Too many female prisoners, a special forces soldier transmigrates and marries wildly.

As night deepened, the government office was brightly lit.

Feng Zhen's study was as bright as day. Captain Yang, Clerk Wang, and several trusted generals and clerks were gathered together, the atmosphere so heavy it was almost palpable.

"Zhou An escaped, and the only thing he left behind was a waist token." Feng Zhen's face was so gloomy it could drip water. He threw the iron waist token, stained with dark red blood, onto the table with a soft clang. The waist token had an antique style, with the character "Qi" engraved in seal script on the front and intricate cloud patterns on the back, which was indeed the style of the Qi Prince's Mansion.

"My lord, although this item was found on the assassin, it may not necessarily belong to the Prince Qi's residence. Replicating the Prince's waist tag is difficult, but not impossible," a clerk said cautiously.

"I know," Feng Zhen rubbed his temples. "But this at least shows that the enemy wants to shift the blame to the Qi Prince's residence, or... the Qi Prince's residence itself is not clean! Zhou An's disappearance, Qin Wu, Liu Neng, and Huang San being silenced one after another, the burning of the Qi Prince's residence's 'mountain goods,' the assassination attempt last night... this series of events all vaguely points to the Qi Prince's residence! Zhou Wenyuan's steward, Zhou An, is also involved with Di Rong spies... If you say the Qi Prince knew nothing about it, do you believe it?"

Everyone fell silent.

The King of Qi was a prince, a man of high status, and without irrefutable evidence, no one dared to speak recklessly.

"Yang Dingbian, how's the search in the city going? Have you found any trace of Zhou An?" Feng Zhen asked.

Captain Yang clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Reporting to your Excellency, I have sealed off the four gates and conducted a thorough search. A net has also been cast throughout the city, focusing on inns, gambling dens, brothels, and carriage shops—places where Zhou An might be hiding or fleeing. But so far… there is still no news. It's as if he has vanished into thin air."

"Keep searching! Dig three feet into the ground and find him! Alive or dead!" Feng Zhen shouted sternly. "Also, increase manpower and keep a close watch on all entrances and exits of the Qi Prince's residence! Everyone entering or leaving must be closely monitored, especially the channels for transmitting goods and information to the outside world!"

"yes!"

"Clerk Wang," Feng Zhen said, looking at the respectful Clerk Wang beside him, "have you found any leads on the documents and accounts that Qingzhou has had dealings with in recent years, especially with the Qi Prince's Mansion and Zhou Wenyuan?"

Wang, the clerk, stepped forward, took out a ledger from his sleeve, and respectfully presented it: "Your Excellency, I have made a preliminary investigation. Among them, the 'Qi Ji' trading company under the name of Prince Qi's Mansion, as well as several trading companies indirectly related to Prefect Zhou, have seen a sudden increase in their dealings with several regular merchant caravans in the north over the past six months, with huge sums of money, far exceeding those of previous years. The goods listed are mostly furs, medicinal herbs, and mountain products, but the weight, volume, and value of several batches of goods seem to be inconsistent, raising many suspicions. In addition, I also found that the 'Qi Ji' trading company purchased a large quantity of pig iron, tung oil, sulfur, and other items from the south three months ago. These... are all controlled materials by the imperial court, and the private sector is not allowed to trade them in large quantities, let alone allow them to leave the country."

Pig iron, tung oil, sulfur! These are all essential materials for forging weapons and preparing gunpowder!

A cold glint flashed in Feng Zhen's eyes! The Qi Prince's mansion was indeed secretly hoarding military supplies! Combined with the batch of "mountain goods" suspected to be weapons that were burned, the Qi Prince's scheme was now crystal clear!

"What a fine Prince Qi! What a fine Zhou Wenyuan!" Feng Zhen laughed in fury. "He eats the king's food but does not think of serving his country. He dares to secretly collude with the Northern Barbarians and amass weapons! His heart is despicable! His crime deserves the extermination of his entire family!"

"My lord, please calm your anger!" Clerk Wang hurriedly said, "What we have found so far is all circumstantial evidence and doubts, not enough to convict Prince Qi. Moreover, Prince Qi is of noble birth; without an imperial decree, we cannot act rashly. The most urgent task is to find Zhou An, find the stolen 'goods,' and find the lair of the Di Rong 'Shadow Hawks' and their leader, 'Falcon Eagle'! Only with irrefutable evidence can we strike decisively and reach the Emperor's ears!"

Feng Zhen took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

Wang the clerk is right; we cannot touch the Prince of Qi yet. Without solid evidence, taking action against a prince would be tantamount to treason. Even if he were an imperial envoy, he could not bear that responsibility.

"Zhou An is the key! We must find him!" Feng Zhen said decisively. "And that 'Falcon'! A Di Rong spy has infiltrated Qingzhou; his ambitions must be significant! Last night's assassination attempt on Lin San might have been to silence him, or perhaps... there were other motives! Who will be their next target? Lin San, or... me?"

These words sent a chill down everyone's spine. Di Rong, known as "Shadow Hawk," was ruthless and secretive in his actions; if he dared to break into the state prison last night, he might very well dare to harm the imperial envoy!

"Sir, should we strengthen the defenses of the prefectural government office? And what about Lin San's side..." Captain Yang said in a deep voice.

