On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The drought in Zhuobei has eased, and the water conservancy project has been completed, bringing the people home. Regent Lin Zhen and Empress Murong Yan return to the capital. The people of the capital and surrounding areas line the streets in welcome, cheering and cheering, all expressing their gratitude for the Emperor and Empress's kindness.

However, the atmosphere in the Golden Palace was not peaceful.

Grand Court Meeting. In the Nine Phoenix Golden Palace, all officials stood in awe.

Murong Yan was not sitting upright on the phoenix chair, but leaning lazily in the wide phoenix chair. She was not wearing complicated court clothes, but the extremely gorgeous black and gold nightgown with the pattern of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" that she was inseparable from.

The candlelight in the hall was bright, making the dark black background of the nightgown even deeper like midnight. It absorbed the light, but reflected the imperial glow of faint blue and dark purple from within, mysterious and noble, forming a suffocating contrast with the splendor of the golden hall.

On the nightgown, the giant phoenix embroidered with countless rare gold, silver and colored threads spread its wings as if ready to fly. The red gold was as bright as the fire in a furnace, the rose gold was as gorgeous as the weeping blood clouds, the silver was as bright as the cold moon in the sky, and the purple gold was as noble as the supreme auspiciousness. The gems in the phoenix eyes reflected a cold and sharp light, as if it would come alive at any time and choose someone to devour!

The extremely wide trumpet sleeves spread over the armrests of the phoenix chair, and the black pearls and black gold tassels on the edge of the cuffs remained motionless, emitting a cold luster.

The giant black gold and jewel-studded train, which was three meters long and seamlessly connected to the nightgown, was not restrained, but naturally and meandered directly under the phoenix chair, covering the nine jade steps, and even extending to the mirror-like golden brick floor of the golden palace!

The extremely luxurious train is like a dark gold galaxy flowing on the golden palace. It is densely inlaid with black diamonds, black jade, deep sapphire, black opal, black gold... Under the candlelight, it madly reflects the cold, bright and dazzling light that is impossible to look directly at. Its luxury almost overwhelms the splendor of the entire golden palace!

She was a beauty of unparalleled beauty, yet her expression held a hint of languid indifference, her long eyelashes drooping, as if she had no interest in state affairs, immersed only in the world of her own finery. Lin Zhen stood beneath the imperial steps, the head of all officials, his face serene, and he said nothing.

The court meeting proceeded as planned, with each department reporting its matters. Lin Zhen either made decisions directly or occasionally tilted his head, as if listening to the silent instructions of the person sitting on the phoenix chair. Everything seemed to be the same as usual.

However, just as the court meeting was about to end, a senior official, a censor in his sixties, known for his uprightness and courage to speak out, suddenly strode out with a jade tablet in hand, knelt down at the foot of the steps, and said in a loud but trembling voice:

"Your Majesty! I have a memorial to report!"

Murong Yan didn't even raise her eyelids while sitting on the phoenix chair. Her fingers under her flared sleeves unconsciously stroked the cold pearls on her cuffs.

Lin Zhen frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Speak."

The old censor took a deep breath, as if he had used up all his courage. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes blazing as he pointed at the dark golden shadow on the phoenix chair, and said in a sad and angry voice:

"I risk my life to advise you! Your Majesty, as the ruler of a nation, should set an example for the world and cultivate virtue through frugality! Yet, Your Majesty openly wore... such... such an extravagant nightgown at a court meeting! This dress cost a fortune, exquisitely crafted, and the cost of a single piece could easily be equivalent to the food of ten thousand people! The jewels on it could provide enough relief for famine in several states! Not to mention the three-meter-long train that snakes across the hall, hindering movement and wasting manpower. This extravagance is unbecoming of a wise ruler!"

His passionate voice echoed throughout the Golden Palace: "Although the drought in the north has eased, people's livelihood is in decline and vitality has yet to recover! Your Majesty, how can you still indulge in luxury at this time and wear such... such clothes that ruin your country! I implore Your Majesty to change out of this nightgown immediately and never wear it again! And be frugal and considerate of the people! Otherwise, I am afraid that you will chill the hearts of the people and damage the fortune of our Great Qian nation! Your Majesty!"

These words were so powerful that the hall fell into a dead silence. All the ministers were terrified, cold sweats streaming down their faces. No one dared to look up!

Everyone knows that although Her Majesty the Empress does not govern the country, she loves this skirt very much, and the Regent Lin Zhen dotes on her endlessly. This old censor is simply courting death!

Lin Zhen's face darkened, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he was about to open his mouth to scold -

"Ah."

A very light laugh, yet filled with endless coldness and mockery, came from the phoenix chair.

Everyone shuddered and looked up involuntarily.

Murong Yan slowly sat up straight, and her drooping eyelashes slowly lifted up, revealing a pair of ice-cold, emotionless phoenix eyes that seemed to contain an endless storm!

The lazy and indifferent expression on her face disappeared, replaced by an extreme, scalp-tingling calmness, but there was a strange and dangerous curve at the corner of her red lips.

She raised her hand slightly from under her wide flared sleeves, not pointing it at the censor, but very slowly and gently brushing the red-gold wings of the giant phoenix on her nightgown, with a creepy cherishing gesture.

The entire Golden Palace was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop; even the sound of breathing had almost vanished. Lin Zhen's brows were furrowed, his lips moving slightly, but he ultimately said nothing. He simply looked at her with deep eyes.

Murong Yan's gaze finally fell on the kneeling old censor, whose face had begun to turn pale. Her voice was as cold as jade beads falling on a plate, but it carried a piercing chill:

"You said my clothes...are the clothes of a fallen nation?"

The old censor felt a chill run down his spine at her gaze, but relying on his unyielding spirit, he stiffened his neck and said, "Yes, Your Majesty! Such extravagance is unworthy of a wise ruler..."

"Extravagant?" Murong Yan interrupted him, her voice rising slightly, her strange smile deepening. "You're talking about this?" She flicked her trumpet sleeves and pointed at the dazzling gems on the train. "These stones? These gold threads?"

She suddenly chuckled, her voice crisp and clear, but it caused the temperature in the hall to drop sharply. "In my eyes, they are just some... rather pretty dust."

She slowly stood up, her three-foot-long train dragging heavily across the jade steps, making a rustling sound, and a brilliant light shimmered with each step. She stepped down from the phoenix chair and walked towards the censor, her train spreading out behind her, covering a large area of ​​the golden palace floor.

All the ministers retreated in fear, their court robes soaked with cold sweat.

Lin Zhen stood where he was, his eyes following her closely, his fists slightly clenched in his sleeves.

Murong Yan walked up to the old censor and looked down at him. The dark black of her nightgown and the brilliant colors of the giant phoenix almost burned one's eyes. She leaned forward slightly, her wide bell-shaped sleeves almost brushing the old censor's face. Her voice was frighteningly soft:

"Do you know who wore this dress and personally visited the scorched earth when the drought demon ravaged the north and the people were in despair?"

"Do you know who is responsible for planning the canal network and determining the well locations? Who is wearing this skirt? Wherever his finger points, sweet springs gush out?"

"Do you know, when the people are in panic and rumors are spreading, who is it that wears this skirt, swaying on the ground, with her brilliance, calming the hearts of the people and setting the order of the world?"

Her voice grew colder and sharper: "It's me!"