On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Japanese country?

A gleam of light flashed in Lin Zhen's eyes!

As expected! These traitors actually dared to collude with foreign invaders!

"The exact location of Langya Mountain! How many people are in the stronghold? What is the defense like?" Lin Zhen pressed for details.

In order to protect his people, the chieftain had no choice but to reveal everything he knew.

Having obtained the information he wanted, Lin Zhen didn't look at him again and said to Ying, "Give him a quick death. Clean him up."

"Yes!"

Lin Zhen turned and walked out of the dungeon, bathing in the morning light once again.

The murderous aura on his face gradually subsided, but his eyes became even more profound.

Kim Soon-cheol's hiding place in Langya Mountain and his possible collusion with Japan suggest that the potential threat is greater than imagined.

He hurried back to his bedchamber. Murong Yan was still lying weakly on the couch, but her eyes were fixed on the door. Only when she saw him return did a hint of relief flash in her eyes.

"Did you manage to find out?" Murong Yan asked softly.

"Hmm." Lin Zhen sat down on the edge of the couch and briefly told her the results of the interrogation, omitting the bloody details.

After listening, Murong Yan remained silent for a moment, her phoenix eyes flashing with cold light: "Langya Mountain, Japan, very good. Once I recover, I will definitely uproot these demons and monsters!"

Although her voice was weak, her decisive and ruthless aura had begun to return.

Lin Zhen held her hand: "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. The most important thing for you right now is to get well."

Murong Yan nodded and closed her eyes wearily.

......

The tenth day of the fifth month in the third year of the Shenghui era.

Four days have passed since the shocking incident at the prayer ceremony.

On the surface, Anzhou City was calm and peaceful. The court announced that Her Majesty the Empress had caught a cold and needed to rest for several days, and all government affairs would be temporarily handled by Prince Regent Lin Zhen.

However, beneath this deliberately maintained calm surface, the undercurrents are becoming increasingly turbulent.

Langya Mountain is located more than 100 miles north of Anzhou. It is a steep mountain with deep forests and slippery moss, and is rarely visited by people.

Inside a secluded hideout, a natural cave that had been converted into a secret outpost, the atmosphere was as oppressive as the deathly stillness before a storm.

Kim Soon-cheol's face turned ashen. He slammed his fist hard on the rough stone table, causing the oil lamp on the table to flicker.

Before him knelt a messenger who had just risked his life to sneak back from Anzhou City, trembling as he reported the terrible news.

"Chief, the news is confirmed, that vixen Murong Yan is not dead!" The messenger's voice was choked with sobs. "The Black Witch Village was massacred overnight by Lin Zhen's men, and the village chief is missing. The Anzhou Palace is under much tighter security than before. Our plan has completely failed!"

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" Kim Soon-cheol roared furiously, veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes filled with madness and resentment that seemed about to burst forth.

"Isn't the 'Seven-Day Soul-Severing Powder' of Black Witch Village supposedly incurable?! How could this be?! Is Murong Yan really a nine-lived demon phoenix?!"

He originally hoped to seize this opportunity to eliminate Murong Yan in one fell swoop, causing chaos in Anzhou and even the entire Andong Protectorate, thus giving the "Restoration Banner" a chance to breathe and develop.

To his utter surprise, such a meticulous plan, which employed the most secretive and vicious forces he could contact, still ended in failure!

Murong Yan's survival means they are about to face an even more frenzied and brutal purge by the Holy Emblem Dynasty!

"Leader, what should we do now?" a trusted aide asked fearfully. "Lin Zhen must have already pried the location of our stronghold out of the Black Witch Chieftain! This place is no longer safe!"

Kim Soon-cheol forced himself to calm down.

He paced back and forth in the dimly lit cave, panting heavily, like a trapped beast struggling to survive.

The feeling of defeat gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake, but more than that, it was a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve.

“It’s unexpected that Murong Yan didn’t die, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a dead end!” Jin Shunzhe suddenly stopped, a cunning glint in his eyes.

"Even if she's not dead, she must be severely weakened! Lin Zhen is probably focusing all his energy on protecting her and investigating internal matters right now, so he might be less vigilant about external matters. This could be another opportunity for us!"

"An opportunity?" the confidant asked, puzzled.

"Yes! An opportunity!" Kim Soon-cheol lowered his voice, a desperate, ferocious look on his face. "Restoring our country on our own is as difficult as climbing to heaven! We must rely on external forces!"

"External force? Who is the leader?"

"Japan!" Kim Soon-cheol squeezed out the two words through gritted teeth.