"Double the guards at the prefectural government office, with both overt and covert sentries, twelve hours a day without interruption! Lin San…" Feng Zhen pondered for a moment, "He can't die for now, but we can't let him go either. He's bait, and also a key witness. Increase the number of guards, but keep a loose exterior while maintaining a tight interior. Perhaps those demons and monsters will come looking for him again!"

Feng Zhen was using Lin Feng as bait to catch an even bigger fish! Everyone understood.

"Furthermore," Feng Zhen's eyes flashed with a glint of light, "Wang the Clerk, secretly investigate whether there are any highly skilled physicians in Qingzhou City, especially adept at using poisons, and who are also elusive? Qin Wu, Huang San, and Liu Neng all died suddenly from the same rare poison; the poisoner is no ordinary person! Finding this poison-using physician might lead us to clues about the mastermind behind it all!"

"Your humble servant understands," Wang the clerk replied, bowing.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the study, and a guard whispered at the door, "Lord Qibing, there's urgent military news!"

"Come in!"

The guard pushed open the door, knelt on one knee, and presented a urgent military report with three feathers inserted in it: "Urgent dispatch from the northern border! Military report from Zhenbeiguan!"

Zhenbeiguan! The northern frontier! Feng Zhen's heart tightened, he abruptly stood up, took the military report, and quickly opened it.

After just one glance, his expression changed drastically, and the hand holding the military report began to tremble slightly!

"Sir?" Upon seeing this, Captain Yang and the others knew something had happened and quickly asked.

Feng Zhen slowly put down the military report, his face ashen, his eyes filled with shock, anger, and a hint of... disbelief.

"The military report says," his voice was hoarse, tinged with barely suppressed anger, "that three days ago, a small group of elite Di Rong cavalry bypassed the Zhenbeiguan defense line and launched a surprise attack on Heifengyu, eighty li behind the pass! Within the valley… there are suspected armories and workshops secretly set up by the imperial court, suffering heavy losses! The Di Rong cavalry stole a batch of new crossbows and fine iron, and set fire to some workshops and stockpiles! The defending troops were unable to pursue them, and the Di Rong cavalry have already fled deep into the grasslands!"

Black Wind Valley! Armory! Di Rong Raid!

The study fell into a deathly silence! Everyone was stunned by this sudden and devastating news! On the northern frontier, the Di Rong had become so rampant that they had bypassed Zhenbei Pass, penetrated eighty miles into the Great Zhou territory, and attacked a suspected military stronghold?! And they had succeeded?!

Feng Zhen suddenly looked at Wang the clerk, his voice icy cold: "Wang the clerk, I remember you reported earlier that Lin San's wife seemed to be in Black Wind Valley?"

Wang, the clerk, broke out in a cold sweat: "Reporting...Reporting to Your Excellency, my previous investigation confirmed that Lin San does indeed have a wife who lives in Black Wind Valley..."

"Black Wind Valley... Armory... Di Rong's surprise attack..." Feng Zhen muttered to himself, his eyes suddenly becoming incredibly sharp, like blades piercing towards the west courtyard outside the window.

"Lin San...who exactly are you? Why does your wife live in Black Wind Valley? What is the connection between Di Rong's surprise attack on Black Wind Valley and you, and this series of events in Qingzhou?!"

A chilling coldness instantly swept through the entire study.

The already murky situation in Qingzhou was suddenly shrouded in an even more bizarre and dangerous shadow by this urgent military report from the northern border! And Lin Feng, who was at the center of the storm and had just gone from being a prisoner to a key witness, had his identity and purpose become even more elusive!

"Sir, should we interrogate Lin San immediately?" Captain Yang asked in a deep voice.

Feng Zhen closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with coldness and determination.

"No, don't alert them yet." Feng Zhen's voice regained its calmness, yet carried a chilling undertone. "Captain Yang, you go personally, under the guise of protection, and double the number of guards in the west courtyard! Without my order, no one is allowed to approach or have any contact with Lin San! Clerk Wang, you continue to investigate the whereabouts of the poisoned doctor and Zhou An! At the same time, use all available resources to find out the details of the attack on Black Wind Valley, especially... the whereabouts of Lin San's wife!"

"yes!"

The crowd obeyed the order with a stern expression and quickly dispersed to carry it out.

Feng Zhen stood alone by the window, gazing at the deep night outside, his hand tightly gripping the urgent military report tinged with the scent of war, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"Lin San... Black Wind Valley... Di Rong... King Qi..." He murmured these words, his eyes flashing with a complex emotion.

They initially thought they had grasped a thread that would allow them to follow it and expose the corrupt officials in Qingzhou and the spies among the Di Rong. But now, this thread seems to connect to an even larger and more dangerous vortex! The flames of war in the North have, in this way, become subtly intertwined with the conspiracies and schemes of Qingzhou!

But is Lin San, whom he temporarily "protected," an innocent victim in this vortex, or... a more deeply hidden player?

Feng Zhen didn't know.

But he knew that every step from now on had to be taken with even greater care and caution.

Because if we are not careful, not only Qingzhou, but the entire northern border defense line will be shaken to its core!

The night grew even deeper.

The lights inside the prefectural government office flickered in the wind, as if they might be swallowed up by the boundless darkness at any moment.

A massive storm that is sweeping across Qingzhou, concerning the safety of the northern border, and may even shake the foundations of the nation, has already revealed its ferocious side under the cover of darkness!