On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Yan'er, I'm here, everything is fine..." Lin Zhen hugged her tightly, one hand around her back, the other hand gently stroking the back of her head, repeatedly comforting her, his tone full of regret and heartache.

He was so focused on looking at the machinery that he completely forgot that his Yan'er was not a modern person. She would be so frightened when she faced such a moving, roaring and water-spraying steel creature for the first time.

The officials of the Ministry of Works and the general manager were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, not daring to raise their heads, and were covered in cold sweat.

The "automatic irrigation machine" was still roaring and spraying water tirelessly.

"Turn it off! Turn it off quickly!" Lin Zhen shouted sternly, his tone filled with unprecedented anxiety and anger.

The officials rushed over and crawled, and operated in a panic. The steam valve was closed, the connecting rod gradually stopped moving, the gears slowly stopped turning, and the water spray gradually stopped.

The machinery that was roaring and noisy just now soon turned into a pile of silent copper and iron, with only wisps of residual white steam left, proving that everything that had just happened was not an illusion.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet, leaving only the sound of the wind blowing through the flowers and Murong Yan's low, suppressed sobs buried in Lin Zhen's arms.

"Woo...husband...what...what kind of monster is that...it...its roar is so scary...and it can even spit water..." Her voice was nasal and choked with fear, completely losing her usual cool and majestic demeanor, like a frightened child.

She didn't even dare to look up at the machine that had stopped moving.

Lin Zhen, heartbroken, lifted her up sideways, carefully avoiding her messy tail, and strode towards the warm room away from the machinery. At the same time, he said solemnly to the kneeling crowd, "Everyone, step back! No one is allowed to mention what happened today!"

"We obey your command!" Everyone retreated in a hurry as if they had been pardoned.

In the warm room, Lin Zhen gently placed Murong Yan on the soft couch, dismissed the attendants, and sat beside the couch, still holding her tightly in his arms, stroking her back over and over again, and explained softly:

"That's not a monster, Yan'er, it's a machine. It's a machine that helps us water the flowers... It's like a waterwheel, only more powerful and doesn't require human labor..."

Murong Yan's trembling gradually subsided under his gentle soothing voice, but she still clutched his clothes tightly. She raised her tear-stained face and shook her head in fear, "It's not like a waterwheel... a waterwheel doesn't make that sound... it doesn't emit white steam... Husband, is it... is it an old spirit?"

She subconsciously thought of it as a monster, feeling that it must be an iron spirit with a soul that could get angry and roar.

Hearing this, Lin Zhen felt both distressed and amused, and patiently said, "It's not a monster, Yan'er. It's the power of steam, the gears and connecting rods that are moving. Remember the small train model in my study that runs on its own? The principle is similar, but this one is bigger..."

He tried to explain in the simplest terms, but Murong Yan's eyes were still filled with confusion and a hint of lingering fear.

She could accept still, exquisite machinery, such as the clear mercury mirror, and could even slowly accept the camera that could record images (although it still felt weird), but she instinctively felt repulsed and afraid of this kind of steel creation that moved violently, made a huge roar, and seemed to have its own will.

"But... it's so noisy... so scary..." She muttered softly, burying her face in his arms again, seeking the familiar warmth and security, "I don't want it in the garden... Let the gardeners carry water, okay? I don't mind their hard work..."

"Okay, okay, don't want it." Lin Zhen agreed without hesitation and bent down to kiss the top of her head.

"I was inconsiderate and scared my Yan'er. I will never let these things near you again."

He had already decided in his mind to move all these experimental and noisy machines to a workshop area away from the inner courtyard.

After hearing his agreement, Murong Yan finally relaxed completely and snuggled softly in his arms, but still with lingering fear, she whispered, "Husband... have them move that iron thing away... the farther the better..."

"They have been moved away and you will never see them again." Lin Zhen assured her, picked up the handkerchief and carefully wiped away the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes.

Murong Yan nodded reassuringly and leaned in quietly for a moment. Suddenly, she remembered something and raised her head, asking softly with a nasal tone, "So... can it really water the flowers faster than a human?"

Seeing that she had calmed down a bit and was even curious about its efficiency, Lin Zhen couldn't help but laugh: "In theory, yes. But it's useless if it scares my Yan'er."

Murong Yan blinked her watery eyes, as if trying to understand the "power of steam." In the end, she gave up and only whispered, "People are better... quiet..."

"Yes, it's better to be quiet." Lin Zhen agreed and hugged her tighter.

......

The night was as dark as ink, the stars hanging low in the sky. Deep in the Daqian Palace, the lights in the emperor's bedroom were still on.

Several perpetually burning calcium carbide lamps embedded in the pilasters emit a soft and steady warm yellow glow, illuminating this extremely luxurious bedroom as if it were daytime, yet adding a touch of tranquility and haziness to it.

Murong Yan did not sleep well.

She stood in front of a huge dressing mirror in the center of the bedroom. The mirror was made of a whole piece of purple crystal and the edges were inlaid with night pearls and various gems. She was like a goddess descending from the nine heavens. She was being served by twenty-four of the most skillful and focused palace maids. She was wearing the unparalleled black phoenix robe nightgown that belonged only to the Queen of Daqian.

This robe has surpassed the common people's understanding of "nightgown". It is a moving palace and a piece of armor that can look down on the world in the middle of the night.

Its base color is extremely dark black. The silk thread used is produced by the "Black Jade Spider" in the miasma-ridden land in the extreme south, which spins silk once every hundred years. It is then dyed a hundred times with the oil of deep-sea giant sharks to achieve this color. It is as deep as a cold pool at midnight, sucking in all the light around it, but with subtle movements, it reflects indescribable blue light like star fragments from the depths.

Above this piece of extreme black, there are one hundred lifelike phoenixes of various shapes, forming the entire pattern of this robe.

These one hundred phoenixes are not simply embroidered, but are the product of a hundred of the world's top embroiderers, who used the unique technique of "gold-plated and velvet-embroidered". They twisted gold, silver, red gold, and rose gold threads thinner than a hair, as well as the mysterious purple gold thread from Persia and feather threads made from colorful bird feathers from India. They used more than one hundred needle techniques and wove them stitch by stitch.

They may stretch their necks and sing loudly, or spread their wings and soar, or lower their heads to pecking their feathers, or look back to preen their feathers, or live together and fly together, or lead their young phoenixes... Their postures are diverse and no two are alike.

Every feather is clearly visible, every detail is distinct, and the eyeballs are inlaid with tiny rubies, sapphires or cat's eyes, shining like living things under the light.

Hundreds of phoenixes flew back and forth among the auspicious dark clouds, layer upon layer, covering every corner of the robe, making it extremely complex and gorgeous, as if they would sing loudly in the next moment, break through the robe, and soar into the sky!

The extremely wide trumpet sleeves hung down from the shoulders, and the cuffs stretched out to nearly ten feet. The edges were strung with fine black pearls to form tassels. When she walked, the pearls collided lightly, and the sound was like breaking ice.

The sleeves are also embroidered with small circling phoenixes and cloud patterns.

The most shocking thing is the giant train that is three meters long and is connected to the robe without any seams.

The tail naturally extended down from her waist and hips, and the phoenix patterns embroidered on it became increasingly grand and magnificent. The largest phoenixes had a wingspan of nearly ten feet, with sharp golden eyes and gorgeous wings, as if guarding their master.