On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Nangong Xiong sat on the dragon throne and looked at Lin Yi.

They met many years ago when Nangong Xiong was still the Crown Prince and Lin Yi had just been born. They came to the palace for a banquet with the old Regent.

He even hugged Lin Yi back then, praising him for being chubby and saying he would definitely be a good prince in the future.

Now, this good prince has actually led his troops into his palace and is confronting him face to face.

Such a huge difference is truly lamentable.

Lin Yi stopped in front of the dragon throne, neither kneeling nor bowing, but simply giving a slight curtsy: "Your subject Lin Yi greets Your Majesty."

Nangong Xiong shook his beard.

Because he found that Lin Yi showed no guilt or hesitation whatsoever, as if everything was something he should do.

This finally snapped the string that had been taut in his heart for more than half a year.

"Lin Yi! What exactly do you want to do?"

"You led your troops into the palace and smashed up my Xuanwu Gate! Are you trying to rebel?"

Lin Yi just stood there watching him shout.

After he finished speaking, she said calmly, "Your Majesty is too kind. I have come to the palace today to take over the palace defenses."

Nangong Xiong opened his mouth wide, wanting to shout.

But Lin Yi didn't give him a chance to interrupt, continuing, "The Imperial Guards are of little use, and Zhang Yong has already handed over the defense of Xuanwu Gate. From today onwards, the Shenji Battalion will be responsible for guarding the palace and its surroundings. As for His Majesty's safety, I will guarantee it."

Upon hearing this, Nangong Xiong's face truly drained of color.

It wasn't the kind of angry or exasperated look; it was genuinely gone, and her face, from cheeks to lips, had turned completely grayish-white.

He staggered back a step.

His legs bumped against the front edge of the dragon throne, and he fell back down with a thud.

"I...I am the Emperor!" He gripped the armrest of the dragon throne, his lips trembling several times before he dared to speak: "When did it become your place to guarantee my safety? I have the Imperial Guard! I have no need of your soldiers!"

He grew increasingly agitated, his voice suddenly rising: "Lin Yi, I ask you, do you intend to usurp the throne? Do you want the whole world to know you are a traitor?"

The hall was quiet for a couple of moments, then Lin Yi took a step forward.

This one step startled Nangong Xiong so much that he instantly shrank back.

It's clear that no matter how fierce he appeared, he was ultimately afraid: "If Your Majesty wishes for me to usurp the throne, I may do so."

Nangong Xiong's pupils contracted.

"If Your Majesty wishes for me to become a traitor, I am willing to be one. But Your Majesty should understand that if I truly intended to murder the emperor today, I wouldn't be speaking to you so kindly."

The hall was very quiet.

Tea dripped from the dragon table onto the gold bricks, drip, drip, drip, drip onto the gold brick floor.

Nangong Xiong sat motionless on the dragon throne, his gaze somewhat unfocused.

It wasn't so much that they were looking at Lin Yi, but rather at the empty hall behind him.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "You said you wouldn't kill the emperor."

"I have no intention of murdering my ruler."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I have said, take over the city's defenses."

"You've taken over the city's defenses, so what am I?" Nangong Xiong's lips twitched; he himself found the question ridiculous.

Lin Yi didn't say anything, he just stood there.

Nangong Xiong stared at him for a long time, then suddenly turned his head to look at the daylight outside the palace gate.

In winter, it gets light late and dark early, but it's already quite bright now.

The pale light poured in from the palace entrance, making the gold bricks appear white.

Two rows of fully armed Shenji Battalion soldiers stood outside, each facing outwards, holding a long spear in their hands, motionless.

Nangong Xiong suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Ha, I knew this day would come. I knew from the day I ascended the throne... that powerful families couldn't be trusted, nor could the vassal kings. I went to great lengths to reclaim military power, and mobilized 200,000 troops to the capital, and what was the result?"

At this point, he lowered his head and looked at the pool of tea still spilling out on the dragon table.

"In the end, the person sitting in this chair... was a dead man."

Nangong Xiong spoke for a while, then suddenly reached out and straightened the tilted teacup on the dragon table.

The movements were slow and meticulous. One hand held the base of the teacup, while the other hand put the lid on and straightened it, as if tidying up something that had nothing to do with him.

After he finished, he placed his hands on his knees and looked up.

"Fine, I won't argue with you."

His tone suddenly became very calm, completely different from his previous hoarse and desperate manner.

"But I have a question for you, Lin Yi."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"What do you intend to do to me?"

