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

The Fifth Division of the Censorate, Plum Blossom Division, is located in an underground prison.

Zhuang Zheng was bound by ancient shackles of the Fiend Rank, his magic and supernatural powers were sealed, and he was imprisoned in a cage like an ordinary scholar who was powerless to even kill a chicken. His eating, drinking and relieving himself were all under the watchful eyes of the Plum Blossom Guards.

Before the cage, he set out a tea table and chairs, along with fruits, snacks, and wine. Then, turning his head, he saw Jin Wei arriving with the commander and immediately waved to signal the two guards, the Plum Blossom Guards, to retreat.

"Commander." Holding the weapon, he turned around, clasped his hands in a salute, and stood aside.

Zhou Qingfeng gave a soft "hmm," lifted his robe, sat down, and looked calmly at Zhuang Zheng.

At this moment, Zhuang Zheng was no longer the spirited and triumphant man he once was. He looked like a terminally ill prisoner, his hair had turned completely white in just a few days, and his face was haggard and tired.

Jin Wei and Zhi Qi stood silently to the left and right of Zhou Qingfeng, awaiting his instructions.

Zhou Qingfeng said casually, "Is Deputy Director Zhuang still in good health?"

Zhuang Zheng looked at him from afar, his voice hoarse and weak as he said, "Thanks to you, I won't die for now."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly, then changed the subject: "Why did you suddenly confess?"

Zhuang Zheng calmly said, "The evidence is overwhelming. What can I do if I don't confess? I'll just have to face the consequences anyway. Better a quick death than a long one. I just want a painless death."

Zhou Qingfeng tapped his knee lightly with his fingers, shook his head and said, "Even if you plead guilty, the case won't be closed for now."

"Based on the existing evidence, you not only extorted bribes by blackmailing, threatening and intimidating wealthy businessmen and officials, but also made huge profits by privately reselling large quantities of bootlegging liquor."

"Where does the illicit liquor come from? Where is it produced and distributed? Who is the supplier?"

"Is there a mastermind or accomplice behind this? Who else is involved in this line of work?"

"If I tell the truth, I might be able to atone for my mistakes and find a way to live."

Zhuang Zheng stared coldly at Zhou Qingfeng, remaining silent for a long time. Unable to answer Zhou Qingfeng's question, he could only take all the blame upon himself; otherwise, he would be the only one to die.

As long as the Luo family gang remains intact, the Zhuang family can continue to thrive in Jianta. With the help of the Luo family gang, relatives can also enjoy wealth and honor, and may even have the opportunity to make a comeback.

Since I can't leave now, I can only strive for a bright future for my family.

"I'm tired." Zhuang Zheng slowly closed his eyes and stopped paying attention to Zhou Qingfeng.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng calmly poured himself a glass of wine, stood up and slowly poured it on the ground, which was tantamount to sentencing Zhuang Zheng to death in advance. Then he threw away the empty wine glass, turned around with his hands behind his back and strode away from the prison.

Jin Wei and Zhi Qi exchanged a glance, then quickly followed him back to the ground.

Zhou Qingfeng remained calm as he walked and said, "It seems someone secretly gave Zhuang Zheng a message. Zhiqi, you personally lead the team to investigate the personnel guarding Zhuang Zheng. Arrest and interrogate everyone who has met Zhuang Zheng and find out as soon as possible who gave him the message."

"Yes, Commander, I will take care of it immediately." He clasped his hands in a fist salute, acknowledged the order, and strode away.

Seeing this, Jin Wei spoke up: "Commander, you suspect..."

Zhou Qingfeng turned to look at him: "It's not doubt, it's certainty."

Jin Wei's face turned grim: "In that case, wouldn't your plan be rendered useless?"

Zhou Qingfeng remained calm and composed: "Plans are always implemented by people, and as long as people are implementing them, there will always be variables. What I can do is try to control the situation and make it more favorable to me when variables occur."

At this point, Zhou Qingfeng paused, then smiled slightly: "Jin Wei, I can't just make a move and expect others to sit back and wait to be slaughtered. Since they've already made their moves, let's look for weaknesses in the exchange."

Seeing his young master's confident and composed demeanor, Jin Wei felt much more at ease. He believed that with his young master's wisdom and methods, he would surely win in the battles against the enemy time and time again.

