On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

As autumn deepens, the maple leaves within the palace walls are dyed a sad, blood-red.

More than two months have passed since Zhou Jin was flayed to death in the Golden Palace, shocking all officials.

On the surface, the court was silent, government affairs were running efficiently under Lin Zhen's leadership, water conservancy in the north was gradually completed, people's livelihood was slightly restored, and there was an illusion of peace and prosperity.

However, beneath this calm appearance, a cold undercurrent is gathering and surging at an unprecedented speed.

Two princes who should have been "executed" in the Xishan Rebellion - Prince Jingbei Murong Hong and Prince Anping Murong Zhang - did not die.

On that day, Lin Zhen ordered the capture. Amid the roar of artillery fire, his trusted assassins used the strategy of replacing the dead with a dead one, replacing them with two death row prisoners of similar builds.

The two were seriously injured and were secretly transferred to an extremely secret villa in Gyeonggi to recuperate.

Now that their injuries are gradually healing, the poisonous fire of revenge and the desire for power are burning wildly in their hearts.

Through extremely secret channels, they began to cautiously contact officials in the court who were deeply dissatisfied with Murong Yan's cruelty, especially the "stupid extravagance" symbolized by her luxurious nightgown and Lin Zhen's "dictatorship", and whose own interests were damaged in the investigation of their property.

In the secret room, the candlelight flickered. Murong Hong's shoulder injury still ached, his face twisted with hatred.

"Witch! Bitch! Dressed in such bizarre attire, she acts like a madman! She treats us clan members like dirt, and slaughters important officials like butchering dogs! How can such a tyrant be worthy of the throne?!"

Murong Zhang's face was sinister, his fingertips tapping the tabletop. His voice was low and dangerous. "That's not all. That traitor Lin Zhen has sidelined the royal family, implemented new policies, promoted people from humble backgrounds, and suppressed veterans like us. Now, he's even condoning that evil woman's rampage! If this continues, the country will be ruined! As descendants of the Murong family, how can we sit idly by and watch our country crumble?"

They enumerated Murong Yan's "crimes": excessive extravagance (especially that nightgown), cruelty and bloodlust, disregard for state affairs, indulgence of Lin Zhen... Every word and sentence resonated with some court officials.

The initial contact was tentative, full of suspicion and fear.

However, Murong Yan's continued high pressure and Lin Zhen's iron fist caused more and more officials to begin to waver under the influence of fear and resentment, and then secretly surrender to the two princes.

Secret messages were quietly transmitted in the dark night through trusted servants, messengers disguised as caravans, and even copper pipe tunnels buried deep underground.

Troops, food supplies, equipment, the defense map of the capital, palace insiders... the elements of rebellion are quietly gathering in the darkness.

Deep in the palace, Murong Yan seemed to still be immersed in her world of gorgeous clothes.

The night was deep, the heating in the bedroom was burning very warmly, and the palace lanterns were dim.

Murong Yan was not sleeping yet. She was wearing the comfortable and luxurious black and gold cotton nightgown with the pattern of "Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" and was leaning lazily on the soft couch covered with white tiger skin.

The base material of the ink-gold cotton has a soft and mysterious luster under the light. The natural golden cotton wool is interwoven with the dark black background, presenting a restrained luxury.

On top of the nightgown, a giant phoenix embroidered with red gold, peacock feathers and colorful silk threads was perched on its body. The phoenix eyes were inlaid with black opal and amethyst, and they flashed with a cold light that could see through everything under the warm light.

The wide and soft bell sleeves spread out on the couch, and the gold tassels at the cuffs remained motionless.

The five-meter-long cotton train that was connected to the nightgown was casually gathered by her and stacked on the specially made low couch beside the couch. It looked like a dark golden phoenix with its wings folded and resting for a while, gorgeous and comfortable.

She was not holding a scroll in her hand, but a delicate little shuttle with a warm jade shaft and a gold thread. She was repairing a very tiny, almost invisible hook on the edge of the train of her nightgown.

Her movements were extremely focused and gentle, and her eyes were calm, as if this was the most important thing in the world.

Lin Zhen sat behind a desk not far away with several memorials spread out in front of him, but his eyes kept looking at Murong Yan, with a trace of solemnity and worry hidden deep in his eyes that was difficult to dispel.

He was not unaware of the recent undercurrents. Clues showed that a force was secretly gathering, targeting Yan'er.

He strengthened the defense of the palace and the capital and sent out more spies, but the enemy was extremely cunning and difficult to track.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to her, to remind her not to leave the palace for the foreseeable future. But seeing how intently she fiddled with her nightgown, and thinking of her potential aversion and intense reaction to being "bound," he swallowed his words back. He couldn't let her be afraid, and certainly couldn't let her feel restricted.

At this moment, Murong Yan suddenly stopped what she was doing, raised her head, and her nostrils twitched slightly, as if she smelled something in the air.

A faint, cold, sharp light flashed in her calm phoenix eyes.

"Husband," she suddenly spoke, her voice soft and sweet, but it made Lin Zhen's heart tighten suddenly, "I smell... the scent of rats."

Lin Zhen was stunned. "Rats? The palace uses incense to repel insects every day, so how could there be rats? I'm afraid Yan'er must have smelled it wrong."

He tried to soothe.

Murong Yan slowly put down the jade shuttle. Her hand beneath her flared sleeves gently stroked the giant phoenix wings on her nightgown. Her eyes wandered toward the dark night sky outside the window. "It's not the rats underground... it's the rats hiding in dark corners, secretly grinding their teeth, thinking about how to gnaw at my clothes..."

