On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

In the spring of the first year of Shenghui, beneath the seemingly calm political situation, undercurrents became increasingly turbulent.

Murong Yan's new policy was like a huge rock thrown into a deep pool. The ripples it stirred up were quietly spreading and deforming, turning into countless poisoned arrows, shooting at the core of imperial power from unexpected angles.

The aristocratic families knew that a head-on confrontation would be like hitting a rock with an egg, so they turned to using their complex influence, the channels of public opinion they controlled, and the sinister wisdom they had accumulated over thousands of years of immersion in power politics to launch a silent war.

This war is not fought in the Golden Palace, but in the streets and alleys, teahouses and taverns, and even in the correspondence between government offices at all levels.

The first to attack was public opinion.

Poems and songs that seemed erotic and ambiguous but actually contained hidden wit began to circulate quietly among the literati in the south of the Yangtze River.

The poems sometimes use the past to satirize the present, using "Da Ji" and "Bao Si" to allude to Murong Yan's extravagance and exclusive favor, which disrupted the government; or they make innuendos, portraying Lin Zhen as a "male favorite" who uses his beauty to serve his master and seduces him, implying that he stole power and harmed loyal people by relying on his sexual prowess.

These poems use obscure allusions and gorgeous language, which can easily resonate with and arouse imagination among the culturally literate class.

What's more, some absurd rumors about Murong Yan "wearing a weird nightgown, never taking it off day and night, practicing evil magic, and needing to absorb men's essence to maintain her beauty" began to spread secretly.

These vicious words, like a plague, silently corroded Murong Yan's dignity as an emperor and Lin Zhen's reputation.

Secondly, there is soft economic resistance.

Represented by the aristocratic families that controlled important lifelines such as salt, iron, and grain transport, they began to delay and shirk the court's orders with various "reasonable" excuses.

The "accidental" grounding and repair of grain transport vessels delayed the transportation of tax grain from the south to the north; "equipment failure" at the state-run salt fields caused a sharp drop in production, causing fluctuations in salt prices in some areas; even the supply of copper and iron that supported the new policy became tight due to "depletion of mines" or "lack of craftsmen."

These actions were not blatant disobedience, but they precisely created huge obstacles and costs for the implementation of the new policy, attempting to slow down Murong Yan's reform pace from a logistical perspective and trigger potential dissatisfaction among the people.

Furthermore, there is the lip service and non-violent non-cooperation in official circles.

Many county and prefecture government offices, controlled by descendants of aristocratic families or officials closely related to them, adopted policies such as opening libraries, surveying land, and establishing new institutions.

They adopted a strategy of "active response, slow execution." They organized a large "review committee" and set up numerous bizarre obstacles for poor scholars who applied to borrow books.

The team that was surveying the land "accidentally" encountered obstruction from local tyrants, or the measuring tools were "frequently broken."

The newly established "General Administration of Ordnance Manufacturing" encountered invisible constraints and indefinite delays from the local bureaucratic system in terms of site selection and recruitment of craftsmen.

The entire bureaucratic machine seems to be stuck in a sticky quagmire. It is easy to issue orders, but it is extremely difficult to implement them.

These news were continuously channeled into the imperial city through secret guards and loyal officials and were placed in front of Murong Yan.

However, unlike the rage imagined by the outside world, Murong Yan's reaction after learning about these insidious tactics was surprisingly calm, even with a hint of amusement.

At this moment, in the bedroom of Fenghuan Palace, the night was already deep. Candlelight illuminated the room with warmth and brightness.

Murong Yan had just finished reviewing some urgent memorials and rubbed her brows wearily. She was still wearing her black and gold Su brocade cotton nightgown, the "A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix"—the "Divine Phoenix Descent Dress," and was lazily leaning against her large desk.

The desk was piled high with memorials, the ink still wet.

Lin Zhen did not rest, but sat on a soft chair not far from her side, holding a secret report from the secret guard in his hand, with a frown on his face.

He put down the secret report, stood up and walked to Murong Yan's side, his voice gentle but with a hint of solemnity: "Yan'er, the poems and rumors circulating in Jiangnan are very vicious. Would you like me to send someone?"

Murong Yan raised her hand and gently pressed her fingertips against his lips, stopping him from saying anything else. Instead of anger, her face revealed a faint, almost mocking smile.

"What's the hurry, husband?"

She raised her eyes slightly, scanning the memorials on the table that reported the aristocratic families' petty actions, and said lazily, "Let them scold, let them drag their feet, let them pretend to obey but secretly disobey."

Lin Zhen was slightly startled and held her hand. "Yan'er, these rumors may not hurt you, but they can confuse people and damage your prestige. Those delays and evasions are directly hindering the new policy."

"Prestige?" Murong Yan chuckled softly, her voice as clear and crisp as ice beads falling on a jade plate, yet cold. "My prestige was built on mountains of corpses and seas of blood. It can't be shaken by a few pedantic verses."

She held Lin Zhen's hand with her backhand, wearing a black jade ring on her fingertips, and gently stroked his palm.

"The more they act like this, the more it proves they're scared. They have no other options except these underhanded tactics."