Zhou Qingfeng smiled, put his hands behind his back, and looked up at the sky, showing no signs of frustration or disappointment.

Because Zhuang Zheng is still alive and under their control, and the Luo family gang is eager to keep quiet since they can't get him out, it means that if Zhuang Zheng speaks out, he could potentially inflict a devastating blow on the Luo family gang.

Grasp this thread firmly, and eliminate all the members of the Luo family gang involved.

That would hasten the downfall of the Luo family gang and consolidate the overall stability.

Moreover, since Zhuang Zheng wasn't rescued this time, most shrewd and intelligent people have probably already realized that the Luo family gang lost their direct confrontation with them. Some of the powerful figures in the Sword Tower who were close to them will have to consider cutting ties with the Luo family gang, and even members within the Luo family gang will panic and think about distancing themselves from the gang.

Once morale is low, it's hard to lead the team.

A day later, the messenger arrived with his weapon to report.

He carried a Plum Blossom Guard into the main hall's tea room, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Commander, we've found out."

Zhou Qingfeng sipped his tea slowly, looking down at his book, and said, "Speak."

He kicked the Plum Blossom Guard in the back of the knee: "Confess honestly."

The Plum Blossom Guard immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "I'm sorry, Commander, this humble servant has come to surrender."

Zhou Qingfeng slowly raised his head and looked at him: "What's your name?"

Mei Huawei said, "Happy New Year."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly: "Happy New Year, it's a good omen, tell me about it."

He Xinchun clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Commander, my wife accepted money and gifts from others..."

He Xinchun, an insignificant little person.

This person had some connections in the Censorate, but no powerful backing or background. His elders had a past relationship with a deputy director of the Censorate, so he used this connection to get into the Fifth Bureau of the Censorate and became an unofficial member of the Plum Blossom Guard.

Later, when the deputy director retired, He Xinchun lost all his connections and his life became difficult. As a dignified cultivator at the Food Fiend Realm, he was constantly ostracized and bullied, never daring to speak loudly, lacking any confidence.

Fortunately, his income was stable, and his life was quite peaceful and secure. He had a house, a wife, children, and parents, and his family was happy. This was why He Xinchun had been enduring this humiliation as a Plum Blossom Guard. Otherwise, if he left Sword Tower City, he, a dignified cultivator at the Food Fiend Realm, would be considered a big shot in a remote and impoverished area. Why would he have to suffer such humiliation?

He did want to blend in and join the Luo family gang to gain opportunities for advancement, but the Luo family gang was not a circle he could easily enter; he was completely unqualified.

After waiting for many years, the time for the change of power finally arrived. Under Jin Wei's secret recruitment, He Xinchun chose to stand on the opposite side of the Luo family gang, thus being branded as a member of the Zhou family faction.

As expected, after Zhou Qingfeng successfully regained control of the Fifth Division, those who had joined him first, including He Xinchun, would be promoted one after another. He Xinchun was well aware of this and was extremely loyal in his actions.

Meanwhile, strange changes occurred in He Xinchun's home. Neighbors who were in business found excuses to give him gifts, and Mrs. He accepted the gifts one after another. At first, they were gifts, but later they were money, one sum of money after another. However, she never asked for his help in doing anything illegal or disorderly.

Of course, these gifts and money are not given away for free, because fate has already secretly marked the price of things obtained through gifts from others, and when the price is paid, it is often an unbearable burden.

When the merchants who used to give gifts asked Mrs. He to tell He Xinchun to pass a message to the prisoners in jail, Mrs. He agreed without any psychological pressure. In her opinion, it was just passing a message to the prisoners and there was nothing wrong with it.

When He Xinchun received the news, he felt like the sky was falling. His first thought was to return the money and all the money and gifts that Madam He had received. But things were not that simple.

The gifts and money that Madam He received were worth more than two million in Buddhist currency. He Xinchun simply couldn't come up with that much money in a short time. The other party demanded that he either pass on a message to Zhuang Zheng or use his wife and daughter to pay off the debt.

Furthermore, the other party also gave He Xinchun an additional one million coins as a reward. Under coercion and enticement, He Xinchun was in a state of confusion and was forced to convey the message to Zhuang Zheng as instructed.

