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

The top floor of Tianxi Building is covered with a profusion of flowers, each vying for attention. These are not ordinary flowers, but real man-eating flowers. The more beautiful the flower, the more people it devours, because the soil beneath it contains human ashes.

Of course, it is illegal to cultivate flowers with human ashes, but the owner of Tianxilou is very rich and can spend money to buy the ashes of the dead. Both the buyer and seller are willing to trade, and there is no need to kill people, cremate corpses or dig up graves specifically for the purpose of growing flowers with ashes.

If the people don't report it, the officials won't investigate. Although it's illegal, it's just skirting the edge of the law.

At the top center, the banquet was ready. Di Xinjian and his three invited friends were all present. The first was Jiang Hongla, the head of the Ever-Normal Granary Bureau; the second was Duanmu, the head of the Day Tour Bureau; and the third was Wang Dafu, the manager of the Fujia Money Shop.

Di Xinjian was able to own nearly 300 residential and commercial properties within eight years, which was actually thanks to the help of his three business partners. To put it more bluntly, they were just making money for the three behind-the-scenes bigwigs. Di Xinjian was just a person who was pushed to the forefront to handle things.

For many years, the four of them have worked together to make a profit. Jiang Hongla provides first-hand information, Duanmu is responsible for solving problems, Wang Dafu provides funds and laundering, and Di Xinjian makes huge profits by buying low and selling high. The profits are split 30/30, with Di taking 10%.

Jiang Hongla possesses firsthand information related to basic livelihoods. He knows which areas of Jianta need to undergo old city renovation, relocation, or the construction of new markets, or whether the price of a certain item in the market needs to be reduced if it is too high or increased if it is too low. These decisions are made by the Changping Division to ensure the healthy development of the market and prevent anyone from driving up prices.

The First Duanmu is the head of the Daytime Bureau, a position of low rank but great power. Although the Nighttime Bureau exists to counterbalance him, resulting in his power being reduced by nearly half, his influence and control are still astonishing. He is specifically responsible for helping Di Xinjian settle matters and resolve some troubles.

Wang Dafu was just a manager at Fujia Money Shop, essentially a high-level employee. Since the depositors' money was just sitting there anyway, he figured he might as well make some money from it. He could put any extra money into his own pocket, as long as the accounts matched at the end of the year and he could give his employer an explanation.

Di Xinjian smiled and poured himself a glass of wine, then took the initiative to raise his glass and said, "Duanmu Sifu, Steward Jiang, Manager Wang, I was really entangled in trivial matters yesterday and was unable to keep my appointment on time. I felt guilty and decided to make up for it today. I will punish myself with three cups to express my apology."

First, Duanmu said calmly, "Master Di's sudden failure to show up yesterday is probably not a simple matter."

Jiang Hongla fiddled with the red thumb ring on her thumb and said casually, "I heard you were invited to Meihuasi for tea yesterday."

Wang Dafu said bluntly, "Di Xinjian, stop being so mysterious. Don't forget what these two people in front of you do, where you went yesterday, and what trouble you got into. Do you think Duanmu Sifu and Chief Jiang don't know?"

Upon hearing this, Di Xinjian froze in his toasting gesture and had no choice but to put down his wine cup. He said, "To be honest, there are foreign thieves hiding in my house, but I was completely unaware of it. It was all because the landlords were bad at judging people and rented out my house indiscriminately, which caused this trouble."

"Fortunately, the lords of the Plum Blossom Division are discerning and have found that I did not collude with foreign traitors, thus clearing my name and releasing me. Otherwise, the three of you probably would not have seen me, Di. Thank you for your concern. This matter is over."

"Everyone can rest assured, our business will continue as usual, we'll still sing, dance, and drink—everything will remain the same, I guarantee it!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hongla narrowed her eyes.

Having spent many years navigating the political landscape of Jianta, she keenly sensed the danger lurking beneath the surface.

She didn't know the specifics, because the Plum Blossom Division was Zhou Qingfeng's territory, and no one could get in there. Her information wasn't that readily available. She only knew that Di Xinjian had been arrested by the Plum Blossom Division, and no matter what the reason, it was a very bad sign for her.

Upon hearing what Di Xinjian said today, I felt a chill run down my spine.

If Di Xinjian really colluded with foreign traitors, he must have already come into Zhou Silang's sights. Given Zhou Silang's style of doing things, how could he let Di Xinjian off so easily? Once he pulled out the radish, he would bring out the mud, and Di Xinjian's abuse of power for personal gain would inevitably be exposed. He might even be inexplicably accused of being a traitor who colluded with foreign forces. Just thinking about it makes one shudder.

If Di Xinjian truly did not collude with foreign traitors, then Zhou Silang's true intention was not what it seemed. He arrested Di Xinjian, then released him—was he just playing around? How could that be? What was he doing?!

Damn, they're playing the long game!

Did Di Xinjian know? With that bastard's intelligence, he probably did. But in order to get away, he actually wanted to muddy the waters and drag himself into it. The muddier the water, the safer and more inconspicuous Di Xinjian would be, but he himself would be in danger. Damn it!

Within a moment, Jiang Hongla knew she couldn't stay there any longer, and she couldn't say another word to Di Xinjian, because she knew without using magic to detect that someone was watching her. In an instant, she felt like killing Di Xinjian.

Jiang Hongla stood up decisively, glanced coldly at Di Xinjian, and then turned and left. Using power for personal gain was at most a dereliction of duty, and the lenient punishment would be a demotion. But getting involved with foreign thieves was a matter of life and death for the whole family. She knew which was more important.

Killing Di Xinjian to silence him is too late now, because from the moment she attended the banquet, she had already fallen into a trap and entered Di Xinjian's scheme. The most important thing now is to get out of there and not say another word. The more she says, the more mistakes she will make. She cannot stay here any longer.

Upon returning, we must immediately sever ties with Di Xinjian, otherwise a catastrophe will befall us in the blink of an eye.

"Hey, hey, hey... Manager Jiang, why are you leaving?" Di Xinjian got up and chased after him, but halfway there he turned back to look at Wang Dafu and First Duanmu, feigning confusion, and said, "What's going on? Who offended our Manager Jiang? Did I, Di, do something wrong?"

Duanmu, dressed in a dark green silk robe, straightened his clothes, stood up calmly, walked slowly to Di Xinjian's side, patted Di Xinjian's shoulder, and said lightly, "Master Di is a smart man, but often his cleverness backfires. You'd better watch yourself."

Wang Dafu glanced at Di Xinjian, smiled, and gave him a thumbs up, saying, "You've got guts, you really have guts!"

Di Xinjian watched the three leave one after another, then pretended to be puzzled and returned to the table to scratch his head, while inwardly he was sneering. He picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. How could he not know that someone was watching him from the shadows? But he just wanted to pretend that everything was normal.

Do it the same way you did before.

Try to pull as many people into the water as possible; only when the water is murky enough will there be a glimmer of hope.