Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

On the first day of April, there were less than five days left before the Empress's train arrived in Yuzhou.

Sun Yuwang, who was pretending to be serious in the governor's office, suddenly received a secret letter from Jiang Mohan inviting him to meet at a teahouse in the city.

Sun Yuwang knew that this was Jiang Mohan's way of conveying the outcome of whether or not to proceed with the plan.

So he immediately changed into civilian clothes and left the governor's office.

As a result, he encountered Fa Xiaozhi as soon as he stepped out of the mansion.

"Lord Sun, are you heading out?"

"Ah, this official business is making my head spin. I'll go out for some fresh air and a change of pace. Prefect Fa, please feel free to do as you please."

Sun Yuwang gave a few perfunctory replies and hurried off onto the street.

Fa Xiaozhi, however, smiled and stopped him: "Sir, please wait a moment. I happen to have an official document for your approval."

As he spoke, he pulled out an official document from his pocket: "Sir, this is the planning document for the eastern railway line. Please take a look."

"Oh dear, I don't understand this stuff either. You decide what to do."

"That won't do. The completion of the eastern railway line must be recorded in the official documents. We can't afford to be careless at all. Please take a close look, Lord Sun."

"Good good."

Sun Yuwang took the pen, signed his name at the bottom of the document, then went back to the yamen to affix the governor's seal before handing it back to Fa Xiaozhi.

"Can I leave now?"

Fa Xiaozhi glanced at the official seal on the document before replying, "I'm really sorry to trouble you, Lord Sun. Without your signature, this document would be incomplete."

No one dares to open the eastern railway line. If His Majesty fails to arrive in Yuzhou on time, and a thorough investigation is conducted, the Yuzhou Railway Bureau will be in serious trouble.

Sun Yuwang was taken aback: "What did you say? The completion of the eastern railway line is to welcome His Majesty to Shu?"

“Otherwise?” Fa Xiaozhi retorted. “We’ve been working overtime these past few days to finally finish the project, and His Majesty’s train just happens to pass through the eastern route.”

"Oh, that's it."

Sun Yuwang silently noted down this important clue.

"Prefect Fa, I'll go for a stroll in the streets first. Please feel free to do as you please."

"Please take care, Lord Sun."

As he watched Sun Yuwang leave, the smile on Fa Xiaozhi's face slowly froze.

……

Sun Yuwang arrived at Chuanxianglou and followed the instructions in the secret letter to the second-floor lobby.

It was lunchtime, and the entire second floor was almost full of people.

Sun Yuwang surveyed the area and saw Jiang Mohan sitting alone in an inconspicuous corner, sipping a bowl of clear soup noodles.

Behind Jiang Mohan, there happened to be an empty table and chairs.

Sun Yu walked towards Jiang Mohan without making a sound. As soon as he sat down behind Jiang Mohan, the waiter immediately came up to him: "What would you like to eat, sir?"

"A bowl of rice, a plate of Mapo Tofu, and a side of refreshing vegetables."

"Alright, please wait a moment, sir, we'll be right there."

After the waiter left, Sun Yuwang poured himself a cup of tea.

At this moment, Jiang Mohan spoke up from behind: "Junior Brother Sun, Junior Brother Hao and I have already persuaded the righteous men, and they are willing to cooperate with us on the fifth day of the month."

Sun Yuwang: "Thank you both for your help."

"No need for formalities. Is there any confirmation from the Empress?"

"It has been confirmed that we will travel to Sichuan by train. The eastern railway line has been completed with the help of working overtime these days, all in order to welcome the Empress's visit."

"Now that we've made up our minds, we plan to take action on April 5th."

How will you take action?

"Wu Jie will provide us with explosives and place them on the eastern railway tracks. When the Empress's train passes by, we will detonate them directly."

"The Empress's cultivation has probably broken through to the Limit Break Realm, so she won't die so easily."

"You don't need to worry about that. Master has ordered all the Immortal Realm experts in the sect to participate in the assassination operation. It's all or nothing."

While the two were communicating through soundproofing, the waiter brought them their meal.

"Sir, please use it slowly."

"Ah."

After putting down the dishes, the waiter smiled and went to attend to other tasks.

