On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Half a month later, in the main hall of the Yanjing headquarters.

It was solemn and dignified, yet filled with an atmosphere of oppressive sadness.

The huge coiled dragon pillar was wrapped with white silk ribbons, and the lanterns hanging in the hall were also covered with white gauze.

The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, but it couldn't dispel the invisible heaviness.

Lin Zhen sat in the main seat, still wearing the black Panlong robe, but with a plain white belt around his waist, and a trace of fatigue and sadness between his brows that was difficult to conceal.

On both sides of the hall stood solemnly civil and military officials and representatives of tribal chiefs (the chiefs themselves had been asked to return to their tribes to implement new policies). Everyone was dressed in plain clothes and had a solemn expression.

"Master," Xiao Hanzhou said, holding the file, his voice low but clear. "In the Battle of Broken Soul Valley, although our army paid a heavy price, we successfully destroyed the Burning Heaven Furnace, killed the rebel chieftain Helian Bao and dozens of Zoroastrian guardians, annihilated over a thousand remnants of the Goshawk tribe and Zoroastrians, and seized countless strategic materials such as refined iron, sulfur, and saltpeter that had not been destroyed. We also uncovered Gu Beichen's shocking conspiracy to refine the Burning Heaven Thunder. This battle... was a great achievement for the country and will benefit future generations. The fallen soldiers died a worthy death, and their heroic spirits will live forever."

The hall was completely silent, one could hear a pin drop. Everyone stood in awe, their heads bowed.

"The fallen soldiers are all heroes of our Daqian. Their blood will not be shed in vain," Lin Zhen said in a deep and powerful voice, with unquestionable determination. "Construction of the Martyrs' Shrine will begin today. The site has been chosen as the West Hill of Yanjing. The scale must be grand, the materials must be excellent, and the construction period must not be delayed."

"Yes," the official from the Ministry of Works bowed and accepted the order.

"Pensions must be implemented. Anyone who embezzles or delays payment will be executed immediately, their property will be confiscated, and their wives and daughters will be enslaved by the government."

"Yes, we will supervise it strictly and will not make any mistakes," the officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel bowed hurriedly in response, cold sweat oozing from their foreheads.

"How is the new policy progressing?" Lin Zhen changed the subject and glanced at the officials and chiefs' representatives.

"Master," Xiao Hanzhou continued, "the land reform has been fully implemented. The chiefs of each tribe have returned to their tribes and are cooperating with officials appointed by the court to count the population, livestock, and pastures, and to register them. The progress is satisfactory. However..."

He paused, his voice sinking slightly. "There's also considerable resistance. This is especially true of larger tribes like the Vulture, Snow Wolf, and Wind Falcon. While the chiefs appear to be cooperating, they're actually acting insincerely. The investigation is progressing slowly, and much of the data is being concealed. Worse still, some are secretly inciting the people to resist the officials, spreading rumors that the new policies are seizing their ancestral heritage and wiping out their descendants. Local officials are constantly being harassed, and some have even been beaten."

"Oh?" Lin Zhen's eyes turned cold instantly, and he tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest. "Pretend to obey? Incite the people? Beat up the officials? Good, very good. It seems that the lesson of Helian Tieshu and those three heads is not deep enough."

The atmosphere in the hall instantly dropped to freezing point. The chiefs and representatives were silent and sweating profusely.

"Where is the chieftain of the Vulture Tribe, Wulianghetai?" Lin Zhen said in a cold voice.

"Your Highness..." The Vulture Tribe envoy fell to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling. "The Chief... The Chief has caught a cold and is ill in bed... He can't... can't come..."

"Cold? Ill?" Lin Zhen's lips curled up in a cold arc. "Order the chief judge of the Imperial Hospital to bring high-quality medicinal materials and go to the Vulture Tribe to treat Chief Wulianghetai. If the illness is true, this prince will give him good medicine. If he is feigning illness and disobeying orders..." His voice suddenly turned stern, "... arrest him on the spot, escort him back to the capital, and hang his head on display for public display."

"Yes," the messenger answered loudly.