"Do you remember when Brother Park Ji-woong tried to contact Japan before? Although he was rejected at the time, times have changed! Now that Murong Yan has been assassinated and seriously injured, the Holy Emblem's rule in Liaodong may seem stable, but in reality, there must be unrest among the people! This is a golden opportunity for Japan to intervene and seek its own interests!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke: "Japan has been coveting the Korean Peninsula and Liaodong for quite some time! They didn't dare to provoke the powerful Holy Emblem Empire before, but now, with Murong Yan seriously injured and Lin Zhen busy with internal affairs, the Holy Emblem Empire, though seemingly strong, has actually revealed its weaknesses! As long as we offer them great benefits, such as ceding Busanpo and even the entire Byeonhan region to Japan after the matter is accomplished, and allowing them to trade and station troops, they will definitely be tempted!"

Upon hearing this, the confidants exchanged bewildered glances, feeling both that the move was too risky, like inviting a wolf into the house, and that it might be their only chance of survival at the moment.

“But leader, Japan is far overseas. How can we contact them? And how can we gain their trust?” another person asked worriedly.

Jin Shunzhe sneered, "I have my own channels. Remember that Japanese merchant 'Taira Sadamori' who has been secretly providing us with intelligence? He appears to be here to do business, but he's actually a spy sent by Japan! Before, we were weak, so he didn't dare to get too close to us. Now that we have the bombshell news that 'Murong Yan is seriously injured,' plus the promise to cede territory, I'm not afraid he won't be tempted! As long as we go through him, we can contact the powerful Minister Soga no Umako in Japan!"

He immediately ordered: "Send someone with my personal secret letter to secretly infiltrate Anju City and contact Pyeong Jeong-seong! Tell him that the Goguryeo Restoration Banner is willing to form an alliance with Japan to jointly resist the Holy Emblem! As long as Japan is willing to send troops to restrain the Holy Emblem Navy, or create trouble along the coast to help us restore our kingdom, after the success, the land of Byeonhan will belong to Japan! In addition, the wealth and population of Anju, Pyongyang and other places can also be shared with Japan!"

“Isn’t this too much…” one of the confidants felt the conditions were too humiliating.

"Humiliation?!" Kim Soon-cheol interrupted sharply, his eyes bloodshot. "Compared to the destruction of our nation and the extermination of our race, what is this humiliation?! As long as we can drive out the Holy Emblem people and restore the Goguryeo dynasty, temporary forbearance and concessions are worthwhile! Go now!"

"Yes, leader!" The messenger dared not say another word, took the secret letter, and hurriedly left.

Inside the cave, silence returned, broken only by Jin Shunzhe's heavy breathing and the crackling of the oil lamp.

He knew he was trying to negotiate with a tiger.

The Japanese are just as ambitious and treacherous.

But at this moment, he had no other choice.

The news that Murong Yan was not dead hung like a sword of Damocles over his head and all the survivors.

He had to find a glimmer of hope before Lin Zhen's massive army arrived to encircle and annihilate him, even if that glimmer of hope led to another hell.

It's quiet at night.

Japanese merchant Taira no Sadamori knelt in a secluded room filled with Japanese charm, carefully reading Kim Soon-cheol's secret letter by the dim light.

He was about forty years old, with a kind face, but his narrow eyes occasionally flashed with shrewdness.

After reading the letter, he pondered for a long time, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.

"Heh, so Jin Shunzhe has finally come to this point?" he muttered to himself. "Murong Yan has been seriously injured in an assassination attempt. This is quite a piece of news. If it's true, it might indeed be a good opportunity for our Great He Kingdom to intervene in Liaodong."

He got up, walked to the window, and gazed at the silent night of Anzhou City.

As a secret agent sent by Japan, he had been observing and waiting.

The power of the Holy Emblem deterred him and the forces behind him from making any rash moves.

However, if Murong Yan truly severely damages the Holy Emblem's rule in Liaodong, a huge rift will appear.

"The land of Byeonhan is truly an enticing bargaining chip." A glint of greed flashed in Taira no Sadamori's eyes.

He knew that the radical faction in the country, led by Minister Soga no Umako, had long coveted the Korean Peninsula. This intelligence and proposal were enough to tempt them.

Without further hesitation, he returned to his desk, picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and began writing a secret report to the country using a special code.

He needed to relay Kim Soon-cheol's proposal and the news of Murong Yan's serious injury back to Nanba Kyoto as quickly as possible.

After writing the secret report, he sealed it with sealing wax, summoned a trusted ronin samurai, and whispered, "Depart immediately by fast ship back to the country. Personally deliver this letter to Minister Soga no Umako! Remember, this is of utmost importance and cannot be lost!"

"Yes, sir!" The ronin samurai bowed and accepted the order, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.

Taira no Sadamori stared in the direction the samurai had disappeared, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Let it be chaotic, the more chaotic the better. Only when the waters are muddy can my Yamato Kingdom catch its fish."

Meanwhile, inside the Anzhou Imperial Palace, Murong Yan was gradually recovering under Lin Zhen's meticulous care.

Unbeknownst to her, a far more sinister storm, triggered by the failed assassination attempt and involving foreign forces, was quietly brewing.