A sense of oppression permeated the Imperial Study in the Great Gan Palace.

Wang Gan sat behind the carved dragon and phoenix desk, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with anger and frustration.

On the table lay the intelligence report that the scout had just sent; the thin paper seemed to weigh a ton.

"That despicable scoundrel Song Xuan has actually ascended the throne!"

Wang Gan slammed his hand on the table, causing the ink and brush on it to vibrate slightly, his heart burning with rage.

"I was truly blind. I actually believed he would cede territory. It turns out he was plotting against me from the very beginning."

Wang Gan gritted his teeth, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white.

Taking a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, he picked up his pen and quickly wrote on the letter paper.

Every stroke seemed to carry his burning anger, and the handwriting appeared exceptionally sharp.

"Song Xuan, what are your true intentions in ascending the throne? Quickly return the lost territories of my Great Gan! If Great Wu does not cede its territory, there will never be peace on the border."

...

In the Drunken Moon Pavilion, Room 1, Tianzi, Chen Zhennan stood by the window, his gaze passing through the carved window lattice as he stared at the bustling street below.

The streets were bustling with traffic, but he felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his heart.

The 100,000 troops guarding Tianyang Pass were like a thorn in his side, a constant threat to his heart.

"Alas, if this ailment is not cured, it will be like a fishbone stuck in my throat."

Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly noticed that a group of patrolling soldiers downstairs were all staring at him.

The soldiers' eyes revealed vigilance and suspicion. Chen Zhennan was startled and suddenly realized that he had forgotten to wear his mask, and that someone had probably already recognized him.

Turning away from the window, Chen Zhennan hurriedly put on the mask, his movements somewhat flustered. He absolutely could not be exposed at this moment.

Seeing his flustered state, Song Yunming was filled with curiosity and stepped forward to ask, "What's wrong? Why are you so nervous?"

Chen Zhennan had no mind to answer him at this moment. Before he could even open his mouth to explain, he heard a series of heavy footsteps outside the door, as heavy as muffled thunder.

After putting on the mask, he quickly placed the Go board on the table, pulled Song Yunming to sit down, casually arranged some Go pieces, and pretended to be playing Go in a relaxed manner.

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open violently from the outside with a loud bang, and the patrolling soldiers rushed into the room like a tidal wave.

The captain, with a face full of scars and eyes as big as copper bells, drew his sword without hesitation, the gleaming blade pointing straight at Chen Zhennan.

"Who are you? You're lurking around here suspiciously; you must have some ulterior motive!"

Upon seeing this, Song Yunming suddenly realized what was going on. He hurriedly stood up, his face plastered with a fawning smile. He pulled out a large ingot of silver from his pocket and said with a smile, "Sir, please don't be angry. We are just ordinary merchants passing through the capital, stopping here for a rest."

The captain of the soldiers didn't even glance at Song Yunming, as if he hadn't heard him at all, and walked straight up to Chen Zhennan.

His eyes were like two sharp knives, scrutinizing Chen Zhennan's appearance carefully, as if trying to see through Chen Zhennan's face.

Chen Zhennan feigned composure and asked with a puzzled look, "Sir, why are you scrutinizing me like this? Have we, law-abiding citizens, done something wrong?"

The captain circled around Chen Zhennan, vaguely feeling that Chen Zhennan's voice sounded familiar.

He scrutinized Chen Zhennan from head to toe, and suddenly noticed a faint scar on Chen Zhennan's cheek.

The captain slowly reached out his hand, and only when his hand touched Chen Zhennan's face did he realize with surprise that it was a mask.

Upon seeing this, Chen Zhennan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile that was both polite and sly.

In an instant, he moved like lightning and snatched the steel knife from the captain's hand.

The captain's eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, the cold blade sliced ​​across his neck.

Fresh blood gushed out, like a blooming red lotus, instantly staining the surrounding air red.

Seeing this, Song Yunming stopped pretending and kicked a soldier hard in the chest.

The soldier flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the wall. Song Yunming took the opportunity to reach out and snatch the knife away.

The two people moved around the room like ghosts, their movements so fast it was dazzling.

In less than a minute, all the soldiers inside the room lay sprawled on the ground, like harvested wheat.

Just then, the manager of Zuiyuexuan suddenly pushed open the door and rushed in.

At this moment, Song Yunming was bloodthirsty, like a wild beast driven mad by the smell of blood, and suddenly raised the blood-dripping long knife in his hand.

Chen Zhennan hurriedly reached out to stop him, "This shopkeeper is one of our own, put the knife down."

While stopping Song Yunming, he said to the shopkeeper, "Don't panic. You must secretly dispose of these corpses and not let a word of it leak out."

Chen Zhennan threw the knife on the ground and frowned slightly. "Come on, come with me to see someone!"

As night fell, the streets of the capital were sparsely lit by stars.

Wearing a black cloak and with his face hidden behind an exquisite mask, Chen Zhennan appeared silently in front of the Li residence with Song Yunming.

"Halt. Visiting so late at night is far too abrupt," the guard said, his voice tinged with wariness.

Chen Zhennan didn't say much, but simply slid a jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it to the guard: "Give this to Lord Li Yan, and he will understand."

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