On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The fifth watch drum sounded, and the east was already bright. When Murong Yan rose, the palace maids had already prepared her court attire. Today, she had chosen a ceremonial robe with a dark black base and a golden phoenix circling its course. The robe was embroidered with a pattern of a flying phoenix in dark gold thread. The phoenix's tail stretched over two meters, its edges adorned with black jade beads. As she walked, it was like a meteor streaking across the dark sky.

"Your Majesty is dressed so solemnly today." Lin Zhen tied a red and gold phoenix-patterned waist belt for her, and his fingertips accidentally touched her slightly cool hand.

Murong Yan straightened her Nine-Phoenix Pearl Crown in the mirror. The oriental pearls on the crown shone softly in the morning light. "The Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony is imminent. I must personally inspect the altar layout. Besides..."

As she turned, her tail swept across the ground, making a slight rustling sound. "Yesterday's banquet at Prince Yong's Mansion made me think I should go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple for a walk."

The imperial carriage left the palace amidst a solemn procession. Today, accompanying the emperor were not only the Phoenix Feather Guards, but also craftsmen from the Ministry of Works and officials of ceremony. The altar was located in the southern suburbs, with the newly built railway passing right by. The traditional altar and the modern railroad formed a curious contrast.

The Minister of Works stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, the altar has been repaired according to regulations. The railway will be closed for three days for the ceremony."

Murong Yan nodded, but her eyes fell on a group of craftsmen in the distance: "Who are those?"

"They are craftsmen sent by Prince Yong's palace to assist," the ceremonial officer replied hurriedly. "His Royal Highness Prince Yong said that the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony is of great importance to the nation's destiny, so he specially dispatched the palace's best craftsmen to help."

Lin Zhen and Murong Yan exchanged a glance, then smiled and said, "Your Highness Prince Yong is very thoughtful. I happened to have brought some new measuring instruments with me, so we can check the stability of the altar together."

During the inspection, Murong Yan deliberately made her way to the highest point of the altar. From there, she could see the railway winding away like a long black dragon, while craftsmen around the altar were reinforcing the railings. Suddenly, she noticed a faint tattoo on the sleeves of several craftsmen—a pattern of a black phoenix with outstretched wings.

"Return to the palace." Murong Yan suddenly said, her dark phoenix robe rustling in the wind. "Send the message to the Imperial Observatory's envoy."

When the Imperial Astronomical Observatory's chief envoy hurried into the palace, Murong Yan was browsing through the records of historical celestial sacrifices. She had changed into a scarlet dress embroidered with dark gold phoenix patterns, which made her look less majestic and more solemn.

"Please read this, envoy." She pushed an ancient book over and pointed at a record that read, "In the third year of Hongchang's reign, during the sacrifice to heaven, the platform collapsed."

The official's expression changed slightly: "Your Majesty, this is the secret file of the Imperial Observatory. How did you get it..."

"I have my own way." Murong Yan raised her phoenix eyes slightly, "I just want to ask you, was the collapse of the altar really an accident?"

The envoy broke out in a cold sweat: "According to records, it is indeed because of the continuous rain that the foundation has loosened..."

"Really?" Murong Yan gently stroked the phoenix pattern on her robe. "But I heard that the person in charge of the altar construction was none other than the Chief Craftsman of Prince Yong's Palace."

The envoy fell to his knees and said, "Your Majesty, this incident happened over twenty years ago..."

"Get up," Murong Yan said calmly, "I'm not going to dwell on the past. It's just that the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony is approaching, and I want you to recalculate the auspicious time and change it to 12:30 pm."

The envoy was shocked: "Your Majesty! The auspicious time for the ceremony was set three months ago. It is related to the fate of the country..."

"It's because of the fate of the nation that we need to change it." Murong Yan's tone left no room for doubt. "Go."

After the envoy left, Lin Zhen came out from behind the screen and asked, "Yan'er, do you suspect they are planning to tamper with the altar?"

Murong Yan traced the records in the ancient text with her fingertips. "In the third year of Hongchang, the altar collapsed, killing over thirty craftsmen. The supervisor of the Yong Palace's craftsmen at the time was none other than the father of Murong De, the current general manager of the Yong Palace." She suddenly looked up. "Husband, do you still remember the noise behind the Buddhist temple yesterday?"

Lin Zhen's expression was stern: "I have ordered Lu Bing to investigate."

Before he could finish his words, Lu Bing requested an audience. He looked dusty and exhausted, clearly having not slept all night. "Your Majesty, I visited Prince Yong's mansion at night and discovered that the secret room in the Buddhist temple was actually an armory. Even more suspicious is..." He lowered his voice, "I discovered a newly built ice cellar in the mansion's backyard, far exceeding the daily needs."

Murong Yan and Lin Zhen exchanged a glance: "Sure enough, they used a refrigerated truck to transport the ice."

"One more thing." Lu Bing presented an arrowhead. "This was found in the back alley of Prince Yong's mansion. It seems to have been dropped in a hurry."

Lin Zhen took the arrowhead and his expression changed. "This is a wolf-tooth arrow unique to the northern border tribes. It shouldn't be in the capital."

Murong Yan suddenly stood up, dragging her tail to sweep the teacup off the table. "What a jerk, Uncle Yong! How dare you collude with foreign enemies!"

