On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

"Husband, are you done with your work? Those Japanese haven't made any more of a fool of themselves, have they?"

Lin Zhen put one arm around her and continued feeding her soup with the other, chuckling softly, "What kind of joke could you possibly make? You just couldn't contain yourself and went for a stroll in the city today. You must have been shocked by the sights of Anzhou today."

"Oh?" Murong Yan became interested, tilting her head up to look at him, her phoenix eyes flashing with a sly light. "Don't they understand why the people of the city I slaughtered can still laugh?"

"Yan'er is very perceptive." Lin Zhen lowered his head and kissed her smooth forehead. "The hearts of the people are like water, capable of carrying a boat but also capsizing it. Yan'er first used swift and decisive measures to shatter the old order, and then bestowed kindness and blessings to rebuild their homes. The people benefited and naturally returned to their side. Japan is a remote island nation that only knows how to plunder. How could they understand the way to govern a country and maintain peace? The 'peace and prosperity' they see is the miracle created by you, Yan'er."

Murong Yan was overjoyed by the praise and wrinkled her nose smugly: "Of course! I'm not just someone who kills people; I'm very generous to my obedient subjects!"

As she spoke, she seemed to remember something, and pouted.

"However, the way that Japanese princess looks at people is strange. I don't like it. My husband will be receiving her tomorrow. You can deal with her for me. I don't want to talk to her anymore."

"Alright, whatever you say." Lin Zhen replied indulgently, feeding her the last spoonful of soup, then taking out a silk handkerchief to carefully wipe the corner of her mouth. "Tomorrow, I will go to see her and see what else she has to say. If it's still those flattering words, then just send them back."

Murong Yan nodded in satisfaction, like a cat that had eaten and drunk its fill, and found a more comfortable position in his arms, yawning lazily: "Husband, I'm sleepy, carry me to sleep."

"Okay," Lin Zhen replied softly, gently lifting her up in his arms.

Murong Yan naturally wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face in his chest, and her breathing gradually became even.

Just as Lin Zhen was holding her and turning to walk towards the inner bedroom—

The movements were filled with complete trust and peace!

The five-foot-long, dark gold train that was scattered messily on the couch and hung to the ground was stirred and slid across the carpet with a whoosh, like flowing water!

As the train quietly billowed up, it revealed the "golden floor" lining, intricately woven with gold thread, shimmering with happiness and contentment under the warm candlelight of the bedchamber!

The pattern of a hundred phoenixes facing the sun flashes with a warm and dazzling golden light, like the light of a home lamp. The light is filled with the peace of being surrounded by love, the pride of one's own achievements, and the disdain for trivial distractions. It is noble, magnificent, and carries an absolute sense of superiority, as if one is immersed in a blissful life and has no time to care about anything else!

This fleeting glimpse is a true reflection of her inner world, standing in stark contrast to the bewilderment of the Japanese delegation.

The skirt fell, concealing the warm golden light and the cozy atmosphere of the room.

Lin Zhen gently placed Murong Yan on the soft bed and covered her with a brocade quilt.

Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, his eyes were filled with endless love and tenderness.

Outside the palace, the Japanese delegation was still puzzled by the "abnormal" scene they had witnessed; inside the palace, the empress who had created all of this was fast asleep in the arms of her beloved husband.

The empire's strength and the individual's happiness are perfectly intertwined at this moment.

......

The fifth day of the eighth month in the second year of the Shenghui era.

Inside the Anzhou City headquarters, in a side hall used for handling daily affairs, the atmosphere was solemn yet elegant.

Since Empress Murong Yan has made it clear that she no longer wishes to personally receive the Japanese envoys, then according to etiquette, having the regent prince, Empress's husband Lin Zhen, receive them is already a very high level of protocol and in accordance with diplomatic practice.

After receiving the summons, Princess Sakura entered the council hall with even more complex and uneasy feelings than when she had met Murong Yan.

She was still wearing a fairly formal Japanese palace dress today, but it was a bit more understated than the solemnity of her last audience with the emperor, perhaps to show a sincere attitude of seeking advice.

