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

Night once again enveloped the Zhou residence like thick ink.

There were noticeably more guards patrolling at night; the glow of lanterns drifted through the courtyards and corridors, and the footsteps were regular and alert, more frequent than usual.

The third quarter of the hour of Zi (11:45 PM) is precisely when people are most tired and their vigilance is slightly relaxed.

The window of the study in the west wing of the inner courtyard was silently pushed open a crack. A slender figure, dressed in a dark gray cloth dress that blended into the night, covered her hair and mouth with a matching cloth, revealing only a pair of eyes that shone exceptionally brightly in the darkness.

She glided out of the window like a cat, landing silently and quickly disappearing into the shadows of the pillars.

It was Chen tide.

They were getting closer to the west wing. The row of low-lying wing rooms was blurred in the night, like a crouching giant beast, lying silently in the most secluded corner of the courtyard. There were no lights around, only the faint glow of lanterns on the eaves in the distance, barely outlining its shape. The door was still tightly closed, the specially made brass lock gleaming coldly in the dim light.

Chen tide did not approach the main entrance rashly. She went around to the side of the side room, where there was a small, high window for ventilation, in a secluded location.

She crouched down, took out a sharpened, thin bamboo stick (from the embroidery hoop) from her bosom, carefully inserted it into a larger hole in the window paper, and gently moved the latch inside.

She didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps just a short while, perhaps an eternity. Just as her wrists began to ache, she finally felt the window latch being opened!

She was slightly pleased, but dared not relax for a moment.

She gently pushed open the high window. The window made an extremely faint creaking sound, but it sounded particularly jarring in the quiet night. She immediately stopped, bent over, and her heart nearly leaped out of her chest.

Listening closely, all that could be heard was the sound of the wind and the distant footsteps of night patrollers; the faint sound from earlier seemed to have gone unnoticed.

Without further hesitation, she gripped the windowsill with both hands and gracefully leaned upwards.

A nauseating stench, a mixture of strong musty, dusty, rusty smells, and the bitterness of that peculiar medicinal powder, assaulted my senses! It was even stronger than Ah Yue had described! The room was pitch black; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Chen tide steadied herself, used her hands to lift her body completely, then turned sideways and carefully squeezed through the high window, landing inside the room.

She dared not light the folding stove; it would be too conspicuous. She could only stare wide-eyed, trying to adjust to the absolute darkness. After a long while, with the extremely faint light filtering in from the high window, she could barely make out the general outline of the room.

Sure enough, the room was filled with a lot of miscellaneous items—dilapidated tables and chairs, wooden cabinets with missing legs, screens covered in thick dust, and some large, irregularly shaped items covered with burlap.

But this place is far more than just a dumping ground for clutter. The peculiar, mixed odor seems to originate deep within the house.

Moreover, there were obvious signs of sweeping or dragging on some parts of the floor, forming a relatively "clean" passage leading to the innermost corner of the house.

She took a deep breath, suppressed her fear, and crept cautiously into the "passage."

At the far end of the room, in the corner, were several large wooden crates tightly bound together with hemp rope. The smell of rust and kerosene seemed to be coming from near these crates.

What shocked Chen tide even more was that, in the extremely dim light where the wall met the ground, she saw an irregular, dark stain that was significantly darker than the surrounding ground! Although it had been carefully cleaned, the blackish-brown color that had seeped into the brickwork was clearly—dried blood! And it covered a considerable area!

Something really did happen here! And it was definitely not just a "practice injury" that Zhou Wenyuan casually dismissed!

Her gaze fell on the wooden crates. The crates looked heavy and were covered in dust.

A daring idea arose in her mind. With trembling hands, she braced herself against the edge of the box lid and forcefully lifted it open!

"Squeak—"

The lid of the box was lifted a crack. A stronger, more pungent smell, a mixture of rust, kerosene, and some kind of grease, rushed out! By the negligible light filtering through the high window, Chen tide saw what was inside the box—

It wasn't gold or silver, nor ancient books, nor any of the treasures she had imagined.

It's a weapon! And a well-made one, one that ordinary people could never possess!

Armaments! Contraband armaments! And judging from their design and craftsmanship, they are definitely not ordinary state army equipment; they are more like... sophisticated tools specifically designed for special missions such as assassination and sabotage! The shape of some of the arrowheads instantly reminded her of the arrows used by the Di Rong cavalry of Blackwater Ridge that Lin Feng had described. They were somewhat similar, but even more refined and vicious!

How could such a thing exist in Zhou Wenyuan's residence?! And hidden in such a secluded west wing! Could he also be secretly stockpiling weapons?

What would he, a civil official, need these things for? Considering his assassination attempt and his accusations against the Prince of Qi... a terrible conjecture, like a cold, venomous snake, coiled around Chen tide's heart.

Could it be that Zhou Wenyuan wasn't as loyal as he appeared? Did he have ulterior motives in impeaching the Prince of Qi? Or was he even colluding with certain forces, secretly accumulating power? Were these weapons intended to be used against the Prince of Qi? Or... was there something else going on?

