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

Zhuang Zheng, one of Luo Bingyi's old subordinates, was formally arrested and imprisoned by Zhou Qingfeng. The Luo family gang was powerless to get him out, which had a great impact on the Luo family gang and had already produced a series of chain reactions in a short period of time.

The high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants who had close ties with the Luo family gang almost simultaneously sensed the impending war. At this time, continuing to maintain ambiguous and close relations with the Luo family gang could very well backfire.

Seeing the Luo family gang's initial defeat, many people did not hesitate to cut ties and no longer went to Yaochi Manor.

Even members of the Luo family faction did not rush to Yaochi Manor at this critical juncture, otherwise, if Zhou Silang found out, they would probably be targeted and end up like Zhuang Zheng.

When the Luo family gang was at its peak, high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and powerful clans would rush to befriend them and gain benefits in the process, forming a force to be reckoned with. However, once the Luo family gang showed any signs of losing power, those who had previously been on good terms with them would distance themselves and sever all ties.

This was to be expected, but when Zhai Xingyuan heard that no guests had come to Yaochi Manor, he still felt angry and cursed these people as snobbish. He could only calm his mind by playing with the two dragon balls in his palm.

"Zhai Xingyuan, give me some time, I need to talk to you." Song Lixian entered the study, looked at Zhai Xingyuan seriously, and solemnly made the request to speak with him as the eldest daughter of the Song family and the legal wife of the Zhai family.

Upon hearing this, Zhai Xingyuan maintained a cold expression throughout, showing no kindness to his wife. However, he still tacitly allowed Song Lixian to sit down and talk to him, wanting to hear what Song Lixian had to say.

Song Lixian sat down gracefully, her temperament serene and gentle. She said calmly, "Zhai Xingyuan, several of my close friends have made excuses to stop seeing me. Don't hide it from me, I'm very worried that something might happen to you."

Zhai Xingyuan frowned immediately and impatiently interrupted, "Don't be so hypocritical, it's disgusting. Are you worried about me getting into trouble? You're afraid you can't continue to be the glamorous Mrs. Zhai in front of others, aren't you?"

Seeing this, Song Lixian smiled bitterly. She knew that no matter how she explained, Zhai Xingyuan would not listen or believe her, so she did not explain anything, even though she was really worried about Zhai Xingyuan.

She didn't care about Zhai Xingyuan's terrible attitude because she knew very well that this was the result of her own actions, and she was willing to accept whatever fruit it might bear, even if the forced fruit was not sweet.

All she wanted was for Zhai Xingyuan to be by her side; just having him by her side was enough.

Even if it means death, they must be buried together; she will never accept divorce or widowhood.

"Yes, I'm just afraid of losing everything I have now." Song Lixian went along with it, saying, "Husband and wife are one, we share the same fate, and we share the same fate. Anyone could hurt you, but I won't. So I hope you can tell me honestly how deep you're in this situation, and I can try to help you get out of it unscathed."

Zhai Xingyuan stared at Song Lixian's deceptively innocent face, a look of "I knew it" on his face, his heart filled with contempt and disgust. He impatiently reached out to stop her, saying, "Thank you, Miss Song."

"Do you know what I hate most about you? It's your arrogance that's etched into your bones. Even when you're helping, it's with that condescending, condescending attitude. I thank you, I truly appreciate it, but let me tell you, I don't need you to save me. I'm perfectly fine."

Song Lixian frowned, her tone tinged with anxiety: "Zhai Xingyuan, how naive you are! I know you still hold a grudge about what happened back then, but I don't believe I've done anything to wrong you. I've done my best to help you in your career, been your good wife, and been devoted to you. Why are you treating me so harshly?"

Upon hearing this, Zhai Xingyuan slammed the dragon pearl in his palm onto the desk, stood up and angrily rebuked, "Don't bring up the past with me. If it weren't for the fact that you helped me in the past, I would have divorced you, you poisonous woman, long ago. Would I still allow you to be the glamorous mistress of the Zhai family?"

Song Lixian also got angry, feeling that Zhai Xingyuan didn't know what was good for him. He immediately stood up and said, "What a big official attitude! Let me tell you, Zhai Xingyuan, don't try to scare me. I can't help you get promoted, but I can ruin you. So you'd better show me some respect when you speak."

"You bastard, believe me or not, I'll divorce you!" Zhai Xingyuan was trembling with rage. He couldn't help but slap Song Lixian across the face.

"Pa!" A crisp slapping sound was heard.

The slap immediately drew blood from the corner of Song Lixian's mouth.

