On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

On the eve of the grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, Murong Yan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She rose, donned a silver-white nightgown with a dark phoenix pattern, and walked to the window. The moonlight, like water, sprinkled on the sycamore trees in the palace garden, casting mottled shadows.

"Your Majesty." The female official came in quietly, "Lord Lin is still in the Ministry of Works and has sent someone to deliver this." What was presented was an exquisite copper phoenix talisman with movable wings and a mechanism inside.

Murong Yan took it and looked at it carefully, and found a silver needle hidden in the phoenix's beak: "This is..."

"Master Lin said that tomorrow's sacrificial garments are heavy. If there is an emergency, you can press the phoenix wings three times. It will be of great use."

Murong Yan's lips curled slightly as she fastened the phoenix talisman around her waist. Suddenly, she heard a strange noise outside the window, and her eyes froze. The court lady immediately extinguished the candle. A dark shadow passed over the palace wall and disappeared into the night.

"Phoenix Feather Guard." Murong Yan said calmly, "Go check."

Lin Zhen hurried back to the palace at three o'clock in the morning, his shoulders stained with night dew. Murong Yan was examining the altar blueprints by the lamp. Seeing him return, she rose to greet him. She had changed into a dark blue dress, the silver phoenix pattern on her robe faintly visible in the light.

"My dear husband, you have worked hard." She brushed the dew off his shoulders. "Did you gain anything?"

Lin Zhen pulled out a roll of blueprints from his bosom. "The layout of the gunpowder beneath the altar has been determined." The unfolded blueprint detailed the fuse path and the gunpowder burial locations. "The craftsmen at Prince Yong's mansion, under the guise of reinforcement, buried a large amount of gunpowder beneath the third stone platform."

Murong Yan's eyes turned cold. "As expected. Can it be demolished?"

"I've ordered my trusted craftsmen to handle this secretly." Lin Zhen pointed to a few places on the blueprints. "These fuses have been made dummy, and the real gunpowder has been moved to a safe place. There will be a loud bang, but no real harm."

Murong Yan breathed a sigh of relief, but then frowned again: "Since the emperor's uncle has a backup plan, it must be more than just this one."

"Exactly." Lin Zhen spread out another map. "Look at this." It depicted the terrain around the altar, with several areas highlighted in red. "These are the ambush points for Prince Yong's assassins. Even more problematic is..." He pointed his finger at a high platform. "There are archers ambushing here, equipped with Northern Frontier wolf-fang arrows."

Murong Yan hesitated for a moment and asked, "Can Lu Bing's Jinyiwei handle it?"

"We've laid a tight net." Lin Zhen's eyes flashed sharply. "But just in case, I've got a backup plan." He pulled something from his sleeve. It looked like a phoenix feather, but it was actually made of fine steel. "This is a newly developed signal device. Press it and you'll see phoenix fireworks within three miles."

Murong Yan took it and looked at it carefully, then suddenly said, "I will change into the sacrificial attire tomorrow."

Lin Zhen was stunned: "Hasn't the sacrificial garment been prepared long ago?"

"The original one was too heavy and inconvenient to move around in." Murong Yan walked towards the inner room, "I ordered the clothing bureau to make a new one."

Lin Zhen couldn't help but marvel when the new ritual garment appeared before him. It still had a dark black base, but the golden phoenix embroidery was more dynamic. While the tail was still two feet long, it was divided into five layers, and the lining held a hidden mystery.

"The tail is sewn with a silk net made of silkworms, which is difficult for ordinary swords to break." Murong Yan stroked the sleeve of her robe lightly. "The sleeve pocket contains the phoenix talisman you gave me, and this." She took out a soft sword, as thin as a cicada's wing. "The phoenix feather sword used by Emperor Taizu in the past."

Lin Zhen said worriedly: "Tomorrow will be dangerous, why not..."

"Why not feign illness and not go?" Murong Yan shook her head, her eyes as bright as stars. "If I retreat, it will be exactly what they want. Tomorrow, I will not only attend the ceremony, but also defeat the conspiracy with honor."

The fourth watch drum sounded, and Murong Yan suddenly said, "I have to go somewhere."

She donned a dark cloak and secretly left the palace with Lin Zhen. The carriage arrived at a house in the south of the city, where men in black were already waiting. Inside, candlelight dimmed, a map of the capital's defenses lay spread out on a table.

"Your Majesty, we welcome you respectfully." Several people knelt down, all of them were generals in the army.

