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

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuo's heart tightened. He was never a fool. Although he lacked great wisdom, he was still quite clever. He carefully considered his words.

Then Zhao Kuo got up from his seat, bowed to Zhou Qingfeng, and said, "Commander Zhou, Zhuang Zheng and I did have some conflicts, but those are all things of the past and not worth mentioning."

Zhou Qingfeng's gaze was steady, with a smile on his lips. He always gave people a gentle and calm impression. He simply stared at Zhao Kuo without saying a word or asking any questions.

However, Zhao Kuo felt a little uneasy under the gaze and couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Obviously, it was unlikely that he could get away with something vague, so he quickly said, "The thing is, Zhuang Zheng liked my wife back then. Zhuang Zheng and my wife were childhood sweethearts, and Zhuang Zheng has always liked my wife very much."

"My wife knows this and has clearly rejected Zhuang Zheng's advances. She only sees Zhuang Zheng as an older brother, and their relationship is too close. My wife simply doesn't like Zhuang Zheng."

At this point, Zhao Kuo paused slightly, a smile appearing on his lips: "Later, it was by chance that my wife was attacked by demons on her way back to Shenjiazhuang from the city. At that time, my comrades and I were conducting combat training in the field when we heard cries for help. So I led the Dragon Rider squad to charge over and rescue my wife."

"This accident brought my wife and me together. Our relationship quickly blossomed, and in less than two years, we got married with the help of our parents. But Zhuang Zheng held a grudge against me because of it."

“When I first met my wife, he warned me that my wife and I were childhood sweethearts, innocent and affectionate, and had a deep bond. He said we were just one step away from confessing our feelings, and told me not to get involved.”

"But how could I listen to him? Because of this, Zhuang Zheng and I often had conflicts because of my wife during those two years. That's when the feud started. In the end, after my wife and I got married, it was a done deal, and Zhuang Zheng had no choice but to give up and stop bothering us. Since then, he has had almost no contact with our family."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle: "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. You stole Zhuang Zheng's childhood sweetheart, so Zhuang Zheng must harbor resentment and seize any opportunity to torment you to death."

"Of course, this matter is not that simple. I sent someone to explain to Zhuang Zheng these past few days, but Zhuang Zheng ignored me. Even though he knows you are innocent and have been implicated, he still wants to destroy you."

"Besides personal feelings, there is someone behind the scenes instructing Zhuang Zheng and supporting him. Otherwise, Zhuang Zheng would not have refused to give me face."

"Moreover... not only did he not give me face, but even the people I sent were invited for tea."

Zhao Kuo keenly grasped the key words and subconsciously asked, "Who instructed Zhuang Zheng to frame me?"

Zhou Qingfeng shifted his posture, leaning back in his chair, and said calmly, "Zhuang Zheng used to be Luo Bingyi's subordinate. How could he hold onto the position of deputy director? Think carefully about whether you've blocked someone's path and offended certain people without realizing it."

Zhao Kuo's mind went blank for a moment, then cleared up instantly: "Zhai Xingyuan, it's Zhai Xingyuan. He has repeatedly used Luo Bingyi's name to invite me to banquets, secretly trying to recruit me into his group, but I have not agreed."

Zhou Qingfeng shrugged and smiled slightly: "Things are clear now."

Zhao Kuo quickly clasped his hands and said, "You are a treacherous villain who only schemes against me behind my back. I beg you, Commander-in-Chief, to do me justice."

Zhou Qingfeng shook his head: "You're out of luck. I can't help you."

Zhao Kuo's face turned pale, and he was visibly panicked. His lips trembled uncontrollably as he pleaded, "Commander, you have to help me! Please, no one but you can save me."

Zhou Qingfeng shook his head and remained silent. He really couldn't help. Zhao Kuo had already made a mistake, and the person holding that mistake firmly in their grasp was doing so. Zhuang Zheng was desperately trying to escalate the situation, sending one impeachment report after another to the city lord.

Trying to suppress this matter is pure wishful thinking.

With his current power, he cannot control everything.

Seeing this, Zhao Kuo looked despairing. It had taken him thirty years to reach the position of Sifu, but his downfall would not even take thirty days. Thirty years! Thirty years of hard work had vanished, and his future was ruined. How could he not be desperate?

"Save me... Commander-in-Chief, save me! You can't just stand by and watch me die!" Zhao Kuo cried out as if grasping at a last straw, kneeling and kowtowing repeatedly, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Zhou Qingfeng licked his lips and quietly gazed at Zhao Kuo, who was kneeling and kowtowing before the desk.

He knew very well that things were not going to work at the moment, and that trying to protect him would only implicate himself.

It is quite possible that today's Zhao will be tomorrow's Zhou.

Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for him to keep his official position; don't even think about it.

Zhou Qingfeng put on a gentle smile, stood up, walked around the desk and helped Zhao Kuo up, and said earnestly, "Zhao Sifu, the city lord already knows about this matter. Those impeachment reports are your death warrant."

"Your position in the Sifu is definitely gone. Instead of begging me for help here, you should quickly write a confession and submit it. Don't worry, I will speak on your behalf to the city lord at the appropriate time."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuo managed to stop his tears. He had no other good ideas and could only follow Zhou Qingfeng's arrangements to seize this glimmer of hope, otherwise he feared his death was imminent.

As the saying goes, some things are only a pound or two on the scale, but once they're on it, they weigh a ton.

The impeachment for making mistakes was just the fuse. Once Zhao Kuo fell from power, his past deeds would be investigated, and all the illegal and disorderly things he had done during his ten years in the Ministry of Justice would be counted. Then, he would be punished for all his crimes.

"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief. I know what to do." Zhao Kuo wiped his tears with his sleeve, got up and walked to his desk.

Zhou Qingfeng took out paper and pen and handed them to Zhao Kuo: "Write it down. I will personally report it to the city lord tomorrow."

Zhao Kuo picked up his pen and wrote down his mistakes, earnestly reflecting on and repenting, and deeply examining his own problems. As he wrote, tears streamed down his face. He felt that he was truly wronged, and no one was more wronged than him.

After writing it down, Zhou Qingfeng glanced at it and shook his head, saying, "No, don't cry foul. Whether you're wronged or not, only those who wrong you will know that you're the most wronged. Crying foul is meaningless; everyone will just think you're making excuses."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuo had no choice but to revise the document again and again.

Under Zhou Qingfeng's guidance, the report was written exceptionally well, and all the responsibility that could be shifted was completely absolved.

The main responsible persons were three strongmen from the Night Patrol Division. Because they were the ones who arrested the criminals, they did not strictly follow the procedures for interrogation and hastily made the criminals sign and seal their confessions to close the case, which led to the wrong case being handled.

The secondary responsible party is Shen Yiming, a junior officer of the Night Patrol Division. As the person in charge of the case, his fault is almost undeniable. The primary responsible party, Zhao Kuo, insists that he was negligent and tries to shift all other responsibilities onto others.

After reading the confession and repentance, Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly, then looked at Zhao Kuo and said, "Go back. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. I know what's going on. Don't be afraid. Go home and wait for news."

Zhao Kuo hesitated, feeling uneasy, but remained silent.

He bowed respectfully, clasped his hands in greeting, turned around, and strode away from the Zhou residence.

The next morning, Zhou Qingfeng bathed and burned incense, changed into a brand-new purple official robe, and stood in the council pavilion of the Water Forest Garden in the inner courtyard of the city lord's mansion, listening to the assistant commanders arguing about the military expenditure of the unclaimed land.

Ma Dalang leaned closer to Zhou Qingfeng, winked, and whispered, "Fourth brother, what brings you here today?"