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

With Ma and Mao acting as mediators, the secret meeting with the high-ranking officials of Jianta became much simpler.

Zhou Qingfeng met with the high-ranking officials of Jianta one by one according to the list, and the two sides sat down for secret negotiations.

The matter is actually not complicated. As long as we grasp the pain points of these high-ranking officials in the Sword Tower, we can solve the problem.

The top officials in the Jianta on the list are most afraid of the public exposure of their private liquor profit-sharing accounts. Once exposed, they will face the First Lady's wrath. Who wouldn't be afraid of the First Lady? Anyone who says they aren't would be lying.

Zhou Qingfeng's initiative to negotiate with them is not only a way out for himself, but also a way out for these high-ranking officials of the Sword Tower. No one wants to make things worse; it's best to minimize the problem and resolve it peacefully.

Now that Zhou Qingfeng has promised to suppress the matter, destroy the list of shareholders and dividends, as well as the accounts, and make Zhai Xingyuan disappear to eliminate any future troubles, why wouldn't they be happy to do so?

The negotiations proceeded very smoothly without any unexpected events.

Zhou Qingfeng had originally thought he was going to encounter a few ruthless people who were greedy for money and didn't care about their lives, and he had already thought of a way to deal with them.

As a result, these high-ranking officials from the Sword Tower were all shrewd and decisively distanced themselves from Zhai Xingyuan, and they would absolutely not hold Zhou Qingfeng responsible for cutting off their source of income.

The main reason is that Zhou Qingfeng made the biggest compromise, keeping the situation under control within his authority and leaving it to Zhai Xingyuan. This gave many high-ranking officials of the Sword Tower a chance to escape unscathed. If they didn't appreciate it, they would be courting death.

After the secret talks with the officials on the list, the major threat had been largely averted.

Zhou Qingfeng returned to the Zhai residence.

"Here you are, brother. Haven't eaten yet? Come and eat with me." Zhai Xingyuan sat calmly in the dining room enjoying a hot pot. A large amount of animal offal was laid out on the table, and he invited Zhou Qingfeng to eat with him.

"Brother Zhai's invitation is most welcome, I would be honored to accept." Zhou Qingfeng smiled and sat down. A maid from the Zhai household quickly prepared bowls and chopsticks and placed them in front of Zhou Qingfeng: "Brother Zhai, do you enjoy eating offal so much?"

Zhai Xingyuan said with a smile, "I'm tired of eating dragon liver and phoenix marrow, so I just like this."

"What a coincidence, I like to eat it too." Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly, picked up his chopsticks and searched for the cooked offal in the boiling hot pot, then dipped it in the sauce and ate the hot pot with Zhai Xingyuan.

The two ate and chatted like ordinary friends, but the topics they discussed were anything but ordinary.

Zhou Qingfeng feigned compromise: "Brother Zhai, I've thought about the suggestion you gave me last time. This game has already come to this point, and continuing to play will only lead to our mutual demise. Let's call it a draw, and we can each give way. I can let you off without any responsibility, but I have a few conditions."

Zhai Xingyuan looked up at Zhou Qingfeng, who was sitting with him at the table, and chuckled, "Please speak."

Zhou Qingfeng: "First, you are hereby ordered to resign from your post and retire immediately. From this day forward, you shall never set foot in the Sword Tower again."

Zhai Xingyuan licked his lips, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Okay, I promise you."

Zhou Qingfeng looked down at the hot pot, pretending to eat tripe, but a murderous glint flashed in his eyes: "Second, hand over all the private liquor accounts and the list of profit sharing from the phantom stock that you have, and you cannot keep a copy."

Zhai Xingyuan said with a smile, "Didn't you take the accounts and list of those who drank the illicit liquor?"

Zhou Qingfeng pointed his chopsticks at Zhai Xingyuan and said with a smile, "Brother Zhai, I don't believe you didn't have a trick up your sleeve. If you're trying to play tricks on me, then you're not being sincere."