Sun Yuwang picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of Mapo Tofu, and continued, "Then you must be extremely careful. The Empress is not only highly skilled, but also very cunning and treacherous. You must strike with certainty and not give her any time to react."

"Don't worry, everything is arranged properly. If the assassination attempt on the Empress fails, Wu Jie will immediately rise up in rebellion."

Even if the Empress were to miraculously survive, she would still be destined for the division of Western Shu—this, of course, is the worst possible outcome.

"Now that everything is arranged, I can relax. Don't worry, we'll be fine by the fifth day of the fourth month."

I will also go to greet them. If the situation changes, I will order a black flag to be sent; if the operation continues, a yellow flag will be used.

"it is good."

Jiang Mohan tossed five coins onto the table, got up, and quietly left Chuanxianglou.

After eating another half bowl of rice, Sun Yuwang also left a wad of cash and departed from the restaurant.

"Oh, isn't this Governor Sun? This humble servant greets you with courtesy."

Just as he was about to return to the yamen, he ran into Pei Lun again.

Sun Yuwang's heart tightened, and then he tentatively asked, "Commander Pei, what are you doing here?"

Pei Lun, with his hands behind his back, asked in return, "From what Governor Sun is saying, it seems he doesn't want me to be here?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Yuwang laughed and said, "Commander Pei, what are you saying? I was just wondering why you would be wandering around the streets like this?"

She patted his arm as a gesture of affection.

Unexpectedly, Pei Lun glanced at the arm that had been patted, and when he looked up again, his eyes gradually became serious: "Does Governor Sun mean that this humble servant is not allowed to appear here for no reason?"

The atmosphere gradually became oppressive.

Sun Yuwang also stopped smiling and stared at Pei Lun for a while.

Just as Sun Yuwang's murderous intent surged, Pei Lun suddenly reached out from behind and took out a bag of fried cakes.

"I've wanted to try Chunjitang's almond shortbread since I was in Nanjing. Now I can finally fulfill that wish. Lord Sun, please have some."

"I've been staying up late lately, and my stomach isn't feeling well, so I can't get used to such greasy food."

"That's such a pity, hahaha."

Pei Lun patted Sun Yuwang's arm, then turned and waved, saying, "Governor Sun, please continue with your work. I'll head back now."

Watching Pei Lun's departing figure, Sun Yuwang, his face ashen, was still pondering whether his meeting with Jiang Mohan had already been exposed.

But thinking about it carefully, it's probably not true. He didn't see Pei Lun in the restaurant at all. His appearance there was just a coincidence.

If Pei Lun really sensed something was wrong with him, he definitely wouldn't have come to greet him.

Having figured this out, he felt much more at ease and continued walking towards the government office.

……

On the other side, after Jiang Mohan and Sun Yuwang parted ways, they arrived at a village in the eastern suburbs.

As soon as he appeared, a large group of martial artists disguised as villagers surrounded him.

Jiang Mohan shouted, "Righteous warriors, we have received confirmation that the Empress will soon arrive here by rail. This is our best chance to regain our dignity!"

"Oooooooo-"

Everyone let out strange howls and screams.

"Let this tyrant die on the land of Shu!"

"Once the tyrant dies, this world will once again belong to us martial artists, and we will no longer be subject to the constraints and threats of the imperial court!"

"Let's go all in and get back everything we've lost!"

"Oooooooo-"

At Jiang Mohan's urging, the crowd immediately began to scream.

Everyone looked indignant, waiting for the pent-up resentment to finally ignite on the fifth day of the fourth lunar month.

……

Inside an ancient temple in the western part of Chongqing, Kesi Khan was leading his disciples in meditation with their eyes closed.

Suddenly a cold wind blew, disturbing Kehan's meditation.

"Who is it, come out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Fa Xiaozhi walked into the Zen temple with a big smile on his face.

"Sect Leader Ke, I am Fa Xiaozhi, and I greet you."

"What are you here for?"

"I will tell you who killed the Tantric disciples, and I ask Sect Master Ke to witness it with his own eyes."

"Ok?"

Khans's eyes darted over Fa Xiaozhi like a wolf's...