Murong Yan took off her cloak, revealing her casual attire embroidered with a golden phoenix. "How are the troops in the capital deployed for tomorrow's festival?"

A general reported, "Prince Yong's former subordinates command the northern gate, while Prince Jing's trusted confidants control the western gate. I have secretly replaced trusted generals in accordance with Your Majesty's orders, but I fear there may still be omissions."

Another general said, "The new army's musket battalion has secretly entered the city and is lying in ambush outside the altar, waiting only for your Majesty's orders."

Murong Yan traced the defense map with her fingertips. "Tomorrow at noon, the fireworks in Fengxiang will serve as a signal. Upon seeing the signal, immediately seize control of the four gates and surround the altar." She glanced at the generals, "Remember, no harm to innocent civilians."

After the generals took their orders and left, Lin Zhen whispered, "When did Yan'er arrange all this?"

Murong Yan looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky. "From the day I discovered my uncle's affair with the Northern Frontier." As she turned, the golden phoenix on her robe spread its wings in the morning light. "As an empress, I am not just good at sitting on a phoenix chair and embroidering."

At dawn, final arrangements were being made within Prince Yong's mansion. Murong Hong, dressed in military uniform, addressed his confidants, "The explosion at the altar will be the signal. If unrest breaks out, immediately apprehend the empress. If there's resistance..." He gestured, "Slay without mercy."

Murong Zhang was worried: "Second brother, the spies just reported that there was some unusual movement in the south of the city last night, it seems that there was a troop movement."

"It must be a routine rotation," Murong Hong said unconcernedly. "Today is a festival, so it's only natural to increase the guard." He pulled out a brocade box. "This is a special poison made in the Northern Frontier. It kills instantly upon contact with blood. If there's a change of plans, use this."

As the sky brightened, the streets of the capital began to bustle. People lined the streets early to witness the grand ceremony. Vendors sold phoenix banners and festival souvenirs, while children ran and played, holding candied phoenixes.

In the palace, Murong Yan was dressing and dressing. Twelve maids meticulously prepared her sacrificial garments, the phoenix embroidered with gold thread gleaming in the morning light. The Nine-Phoenix Crown was heavy, but she stood straight, like a true phoenix, ready to brave the wind and rain.

Lin Zhen entered dressed in court robes. Seeing this, he dismissed his attendants and personally arranged her crown: "Everything is ready. The gunpowder under the altar has been disposed of, the Jinyiwei has set up an ambush, and the new army musket battalion is on standby."

Murong Yan looked at herself in the mirror and suddenly asked, "Husband, do you still remember our wedding day three years ago?"

Lin Zhen smiled: "How could I forget? You were wearing a bright red wedding dress with a train even longer than this. I was afraid you would trip when you walked across the white jade steps."

"At that time, the kings were dissatisfied, and the emperor's uncles all claimed to be ill and could not come." Murong Yan looked at me with a distant gaze. "It was my husband who held my hand and walked up to the hall step by step." She turned and took Lin Zhen's hand. "Today, we will walk together."

At the first quarter of the morning hour, bells and drums rang out. A grand procession of celestial offerings emerged from the imperial palace. Murong Yan sat upright within the imperial carriage, her black and golden phoenix ceremonial robes solemn and majestic, their two-meter-long train spreading like a cloud. The people knelt and cheered, and flower petals rained down.

Lin Zhen rode alongside, his gaze scanning the crowd sharply. Passing a teahouse, he caught a glimpse of a cold light in the window and immediately gestured. Plainclothes guards quietly surrounded the teahouse.

As the altar neared, Murong Yan took a deep breath and lightly touched the phoenix talisman at her waist with her fingertips. She knew that the storm was finally coming.

Inside Prince Yong's mansion, Murong Hong received a confidential report: "Your Majesty's procession has departed, and everything is proceeding as planned."

Murong Zhang paced restlessly, "Brother, I'm feeling uneasy. I just heard that the archer from the teahouse failed."

"That's all right." Murong Hong sneered, "The main killer move is on the altar. Give the order to light the fire at exactly 2:45."

The morning light shone on the white marble steps of the altar, reflecting a dazzling white glow. Murong Yan stepped down from the imperial carriage, its tail sweeping across the ground. The golden phoenix seemed to come alive. She looked up at the height of the altar, where a life-or-death struggle was about to begin.

The wind rises, the robe spreads out, and the phoenix is ​​ready to fly.