In a chaotic and famine-stricken era, I picked up an empress to be my wife.

Shen An immediately gave chase.

The two were neck and neck, but the other was clearly slower than Shen An.

As they closed the distance, Shen An realized that the person was a size smaller than him and looked like a woman.

There weren't many women among the corpse carriers at the mass grave in Qingtian Village. Shen An frowned, put more effort into his steps, and rushed forward to grab the other person's arm.

The man tried to break free, but his arm was as if it were bound by an iron clamp, and he couldn't move it.

Shen Anyi pulled the person close, and with a flick of the flare, he saw the face clearly.

It turned out to be Zhao Feng, Old Zhao's granddaughter!

Dugu Meng caught up as well, and after seeing who it was, her eyes held a complex expression.

In her memory, Zhao Feng was always good at handling things, had good judgment, and was smart. She always took the lead in everything. She even thought Zhao Feng was a good prospect and that she would take Zhao Feng with her after they escaped danger. If they were properly trained, Zhao Feng might become a pillar of society!

But he became Ma Tianming's informant!

Zhao Feng, Zhao Feng, do you know what you've lost?

They practically gave up future success for a trivial matter!

Shen An was also surprised, but he could accept it since you can't see into someone's heart.

Despite her young age, Zhao Feng is quite a good actress.

Before Shen An could speak, Zhao Feng scratched his head and asked, "Squad Leader Shen, why did you arrest me? I just wanted to see if I could help."

"Help? Then why did you run away as soon as you saw me?"

"It was dark and we were far apart. When you suddenly ran out of the cave, I thought it was a monkey chasing me!" Zhao Feng pouted, looking scared.

"Then why did you keep following us without calling us?" Shen An asked again.

"I was following you because you were walking too fast and I couldn't keep up."

"And then there's me, a girl, there are some things I'm too embarrassed to say out loud, so I just keep my head down and follow along, not daring to express my true feelings." Zhao Feng pouted again.

She keeps saying she's a young girl, but the things she says are not things a young girl should say.

She's a complete scheming bitch; she's definitely Ma Tianming's spy!

But! Shen An didn't expose her on the spot.

The fact that this woman was willing to be Ma Tianming's informant shows that in her eyes, Shen Anyuan was not as important as Ma Tianming, and that even coercion and bribery would be useless. In her mind, only by telling Ma Tianming what had happened could all the problems be solved.

Kill her? Imprison her?

Even worse, once Ma Tianming finds out his spies have been removed, he won't even bother with formalities and will take immediate action.

It would be better to keep her around and let her spread false information to Ma Tianming. She can still be useful when things really turn sour in the future.

Shen An released her grip, her face softening with gratitude: "You silly girl, if you wanted to help, you could have just said so. Why did you have to follow me secretly?"

"I'm just embarrassed..." Zhao Feng said, her eyes filled with tears and her lips pursed.

"Don't cry, people will think I'm bullying you." Shen An smiled. "Since you want to help me, that's perfect. My house is overflowing with dead people's hair. Help me transport it to the cave tonight."

Zhao Feng felt relieved, thinking that Shen An was nothing special, so easily fooled!

She grew bolder and tentatively asked, "Squad Leader Shen, what can you do with this dead man's hair? I may be short, but I'm skillful and can help you with some work."

Dugu Meng listened from the side, her face darkening. This girl is too scheming!

Shen An, on the other hand, seemed quite straightforward: "I'm going to make my move tomorrow, so there's no harm in telling you."

I plan to braid this hair and sell it all to the merchant from the capital when he arrives.

"Huh? Things from the dead are considered unlucky, why would a merchant from the capital collect this?" Zhao Feng asked suspiciously.

"Making wigs, of course. Not everyone has hair as thick as ours, especially those high-ranking officials who care about their image; many of them wear wigs as they get older. We're thousands of miles from the capital, so they wouldn't know it's hair from a dead person," Shen An said with a hint of pride. "Once this hair gets to the capital, it'll become a valuable commodity. Even if we can't go to the capital, we can still make a fortune."

A fleeting look of joy crossed Zhao Feng's face, which she quickly suppressed, and she pressed on, "What if the merchants from the capital are just talking the talk and then don't actually come?"

"Where do you think the money to buy the squad leader position came from? It was from a business deal I did with him last time, where we agreed to meet again in three months." Shen An patted her shoulder: "I see you always think of me; you're a loyal person."

From now on, you will be responsible for washing my hair and braiding it.

The work is done in this cave; it's close to the water source and quiet.

"Then...then wouldn't I become your confidant?" Zhao Feng asked in a low voice, her tone filled with barely concealed excitement.

"Yes, absolutely a confidant. I'll be putting you in charge of people from now on." Shen An's eyes were filled with sincerity: "Don't worry, I, Shen An, will never mistreat those who are truly loyal to me."

Zhao Feng was so excited that her palms were sweating.

She had only come to scout ahead tonight, but Shen An caught her red-handed, and she thought she was doomed.

Not only did nothing wrong, but he also became one of his confidants. When this credit was reported to Officer Ma, he was sure to receive a generous reward.

She quickly feigned gratitude: "Don't worry, Chief Shen, I will definitely live up to your expectations!"

"Alright, let's transport this hair to the cave tonight."

"Once we're done with the mass grave tomorrow, bring a few people over and start cleaning and tidying it up."

After giving his instructions, Shen An glanced at her and said, "I've told you all my business secrets. You should know the extent of this trust you've placed in me."

Zhao Feng nodded repeatedly, but in her heart she was already planning how to send a message to Ma Tianming tomorrow.

The three men made ten trips back and forth, carrying all two thousand pounds of hair into the cave.

As dawn broke, Shen An prepared breakfast and made sure Zhao Feng was full before letting her leave.

After everyone left, Dugu Meng spoke up as she cleared the dishes: "You're really something, making a wig business look like the real thing."

Zhao Feng has also been sent away by you, so you can now safely calcine your blood residue charcoal.

Shen An didn't smile much and said, "A lie is still a lie, and it will be exposed sooner or later."

I just hope that by the time things break down, I'll have accumulated enough leverage to turn against Ma Tianming.

He paused for a moment, then added, "You stay home today and keep an eye on things for me. Tell Xiao Qi to go to the mass grave to take his shift. Just say I was too tired last night and need to rest for a day."

"Do you want to rest?" Dugu Meng asked.

"I can't rest, I need to calcify the blood residue!"

After Shen An finished speaking, he closed the kitchen door and took the hair into the stove.

Tomorrow is the day I arranged to meet Jiang Caijun.

With the Western barbarians attacking the city, the price of hemostatic drugs will skyrocket, and blood charcoal can also be sold for a much higher price than before.

With a large enough supply, the profits may far exceed expectations, presenting him with a great opportunity to turn the tide!

He absolutely must seize this opportunity; he cannot afford to miss it!