"Tuoba Xiong of the Snow Wolf Tribe, Murong Feng of the Wind Falcon Tribe," Lin Zhen's eyes swept over the other two envoys, "Tell them that this prince has given them one last chance. Within ten days, they must personally escort the complete inventory of the tribe's population, livestock, and pastures to Yanjing. If they conceal anything, or fail to do so within the deadline..."

His voice was like ice falling. "The Vulture Tribe is their example. They will be exterminated and their heads will be hanged. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Yes, yes, I will definitely pass it on," the two messengers were so frightened that they kowtowed repeatedly.

"Also," Lin Zhen said in a low voice, "Instruct all tribes: Anyone who takes the initiative to report that the chief is concealing the truth and resisting the new policy will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver, 100 acres of good farmland, and tax exemption for ten years. Anyone who assaults or injures an official will be punished by lingchi (slicing the body of the criminal) and his family will be enslaved. Accomplices will be beheaded and their heads will be hung at the village gate. The reporter will also be rewarded."

"Yes," everyone was shocked.

This is to divide and disintegrate, to remove the fuel from the fire.

"How are the mining matters going?" Lin Zhen turned to Chu Xiling.

Chu Xiling stepped forward. Although her face was still a little pale, her eyes were bright. "Your Highness, the Black Stone Mountain open-pit coal mine has been initially mined. The first batch of 5,000 dan of 'Northern Yan Coal' was loaded onto a ship three days ago and escorted by the Jinwu Guards' navy to the deep-water port of Hu County. Construction has also begun on the hematite mine and the White Stone Valley. The Burning Thunder Division has been secretly established, located deep in the West Mountain, and is under your personal supervision. Analysis of the explosion residue has yielded preliminary results. Its power is over ten times greater than that of black powder. The formula is extremely complex, and reversing it is extremely difficult, but I will do my best."

"Okay," Lin Zhen's eyes flashed with approval. "The coal mining will be accelerated. The required manpower and equipment will be prioritized. Everything the 'Fire Thunder Division' needs are classified as top secret. You are fully responsible and will report directly to this prince."

"Yes," Chu Xiling bowed and accepted the order.

.......

Late at night, deep in the West Mountain, the Fenlei Division's secret camp was built. Built against the mountain, the camp was heavily guarded, with numerous sentries, both visible and hidden, and the elite Jinwu Guards patrolling day and night.

In the center of the camp, a huge laboratory made of heavy bluestone was brightly lit.

Chu Xiling was wearing an indigo work suit, her long hair was neatly tied behind her head, and she was wearing a dust mask and special glass goggles on her face. She was concentrating on operating a complex distillation and purification device.

On the laboratory table were various bottles and jars, precision scales, crucibles, and samples of explosion residues brought back from the Valley of Broken Souls (charred soil, molten metal fragments, and strange crystal powder) carefully sealed in special lead boxes.

The air was filled with a faint smell of sulfur, saltpeter and an indescribable chemical reagent smell.

"Master Chu," a young assistant said excitedly, holding a report. "The sulfur purity of sample number three has reached 98%, and the purity of the saltpeter crystals is over 95%. This... this is even higher than the best purification process in our Ministry of Industry."

"It's not enough," Chu Xiling said coldly without even looking up, "Gu Beichen's formula requires extreme purity. A slight difference will lead to a huge mistake. Continue to purify it and filter it three more times with aqua regia."

"Yes," the assistant responded quickly.

"Sir, look at this," another assistant said, holding a magnifying glass and carefully examining a charred, metallic fragment. "This fragment doesn't look like iron or copper. It's extremely hard and seems to have a very high melting point. It was found near the center of the explosion."

Chu Xiling took the fragment and examined it carefully under the glass lamp. She then gently scraped it with a special diamond knife, her brow furrowed. "...Tungsten? Or chromium? Or some kind of alloy? Where did Gu Beichen get these rare metals?"

A trace of solemnity flashed in her eyes. "Record, number 'Xuanjia-7', composition to be tested, source... focus on tracing."

at this time,

"Report—" A captain of the Jinwu Guard hurried in and knelt on one knee, "Lord Chu, General Mao sent someone to report that while clearing the ruins outside the Valley of Broken Souls, they discovered a secret tunnel entrance."

"Tunnel?" Chu Xiling raised her head suddenly, her eyes gleaming, "Where is it?"

