face was calm.

She raised her phoenix eyes and looked at Lin Zhen.

"My husband has handled it very well." Murong Yan's voice was clear and full of unquestionable majesty. "The traitors who colluded with foreign enemies to plot and assassinate the prince are unforgivable. It is only right to eliminate the remaining evildoers and set an example for others!"

She turned her gaze towards the ministers, a cold glint flashing in her phoenix eyes: "Pass on my decree! Anyone found guilty of colluding with the rebels, collaborating with the enemy, and treason will be severely punished, regardless of their official rank or background. There will be no leniency!"

"We obey your order!" The ministers shouted in unison, their voices trembling unconcealably.

"Also," Murong Yan's voice turned cold, "Southern Chu, with its wolfish ambitions, has repeatedly invaded our borders and now aided the rebels in their attempt to assassinate the prince. This is a heinous crime! I order the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works to prepare for war immediately. Once the situation in the northern border is resolved, I will personally march on Southern Chu to avenge their blood debt!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" The ministers shouted again, and this time, there was a bit more awe and solemnity in their voices.

Lin Zhen sat still, a cold and sharp light flashing in his deep eyes.