Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

In the dead of night, in the kitchen of the Zhai family mansion in Sword Tower City.

Zhai Xingyuan, the deputy head of the Fifth Division of the Censorate, was personally processing offal ingredients. Next to him was a table with a charcoal-fired iron pot on it, where a spicy broth was boiling and bubbling.

Yan Wenjiu sat at the dining table, holding a bowl and chopsticks, and ate large mouthfuls of meat from the hot pot.

Zhai Xingyuan placed plate after plate of prepared offal on the table. These ingredients included beef tripe, beef aorta, duck intestines, goose intestines, pork liver, beef liver, pork kidneys, lamb kidneys, pork tongue, and duck gizzards.

"Senior Brother Zhai, you still like to eat offal after all these years?" Now that he was not at the Censorate, Yan Wenjiu used a more informal way of addressing him. He didn't like eating offal, but only ate it with beef and mutton hot pot.

"Hehehe, I was poor when I was a kid, I was hungry every day, and I couldn't eat meat all year round." Zhai Xingyuan said calmly as he put his favorite fresh offal into the hot pot: "I had to find a way to eat meat."

“I would collect the offal from chickens, ducks, cows, sheep and pigs that the villagers didn’t want, wash it, and try to remove the odor. I tried boiling, stir-frying, braising, roasting and stewing it, and to my surprise, it all tasted pretty good.”

"I've gotten tired of all the delicacies I've had over the years, but in the end, I still crave this one."

Upon hearing this, Yan Wenjiu nodded repeatedly, dipped several slices of tender beef in the sauce, and chewed them: "I understand. Senior Brother Zhai isn't eating offal, he's eating sentiment."

Zhai Xingyuan chuckled and poured Yan Wenjiu a glass of wine: "That's right, let's drink to our shared feelings."

Seeing this, Yan Wenjiu raised his wine cup and clinked it with Zhai Xingyuan's, then tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp.

Zhai Xingyuan tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass. Holding a bowl and chopsticks, he poured plate after plate of offal into the boiling spicy hot pot, dipping it in sauce and eating with great relish. He then toasted and drank with Yan Wenjiu, making merry.

The two were talking about some of the shameful scandals of powerful and influential families.

For example, a certain Lord Wang had affairs with the wives of his subordinates. If the subordinates didn't send their wives to this Lord Wang's bed, they wouldn't get promoted and would suffer a series of suppressions.

For example, a certain Lord Lu was known for his integrity and incorruptibility, but it was discovered that he had embezzled 1.6 billion yuan of legal funds over three years, while his elderly mother was working in a small workshop, earning only two or three thousand yuan a month to make ends meet.

They chatted happily and burst into laughter.

Zhai Xingyuan held his bowl and chopsticks, taking big bites of the delicious offal: "Old Yan, how did things go?"

Yan Wenjiu scooped up a mouthful of mutton and said nonchalantly, "It's a failure."

Zhai Xingyuan was somewhat surprised: "You failed even when you personally took action. Did something unexpected happen?"

Yan Wenjiu was busy eating a late-night snack and nodded repeatedly: "We misjudged Gu Daozhao. This guy has been completely subdued by Zhou Qingfeng. The first thing he did after coming out was not to seek revenge, but to change his identity and start a new life."

Zhai Xingyuan was stunned upon hearing this: "Huh? So cowardly?"

Yan Wenjiu pointed at Zhai Xingyuan and said, "Hey, hey, I had the exact same expression as you back then. I never expected this guy to become such a coward, forced into this situation..."

Yan Wenjiu recounted the entire incident to Zhai Xingyuan in detail.

Zhai Xingyuan was speechless after hearing this. After a long silence, he said, "Old Yan, this is not your fault. I also bear responsibility. I was the one who prepared the plan. You were only responsible for its execution. It was my oversight."

Yan Wenjiu waved his hand dismissively: "Why talk about this? We're all doing this for the teacher, and also for ourselves. Now is not the time to assign blame, but to consider how to clean up the mess."

"After all, Zhou Silang was assassinated, so he certainly won't let it go. Even if he's busy investigating the case of the murder of an official and doesn't have time to find out who assassinated him, he'll still secretly send people to investigate."

Zhai Xingyuan frowned slightly: "Let me confirm again, you made a move?"

Yan Wenjiu nodded and said, "I made a move once, and many people saw it. Based on the characteristics of the rules revealed by my rule-based techniques, it was easy to determine that I was studying the rules of animal creation."

"If it takes some time and effort to compile a list, my name will probably be on it."

"At that time, Zhou Qingfeng will inevitably place his suspicions on me."

Zhai Xingyuan's brows relaxed slightly: "It's alright, as long as no substantial evidence is left behind. Zhou Silang is our sworn enemy, so let him have his suspicions. We can't convict you based on mere suspicion."

Jianta is a place that values ​​rules and laws. Yan Wenjiu holds a high-ranking and powerful position in the Censorate, and his authority is immense. Every official is afraid of him.

It's impossible to convict Yan Wenjiu based solely on suspicion that he risked his life to assassinate the young master of the Sword Tower. At most, they would just go through the motions of asking him to cooperate with the investigation and taking his statement. They wouldn't even use any special torture instruments.

To put it simply, unless Yan Wenjiu is caught red-handed, he will not be able to be successfully convicted.

After finishing his drink, Yan Wen wiped his mouth with a hot towel and said, "I'm not worried about whether I'll be convicted or not. Based on mere suspicion, Zhou Silang can't do anything to me. I'm just worried about something else."

Zhai Xingyuan narrowed his eyes: "Are you worried that Zhou Silang will retaliate?"

Yan Wenjiu's eyes flashed with shrewdness: "That's right. If Zhou Silang suspects that I assassinated him, it's tantamount to the Luo family gang launching an undeclared war against him. If we make a move, we'll kill him. Zhou Silang is not someone to be trifled with."

"I think we need to go see the teacher again to seek further instructions."

Upon hearing this, Zhai Xingyuan smiled and nodded on the surface, but inwardly he sighed. He knew he couldn't hide the fact that he had falsely conveyed his master's orders, plotted the assassination, and instigated Yan Wenjiu to kill Zhou Qingfeng. He would inevitably be scolded when he reported tomorrow.

However, he wasn't too panicked, because he was Teacher Luo's student and also Teacher Luo's right-hand man. Now that the Luo family gang and Zhou Qingfeng were at odds, his teacher wouldn't cut off his own arm at this time.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Senior Brother Zhai. The late-night snack was delicious. I won't bother you any longer." Yan Wenjiu stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and turned to walk out of the kitchen. Outside the kitchen, he bumped into a dignified and beautiful woman.

Yan Wenjiu immediately stopped, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Wenjiu greets Madam Zhai."

Madam Zhai smiled slightly: "It's late, why don't you stay the night?"

Yan Wenjiu clasped his hands in a gesture of polite refusal, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Madam, but I have some trivial matters to attend to, so I will not disturb you any longer. Please stay, Madam, there is no need to see me off. I will take my leave."

Madam Zhai watched Yan Wenjiu leave with practiced ease, then turned and went into the kitchen. She sat down next to Zhai Xingyuan and said, "Yan Wenjiu's late-night visit must mean something serious has happened. Do you want to tell me? Perhaps I'm not a good wife in your eyes, but maybe I can be a good advisor."

Zhai Xingyuan coldly got up and walked out of the kitchen. He stood with his hands behind his back and coldly said, "Song Lixian, you're meddling too much. Just be a good mistress of the house. You don't need to worry about anything else."