The argument between the two sides suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Song Lixian stood with his head turned to the side. After a moment, he looked up at Zhai Xingyuan with a smile and said, "You've wanted to divorce me for more than a day or two, but Zhai Xingyuan, even if I gave you a hundred lives, would you dare?"

“We’ve been married for so many years. I know a little about the dirty things you’ve been doing behind my back. I’ve deliberately turned a blind eye to it for the sake of the bigger picture, but please don’t take me for a fool.”

"I can bring you to this position, and I can also destroy you with my own hands."

At this point, Song Lixian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, smiled as he stroked Zhai Xingyuan's face, then suddenly slapped him back across the face. His words, spoken softly, were chilling: "If you dare to divorce me, I'll kill you, then kill myself!"

Looking at his gentle and elegant wife, Zhai Xingyuan was not surprised that Song Lixian had the ability to do what she said, nor did he doubt whether Song Lixian was capable of doing it, after all, Song Lixian was no ordinary woman.

Song Lixian withdrew his hand, stood up dignifiedly with his hands clasped in his hands, as if the argument and physical fight had never happened, and said with a smile, "Now can we talk about serious matters? Just how deeply are you involved?"

Zhai Xingyuan walked back to his desk indifferently, picked up two dragon balls and played with them in his palm: "I run a private liquor business for profit, and many high-ranking officials in the Sword Tower have shares in it. Zhuang Zheng is one of my partners."

"After Zhuang Zheng was arrested, I managed to pass on a message to him."

“I made a promise to him that I would take care of his wife and daughter after his death, so he wouldn’t have to worry. He said that even if he died and was never forgiven, he would never betray me for the sake of his family. You can rest assured about that.”

Song Lixian said calmly, "Besides that, what else are you hiding from me?"

Zhai Xingyuan said, "I sent Yan Wenjiu to assassinate Zhou Silang, but it failed."

Upon hearing this, Song Lixian's expression changed slightly: "Are you crazy? You dare to do such a heinous thing?"

Zhai Xingyuan said calmly, "Anyone who dares to block my way is someone I can't kill. You have no right to criticize me. This is what you taught me: if you want something, you must use any means necessary and pay any price to get it."

Song Lixian pursed his lips: "Is there anything else?"

Zhai Xingyuan crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, calmly finishing playing with the Dragon Ball: "Yes, I secretly opened a Yaochi Manor, where I set up a casino and kept male and female prostitutes. I bribed the officials of the Sword Tower with wine, women and money, and coerced them to work for me. I have evidence of the shady crimes of more than two hundred high-ranking officials of the Sword Tower."

"I have to say that over the years I have seen countless officials who appear glamorous on the surface but are actually despicable in reality."

"Only Teacher Luo is someone I truly admire. He once visited Yaochi Manor. I tried many ways to get him involved, but Teacher Luo refused and simply drank a cup of tea before leaving."

Song Lixian took a deep breath and said, "Teacher Luo's character is indeed admirable, and he is a role model for countless students. But he has taught such a cunning and wicked person as you. Does Teacher Luo know your true nature?"

Upon hearing this, Zhai Xingyuan chuckled and shook his head: "What do you think? Among us students, who can truly hide from Teacher Luo's discerning eyes? It's just a matter of turning a blind eye and pretending to be ignorant. After all, some things always need to be done by someone. If the teacher is too proud to do it, then naturally the students have to do it for him."

A look of despair slowly crept onto Song Lixian's face. She looked at Zhai Xingyuan, at a loss for how to save her lover: "Xingyuan, stop. There's no chance of winning if we keep fighting Zhou Silang. We can still leave the Sword Tower."

Zhai Xingyuan said calmly, "It all depends on human effort. How will you know if you don't try?"

There's no way he can stop now. He's sacrificed too much to get to where he is today. Giving up his power and becoming a homeless dog in exile is something Zhai Xingyuan absolutely cannot accept.

Song Lixian said, "It depends on human effort, but we must also act within our capabilities. This is a struggle that is destined to fail."

Zhai Xingyuan's eyes flashed coldly: "You're wrong. Neither the city lord nor Qiu Chengde will help Zhou Silang. They just want to use us old folks to sharpen Zhou Silang's blade. If Zhou Silang is unable to regain control of the five departments, and we find an opportunity to seize his weaknesses and defeat him, then Zhou Silang will suffer the same bitter consequences of failure."

Song Lixian said anxiously, "Even I, an outsider, can see it clearly. Outsiders can see it clearly too. If you lose, the Luo family gang is finished. Zhuang Zheng has been arrested and imprisoned. The wind has completely changed. Can't you realize it?"