That night, Murong Yan secretly summoned her trusted ministers. The Purple Palace was ablaze with candlelight. She changed into a dark blue dress with a phoenix pattern, looking like a dormant phoenix in the dark night.

"You all know that the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony is crucial to the fate of our nation." She glanced at the ministers, "There are signs that someone intends to disrupt the ceremony."

The Minister of War was the first to speak: "I request that additional imperial guards be dispatched to guard the altar!"

"No." Lin Zhen shook his head. "To alert the enemy would only lead to serious consequences."

Murong Yan tapped the armrest of the Phoenix Chair with her fingertips. "I have made arrangements. Lu Bing, lead the Jinyiwei in plainclothes to ambush around the altar. The Ministry of Works will immediately reinforce the key points of the altar under the guise of inspection. The Ministry of Rites will proceed with preparations as usual, without leaving any trace."

After the ministers took their orders and left, Murong Yan left Lin Zhen alone. She pulled out a golden phoenix token from a secret compartment and said, "My husband, this is the tiger token that will mobilize the new army in the capital. If anything happens to the altar, you can use this token to mobilize the troops."

Lin Zhen took the token and felt it was unusually heavy: "Has Yan'er prepared it already?"

Murong Yan gazed out the window at the moonlight. "On the day I ascended the throne, the late emperor said, 'The phoenix roosts on the wutong tree, not to avoid the wind, but to spread its wings into the wind.'" As she turned, the dark phoenix pattern on her deep blue robe faintly appeared in the candlelight. "I will not give this kingdom to anyone."

Meanwhile, plotting was underway in Prince Yong's mansion. Murong Hong unfolded the altar blueprint and said, "The auspicious time has been changed to 12:30 pm. Our men must ambush here in advance."

Murong Zhang, however, showed a worried look on his face. "Don't you think it's going too smoothly, Second Brother? Your Majesty suddenly changed the auspicious time. Is there some trickery going on?"

"So what if it's a trick?" Murong Hong sneered. "Our arrangements under the altar are foolproof. When the time comes, there will be a loud bang..." He suddenly lowered his voice, "The tribes in the northern border have agreed to move south at the signal."

"Those grassland barbarians..." Murong Zhang frowned, "It's easier to invite them than to send them away."

Murong Hong played with the jade Pixiu in his hand: "Once the big thing is accomplished, I will have a way to deal with them. Now the most important thing is..." He made a gesture of wiping his neck.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew outside the window, causing the candlelight to flicker. Murong Hong stood up suddenly and asked, "Who?"

The butler pushed the door open and entered. "Your Highness, it's Feng. I just received a secret letter. His Majesty summoned the Chief Envoy of the Imperial Observatory and the Minister of War today."

Murong Hong's face darkened: "It seems that she is indeed suspicious."

"Then the plan..." Murong Zhang hesitated.

"Proceed as usual!" Murong Hong said firmly, "The arrow is already on the string. Order all the assassins to hide the Black Phoenix symbol on their sleeves so that they can be recognized."

In the stillness of the night, Murong Yan walked alone into the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Hundreds of eternally burning lanterns illuminated portraits of past emperors. She paused before the portrait of Empress Taizu. The figure in the painting wore armor, a phoenix rising from the flames embroidered on the corner of her robe.

"Emperor Taizu founded Daqian as a woman and went through so many hardships." She said softly, "I will never let the country be destroyed in my hands."

Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside the temple, and Lin Zhen came over, holding a cloak. "It's late at night and the dew is heavy. Yan'er, take care of yourself."

Murong You put on a cloak for herself and suddenly said, "Husband, do you know what I fear most?"

Lin Zhen shook his head.

"What I fear most isn't my uncle's rebellion, but..." she gazed into the depths of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, "that the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution will ultimately backfire on Daqian. People are already complaining that machines are stealing their livelihoods and that railways are ruining their feng shui."

Lin Zhen held her hand and said, "Change always brings pain. But in the long run, the Industrial Revolution will make Daqian even stronger. What we need to do is provide guidance and comfort."

Murong Yan leaned on his shoulder and said, "After the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony, I will issue the 'New Policy and Appeasement Edict'. What do you say?"

"It's just the right time." Lin Zhen stroked her hair gently. "Now, go back and rest."

As they walked out of the Taimiao hand in hand, the moonlight shone on Murong Yan's dark blue phoenix robe, and the dark phoenix seemed to wake up in the night, spreading its wings and ready to fly.

At this moment, in the secret room of Prince Yong's mansion, Murong Hong was giving his final instructions to his assassins: "There is a secret compartment beneath the third step of the altar, containing gunpowder. Light the fuse at 2:15 a.m., so it will explode just as Your Majesty ascends the stage."

After the assassins took their orders and left, Murong Zhang emerged from the shadows. "Second brother, I've always felt uneasy. When I saw Her Majesty today, her phoenix eyes seemed to see through everything."

Murong Hong sneered: "Even if he sees through it, so what? By this time tomorrow, the person sitting on the Phoenix Chair should be replaced!"

He raised his glass, the liquid in it as red as blood. Suddenly, a dark shadow passed by the window, like a phoenix soaring into the sky, and disappeared into the night in an instant.