She stood up, and the five-meter-long Su Jin tail slid on the smooth ground.

She walked to the window, opened it, and let the cool night breeze blow in, ruffling her hair at the temples and her wide flared sleeves.

"Look, my dear," she said calmly, gazing out the window at the dark night. "Aren't they like a group of rats cornered in a corner, squeaking and nibbling furtively at the wall, yet daring not to actually rush out and face my blade?"

Lin Zhen walked up behind her, gently put his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on the top of her head. "That being said, even an ant hole can cause a dam to collapse. I'm worried that if this continues, there might be chaos."

Murong Yan leaned back against his solid chest, feeling his body temperature and heartbeat, her tone full of control and calmness: "Chaos? I wish they would be in chaos."

A cold light flashed in her eyes.

"They're so sticky now, it's hard for me to take action. I'll wait until they jump more happily and those bugs hiding in the gutter crawl out."

She turned around suddenly!

The action is carried out with a hunting-like excitement!

The light and elegant five-meter-long Su Jin train was suddenly lifted up by the sudden turn, and the huge dark golden skirt spread out like the wings of a phoenix that smelled the scent of prey, sweeping across the ground beside the desk with a swish!

As the hem of her skirt suddenly rose, she suddenly revealed the densely woven gold lining, a dazzling luster beneath the candlelight. The golden light flashed, noble and dazzling, yet with a cold, sharp edge that could see through any conspiracy!

The skirt falls down, and the brilliance is restrained.

But Murong Yan's murderous intent was as clear as a spark in the dark night.

"As for those rumors," she said with a cruel smile, "I want to see whether their words are more stubborn than my sword."

She looked at Lin Zhen, "My husband, there's no need to suppress the rumors. Instead, send someone to embellish those poems and spread them even more widely! It would be best if they could reach the ears of Mobei Bater!"

Lin Zhen's eyes flashed, and he instantly understood her intention: "Yan'er, are you trying to lure the snake out of its hole? Or kill someone with a borrowed knife?"

"That's right." Murong Yan walked back to the desk, fingering the report on the delay in the grain transport. "Don't they like to delay? Very well! Send an order to the Ministry of Revenue. Since the grain tax in the south is not running smoothly this year, we should convert it into silver! Let those noble families who rely on the grain transport for their livelihood go hungry!"

The policy of exchanging land for silver means that grain will no longer be transported north, but will be directly converted into silver and handed over. This will deal a heavy blow to the wealthy families who rely on the grain transport for profit.

"And salt and iron," she said, her fingertips swiping across another memorial.

"Aren't they just having 'equipment malfunctions'? I think it's time to change the people in those government-run workshops. Issue an order to publicly recruit civilian artisans to contract for salt and iron production. The court will only need to supervise and take a cut! I want to see whether their 'malfunctions' are more numerous or the civilian artisans' craftsmanship is superior!"

Her counterattack was equally precise and ruthless. She directly bypassed the traditional sphere of influence of the aristocratic family, introduced new competitive forces, and cut off the source of the problem!

"As for those who pretend to obey but actually disobey in the officialdom," Murong Yan snorted coldly, "Have the secret guards keep a close eye on me! Anyone who delays, shirks responsibility, or obstructs the new policies will be dismissed immediately upon conclusive evidence, regardless of their rank, without permission! For vacant positions, priority will be given to those from humble backgrounds and those who have performed exceptionally well in this new policy!"

This series of combined punches includes the strategy of letting things take their own course and luring the snake out of its hole, the ruthlessness of starting anew and cutting off the fuel from under the cauldron, and the determination to purge with an iron fist and cultivate new blood!

Lin Zhen watched her strategizing and decisively striking, his eyes filled with admiration and love. His Yan'er had never been one to passively take a beating.

"I understand. I'll make arrangements right away and make sure Yan'er's plan is implemented step by step."

Murong Yan seemed a little tired, the murderous aura faded, and a trace of fatigue appeared on her face. She reached out and took Lin Zhen's sleeve, her voice softening: "Husband, let's deal with these trivial matters tomorrow. I'm sleepy."

Lin Zhen's heart softened, and he lifted her up and carried her sideways: "Okay, your husband will take Yan'er to rest."

Murong Yan obediently nestled in his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck, her face buried in his chest, like a bird seeking shelter. The five-meter-long dark-gold tail drooped down, following Lin Zhen's steps, leaving a breathtakingly gorgeous trail on the floor of the bedroom.

The candles were extinguished one by one, leaving only a long-burning lamp in the corner, emitting a hazy glow.

Murong Yan curled up in Lin Zhen's warm embrace, and soon her breathing became even and she fell into a deep sleep.

Lin Zhen did not fall asleep immediately. He used the dim light to gaze at the peaceful sleeping face of the person in his arms with deep eyes.

He knew that the storm outside had not stopped, but might even become more severe because of Yan'er's "indulgence" today.

But no matter what, he will stay by her side and be her sharpest sword and strongest shield.

Outside the palace, the night wind howled, as if mixed with the curses and conspiracies of distant families.