“If you had won, Zhuang Zheng would be safe and sound by now. But you lost your first direct confrontation with Zhou Silang. The difference in strength between the two sides is clear, and the outcome is already predictable.”

"Don't have any illusions or wishful thinking. If we wait for a catastrophe to come, we won't even have time to run away."

"Now that there's still time, come with me and leave the Sword Tower. Let's start over."

"Please listen to me just this once, okay? I'm begging you." Song Lixian got up and walked to Zhai Xingyuan's side, squatted down and reached out to hold her lover's hand, looking at Zhai Xingyuan with expectant and anxious eyes.

In any case, she couldn't let Zhai Xingyuan continue down the path of courting death.

She wanted to save her lover, and no matter how he viewed her, she firmly believed that everyone changes, whether it's a hundred years or a thousand years. Time is the best healer, and everything will pass.

Upon hearing this, Zhai Xingyuan looked at Song Lixian's pleading with a complicated expression, his heart filled with mixed feelings that he could not express.

Forgive Song Lixian? Absolutely not. She ruined her own life.

I can't convince myself to let everything go and start over.

He was tormenting Song Lixian, but he was also tormenting himself.

Resentment was like a sharp thorn deeply embedded in his heart. Countless times in the dead of night, he had the urge to kill Song Lixian, and even had many terrible ideas to take revenge on Song Lixian.

Resentment intertwined, forming twisted vines that entangled him, plunging him into endless agony.

Zhai Xingyuan coldly withdrew his hand and said rudely, "Stop pretending. If you want to keep your current wealth and status, then be a good Mrs. Zhai. I won't divorce you, but don't hold me back."

Seeing this, Song Lixian was speechless. She knew that Zhai Xingyuan's prejudice against her was like a mountain standing between the two of them. No matter what she did, Zhai Xingyuan would think it was all hypocrisy, ugliness, and ulterior motives.

She slowly stood up, bowed slightly, turned and walked to the study door, but stopped there. Without turning her head, she said, "Zhai Xingyuan, I may not be the good wife you envision, but I am definitely the best business partner in your life. I hope you will carefully consider my advice, while the situation is still stable."

Zhai Xingyuan watched Song Lixian leave, his eyes cold and indifferent.

He abandoned everything, fled abroad, and started over.

What a joke! He would rather die in a struggle than relinquish his power.

Let's consider both sides of the story, focusing on one side only.

Xiao Hongyun, who had been out of contact with the Zhou family for several days, suddenly came to visit late at night.

Knowing that Xiao Hongyun had important matters to report, Zhou Qingfeng, without changing his clothes, invited Xiao Hongyun into the bedroom for a private talk while wearing a black robe with red trim: "Sit down, tell me what you've gained."

Xiao Hongyun said with a serious expression, "You asked me to investigate the traitor, and I have found him."

Zhou Qingfeng had just taken a sip of tea when he raised an eyebrow: "So fast?"

Xiao Hongyun nodded solemnly: "It's not difficult to investigate. There aren't many officials in the five departments. As long as we screen them one by one, there will always be clues to follow. To ensure that no accidents happen, I personally borrowed a few brothers from the Demon Suppression Division to help me. I repeatedly ensured that there would be no possibility of any leaks during the investigation process."

Zhou Qingfeng asked, "Who leaked the information? Who is the mastermind behind it? Is there any solid evidence to support this claim?"

Xiao Hongyun said, "I led the men to secretly arrest the man. His name is Ma Shun. He was originally a lowly clerk in the Fifth Division, with almost no presence. He was under the command of Ma Fushuai to infiltrate the Fifth Division as an informant. When Jin Wei and Zhi Qi led the men to search for the criminals, it was he who informed the criminals in advance."

“When we were investigating one by one, we found that this person had been personally promoted by Commander Ma and had gone to Fairy Tale Castle to serve as governor. I found this very strange, so I became suspicious and led my men to chase and intercept him overnight. We stopped him in the wild and secretly arrested and interrogated him.”

"Actually, he didn't know much. He was only responsible for transmitting dangerous information to the criminals through the communication bracelet at critical moments. He didn't even know the criminals' names. However, he admitted that it was Ma Fushuai who asked him to secretly send messages to the criminals."

"The witnesses, the testimonies, and the fact that Ma Fushuai specifically named this person to promote him to the position of governor of Fairy Tale Castle are enough to prove that Ma Fushuai is the mastermind behind it all, or at least that Ma Fushuai is involved."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng frowned slightly: "Old Xiao, this is quite a severe accusation against Commander Ma."