They thought they had gotten away with it undetected. But Zhiqi arrested and interrogated everyone who had been in contact with Zhuang Zheng.

This made He Xinchun realize that the matter had been exposed and could no longer be concealed.

After all, there are only a few people involved, and they will be found out sooner or later.

He Xinchun knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Commander, I know I was wrong, and I am willing to accept the punishment."

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "Who forced you to pass on the message?"

He Xinchun said, “Dai Pangzi, whose real name is Dai Sanzhi, I call him Lao Dai. He has a round face, a mustache, small eyes, and a medium build. He looks very kind. He lives next door to me and has only been here for a short time.”

Zhou Qingfeng turned to Zhiqi and said, "Go and take a look, and come back quickly."

He nodded quickly and rushed out of the main hall.

Zhou Qingfeng ignored He Xinchun, who was kneeling on the ground, and instead fell into deep thought. Based on He Xinchun's experience, he had already guessed that the Luo family gang had a mastermind setting a trap for He Xinchun, and that the trap was set in advance.

The Luo family gang knew that they had sent people to win over lower-level officials, but they did not take any action to interfere. Instead, they selected people from among their subordinates to set up schemes and turn them into hidden pawns. The pawns themselves did not even know that they were pawns. They only realized that they had become pawns when they needed to be used.

Even if He Xinchun isn't used here, he'll probably be used elsewhere.

The key question is how many people like He Xinchun are left, and who they are. Will similar situations occur again in subsequent actions? Tasks need people to do them, and often those who do the tasks are the lowest-ranking people. If these people are loyal and hardworking, that's fine, but if they sabotage things at crucial moments, it's enough to shake the success or failure of the operation.

"A master strategist, indeed." Zhou Qingfeng exhaled softly, leaning back in his chair with a smile.

A short while later, the man with the implements returned.

“Commander, Dai Sanzhi is not at home. According to the neighbors, he disappeared last night.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng nodded: "As expected."

Holding his weapon and clasping his hands in a fist, he asked, "How does the Commander intend to deal with He Xinchun?"

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at He Xinchun and said calmly, "Let's follow the rules."

"Yes." Zhiqi bowed and acknowledged the order, then grabbed He Xinchun by the back of his collar and dragged him out: "Go, the road out of the country is long. After you've been whipped, take your family and get out of Sword Tower territory. Don't ever come back."

Putting everything else aside, the charges of harboring a criminal and obstructing justice against He Xinchun and his wife are definitely confirmed. According to the rules, the punishments from lightest to heaviest are fines, caning, exile, life imprisonment, and death.

He Xinchun only surrendered himself and confessed because he knew the seriousness of the matter. Otherwise, if he had been found out, he would have been imprisoned for life at the very least, and his wife would have been implicated as an accomplice.

Fortunately, because he surrendered himself to the authorities, his crime was reduced by one degree. In accordance with the rules, he was dismissed from his post and received his punishment, and his family members were exiled abroad.

After everyone left, Zhou Qingfeng sat quietly in the tea room, slowly sipping lychee black tea, his face solemn. It seemed that there would be no breakthrough progress on Zhuang Zheng's side in the short term.

Zhuang Zheng had received word of the situation and chose to remain silent because he had received a promise from the Luo family gang. This benefit would not go to him personally, but it would benefit his family.

To get Zhuang Zheng to speak, the Luo family gang's promises must be shattered, plunging them into a precarious situation where they are surrounded by enemies. Only then will Zhuang Zheng realize that the Luo family gang is a sinking ship and has no way to fulfill its promises.

Only in this way will Zhuang Zheng reveal the secrets he knows in exchange for a new way out. Before that, all that is needed is to ensure that Zhuang Zheng lives a healthy life, does not commit suicide, does not get sick, and does not have any accidents.

"Jin Wei, tonight you will personally move Zhuang Zheng to a secret location for detention. No one other than you and me can know about it. We must ensure that Zhuang Zheng can live peacefully until he is willing to talk." Zhou Qingfeng summoned Jin Wei specifically to give him these instructions in private.

"Yes, sir. I know what to do." Jin Wei immediately understood Zhou Qingfeng's actions and knew without saying a word how to hide Zhuang Zheng silently.