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

Feng Zhen took out a smaller scroll sealed with special sealing wax from his pocket and handed it to Lin Feng: "This secret edict is for you alone to see. It will be destroyed after reading. Its contents concern the safety of the Northern Border and even the fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty. You must investigate secretly according to the edict and report back at any time. There must be no mistakes."

Lin Feng accepted the secret decree with both hands; it felt heavy in his hands.

He knew that this thin scroll might contain earth-shattering secrets and an immense burden.

"Alright, go back and prepare. I'll see you off at the city gate in three days." Feng Zhen patted Lin Feng on the shoulder. "Remember, come back alive. I'll be waiting to hear your good news of achieving great deeds."

"Yes! I will not fail in my duty!" Lin Feng bowed respectfully and left the study.

Back in his room, Lin Feng closed the doors and windows, and with a heavy yet curious heart, he opened the secret decree.

The handwriting on the secret edict was vigorous and powerful, and it bore the emperor's personal seal. The content was short, but it sent chills down Lin Feng's spine, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back!

The secret edict stated that the Emperor had received a confidential report and suspected that behind the current crisis in the Northern Border and the invasion of the Di Rong, besides the obvious collaborators like Prince Qi and Xiahou Ying, there might be a deeper and more terrifying mastermind. This person was of noble status, harbored deep resentment towards the late Emperor and even the current Emperor, and had secret connections with the Di Rong high command. He was likely the true "master" or "respected figure" of "Shadow Hawk." The current unrest in the Northern Border might be related to this person. The Emperor ordered Lin Feng, under the guise of serving in the Northern Border army, to secretly investigate this person's whereabouts, paying particular attention to any clues related to "Prince Jing." The edict concluded by emphasizing that this matter was top secret and must not be revealed to anyone except Lin Feng, including the Northern Border Commander Zhao Polu! Any discoveries should be reported directly to the Emperor.

Prince Jing?!

Lin Feng's hand, clutching the secret edict, trembled slightly. Prince Jing, the seventh son of the late emperor, and the current emperor's half-brother. Lin Feng had heard tales about Prince Jing in the army. It was said that his birth was accompanied by unusual celestial phenomena, and that he was exceptionally handsome, known as "Jade Boy," and deeply favored by the late emperor. However, when he was ten, his mother—a concubine of low birth—was implicated in a palace witchcraft case, banished to the cold palace, and soon died in despair. Prince Jing also fell out of favor, disliked by the late emperor, and at the age of fourteen was sent to his remote fiefdom, "Jingzhou," forbidden to return to the capital without an imperial decree. After the late emperor's death and the current emperor's ascension, he seemed quite indifferent to his fallen brother, rarely inquiring about him beyond annual rewards. Prince Jing lived a secluded life in his fiefdom, rarely interacting with the court, and was gradually forgotten, his fate unknown.

Could it be that this Prince Jing, who has long since distanced himself from the center of power and seems to be indifferent to worldly affairs, is actually the owner of "Shadow Hawk"? Is he the mastermind behind the crisis in the northern border? Is it because he harbors resentment over the wrongful death of his birth mother and being abandoned by the late emperor that he colluded with the Di Rong to overthrow the Great Zhou?

This speculation is too audacious and too shocking! A prince, actually colluding with the enemy and betraying his country? If this gets out, it will be a colossal scandal that shakes the very foundation of the nation!

However, upon closer examination, it's not entirely impossible. Prince Jing had the motive (resentment towards the late emperor and the current emperor), the ability (as a prince, even in disgrace, he still possessed certain resources and influence), and the means (although his fiefdom of Jingzhou was remote, it wasn't too far from the northern border, and there were some buffer zones separating it from the Di and Rong tribes, making clandestine exchanges difficult to detect). The "Shadow Hawk," this tightly organized and deeply infiltrated Di and Rong intelligence network, would likely have struggled to develop to such an extent without the support of a high-ranking figure familiar with the internal workings of the Great Yan.

Han Lu's dying words, "Long live Lord Xiahou...", are chilling upon closer examination. He might not have been calling for Xiahou Ying, but rather for Xiahou Ying's true "master"—Prince Jing! It's not hard to understand why a prince abandoned by the late emperor and harboring resentment would develop disloyal thoughts.

If all of this is true, then the purpose of "Shadow Hawks" is not simply to cooperate with the Prince of Qi in his rebellion or to create chaos on the border. They may want to use the power of the Di Rong to disrupt the Great Yan, or even... overthrow the imperial power! And the war in the northern border may be a key part of their plan, with the aim of weakening the court's control over the north, depleting the strength of the Great Zhou, and even creating an opportunity for Prince Jing to "set things right".

Lin Feng felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his head. The Prince of Qi's rebellion was already a shocking case. If a prince was also involved, it would be a catastrophe that would shake the very foundations of the nation and cause a massive upheaval in the court and among the people! No wonder the emperor had secretly ordered him, a seemingly insignificant captain who had just been reinstated to the military, to investigate discreetly. This matter was far too sensitive; those he trusted couldn't be investigated openly, and those he didn't trust couldn't be allowed to know.

He memorized the contents of the secret decree, then walked to the candlestick, lit it, and watched it turn to ashes in the flames. This matter could only be kept deep in his heart, and investigated in secret.

Lin Feng first returned to the courtyard house, then led people to the Zhou residence to pick up Liu Yun, Shi Xiu, and Cao'er. After returning home, the group enjoyed a period of family bliss, which will not be discussed further here.

Over the next three days, Lin Feng arranged everything for the courtyard house. He purchased horses, provisions, medicine, and other necessities. He kept some of the gold given to him by Feng Zhen and exchanged the rest for easily portable silver notes and small denominations of gold and silver. He carefully kept the jade pendant and handwritten letter given to him by Feng Zhen close to his body.

On the morning of the third day, as dawn broke, Feng Zhen, Yang Dingbian, Wang Shuli, and others saw Lin Feng off outside the west gate of Qingzhou.

"Lieutenant Lin, the journey ahead is long and arduous, with war raging everywhere. Please take care!" Feng Zhen raised his cup in a toast.

"Master Lin, no, Captain Lin! Kill a few more Di barbarian dogs and make us look good! After the battle, we'll come back and have a good drink!" Yang Ding patted Lin Feng's shoulder forcefully, his eyes slightly red. After fighting side by side these past few days, he had come to truly admire this intelligent and brave young man.

"Have a safe journey, Lin Yishi. The north is bitterly cold, please wear more clothes," said Wang the clerk, bowing in return.

"Thank you all, my lords and brothers, for seeing me off!" Lin Feng downed his drink in one gulp, threw the cup to the ground, mounted his horse, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the crowd, and said, "May our friendship endure as long as the mountains and rivers flow! Lin Feng is off! Take care, everyone!"

After saying that, he pulled on the reins, and his horse neighed loudly, galloping off to the north.

The chilly morning wind whipped his dark cloak, making it flutter loudly. Alone on horseback, he disappeared into the dissipating morning mist at the end of the official road, his back view resolute and determined.

Feng Zhen and the others stood there for a long time, until the figure completely disappeared from sight, before they sighed and turned back to the city. They knew that this young man was going to face a battlefield more dangerous than Qingzhou, a more treacherous conspiracy, and a heavier mission.