Border Soldiers: My granaries are full of grain and meat, and I guard this region.

Seeing that the two people's attention had been drawn to him, Qi Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

He was genuinely worried that Zhao Tongchuan and Zhong Shao would back out and sell him out.

Qi Feng never wanted to experience that feeling of not being in control of his own destiny again.

"I wonder what brilliant plan Brother Qi has in mind?"

Zhong Shao looked at Qi Feng and asked tentatively.

Qi Feng bowed slightly to Zhong Shao and Zhao Tongchuan, then feigned hesitation and said:

"Yes, it is, but..."

"But what?" Zhao Tongchuan asked impatiently.

"Qi Feng is merely a hunter from the mountains; his words may have been offensive. I was only afraid of Magistrate Zhao and Young Master Zhong... I dare not!"

"You dare not?"

Zhong Shao and Zhao Tongchuan exchanged a glance and simultaneously let out a cold snort.

"He's just a lowly eighth-rank soldier! What do we have to be afraid of? The Sui Dynasty is governed by civil officials; are we afraid of a mere military man?"

Zhong Shao nodded. "What's more, he did something so inhumane! This is intolerable!"

Seeing that he had ignited the emotions of Zhao Tongchuan and Zhong Shao, Qi Feng smiled.

"Since that's the case, then I'll be frank. I wonder if Magistrate Zhao and Young Master Zhong have ever heard of the Feast at Hongmen?"

"A trap?" Zhao Tongchuan and Zhong Shao were taken aback upon hearing this, somewhat puzzled.

Seeing this, Qi Feng slowly said:

"Since Ma Shuo dares to act this way, all we need to do is invite him to the county government office as a guest, and at the same time, arrange for executioners to be on standby, with the signal to smash a cup!"

"Once the signal is given, the executioners will all come out and hack Ma Shuo to death! Then I will follow Young Master Zhong and have him take over Duma Village as a military officer. Anyone who disobeys will be punished for treason and beheaded on the spot! This way, the matter can be resolved."

After Qi Feng finished speaking, he quietly looked at the two of them, waiting for their reply.

Zhao Tongchuan and Zhong Shao were completely stunned after hearing Qi Feng's plan.

"This...this is unacceptable! If we kill officials in the court...I'm afraid..." Zhao Tongchuan instinctively wanted to refuse, but then he heard Qi Feng suddenly shout.

"Magistrate Zhao! That Ma Shuo has become so lawless! Ye Family Village is under the jurisdiction of Fuxing County, and there are more than a hundred people there! As the local official, are you just going to stand by and watch them be slaughtered by Ma Shuo as bandits?!"

"I came here overnight to inform you two, and Ma Shuo certainly doesn't know! This matter will definitely work! When the time comes, as long as we announce Ma Shuo's actions to the world, you two will surely become famous! Haven't you heard the saying, 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained'? With such a golden opportunity before you, why are you hesitating?"

Upon hearing Qi Feng's deafening voice, Zhao Tongchuan felt dizzy, but the fear he had felt earlier was dispelled by the sound, replaced by a surge of greed.

He wasted ten years in officialdom before finally becoming a sixth-rank county magistrate. How many more decades could he wait?

Above the county magistrate is the prefectural governor, then the prefectural governor, then the transport commissioner of the merged prefectures, and finally, only then can one enter the imperial palace...

He doesn't have many decades left to live on.

"Excellent! Now that I have this opportunity, I must capture Ma Shuo!"

"Military Advisor Zhong, why don't we both follow this young brother Qi's arrangements? Tomorrow, we'll invite Ma Shuo to the government office for a chat."

However, although Zhong Shao also wanted to agree, he didn't act rashly. Instead, he looked at Qi Feng and asked:

"Brother Qi, but all of this is just your one-sided account... Even if what you say is true, and all one hundred-plus people in Ye Family Village were tragically killed, who will be able to testify to all of this then?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tongchuan felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his heart.

Yes, it would be almost impossible to convict Ma Shuo based solely on Qi Feng's words.

But Qi Feng just smiled slightly.

"Young Master Zhong need not worry. Last night I infiltrated Ye Family Village and rescued two people. One of them is Ye Ling Shuang, the chief of Ye Family Village, and the other is Ye Ling Shuang's younger sister, Ye Zhi Wan, who is also the manager of Ye Family Restaurant in the county. Everyone in the city knows her."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Shao clapped his hands and a look of joy appeared on his face.

"Good! This way we can convict Ma Shuo! Let's proceed according to Brother Qi's plan, using that... what's it..."

"The Feast at Hongmen!"

"Yes! It was the Feast at Hongmen!"

Qi Feng then discussed the details with Zhong Shao and Zhao Tongchuan. By the time they left the county government office, it was already the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).

Seeing the sky gradually brightening outside, Qi Feng immediately spurred his horse and rode out of the city.

This time, no county soldiers stopped him; they were just guessing what had happened.

It took another half an hour to get back to Qijia Village from Fuxing County. Qi Feng dismounted and rushed into his home.

The three women in the family were not asleep, but sat around the table waiting for Qi Feng to return.

Upon seeing Qi Feng enter, Yu Yourong immediately stood up and went to stand in front of him. After glancing outside to make sure no one else was there, she closed the door.

"Husband, how is it? The Ye sisters have told me..."

Qi Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead, picked up a ladle of water, and took a big gulp.

"I have informed Magistrate Zhao and Military Advisor Zhong of the news overnight. I have also seen through Ma Shuo's scheme. Furthermore, I have already discussed with Magistrate Zhao and Military Advisor Zhong that we will prepare a trap for Ma Shuo tomorrow!"

After Qi Feng finished explaining to the three women what the Feast at Hongmen was, a hint of worry appeared in Yu Yourong's eyes.

"Husband, isn't this too risky... The people in Duma Village are all arrogant and fierce bandits. I'm afraid that you and Military Advisor Zhong alone might not be able to suppress them."

Qi Feng shook his head. "Don't worry about that. The lower-ranking soldiers in Duma Village are just common soldiers. The truly unruly ones are the four commanders under Ma Shuo. When the time comes, we just need to take out these four commanders, and the others will naturally not resist."

Yu Yourong pursed her lips and didn't say anything more. Although she was still very worried about Qi Feng, she also knew that Qi Feng had been forced into a corner.

If we don't do this, after Ma Shuo reports to the county government tomorrow, Ye Family Village and Qi Feng will truly be labeled as bandits and spies of the Great Rong.

Therefore, in order to survive, Qi Feng had no choice but to take such a risk.

Upon hearing Ye Feng's words, Ye Ling Shuang and Ye Zhi Wan immediately knelt down and bowed to Qi Feng.

"Ye Ling Shuang (Ye Zhi Wan) thanks Young Master Qi for saving our lives! And thanks Young Master Qi for avenging us!"

Qi Feng stepped forward and helped the two up. Looking at their red, swollen eyes, he sighed.

"This matter is not for the two of you, but also for my own sake. There's no need to say more."

"However, I need the two of you to accompany me to the county government tomorrow. I need the two of you to be present when I convict Ma Shuo. Otherwise, even if Magistrate Zhao and Military Advisor Zhong know the truth, they will be unable to do anything to Ma Shuo."

Ye Ling Shuang and Ye Zhi Wan exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.

"I will follow Young Master Qi's arrangements!"