Whose bloodstain was that? Was it from the person who handled these weapons? Or... someone else?

Chen tide felt a chill run through her body and involuntarily took a step back, leaning against the cold wall. She had thought Zhou Wenyuan was the person her grandfather trusted and entrusted to her, her only support and hope in the prefecture. But the box of cold weapons and the dark bloodstains before her shattered that trust.

This grand mansion was far more dangerous and complex than she had imagined. She not only needed to be wary of the Prince of Qi's open attacks, but also of the hidden arrows from those who seemed close to her!

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps and faint shouts suddenly came from afar outside! It seemed that night patrol guards were rapidly approaching the west wing!

"Over there! There seems to be some movement!"

"Quick! Let's go check it out!"

Oh no! We've been discovered?! Could it be from the noise I made when I opened the window or the box, or did I accidentally leave a trace?

Chen tide was instantly terrified! She frantically tried to close the lid of the box, but in her panic, she was at a loss for what to do.

A loud bang came from the direction of the main entrance to the side room, seemingly the sound of the door lock being forcefully struck! Immediately following was Zhou An's familiar and stern demand: "Who's in there?! Come out!"

There's no escape!

In a flash, Chen Xi's gaze swept across the room. Against the wall were large items covered in burlap! Without thinking, she spotted the nearest object—its outline resembling a huge wooden crate or cabinet—lifted a corner of the burlap, and ducked inside! The space was cramped, filled with tattered cotton and rotten wood, emitting a strong musty smell. She curled up, covering herself completely with the burlap, leaving only a tiny gap to observe the outside. At the same time, she tightly covered her mouth and nose, holding her breath, her heart pounding wildly, as if it would explode.

With a loud bang, the door to the west wing was kicked open! Several flickering torchlight beams instantly pierced the darkness inside, illuminating the messy clutter and swirling dust.

Zhou An, lantern in hand and face ashen, led four guards armed with swords and on high alert as they rushed in. The firelight illuminated the mess inside, as well as the open wooden crate in the corner, and the gleaming weapons faintly visible within!

Zhou An's face was extremely grim. He strode to the wooden crate and looked at the contraband weapons stacked inside.

He whirled around, his gaze sharp as a hawk's, sweeping across every corner of the room, and roared, "Search! Search thoroughly! See if anyone is hiding inside! Don't miss a single corner!"

The guards immediately dispersed, using their sabers to clear away piles of debris, kick over dilapidated tables and chairs, and carefully search every possible hiding place. The torchlight flickered inside, illuminating the area around the burlap cabinet where Chen Xi was hiding. She could clearly hear the guards' heavy footsteps getting closer and closer, and even smell their sweat and leather.

Cold sweat instantly soaked through Chen tide's undergarments. She curled up tightly, even her fingertips trembling, her mind blank, filled only with boundless fear. Was she about to be discovered? Discovered of trespassing into forbidden territory and witnessing such a secret, what would Zhou Wenyuan do to her? Silence her? Imprison her? She dared not think about it.

Just as a guard's sword was about to lift the cloth covering the burlap cabinet where she was hiding—

"Steward Zhou! Over here!" another guard suddenly shouted from the other end of the room, "There's a window open! The latch is loose!"

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to it. Zhou An strode to the tall window, raised the lantern to examine the windowsill and the holes in the window paper, then stuck his head out to look outside, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

"He came in from here, and he escaped from here too!" Zhou An gritted his teeth. "Chase him! Immediately seal off the mansion and search every suspicious corner! Especially the area near the wall! He can't have gone far!"

"Yes!" the guards responded, quickly leaving the west wing, their hurried footsteps and shouts fading into the distance.

Zhou An did not leave immediately. He stood inside the empty room and said coldly, as if talking to himself, "No matter who you are, if you see something you shouldn't have, don't even think about leaving the Zhou residence alive."

After saying that, he turned and walked out, forcefully slamming the broken door shut from the outside (the lock was broken). The sound of his footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Inside, silence and darkness returned. Only the torch outside the door cast a few flickering, weak rays of light through the crack in the door.

Chen tide remained curled up in the burlap cabinet, too afraid to move, even her breathing was cautious. Zhou An's last words were like an ice pick, piercing her heart and chilling her to the bone. He really intended to silence her! The secret of this west wing was far more deadly than she had imagined!

She didn't know if Zhou An truly believed the "thief" had escaped through the window, nor whether he had left a lookout outside the door. She dared not take the risk. She could only continue hiding here, waiting, waiting for an escape opportunity that might never come.

She must escape! She must survive! And then, she must find out the truth! Zhou Wenyuan, the west wing, the weapons, the bloodstains, the Golden Dragon Token, the secret treasures of the previous dynasty… she must unravel all the mysteries!

Zhou An led his men in pursuit, and the manor must be in chaos right now. The focus of their defenses will likely be on the walls and entrances. This area might be temporarily overlooked. Perhaps a sliver of hope will appear when dawn approaches, when the guards are most tired and relaxed…