A chill suddenly ran down Lin Zhen's spine!

She...she knew?!

He forced himself to remain calm, stood up, walked over to her and sat down, holding her slightly cold hand: "Yan'er, don't let your imagination run wild. With me here, no mouse dares to get close to you."

Murong Yan turned her head and looked at him. Her eyes were terrifyingly clear, but a naive yet cruel smile played at the corner of her mouth. "Husband, what do you think... if we pulled out all the rats' teeth, chopped off their claws, cut off their tails... and then threw them into a dye vat and dyed their gray fur... um, the color of my skirt, wouldn't that look good?"

Lin Zhen looked at the undisguised excitement and anticipation for the bloody punishment in her eyes, and his heart was shaken. He could only hold her hand tighter: "...As long as Yan'er likes it, that's good."

Murong Yan seemed satisfied. She leaned back into his arms, playing with the buttons on his collar, and murmured, "My clothes are so beautiful... can they be dyed the same color? Or should I just crush them all to death..."

Lin Zhen hugged her, feeling the softness and warmth of her cotton nightgown, but his heart felt like it had fallen into an ice cellar.

He knew that she was not completely ignorant. Her extraordinary intuition might have already captured the danger signals and expressed them in her unique way.

The next day, there will be a large court meeting.

Murong Yan, just as she said, appeared in the golden palace wearing the dark gold cotton nightgown and a cloak of the same color with a phoenix pattern in gold thread!

This move once again caused great shock and fear in the hearts of the court officials!

Although no one dared to look directly at it, let alone comment, the soft luster of the cotton nightgown, the splendor of the giant phoenix, the astonishing sight of its five-meter-long tail winding on the ground, and the absurdity and provocation of its upper body in the court, all acted like a cold file, grinding everyone's tense nerves.

She sat lazily on the dragon throne, her wide flared sleeves covering her lips as if she was yawning, and her eyes casually swept over the officials standing solemnly with their heads bowed under the steps, but deep in her eyes there was a hint of playfulness and coldness, like a cat playing with mouse.

During the court meeting, several officials came forward to report on matters concerning autumn taxes, grain transport, and border grain, which seemed ordinary.

However, the rhythm of their music, the subtle flicker of their eyes, and even the positions they stood in, seemed to form a hidden, discordant rhythm in Murong Yan's eyes.

When she heard a doctor from the Ministry of Revenue report that a batch of military equipment was transported to a royal enclosure somewhere in the west of Beijing for "maintenance" "according to regulations", her eyes suddenly became sharp for a moment.

The doctor's voice paused almost imperceptibly, and sweat broke out on his forehead.

Murong Yan suddenly chuckled. The sound was not loud, but it instantly made the entire golden palace silent.

Everyone looked up in horror.

Her Majesty lazily adjusted her sitting position, allowing the five-meter cotton train to spread more comfortably on the jade steps. She gently raised her hand from under her trumpet sleeves and pointed at the doctor, her voice tinged with a hint of lazy playfulness:

"Why...when you were talking just now, were you looking to the left? Is there something...beautiful to the left? Something prettier than my clothes?"

The doctor was so frightened that he fell to his knees, trembling all over: "Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Murong Yan ignored him, her eyes slowly sweeping over the other officials who had just reported on matters, a chilling smile on her lips: "You guys are the same... just report on matters, why are your legs shaking? Is the floor of my golden palace too cold? Or..."

She flicked her tail lightly, and her voice suddenly turned cold: "Are you hiding something?"

Several officials turned pale and knelt down, shouting, "We dare not!"

Lin Zhen stood under the Danbi with a calm expression, but his heart was already in turmoil.

Yan'er... can actually use this method to accurately expose the disguises of those who have ulterior motives!

Murong Yan admired their expressions of fear, as if she were watching an amusing drama. She waved her trumpet sleeves as if shooing away flies: "Get out. It annoys me to watch."

"Yes! Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!" Several people retreated tumbling and crawling as if they had been pardoned.

The court meeting ended in an extremely depressing atmosphere.

After the officials left, Murong Yan didn't stand up immediately. She remained seated on the dragon throne, her fingers unconsciously entwined with the golden thread of her nightgown's train. She gazed into the empty hall, her eyes hollow and cold, and whispered to herself, her voice loud enough for Lin Zhen beside her to hear clearly:

"There are more and more rats..."

She suddenly raised her head and looked at Lin Zhen, revealing a bright but cold smile: "Husband, it seems... I need to prepare... a bigger mousetrap."

Lin Zhen felt a chill in his heart, he knew that Yan'er was not joking.

She has smelled the scent of rebellion and is eager to try it out.

She enjoyed the excitement before the hunt.

After returning to the bedroom, Murong Yan ordered people to bring a large amount of gold thread, pearls and various gems.

She dismissed her attendants, leaving only Lin Zhen by her side, and then sat next to the huge five-meter-long cotton train. She began to embroider the jewels onto the train one by one and more densely in a seemingly casual but highly symbolic way!

She looked focused, even with a kind of pious madness, as if she was not decorating a piece of clothing, but forging a weapon, a sacrifice, a luxurious armor to welcome and crush all rebellion!

"Let them..." she murmured softly, not caring at all that the golden needles pricked her fingertips, causing drops of blood to ooze out. "...be ashamed of themselves before my clothes...and then...be crushed..."

Lin Zhen watched silently, his heart filled with endless worry and an almost trembling awe.

His Yan'er, the phoenix in a cotton nightgown, had already spread her gorgeous wings, and her cold eyes had locked onto her prey in the darkness, waiting for the moment of thunderous strike.