Her bodyguard commander, Ōtomo Suruga, as an important member of the delegation, was also allowed to accompany her, but he could only stand solemnly inside the hall door, waiting with several Daqian guards.

Inside the council chamber, Lin Zhen did not sit in the main seat, but stood in front of a huge map of Liaodong and the surrounding sea areas, with his hands behind his back, seemingly deep in thought.

He was dressed in a dark blue prince's casual robe with dark gold patterns, with a jade belt around his waist. His posture was as upright as a pine tree. Although he did not carry a sword, his calm demeanor, which came from years of battlefield experience and holding power, naturally emanated from him.

Upon hearing the announcement, he slowly turned around, his face calm, his gaze gentle yet profound, like a bottomless abyss, making people afraid to look directly at him.

"The Japanese envoy, Princess Sakura, pays respects to His Highness the Regent Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty." Princess Sakura bowed deeply according to etiquette, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible tension.

“Your Highness, there’s no need for such formalities. Please be seated.” Lin Zhen nodded slightly, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority. He took the lead and sat down in the rosewood armchair to the side of the main seat, his posture elegant and composed.

After thanking her, Princess Sakura carefully sat down on the chair opposite her, placing her hands folded on her knees, appearing somewhat reserved.

Suruga Otomo stood upright behind her, his eyes lowered, but his peripheral vision kept a close eye on Lin Zhen, with the instinctive vigilance of a samurai.

After a brief silence, Princess Sakura mustered her courage, raised her head, and looked at Lin Zhen.

This was the first time she had carefully observed this legendary Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, Empress Murong Yan's most trusted partner and right-hand man, at such close range and in a relatively peaceful environment.

He had a handsome face, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and a well-defined jawline. Although he was nearly thirty, time had not left many marks on his face. Instead, it added to his mature and charming appearance.

What's most captivating about him are his eyes, deep as the sea, calm and undisturbed, yet seemingly able to see into people's hearts.

Compared to him, Princess Sakura suddenly felt that the so-called young talents and brave generals she had met in Japan all seemed so immature and crude.

“Your Highness,” Princess Sakura took a deep breath and asked in as fluent Chinese as possible, which was also her biggest source of confusion during this trip, “I recently traveled around Anzhou City and saw that the people were living in good order, the market was prosperous, and everyone had a satisfied look on their faces. This seems quite different from what I heard before I came about His Majesty’s actions when he was here. I am ignorant and really cannot understand why this is. Have they forgotten the tragedies of the past?”

She asked the question somewhat urgently, even rudely, but the question had been bottled up in her heart for too long, and she had to get it out.

Lin Zhen listened quietly, without any displeasure on her face. Instead, she revealed a faint smile, as if she had expected it all along.

He didn't answer immediately, but instead picked up the celadon teacup beside him, took a small sip, and moved slowly and gracefully.

After setting down his teacup, he turned his gaze to Princess Sakura, a gaze that seemed to pierce through the confusion in her heart.

“It is perfectly normal for the Prince to have such doubts,” Lin Zhen said, his voice steady and powerful, like a mountain stream, neither hurried nor slow. “What you see is the result. The process is often obscured by appearances.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Ōtomo Suruga, who stood solemnly to the side. Sensing his gaze, the latter involuntarily lowered his head even further.

"Governing a country and ensuring its stability is like treating an illness," Lin Zhen continued, his tone calm yet carrying a wise, condescending air.

"In the past, Goguryeo was plagued by deep-seated problems and deep-rooted ills. The royal family was corrupt, the nobles were greedy, the officials were exploitative, and the people were living in misery. It was like a large tree that had been hollowed out by borers, which, although it still existed on the outside, was actually about to collapse."

His metaphors are vivid and profound.

"His Majesty's eastern expedition, the battles of Haizhou and Anzhou, may have seemed fierce, but in reality, they were a swift and decisive strike to cut off the root of the problem and remove the malignant tumor."