Lin Yi said, "Your Majesty will continue to reside in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, attend morning court sessions as usual, and review memorials as usual. I will not interfere with Your Majesty's daily life, but I will re-select the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace."

Nangong Xiong asked instinctively, "On what grounds?"

"I have troops at my command."

Nangong Xiong was speechless.

Lin Yi continued, "From now on, personnel matters in the palace will be handled by my people. Your Majesty may offer suggestions, but the final decision rests with me."

Nangong Xiong closed his eyes and didn't open them for a while.

He glanced down at the dragon robe he was wearing.

The stains from the spilled tea are still there, leaving a wet patch with a dark color.

He reached up and pulled down the folds of his sleeve, trying to cover the water stain.

But after trying to cover it twice without success, he gave up and said weakly, "I understand."

This moment suddenly reminded Lin Yi of someone.

Luo Qing's words.

On the night she transmigrated, her wedding night, Luo Qingyu sat on the wedding bed and said something to herself.

"Lin Yi, even if you become regent, the rules of this world are not up to you alone."

I ignored her at the time.

But now, looking at Nangong Xiong slumped in the dragon throne, this sentence inexplicably came to mind.

Indeed, rules are never something that can be decided by one person alone.

But from today onwards, the title of "Supreme" on this dragon throne no longer holds any weight.

Lin Yi would be happy if power could be effectively restrained.

Regaining his composure, Lin Yi bowed slightly to Nangong Xiong again before striding out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The sunlight streaming in from outside the palace gates shone on Nangong Xiong's face, making it half bright and half dark.

Only after Lin Yi's figure crossed the Golden Water Bridge and disappeared at the end of the palace road did he slowly raise his hand and press it against his chest.

It hurts there.

It wasn't that I was so scared my heart hurt, but rather that my ribs hurt.

When I shrank back just now, my back slammed hard against the carvings on the back of the dragon throne.

He didn't dare to move at the time and stubbornly remained silent.

It wasn't until Lin Yi left that the pain started.

"Sun Fu..."

He opened his mouth and called out.

No one answered.

Sun Fu has not returned yet.

By this time, the snow outside Xuanwu Gate had been trampled into mud.

Lin Yi came out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and walked north along the palace road.

The Shenji Battalion soldiers stood at intervals of twenty paces. When they saw him coming, they all clasped their fists together, but no one made a sound.

The entire palace was unusually quiet.

At this time in the past, eunuchs and palace maids would have been busy going back and forth in the corridors, with servants carrying food boxes running around, and sweepers wielding bamboo brooms. Occasionally, one could hear laughter coming from one of the concubines' courtyards.

But now there's nothing.

All the eunuchs and palace maids were gathered in a side hall for guarding. Apart from the Shenji Battalion soldiers, the only other guards in the palace were the Imperial Guards who had been disarmed and were squatting in the open space.

When Lin Yi arrived at Xuanwu Gate, the fat man was riding a mule and eating steamed buns.

I have no idea where this guy got so much food, or where he hid it.

The fat man took a bite of the bun, chewed it a couple of times, and talked to the messenger next to him while chewing, but his words were mumbled and hard to understand.

Seeing Lin Yi approach, the fat man stuffed the steamed bun into his mouth, swallowed it in a few bites, clapped his hands, and dismounted from the mule.

"Big brother! Is it all done?"

"Um."

"What did that old man say?"

"He said a few harsh words, nothing else."

The fat man grinned: "Hey, I knew he wouldn't dare cause trouble. The pig rain incident is still fresh in his mind; he'll probably never forget the spectacle of us throwing live pigs into the palace with catapults."

Lin Yi ignored him and glanced in the direction of Xuanwu Gate.

"Where is Zhang Yong?"

The fat man pointed towards the city gate: "There he is, tie him up and make him kneel there."

Lin Yi looked in the direction he was pointing.

Inside the city gate, Zhang Yong was kneeling on the ground, his hands tied behind his back with ropes. His armor had been removed, and he was only wearing a black undergarment, kneeling upright.

There were several bloody marks on his face, probably from when he was pushed down; they had already scabbed over.

Lin Yi walked over and stood in front of him.

Zhang Yong raised his head.

The two people looked at each other.

"Commander Zhang," Lin Yi began, "you promised not to take action, but then you turned around and ordered the fat man killed. How should this be dealt with?"

Zhang Yong, still holding his head high and appearing nonchalant, said, "This humble general has indeed gone back on his word. Whether Your Highness wishes to kill or torture me, this humble general accepts it."

Lin Yi looked at the fat man: "You can have him."