"In... in the northwest corner of the Heaven Burning Furnace ruins, behind a collapsed mountain wall, the entrance is extremely hidden, covered by huge rocks. It was only discovered during the clearing that the tunnel... is bottomless and freezing. General Mao has personally led his men down to investigate and sent this general to report back immediately."

"Let's go," Chu Xiling pulled off her goggles and mask, her cold face showing unprecedented excitement and solemnity.

She had a strong premonition that this tunnel might be hiding a deeper secret of Gu Beichen.

Outside the Valley of Broken Souls, at a temporary camp, the night was as dark as ink, and the wind was biting cold.

The ruins of the Burning Heaven Furnace were still emitting wisps of green smoke, and the air was filled with a burning smell.

In front of a collapsed mountain wall, huge rocks had been removed, revealing a dark hole that was only wide enough for one person to pass through.

The cave entrance was chilly and cold, forming a stark contrast to the scorching ruins around it.

Mao Mengji's skinny figure stood at the entrance of the cave like a javelin, and the scar on his face looked like a wriggling centipede in the light of the torch.

Behind him, dozens of elite Jinwu Guards were armed with torches and powerful crossbows, ready for battle.

"Madam Chu," Mao Mengji said in a hoarse voice with a hint of excitement when he saw Chu Xiling rushing over. "There's something strange down there. It's very cold, and there are marks on the stone wall."

Chu Xiling took a torch without saying anything and said, "Go down and take a look."

Mao Mengji personally led the way, Chu Xiling followed closely behind, and several elite Jinwu Guards entered one after another.

The tunnel is narrow and steep, extending all the way down.

The stone steps were rough, clearly hastily carved. The further down we went, the colder it got. The air was filled with a damp, musty smell and a faint... sulphur?

The stone wall was indeed covered with traces of artificial excavation, and there were also some vague, ghostly-like carvings.

"Stop," Chu Xiling suddenly squatted down and brought the torch close to a scratch on the stone wall. "Is this Western writing? Zoroastrian runes?" A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

"Sir, there is light ahead," a Jinwu Guard whispered.

Everyone quickened their pace, turned a corner, and suddenly the road opened up in front of them.

A huge, naturally formed cave appeared before our eyes.

In the center of the cave, there is a bottomless cold pool with a diameter of several feet.

The water in the pond was as black as ink, emitting a biting cold.

Scattered by the pond were some broken wooden boxes, scattered minerals (sulfur, saltpeter), and... several frozen corpses in black robes.

Next to the corpse, there was an overturned, strangely shaped bronze brazier with some grayish-white ashes remaining at the bottom.

"Is this... a Zoroastrian altar?" Mao Mengji looked sinister.

Chu Xiling did not answer, her eyes were fixed on the other side of the cold pond.

There, on the stone wall, there stands a huge, man-made arched stone door.

The stone door was tightly closed. It was made of thick bluestone, and its surface was covered with complex reliefs similar to the runes on the stone wall.

In the center of the stone gate, there is a huge, ferocious, flaming demon head made of some kind of black metal.

The demon's eyes are two pigeon egg-sized gemstones emitting a faint red light...?

"Red Flame Demon Eye?" Chu Xiling cried out in disbelief and shock.

"How come the sacred object from Zoroastrian legend is here?"

"What's behind the door?" A fierce light flashed in Mao Mengji's eyes.

"I don't know..." Chu Xiling took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. "But... this is definitely not a simple altar. This stone door... this demon pupil... this cold pond... and these sulfur ores... Gu Beichen... what is he hiding here?"

She walked to the stone gate, carefully observing the embossed runes and demonic pupils, her fingers unconsciously stroking the cold stone gate, and a strong sense of unease surged in her heart.

This tunnel and this stone door may be Gu Beichen's real secret in the Valley of Broken Souls.

The Burning Heaven Furnace...maybe it's just a cover to deceive people.

The real core of "Burning Sky Thunder"... maybe it's behind this stone gate.

"General Mao," Chu Xiling turned abruptly, her voice filled with unprecedented solemnity and urgency, "Seal off this place immediately. No one is allowed to approach. Send a pigeon to His Highness, requesting that he come in person."