Upon hearing this, Zhai Xingyuan laughed heartily: "Brother, it seems nothing can be hidden from you. I have indeed hidden some accounts and names. I will hand them over to you as soon as I leave the Sword Tower territory safely."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly: "Third, he must not enter officialdom again during his lifetime."

Upon hearing this, Zhai Xingyuan remained silent for a long time before finally nodding with difficulty: "Okay."

Given the numerous crimes he has committed, simply ordering Yan Wenjiu to assassinate the fourth young master of the Sword Tower would have been enough to wipe out his entire clan. The fact that he has been spared is the best outcome. Unless Zhai Xingyuan is truly determined to perish together with Zhou Qingfeng, even at the cost of his own life, he is determined to kill Zhou Qingfeng.

Clearly, Zhai Xingyuan's last trump card wasn't a real fight to the death with Zhou Qingfeng, but rather a search for a way out. After all, in the face of death, money and power become external things, and there's nothing he can't let go of.

With Zhai Xingyuan's abilities, even without entering officialdom, he could still make a comeback.

"Old Bi." Zhou Qingfeng put down his chopsticks, picked up a towel from the table to wipe his mouth, and Bi Muge, who was standing at the door waiting for orders, immediately came in with a brush and a draft of the secret agreement, and placed it in front of Zhai Xingyuan.

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "If there are no problems, sign and put your fingerprints on it. Make two copies. From today onwards, if you violate any clause of the secret agreement, I will send experts to hunt you down to your death."

Upon hearing this, Zhai Xingyuan smiled, picked up a brush, signed and sealed the secret agreement, and then handed it to Zhou Qingfeng.

Zhou Qingfeng took out the deputy commander's seal, stamped it on, and signed and affixed his fingerprint.

With a secret agreement in hand, Zhai Xingyuan was not worried about Zhou Qingfeng's retaliation, because if Zhou Qingfeng did retaliate, the secret agreement would be made public overseas.

Once it's made public, the investigation into the bootlegging case will definitely be reopened, and Zhou Qingfeng will be held accountable by his superiors for his behind-the-scenes dealings with Zhai Xingyuan and for helping Zhai Xingyuan escape punishment.

This secret agreement was his lifeline, but it was also a deformed product of compromise between the two parties.

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "I'll give you one day to resign. Leave Sword Tower City tomorrow. From now on, you can't take anything from the Zhai Mansion. All money and treasures will be confiscated, including your personal belongings."

Zhai Xingyuan said helplessly, "Zhou Silang, we were having a good chat, how come you suddenly turned on me like that?"

Bi Muge stepped forward and snatched the chopsticks from Zhai Xingyuan's hand: "Sorry, these also have to be confiscated."

Zhai Xingyuan: "..."

The next day at dawn, Zhai Xingyuan, dressed in plain clothes, waited for the boat at the passenger terminal on the two and a half riverbank. Zhou Qingfeng and his men personally saw him off, waiting to hand over the remaining accounts and lists when Zhai Xingyuan boarded the boat.

Zhai Xingyuan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the flowing river: "Zhou Qingfeng, I'm leaving."

Zhou Qingfeng stood beside him, dressed in a luxurious and imposing purple official robe, exuding nobility and brilliance, like a rising sun, dazzling and radiant. In comparison, Zhai Xingyuan appeared much more shabby and forlorn.

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "Well, and then, would you like me to say a few words of farewell?"

"Alas, more than a hundred years have passed, and it's time to say goodbye." Zhai Xingyuan sighed softly. "Perhaps, changing identities, changing places, and starting over wouldn't be bad."

"I hope you can find your own peaceful place." Zhou Qingfeng's tone was flat, his expression indifferent, and his dark eyes were like a pool of dark spring, cold and chilling.

Upon hearing this, Zhai Xingyuan looked up at the sky and asked, "Why is the sun so red, yet it's still so cold?"

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "The ship is here. Zhai Xingyuan, it's time to hand over the remaining accounts and lists."